Happy Mondays

I have to say that all in all, today was a good day. Or perhaps today is a good day would be more appropriate since it is not even 3:30pm. I am a firm believer in cursed Mondays, as they are never anything but horrid: early rise, back to class, the longest possible point from the approaching weekend. Since I tend to have Monday's pegged for disaster, when a particularly good one comes along it seems almost unusual and as if the universe is on my side and I feel the need to share. (Not that the universe is usually against me, it's just nice to have a good Monday.)

The events that have made this particular Monday so great are as follows:

- It's minus 10 degrees C, not so great for walking to school in the morning, but my boyfriend gave me a ride to my 9a class despite his classes not beginning until 12p. Not sweet, wha?

- Most Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays I bring a travel mug of coffee to my class. Today I just wasn't feeling it (probably because I had three mugs yesterday) but since I had already brewed the coffee I took a mug. Excellent coffee, if I do say so myself.

- We had a guest lecturer in my first class today, she brought in some swag! I got a cool contraption that holds post-it pads and flags. Who doesn't love free stuff?

- The same guest lecturer, as she was passing out the freebies, glanced at my notes and said: "Oh wow, you have some interesting script there, Miss! Looks like typescript from a machine or something.."* Random comments are always fun. (:

Please note that all of that happened before 10a, accompanied by the fear of in-class essay failure. At 10a, I had to write my Shakespeare in-class assignment. (FEAR IT. The last one I did was terrible to say the least! I passed, somehow... Not only was my content mostly creation of my own imagination (not the goal of the assigned question), but my structure was non-existent. I did go meet with my prof after getting the last assignment back. He gave me a writing hand-book. I can write, I am at a 3000 university level AND I already have a writing handbook. (I took it anyway, it was free.))

- Rocked it.

- I ate a vegan chocolate chip cookie. It was good!

- Peanut butter sandwich for lunch FTW!

- I walked home from school. I had to strip off a layer in the street because somehow, with a temperature reading of minus 7 degrees C, the puddles are liquid and it's too warm for a hat, mittens a sweater AND a jacket. (NOTE: I am very excited for spring!)

Those are the series of events that make today a happy Monday. I hope this day just keeps getting better! Perhaps I'll leave you with another list... Enjoy your Monday!

Things that lie ahead for this happy Monday:

- Fold laundry - not the best, but clean jeans are good.

- Cooking supper. Great tasting food with the bf, also a good thing!

- Not as much homework/studying as usual, may have sometime to read for leisure - always good!

- Perhaps I'll bake something...?

*Quote not necessarily verbatim

Valentine's Leftovers

I love chocolate.

After the hoopla of the holidays (any holiday, or even occasion) dies down, I find a store that has left over chocolates and candies that are marked down real cheap. I usually buy a somewhat large quantity to last me through until the next big sale. It's not that I'm a choco-holic or anything - I'm not constantly indulging in these sweets, I just like to have some on hand for when I am in the mood for a bit of chocolate here or there.

This year, to my dismay, I realized no matter where I search, I cannot find ANY left over Valentine's chocolates. I did see some cinnamon hearts and jellybeans, but they just won't do. It took me a few days to realize I wasn't going to refill my sugar stash until Easter (which is running rather late this year). So if you'd like to send me YOUR Valentine's chocolate, my mailing address is below. (Just kidding)

I'm beginning to realize a possible cause behind the vacancy of the Valentine's leftovers... Most other occasions or holidays are religious, which means not everyone around us celebrates or purchases the commodities available, providing ample leftovers for people such as myself. However, Valentine's Day is just some random day where a saint (arguably religious) did some cool stuff so that we can get chocolate from boys, so mostly everyone around us celebrates this occasion and buys up all the chocolates.

This may or may not be true. While writing this, I discussed some points with my roommate that may falsify this idea, but I'm too far in to call it quits now. I just want some chocolate.

Miniature Hopes and Dreams

Today, after I showered, I tried on my variety of swim wear just purchased about six short months ago. Although I thoroughly enjoy a good swim, I had only gone a handful of times last semester, and the outlook for this semester doesn't look too promising either.

As I stood in different pieces from my small collection, I started to recall what I was thinking as I purchased each one. Some were purchased out of sheer necessity, while others were a little more stylish. Finally, the inspirational piece of this post: the TYR one-piece training suit.

Yes ma'am, I bought a onesie with full intention to begin swimming laps in the local pool for exercise. Not that I wanted to be an Olympic medalist or anything, I just felt my trips to the gym were becoming routine and I needed a change. The issue is, I can't swim laps. I can do a bit of a stroke here and there, but not much to keep me going the entire length of a pool.

As a child I attended swimming lessons and managed to pass each level I attempted. I don't understand how, because I could never regulate my breathing enough to not nearly drown on water I had inhaled. Figure that one out. I thought of joining adult lessons on campus, at least I'd be learning from a pro and I wouldn't develop bad habits. Good idea, however adult group lessons (the cheaper option) run about $80.00. Did I mention I'm a student with student-loans? Not so much an option.

I have a couple of friends from high school who used to work at the pool as lifeguards and even teach lessons. I thought about asking them to show me a thing or two, just to get me going. But these friends are exactly friends... They're more like acquaintances; we'll chat when we're in company of each other, but we don't call each other up to hang out, so I'd feel kind of awkward just asking them this random favor: Hey, I know I haven't seen you in a billion years buuuut, can you teach me how to swim???

Last semester I made a new friend! AND, she used to be involved in competitive swimming. How coincidental, a good person to learn from, one would think. I asked her to show me how to swim and figured we could spend a lot of time together at the pool. She seemed interested and thought it would be a fun way to hang out. Sadly, that didn't work either. We would either be too busy with school work or just too unmotivated to get to the pool.

This miniature hope and dream is not yet dead.

By trying on my swim wear, it has kind of revitalized my hope and dream of being able to swim laps. I texted that competitive swimmer friend just a few moments ago, and she's still willing to give it a shot!

I'll try to keep you updated on my progress. What are your miniature hopes and dreams?

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These past six days we have had three snowstorms to deal with. Frankly, I'd rather not see another flake in my life! There was a time when I would rejoice in a nasty forecast for the pathetic hope of having a snow-day. Highlight of the winter, if you'd ask me.

Now that I depend on walking to/from my classes and for a lot of other errands, I despise the snow and all that comes along with it. Favorite part, you ask? Why, it's walking in snow banks or on the road because of unplowed sidewalks and nearly getting hit by cars. I haven't had too much experience with the much-dreaded slush tidal wave, but I feel it is coming soon. Another great aspect of snowstorms? SHOVELING! I don't know about you, but I feel so powerful with a shovel in hand, digging into an icy-snow combo and heaving the pile miles above my head (might I add, I am 5'2"). Loves it.

I might as well apologize for my rant on the current weather. I am almost sure I suffer from SAD, resulting in fabulous moods during winter, resulting in lack of ideas for blog posts. So to all of my loyal followers: I'm sorry.

Perhaps these next post possibilities will be of more interest to viewers.

- Recently viewed movies

- Things to do with writing

- Upcoming exams and other school work

- Screaming girls who live in the apartment downstairs

I think that last one may be a winner.

Adventure of the Week

Yesterday was quite dramatic to say the very least. Before I dive into the details, I have to warn you that I can get a bit dramatic when telling a story. All of the events are true, some names may be changed and some exaggeration may occur, but yesterday was indeed an adventure!

Although these events I am about to describe did not happen directly to me, they did affect me. They actually happened to my boyfriend; however I was present for most of the time in the passenger’s seat, so let’s just say I was the co-pilot.

My boyfriend’s car, Joanne, had been acting up these past few weeks. Nothing really serious though, no tire trouble or engine failure, mostly winter blues resulting in a frosted and snapped-off rear door handle limiting access to the rear seats, and an iced-up driver’s side keyhole. Fun times. Although these were only minor problems for Joanne, yesterday things got epic.

Tim has a parking permit at the university we attend that allows him to park at one end of campus while his classes are all at the other end. Not as convenient as parking in the over-flow parking lot which is right next to the building Tim’s classes are in. Not as inconvenient as a parking ticket. Since receiving a parking ticket in the over-flow lot and the permit to park on the other side of the universe wasn’t working out, Tim started parking Joanne at his friend’s house which is a short ten minute walk to campus. Good stuff. Yesterday, however we woke to a significant amount of snow piled onto an already snow-covered city which resulted in Tim’s friend’s driveway being in an unparkable state, which caused Tim to leave Joanne sitting on the side of the road he went to class. Part way through the day Joanne uses her telekinetic power to notify Tim that he had just received a parking ticket. With the sudden realization that a parking ticket was possible during 34 hours following a significant snowfall, Tim rushed back to re-park his car in hopes of not yet receiving a second parking ticket of the semester. Too late!

Tim can handle a parking ticket because Tim is a man. (I’m not saying women can’t handle parking tickets, I’m just saying Tim is a man.) So $30 later, Joanne is safely in the driveway and Tim is back to class. After class, at about 5pm – also known as supper time, Tim and I were driving home in rush hour, (never a good time), and as we approached a cool sports bar with a really good wings menu we realized how hungry we were and how cheap wings were that particular night. Why not? Wing night it is! May I say, our supper was thoroughly enjoyed! As we got to Joanne after we ate, Tim passed me the keys so I could unlock the door on the passenger’s side, he said “start ‘er up” as he brushed the freshly fallen snow off Joanne. I put the key in the ignition and turned. Rggg-rgg... Rgg-rg. Joanne had slipped into CAR-diac arrest! How can that be? We had just driven from school to the restaurant and she was fine.

PADDLES, WE NEED THE PADDLES! First instinct was: “We need a boost, who can we call?” I called my roommate to see if her boyfriend was over and could possibly give us a hand. However, I managed to get some random dude who instead of answering my question of “who am I speaking with”, asked me who I was and who I was looking for. Thanks man. Next in line was my other roommate’s boyfriend, who didn’t answer his phone, so I called my roommate, she didn’t answer her phone either. I decided on trying to call my brother, who I thought was on duty anyhow so I didn’t think he would answer his phone. Guess I was right. Sitting in the car, freezing cold, not a gig. We’re going to die! Finally we called another friend who was either very selfless or had no life and was able to come down to give us a boost. THANK YOU!

Waiting for Phillip* to come was cold. I was shivering and was very grateful when he finally arrived. (He wasn’t actually that long, it just felt that way because of the cold.) Tim had pulled Joanne into the parking spot unaware of her illness so we had to slip her in neutral and push her back to get close enough to Phillip’s car to get some power. Speaking of power, power-steering doesn’t work so great when your batter’s dead! While reversing I had turned the wheel as much as I could to the right so we could possibly drive on once the car got started, however, I did not realize that Phillip had parked to the right of us and (thanks to me) we had to pull back in to the parking spot so I could back out in the other direction. Sorry guys.

Once we had Joanne lined up with Phillip’s car, the guys hooked the cars up and waited for a charge. About to start Joanne up, very exciting! Not so exciting, she’s in a coma. After several attempts and slow advances to finally having Joanne running again, she’s still not feeling 100%. Her lights kept dimming and she was very sluggish responding to the accelerator.

When we finally believed we had enough juice to get us going Tim decided purchasing a new battery was the best thing to do. Off to Canadian Tire! On the road Joanne kept showing signs of returning to her comatose state. At stop lights Tim would slip her into neutral to rev Joanne and keep her awake. Come on, Joanne, you can do it!

On the Canadian Tire parking lot we were a little weary about leaving Joanne stationary so I was designated to loop around the parking lot while Tim purchased a new battery. After seven laps I stopped counting, I knew I was going to win. First place all the way! Couldn’t even see the cars behind me. Then the salt truck and six other cars decided to visit the Canadian Tire/Mark’s Work Warehouse parking lot simultaneously, diminishing my NASCAR success and making Joanne’s lights dim once again as she idled. I’m not a sore loser though; I continued lapping until Tim made it out with a new battery in hand and we were off to Tim’s house.

The road to Tim’s house is generally brightly lit. There are about 21 car dealerships. (Trust me, I’ve counted.) However, there is this small section of road between the city and the town where Tim lives that a street light does not exist. What do you think happens on this small section of road? Hmm? You’ve guessed it, Joanne passed out and sent us rolling into darkness with slushy road shoulders and other traffic whizzing by, we were so close to home. A dangerous situation to be in with a black car lacking lights, if I do say so myself.

Since our original distress calls, two of the three people who did not answer their phones had returned my call, we had ample help, but what could be even do? Joanne had passed out while in motion, not sounding so much like a battery problem. In any case, Tim decided on requesting his roommate come to our rescue with his tool kit so he could change the battery in hopes of the new one having enough juice to get us home. Tim got to work in the dim lighting of a Ford Escape’s reverse lights. Enough light for a man to change a battery!

With Tim in the driver’s seat and my fingers and toes crossed, he turned the key and Joanne stirred from her slumber. HOORAY! We took off down the road, hoping all would go well. Hoping. Joanne hadn’t fully recovered and her power-steering wasn’t working correctly. Each turn we made, I held on tighter and tighter, counting them down and praying a pedestrian wasn’t in the street. Within two minutes we were strategically in Tim’s driveway, Joanne parked and ready to be worked on in the morning.

Tim decided it would be a good idea to take the new battery out of the car for the night since it wasn’t fully charged and would probably completely drain throughout the frosty night. During the operation and with much consideration of the evening’s events, Tim thought the dead battery wasn’t the issue and it had more to do with the alternator. Oh the joys of spending $130 on a battery that is non-refundable to realize the problem is significantly more expensive. On another note, time for an exhausted Tim to finish a project and study before bed! Yay!

This morning, after sleeping past an incorrectly set alarm Tim arose to see if Joanne was feeling better. In the morning light, she was indeed: Tim noticed a belt missing connecting to the alternator; this could be an easier, way less expensive problem! This afternoon Tim purchased an alternator belt for $18-$25 and replaced it in the evening. Joanne is alive and stable; however she will be closely monitored for the next few weeks. Let’s all keep her in our thoughts and prayers!

Well, that was definitely an adventure! I hope you enjoyed reading my re-telling/writing of yesterday’s events. For a less-dramatic, more-true version visit Tim’s blog: http://walkingwithspoons.blogspot.com/2011/02/car-troubles.html

Peace!

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The Chef

I have always had an interest in the blogging world, however I have never successful followed through with one. Perhaps the issue hasn't been my inability to write about things happening around me but more so that I continue to find myself in a niche, only allowing myself to post about quotes or something. This blog is my attempt to remove any form of niche: Blog Salad - pretty much everything in the cupboards and refrigerator..

Happy Mondays

Valentine's Leftovers

Miniature Hopes and Dreams

Untitled

Adventure of the Week

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The Chef

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