Date 3 Report - Update #2

Guy #3 and I had our second date last night. We went out for drinks after work. Met at 6pm, left at 10pm. Sounds like a good time, right? And I did have a good time; lots of laughing and talking about all manner of things. But here's the thing - I'm not sure if he's really into me or not. It's hard to figure out. I can't say I felt any "vibes", you know. Hmm.

Tweedle Dee Dictionary, Part 12

Alphabeticalize: to arrange alphabetically, i.e. alphabetize

It's a Record!

I think this is an all time record for me - as of Saturday, my Christmas shopping is done and last night I wrapped everything. Now I can concentrate on baking many, many cookies.

Question of the Week

Question: "I wonder why they've never played here before?"

Answer: "Uhh ... actually, they have. A bunch of times. I think the first time was 1985."

Talking of upcoming U2 concerts in Montreal on November 26 and 28, with ... guess who? Tweedle Dee, of course!

Happy Birthday, Why!

Happy Birthday to mybestestclosestfriend, Why!

Happy Birthday, Rachel

Happy Birthday, Rachel!

She's 14 today! I could offer words of wisdom or advice, but really who wants to hear that when you're 14?! So - here's wishing you a great year and have fun!!!

Date 5 Report

Talk, talk, talk ... blah, blah, blah ...

It would've been nice if I hadn't been the only one asking questions last night. This guy seemed to be one of these people who, when asked a question, can talk for half an hour. He also laughed a little too long and a little too loud at his own jokes - most of which didn't make me laugh, they just made me groan.

To give him credit, he was on time, polite, well dressed, educated. Just not the guy for me. Oh well.

Analysis: 6/10.

Tweedle Dee Dictionary, Part 11

This week's entry isn't a single word, it's the use of a double superlative. Here are just a couple of examples: more funner, most funniest, most beautifulest.

I mean really ... it's funny when you know you're saying it wrong, but when you have to listen to a person say it who doesn't know the difference, it's like nails on a chalkboard. (And that little nervous tick starts up again.)

Date 3 Report - Update

Yes!!! Can you believe it? I'm going to see this guy again!

I did send him an email yesterday (and yes, I saw your comment, Why) and he wrote back asking me out for a "real" drink and a chance to get to know more about each other. He also said I was easy-going, fun to talk with and that I have pretty eyes (!). This so makes up for the terrible date I had yesterday.

Date 4 Report

Where to begin? I'm so friggin' mad right now, I can hardly think straight!!!

When I first talked to this guy a few nights ago, I wasn't too enthused after our conversation, but put it down to nerves (both his and mine). I had found him difficult to talk to and quite negative in a lot of his responses, but decided the only way to really decide was to meet him. So, we decided to meet this afternoon at a cafe of his choosing. Now, understand that when you meet someone at 1pm on a Sunday afternoon in a place that is more restaurant than cafe - there is going to be a crowd. I arrived a few minutes early and noticed a few people hanging around outside but didn't pay particular attention to see if one of these people was the guy I was meeting. Went inside, waited a few minutes for a table and sat down. This guys comes in about 5 minutes later and tells me that he saw me go in, but didn't stop me, even though he thought it was me. (Is it me, or is that ... well, stupid?) I'll tell you why I didn't recognize him. The picture I had of this guy was about 10 years old (again this happens!).

He sat down and had a look around. It suddenly dawns on him that everyone is having breakfast/lunch. We ordered our coffee. I got a bowl of fruit too because I hadn't eaten lunch yet. He started complaining that he wasn't used to coffee (why he didn't order tea from the 50 types they had, I don't know.)

Conversation got off to a slow start (now I am comparing him to the great date I had yesterday). And it didn't get any easier. Finally, I was starting to feel rather like a chatterbox and told him speak up, interrupt, take part in the conversation a little. Now, I could've said it mean and snarky, but I didn't - I was trying to funny about it. It didn't work. At all. He got a little upset. OK - my bad.

Then I started on another round of questions. I tried to talk about music - he wasn't interested. I tried to talk about books. He hadn't anything to say about them, except for The Merchant of Venice which he read in high school. I tried again. What were some of the most recent books he had read. Answer: Dan Brown's books (and he thought they were good).

I tried to talk to him about my experience volunteering in Panama last year and about the gifts I had recently helped collect for the girls. This didn't go over so well with him. He pretty much told me that I wasn't helping these kids by providing them with gifts simply to subscribe to the North American consumer attitude (or something like that), that the time I spent was more beneficial to them than any "gift". Maybe I shouldn't have taken it so personally, but I did. In fact, I was pretty insulted.

That's when I picked up my cheque and walked to the cash. Outside he asked if I wanted him to call me. (WHAT???) I said no. Total length of date: 40 minutes. I think this might be a new record for me.

Analysis: 2/10. Making me spitting mad on a first date is a guaranteed no call back.

Date 3 Report

I can hardly believe this happened only a few hours ago, but it's true. I had a good date. No, I had a pretty damn good date. No kidding.

It wasn't terribly awkward. It didn't seem forced. He was on time, polite, looked the same as his picture, didn't lie about his height. We spent nearly 2 hours over coffee, just chatting, laughing and getting a feel for each other. It was fun and enjoyable. I'm still quite shocked.

Analysis: 9/10. Feel I can't give a 10 because ... well, I suppose, because I'm hoping to see him again and want to feel like there's only one way to go - and that's up!

Sleep Workshop - Week 6

It's over. Last night was the last workshop. While I know it was helpful in certain aspects, in others it was simply not the environment for me.

In the end, it comes down to practice and consistency. Keeping these things on the top of my priority list will help. The things I have to work on are: keeping a regular sleep time and wake up time. This means every day, seven days a week. No matter if I'm taking a day off, it's the weekend or it's vacation. My body needs to know when it's going to go to sleep and when it's going to wake up. If my sleep efficiency is less than 90%, I must stay up 15 minutes longer. Next, I need to keep up with my sleep hygiene - less caffeine (and none after 3pm), give myself a specific time to worry (but not at bedtime), take an hour to relax before bed (practice breathing and relaxation exercises). Finally, change my thinking - I can get by on little sleep, one bad night won't be the worst thing to happen, be kind to myself.

After a follow-up visit with my sleep specialist 2 weeks ago, I have decided to go with her suggestion to get this oral appliance that will help to keep my airway open when I sleep. This is going to be expensive ($1800). Unfortunately it's not covered by my insurance so it looks like I'll be working the tax pool again this year... Oh well, not the worst thing to happen. And hey - it could be the combination (appliance and sleep hygiene) that finally helps me get the restorative sleep I need.

Guess what? I'm hopeful.

Blackmarket Naps

Yesterday afternoon was a tough one. Tough being that I couldn't take the nap I so desperately wanted. I'm telling you, if I could've bought a nap, I would've paid for it. I often kid around with the woman who sits behind me at work, about having naps at our desks in the afternoon (she's got 2-3, I've got 3-4). Well, yesterday I wanted to buy some of her nap time and she refused (the nerve!). I joked that I was in the blackmarket nap business. Later that night, I thought that maybe it's not such a crazy idea. I have heard of shopping centres and airports having areas where people can catch a few zzz's. Seriously, I really think this is a huge money maker for someone with the right know-how.

Tweedle Dee Dictionary, Part 10

Lozenger: i.e. lozenge. Small sweet or medicinal tablet to be dissolved in the mouth. Usage "I gave her a throat lozenger".

Sleep Workshop - Week 5

What to report? Not much really. Other than the fact that I was embarrassed at my lack of math skills. We had to start charting some of our sleep data from the last 5 weeks, work out averages, etc. For most people this is not an issue. For me, in a public setting, it's hugely stressful and all out nerve wracking (first calculating my time sleeping, then my time in bed, dividing that number and multiplying by 100 to get some other number). Everyone else in the class was able to provide some kind of data. I was the last one called on and here's what I had to offer: "Yeah, I've got nothing. This is too much math for me."

Ended up spending nearly 3 hours Saturday morning figuring out all these numbers. Ugh. It gave me a headache.

Thank you, Boys!

Thanks go out to Marko, Tim and all the boys who made last night such a great evening. There is nothing like a few drinks, some innocent flirting and many, many laughs (my cheeks are still sore!) to end off an otherwise ho-hum week.

Happy Birthday, Marko. I won’t tell everyone how old you are now, just that you’re great at being tall, skinny and dipping (not chips, me!).

Smooches to all of you!

Mr. Darcy!

So I did all the stuff I mentioned earlier today. Ended up doing a little more shopping than originally planned, but got everything I wanted and more!

One of my favourite second hand book shops in the Monkland Village, Déjà Lu, is closing. The man who runs it is retiring sometime in December and is selling everything at 50% off. I managed to pick up 6 books for $15 (which comes to approximately $2.50 each) – what a steal!!

Super C and I met for lunch at St. Viateur Bagel Restaurant & Café for a late lunch. Man, what a crowd! Good thing we didn’t try to meet at noon, or I think we’d still be waiting for a table.

Then to the library where I managed to find a number of books in that I want to read. Only took one though as I seem to have amassed quite a pile of books in my book basket.

And so to the movies. Ended up seeing Pride & Prejudice because Water didn’t start until nearly an hour later. Now, being a huge Jane Austen fan and a fan of the A&E mini-series done in 1995, I was prepared to compare the book and mini-series against the movie. And I did. There were many details that were omitted or shortened for the length of the movie: the Lucas family (except for Charlotte), Mr. Bingley’s married sister, Jane’s time in London and meeting with the Bingley sisters, Lizzy’s aunt’s connection to Derbyshire & Lambton. One thing that really ticked me off was how they changed some details, one such example being the sculpture busts of the Darcy family instead of miniature paintings. Honestly, I think that unless you’ve read the book or at least seen the mini-series, it may have been difficult to follow all the comings and goings.

Casting: didn’t care much Keira Kneightly (plays Elizabeth) or whatever her name is. Judi Dench was good as Lady Catherine DeBourgh. Jane was very pretty and reserved. Mr. Bingley was a bit too stupid for me. Miss Bingley was good and snobby. Charlotte Lucas was nice and plain. Mr. Bennet (Donald Sutherland) was, well, kind of iffy – accent wasn’t spot on and I really didn’t get a feel for the strong bond between him and Lizzy. Finally, Mr. Darcy: I was not prepared for was how much I liked the guy playing Mr. Darcy (Matthew McFadyen). I didn’t like him at first, but he kinda grew on me. And by the last scene in the movie (it’s actually the second to last scene, but I am choosing to forget the AWFUL last scene altogether), I was all “Oh, hello, Mr. Darcy!!!” Striding across the early morning field, with his great-coat billowing behind him and his shirt undone at the neck … *sigh* That even gave Colin Firth a run for his money! I kid you not. All in all, I think I may actually have to add it to my dvd collection, when the times comes, for that scene alone. Oh yeah, and also the big argument between Mr. Darcy and Lizzy in the rain.

Final analysis: not bad considering what they had to scrunch into 2 hours, but not a classic either. Rather disappointing.

Bank Day

It’s Friday and I’m at home. No, it’s not a holiday. I’m using up some of my banked overtime hours. Plans for the day: trip out to St. Hubert Street to price some of my Christmas wish list, over to St. Denis to have a look in some Naturopath shops, lunch and some shopping in Monkland Village with Super C, followed by a trip to the library and perhaps a movie (Pride & Prejudice or Water) then a little birthday party for a friend of a friend. It’s sunny out so I have great hopes it’ll be a nice day.

Date 2 Report

Before I say anything else, I've got to say this: Why, why, why do people lie about their height? And again - WHY??? Just so you understand where I'm coming from - I am 5'7. Exactly. I have three brothers. They are all taller than me and range from 6'0 to 5'10-ish. If you are shorter than them - YOU ARE NOT SIX FEET TALL. Got it? Good.

Moving on.

The date started off well enough. He was on time (and in my books that actually means early). He was presentable and in fact was colour coordinated to me. He is a "friend of the museum" (meaning he pays an annual fee so can bring someone with him when he visits) so I didn't have to pay the entry fee. Was kind enough to explain some of the differences in style, the influences and wasn't too pretentious about it all. After the exhibition he gave me a little box of Godiva chocolates (this is worth bonus points later). We went out for dinner and wouldn't let me pay my share (and no, I didn't do one of those pretend reach for my purse gestures - I actually had the money in my hand to give to him). And finally - he didn't cry!

That said, there were a few negatives. The first being the whole height thing. It's starting to sound like I have an issue with height and it's probably true. But my point is that I just don't understand why a person would lie about something so obvious. Next is the language. I knew beforehand that English was not this guy's first (or second) language. We had talked on the phone and I found it very difficult to understand him. His English in person was a little easier to understand. Perhaps because I was able to see the body language and facial expressions that went with the speech, but it was easier. However, it was still no simple feat to follow the thread of conversation while trying to put together each sentence in my head. He may have found me quite silent. This was not entirely my natural reserve but rather the sheer intensity of my thought process in figuring out what he was talking about. After the exhibition he invited out dinner. We agreed on Chinese food. He got lost walking there (it was cold, rainy and windy) and we ended up at a Mexican restaurant. (Coincidentally the one restaurant I won't eat at anymore because the last time I did I was sick afterwards.) My feet were soaked through, the bottom of my pants were soaked, I was cold and shivering (all this means I was cranky). Then he spent the better part of dinner talking about his ex-girlfriends and past long term relationships. (FYI: not what any woman wants to hear about on a FIRST date.) Finally, he told me I "made a mistake" by not having noticed his age before agreeing to see him. He's 47. I'm 36. I realise there is an age/generation gap, but I wasn't there to decide whether I'd spend the rest of my life with him. It was a date.

Right. So we said our goodbyes. I jumped into a taxi and headed home. Strangely enough, the taxi driver and I started chatting about the horrid weather (that's what us Canadians do, eh) and the next thing I knew he was asking me if I had time to go out for coffee! I kid you not! I politely declined and he just took me home. Then I gave him a $20 to pay the ($10) fare but he didn't have any change, so let me off the hook giving him about $5.55 in change. I thanked him profusely. Quite a difference from one of my more recent taxi experiences).

Final score: 4/10. (Allocation: 1 point for showing up, 1 point for being presentable, 2 points for giving me chocolates)

iStockPhoto.com

Came across an interesting article in The Gazette on Monday about an online stock photo company that sells royalty free images. They're called iStockPhoto. iStockPhoto maintains an archive of nearly 500,000 digital photographs, sold to advertisers, graphic designers and publishers for use in everything from annual reports to billboards. Clients can download pictures for a fee of $1 to $20 and use them as many times as they wish without paying royalties. Meanwhile, the photographer gets a cut of the purchase price.

Some people use AdSense or other ways to make money with their blogs. Think I'll load some of my pictures to iStockPhoto and see if I can make any money from my own pictures.