jenunderscore_

Hey so, funny story...

Dan walks into the office and says to me "So Jen, our flight doesn't leave at 6pm tomorrow, it leaves at 6AM... :) That means we need to leave North Gower a little past 4am to get to the airport on time. Weeeeee!


So! We arrive in Winnipeg super duper early. Dan's going to go into the office and I'm going to do some contract work that's due tomorrow. Dan needs to work a bit on Friday morning too...

Why are we going to Winnipeg you ask? Our final destination is in fact Brandon, where my sibling and sibling-in-laws have organized a surprise birthday bash for Mom's 60th. It's a good thing Dan realized that the flights were earlier than we thought!

I was put in charge of getting Mom her gift, and apparently I have to write a speech.

As for the gift, I picked up these two beautiful decorative tiles in Merrickville made by a local artist that she loved when she was visiting and we were shopping around. They are dried flowers preserved in resin and mounted on ceramic and you hang them on the wall. I got her a pair.

Best part is I came under budget :) There's really no need to overspend just for the sake of spending.

Oh, did I mention that on Monday morning I committed to delivering a web project for Thursday, thinking that I had all day Thursday to finish it? woops!

So, I put in some hours tonight (less than I wanted) and I'll be working all day tomorrow, including on the plane ride.

For now, I am packing up and getting some sleep. oi...

Picturesque winter wonderland! :)

Last night I dreamt of a baby wooly mammoth, and I loved him and he grew bigger for it. (Interpret THAT dream dictionary)

He was also in a barn in a suburb around the Conroy area where Brad used to live, and there was a hairdresser who worked there, and she squeezed me in for an appointment which I missed, so I did her dishes for her.

Dreams are funny :)

In other news, it's snowing and it's beautiful - I'm going to take some photos with my mobile phone and post our view for you. It's so purdy!

So, this is the first year that I've heard the day after thanksgiving referred to as "Black Friday" and now I'm seeing the term all over (all over Facebook, really).

The only way I knew that today was a big spending day in the United States is because of "Buy Nothing Day". A day I was aware of when I was full of piss and vinegar. (I've stopped drinking that Kool-Aid a long time ago.)

That's not to say I'm drinking the other Kool-aid either. I like to think I have a pretty balance view on this kind of stuff.

In celebration of this day (ahem, not really, but ok) - I'm going to go watch "The Card Game" on the Frontline website

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/creditcards/view/?utm_campaign=viewpage&utm_medium=grid&utm_source=grid

I loves Frontline. (I'll drink their Kool-aid anyday.)

In other financial-related news in the world of Jenjens. Today, I also consolodated my debt and after a good hard look at our spending habits, we have a new plan in which we pay down our small floating debt and work towards some sort of responsible management of our spending.

The move to the country has also marked the move to eating at home more. Without access to any restaurant our hearts desire, you'd be amazed at how much money we're saving.

On that note, I must go check on the casserole I'm making for lunch.

Later skater.

Paris just posted a link to this: http://autocompleteme.com/

It made me laugh, so I just had to go spelunking for one :)



(humans are weird)

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Edit: booooo I must not have scrolled all the way, that one was submitted already... :(

So technology exists inherently.

How about... at what point does technology stop being a blessing and become a curse. Does it ever stop being a blessing?

Cary posted this on his Facebook this morning - it made me laugh. I hope it makes you laugh too!

Dan and I were awoken this morning with a *knock*knock* at our door.

It was the Jehovah's with their "Watchtower". I didn't go to the door, but their sub-text for today's visit was "Technology: a blessing or a curse?"

As Dan revealed this to me at breakfast, I immediately said "A blessing, of course!".

Here are my reasoning: I'd be blind (corrective lenses) or probably dead by now (long history of strep throat).

I brought this up to Mike this morning and he voted "a curse". His reasoning being that as a whole humans have become too reliant on technology and that we are really just teetering on the brink of annihilation. His questions:
- who do you know that can hunt/gather
- who do you know that can start a fire without a flint/lighter/matches
- who do you know can build a viable shelter

Well, I think I know lots of people who can do that - or if they can't, they will learn in hurry, as my friends are quite resourceful.

What do you think?

My poor family is all full of swine flu and pneumonia. Hopefully things will start looking up for them.

For those who are out with the piggy flu at the moment, I send you my deepest condolences. It sounds very sucky.

Get well soon everyone!

What could be better than a fire in the woodstove, homemade hot cocoa, my love and scrabble?

Placing "stallion" and "departs" as my first two words *grin*

(Please note that both those words have a total of seven letters, and "stallion" can be plural, thus enabling "departs"...)

teehee, Dan is not as amused as I :)

Bliss is coming home to find your husband hammering away in your workshop.

Hey guess what?

It's another GORGEOUS day.

Returned the beer bottles from the party and got me 9 big ones! I'm going to go clean the car now.

Lalalalalala!

What took 1 month+ to create and put up, took a few hours to tear down *sniffle*

The living room feels empty now.

In other news, what should I do with 9 hand-made paperplate lollipops?

I want to find a job doing whatever in Merrickville:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merrickville-Wolford,_Ontario

It's 10 minutes from our house, and super charming!

I've tried to sit down and post about the party and the visit and the chaos that ensued before, during, after (the good kind of chaos), but I haven't found the words yet.

I'm still decompressing, me thinks. Yesterday was the first day in a week where I spent more than 3 consecutive hours at the house since the party. So, it's like it yesterday is really the day after.

I love my friends from all over and I miss them so much when they come and go.

In other news, we raked the yard and built a compost.

The best part was when we were throwing pumpkins off the deck onto tarp below. fun fun!

I've heard both sides of the argument now (have been listening to it for days? weeks? months?) and I think I've made my personal choice.

In the end, I think it depends on your risk factors. Yea, if you're a healthy adult with no medical conditions and are willing to quarantine yourself if you get sick (i.e. not spread it around). Don't get it. Fine, just don't spread the flu if you get it.

But if you plan on being around people who are succeptible (babies, pregnant women, seniors), or if you are one of these people, you should probably get it.

Personally, I have several neices and nephews with asthma, one of which is quite severe. This is a flu that attacks the respiratory system. I don't want to put them in danger when I go visit. So, I will be immunized before then. I will get it when the line-ups are not several hours long. Also, since we're trying to get pregnant, it would be a good idea for me though I'm not too rushed to get it as I am pretty much a shut-in at the moment.

I've never gotten a flu shot before, but that's only because I was always able to beat the flu on my own. With a potential pregnancy my immune system won't be up to par.

It's my belief that if everyone chose not to get vaccinated, there would be a pandemic. I just don't think washing your hands and taking vitamins can stop a bug as virulant as this one.
Have you seen the things that toddlers put in their mouths? Or how about that time when my neice sneezed IN MY MOUTH!? Yea, you can't prevent things like that from happening without living in constant fear of germs.

Also, I like science and I don't think the government is out to get me. Sure, I think it's probably overblown, and someone is probably getting rich off it but I'm pretty sure the vaccine is safe and it's not going to hurt me to get it. (hey, shall we discuss what toxins we've all injested lately?)

Yea, I like vaccinations. Maybe it's my uncle who almost died of Polio, maybe it's seeing people I love get rushed to the hospital, or maybe it's just because those who have gotten the swine flu say it's "The sickest I've ever been, and it sucks big time"... and I really dislike getting sick.

Anyways... I'm done weighing in on the issue. Subject no longer allowed. Nixed. People are divided on the issue. Both sides have their valid points. I understand them both, but have made a personal choice.

So, that's that! I feel confident in my choice!

Flu shot - or no flu shot?

What do you think?

I had a date to bake cupcakes with Lizl today.

However, she was sick and had to cancel - so I baked cupcakes anyway.



They are chocolate with chocolate fudge icing.

The problem is tha there are far too many of them for just Dan and I, wanna come eat some cupcakes? :)