Spring is Sprung

Today has been a lovely day weather wise. Health wise, not so much. I started feeling really strange on Wednesday night at work, all day yesterday at work I felt feverish and today it's official I am sick. But not any sort of determinable sick. I can't really tell if I have a cold or what. It just feel like crap, and don't want to do anything.

That aside, I have had the crappiest past couple of days. I don't know where my head has been. It mostly started yesterday morning when I woke up half an hour late... which i didn't actually realise, until I was leaving the house. You see, I have to be at work at 9. The mall opens at 9:30. So I normally get up at 8, leave the house at 8:30, catch the 8:45 bus and get to the mall at 8:55. Right on time.

But yesterday, when I left the house and looked at my watch I suddenly realized it already was 9. And I'm the manager, with the keys, and working alone that morning. I immediately called a taxi, which thankfully only took about 5 minutes to get to the 7-eleven I had called it to (I needed cash). So all in all, I managed to open the store on time. The day went by moderately well, other than feeling feverish.

I left work, caught my bus and instead of going home right away I went to the Real Canadian Super Store and Blockbuster. I did my grocery shopping and called a cab to take me home (it's not that far and only costs about $5) with all my bulky purchases. The moment the cab pulled up in front of my apartment building I realized I had left my keys on the back counter at work. So rather than getting out of the cab, I told the guy to take me to the mall. So $20 later, I was finally home.

Today was slightly less stupid, but still.... things manage to happen. The apartment people came in and did some repairs the other day (? not sure what they fixed...) and afterwards our toilet stopped flushing properly. We've had lots of plumbing issues. So I decided that we needed a plunger. I mean, no household should be without one. In fact, no toilet should be without one. So despite how crappy I was feeling this morning, I got up and went up to Walmart to get a plunger.

I am glad I got out of the house, as the weather was truly beautiful. Big sunny skies, warm breeze. It made me feel better.

When I got back from Walmart, I sat down with my lunch as was going to enjoy one of the movies I rented yesterday at Blockbuster. But when I opened the case to take out "Jesus Camp" - a documentary about born-again christian children's camps in the US- "Stranger than Fiction" starred back at me. I have nothing against that movie... but I've seen it. The world is totally against me. Or at least blockbuster, my alarm clock, my keys and my toilet are.

But all is well, because Spring truly is in the air. I have had my windows open all day, and it is wonderful. On my walk home from the mall, the birds were chirping, the snow was melted and there's nothing like a bit of sunshine to brighten your day. Especially when nothing seems to be going right.

First Computer

I have been haunted by something for quite sometime now. And that is the first computer my household ever had. I remember it so clearly, yet when I describe it to people they look at me blankly. A discussion about old computers the other day resurfaced my questions about that Compaq we had owned so many years ago. And then I remembered why I love the Internet so much. Three simple words put into Google "Compaq Suitcase Computer" and presto! The Compaq Portable.

Look at it! It's tiny black and green screen, it's big-ol' disk drive. But this picture doesn't really give you the whole picture.

Is it is computer? Is it a suitcase? WHO KNOWS? I do

It's a suitcase sized computer!

So many times I have told people about this suitcase portable computer. How the bottoms of it came off to reveal the keyboard and opposite it the screen. How many times people have not had any idea what I was talking about it.

We must have had this computer when i was in grade 1 or 2 (given to my father by my uncle as I recall), because I recall that in grade 3 my father brought it into class so that fellow students could start to learn how to type.

There wasn't much for programs on this old hunker. All I can remember is word processor an pong. But I mean really, what else do you need?

I must say I feel a lot better knowing that I didn't make this up. And that this computer really did exist. And it reconfirms my love of the Internet. World Wide Web, I love you. Is there anything you can't do?

Neighbours

I think something terrible is happening in the apartment below mine at this moment. The "hacky lady" (I normally only ever hear her coughing and hacking... which in itself sounds like she's about to die) is yelling rather loudly and I definitely hear a mans voice as well. And maybe.... slamming cupboards? Lots of stomping around at the very least. I can't make out what they are saying, but they are obviously not happy.

Normally it's not even the hacky lady who we hear. Normally it's the other apartment we share a wall with. And that is normally fighting and crying. The couple who live next door don't have a very good relationship. Sometimes I feel like going over there and telling them to break up.

Hacky lady may have just growled. I must admit I am kind of scared of her. We've only really heard from her once before, and that was frightening enough by itself. It was rather late at night and we were getting ready for bed. She obviously has a TV in her bedroom and it was on really loudly. Both Nick and I had to get up early for work and being able to hear what your neighbours are watching on TV is not cool. It had been happening quite a bit, but Nick had been away... I'd just been putting up with it. In fact, I didn't even really mind it. When I was a child I most of the time fell asleep to the noise of the TV in my parents bedroom.

However, Nick wasn't having any of it. After I showed him how hard I found it was to bang on the floor by stomping, he did a proper job of it. She most definitely heard it. After Nick's rather aggressive stomp, we just were chatting among ourselves when all of the sudden we heard coming from below "I CAN YELL LOUDER!!!" We immediately stopped talking and started listening. That was all we heard. We started whispering then went to sleep.

Either way, I never hear her television anymore. Just her dying and she hacks and heaves in the bathroom every morning.

Things are Bigger In Texas North

It is well known (or at least it should be) that Alberta is Texas North. The Oil is flowing and the money is plentiful. Cars are bigger, people are bigger and portions are bigger. (It is safe to assume the later two are connected).

Drinking in Red Deer is always interesting. Just like any smaller town, there are certain destination throughout the week at which the local choose to get drunk on any given night. Nick was home this past week and we didn't waste anytime. The first night he was back, he took me out for steak, then we went to the bar. $6 dollars later and I got me a drink. I know what your thinking.... that's a pretty standard drink price in Toronto. However, in Red Deer that six bucks gets you a whole lot more. In fact a pitcher more.

The picture above doesn't necessarily pay the size of these drinks justice. Let me give you some perspective.

So that is one normal sized drink, besides the hugely massive pitcher drink (note the straw, they are meant for single consumption). It isn't exactly known how much alcohol one of these pitchers contains. The bartender just kind of starts pouring and keeps pouring and keeps pouring. Pretty exciting really.

Now you are probably thinking, well it's probably only two or three shots, that pitcher doesn't really look all that much bigger than that single. I assure you that is not the case.

There, I think that paints the picture better. They really are quite big. And they do hit you (or me) quite hard, especially when consumed rather quickly.

Or then again, maybe it was that second drink in my hand that did it. Or wait... that was the one that pushed me into vomit realm. Yeah that's right. One pitcher, one single and I was not very well sometime during the wee hours of the night.

So what's the point of all this? Why am I letting you know that I puked up that cranberry vodka pitcher? Because dude, in Red Deer you (me) can get totally shit-faced on $6. Perhaps that isn't your goal for the day. And normally it isn't mine either. But every once and a while I need to get out on that dance floor bust a move or three, stumble home than hug the toilet bowl. I'm still young. I think that's allowed.