Last night Josh and I met up with Sam and went out for dinner. We hadn't seen each other since December '07, so it was great to get together again!
It turned into something of a scavenger hunt as we decided where to go. We eventually decided upon Spring Rolls and asked the concierge (at her hotel) where the nearest one was. He told it was half a block south and we started on our way (since it was a 'spur-of-the-moment' decision to go there, we didn't look up the address beforehand).
We walked a block and thought it was strange that we didn't see the restaurant yet, but continued walking and assumed that the concierge meant a 'city block'. We kept walking and still didn't see the restaurant. We walked into a store and asked, but he wasn't terribly helpful because he hadn't heard of the restaurant before.
We walked some more and then went into another hotel and the waiter said it was 'just another block', and we continued on our way. We then walked another couple blocks (and I was getting rather annoyed by this time) and asked, yet again, and we were told it was across the street (in a large mall).
We finally sat down and I looked at the menu, which had their other locations. This is when I got really annoyed...the concierge was correct about the restaurant being half a block away from Sam's hotel...but it was NORTH, not SOUTH. So the one we went to was on the wrong street, on the wrong side, but other than that, he was right. Well, at least we got some exercise in, although I would have enjoyed it more if it wasn't -20 celsius at the time. ;)
We had a thoroughly enjoyable dinner with great conversation. Spending time with Sam was certainly the highlight of an otherwise craptacular day, but those details aren't going to appear on the blog anytime soon. :P
Anyways, if you've never been to Spring Rolls and you live in the GTA, it's definitely a must-go. After dinner we headed to Lush to stock up...
I really do need to go to L.A. (Lush Anonymous).
Friday, January 30, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
About last night...
Josh and I went to Out of the Cold and volunteered for a few hours. We showed up with three bags of clothing from one of Josh's co-workers who graciously donated it to the cause. Awesome!
We got there early and we were put to work right away. They needed a few things done. Josh and I put tableclothes (thick plastic) on all the tables. The disgusting thing is that the last group of volunteers who were in, didn't bother to clean them. It took a good half hour of shpritzing and scrubbing the plastic before the stains came out. I can't believe that the volunteers wouldn't take more care in what they were doing.
Anyways, that aside, we went around and put the snacks out for later that evening. When we were doing that, we noticed that one of the volunteers was cutting up the cakes and he kept taking pieces for himself. Umm ques'que fuck?! I shot him a nasty look and he stopped. What made it worse is that it was a cousin of mine. I guess you can't pick your family...
After that, Josh and I were put on 'sentry' duty (because I'm oh-so-tough). We had to make sure nobody went out certain doors and got back into the synagogue. While I was keeping an eye on the door, one of the 'guests' came up to me and said "you have to come with me!" I asked him what he wanted and he said "it would only take 15 minutes", grabbed my arm and tried to rush me out of the room. I got the willies from the encounter and told him that I couldn't leave.
It turned out that he just wanted to talk to someone, but really I couldn't leave where I was. I felt kind of bad once I knew what he wanted, but the way he approached me, made me very nervous.
We had a few more people this week than the last time I was there, but there were a lot of familiar faces. We also had a nine year old girl as a 'guest'. *sigh*
We got there early and we were put to work right away. They needed a few things done. Josh and I put tableclothes (thick plastic) on all the tables. The disgusting thing is that the last group of volunteers who were in, didn't bother to clean them. It took a good half hour of shpritzing and scrubbing the plastic before the stains came out. I can't believe that the volunteers wouldn't take more care in what they were doing.
Anyways, that aside, we went around and put the snacks out for later that evening. When we were doing that, we noticed that one of the volunteers was cutting up the cakes and he kept taking pieces for himself. Umm ques'que fuck?! I shot him a nasty look and he stopped. What made it worse is that it was a cousin of mine. I guess you can't pick your family...
After that, Josh and I were put on 'sentry' duty (because I'm oh-so-tough). We had to make sure nobody went out certain doors and got back into the synagogue. While I was keeping an eye on the door, one of the 'guests' came up to me and said "you have to come with me!" I asked him what he wanted and he said "it would only take 15 minutes", grabbed my arm and tried to rush me out of the room. I got the willies from the encounter and told him that I couldn't leave.
It turned out that he just wanted to talk to someone, but really I couldn't leave where I was. I felt kind of bad once I knew what he wanted, but the way he approached me, made me very nervous.
We had a few more people this week than the last time I was there, but there were a lot of familiar faces. We also had a nine year old girl as a 'guest'. *sigh*
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
What a beauty!
Go here and see Kristine and Shawn's little girl. Just in time for CNY. :)
I couldn't be happier for them!
I couldn't be happier for them!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
This, that and the other...
* I want to start this post on a positive note (it's going downhill from here) and mention how happy I am for Kristine and Shawn...they should be seeing their referral any day now. I can't wait to see a picture of their little one. :)
** I'd really like to know what happened to that rumour of the HUUUUGE freaking batch. I knew it was too good to be true, really, but I let my mind wander to the what ifs. I wish that RQ would go back to her "reliable" sources (HA!) and find out what went wrong, why these people are spreading rumours that always turn out to be false, and stop posting rumours that are SO way out of whack. Yes, I know her site is for rumours, but when the rumour is basically a lie, why does she bother? Maybe next month someone will submit that the referrals are going to go to September 13th. I mean, it *would* just be a rumour...Yeah, I'm perturbed. Oh, and she's coming off my Bloglines. I probably should have done that ages ago, but it's happening today.
*** I didn't go to help at Out of the Cold on Tuesday, I was sick. I didn't think it was the best place for me to be and spread my germs. Josh went on my behalf though. There were 135 people there for dinner and 50 who spent the night.
**** Josh relayed a story about what happened when he went to volunteer. There was a lady from a government agency (the name of the agency isn't really important, and I'm embarrassed for them so I'm not posting their name). Anyways, this lady was handing out toques (which were appropriate, since people were going there for clothing). She then started going around and handing out pens. Umm, ok. Of course the pens had the agency's name emblazoned on them. Then she started handing out application forms for jobs. In any other situation I would say that was great, but these people are homeless. They don't know where their next meal is coming from. They don't know where they'll be sleeping tonight.
***** The application asked for their Social Insurance Number, photo identification, and a home address. Again, I will say...these people are HOMELESS. Then she announced that when people show up for the interview, they needed to go properly dressed. Holy crap lady, take your head out of your ass and realize where you are. When I was there over a week ago, these people were less than properly attired...and she wants them to be 'properly dressed'? I just shook my head when Josh told me this.
** I'd really like to know what happened to that rumour of the HUUUUGE freaking batch. I knew it was too good to be true, really, but I let my mind wander to the what ifs. I wish that RQ would go back to her "reliable" sources (HA!) and find out what went wrong, why these people are spreading rumours that always turn out to be false, and stop posting rumours that are SO way out of whack. Yes, I know her site is for rumours, but when the rumour is basically a lie, why does she bother? Maybe next month someone will submit that the referrals are going to go to September 13th. I mean, it *would* just be a rumour...Yeah, I'm perturbed. Oh, and she's coming off my Bloglines. I probably should have done that ages ago, but it's happening today.
*** I didn't go to help at Out of the Cold on Tuesday, I was sick. I didn't think it was the best place for me to be and spread my germs. Josh went on my behalf though. There were 135 people there for dinner and 50 who spent the night.
**** Josh relayed a story about what happened when he went to volunteer. There was a lady from a government agency (the name of the agency isn't really important, and I'm embarrassed for them so I'm not posting their name). Anyways, this lady was handing out toques (which were appropriate, since people were going there for clothing). She then started going around and handing out pens. Umm, ok. Of course the pens had the agency's name emblazoned on them. Then she started handing out application forms for jobs. In any other situation I would say that was great, but these people are homeless. They don't know where their next meal is coming from. They don't know where they'll be sleeping tonight.
***** The application asked for their Social Insurance Number, photo identification, and a home address. Again, I will say...these people are HOMELESS. Then she announced that when people show up for the interview, they needed to go properly dressed. Holy crap lady, take your head out of your ass and realize where you are. When I was there over a week ago, these people were less than properly attired...and she wants them to be 'properly dressed'? I just shook my head when Josh told me this.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
Snowy weekend
We were walloped with snow this weekend - nearly a foot - not to mention what's already on the ground. We stayed inside and huddled. Deuce liked the idea so much that he flopped on the floor. I didn't want him to get cold so I wrapped him up like a burrito and placed a pillow under his head.
Yup, I need a hobby. ;)
Thursday, January 15, 2009
What if...?
What if RQ is right?
What if most of March is referred this batch?
What if we saw our referral this year?
These are the thoughts that are running through my head tonight as I read about the rumour of most of March being referred this month. My initial thoughts weren't for myself and Josh, but of all my friends who are going through the process and MIGHT see the picture of their child in a few days or weeks.
When RQ is proven to be wrong (yet again), then you can all slap me and wake me from my delusions...but tonight I'm thinking of "What if...?"
What if most of March is referred this batch?
What if we saw our referral this year?
These are the thoughts that are running through my head tonight as I read about the rumour of most of March being referred this month. My initial thoughts weren't for myself and Josh, but of all my friends who are going through the process and MIGHT see the picture of their child in a few days or weeks.
When RQ is proven to be wrong (yet again), then you can all slap me and wake me from my delusions...but tonight I'm thinking of "What if...?"
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Out of the Cold
This post is mainly for the T.O. ladies and gents. Since Josh and I are going to be helping out every Tuesday evening for the rest of the winter, I thought I would try to get some clothing donations together. If any of you have any spare winter clothes, hats, gloves, jackets, whatever...let me know. The most needed items are underwear and socks, jeans, shirts and hoodies. This Tuesday they ran out of boots, so if any of you have those, that would be great.
Also, if any of you are interested in helping out on Tuesday evenings let me know. They are always looking for more volunteers.
Email me (in the sidebar) if you're interested.
Also, if any of you are interested in helping out on Tuesday evenings let me know. They are always looking for more volunteers.
Email me (in the sidebar) if you're interested.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
28 months and counting...
Today marks our 28 month LIDiversary, so I added this charm which was chosen by Lisa.
This month, instead of getting a cake and
The synagogue where we were married was having an "Out of the Cold" evening. This is where the homeless come, get a hot meal, clothes and sleep. We were there for a couple of hours and we handed out clothes. We thought it was the right thing to do since it's so bitterly cold outside and we would have just sat around and done nothing constructive with our time.
We also helped to sort the donated clothes. I was more than a little shocked at what people donated. Clothes that were dirty. Underwear that had lost its elasticity. Tank tops. I mean, come on people, it's winter...why would anyone want a tank top and short-shorts (think Richard Simmons)?
Some of the homeless were extremely picky about what they wanted. One lady wanted an orange and yellow backpack. I got her one, but it didn't have enough yellow on it, so she turned it down. I showed another gentleman about half a dozen winter coats, but he didn't like any of them. Oh well, I tried...
It felt good volunteering, and as we were leaving, I signed us up for the rest of January and February. Unfortunately, they are seriously low on clothes. We're going to go through our closet and see what we can donate.
Monday, January 12, 2009
A new day...a new clock
I was at the mall recently and look what I found...it's now hanging in my den. :)
Friday, January 09, 2009
Never turn your back on a hungry cat...
We have our computer in the kitchen, Josh was using it when he heard a little *thump*. We had just finished having lunch (tuna), and Deuce was apparently hungry...
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Reflections
On New Year's Eve, I took Josh to The Sound of Music as a belated Channukah present. Before the show, we went out for a nice dinner at a downtown restaurant and enjoyed ourselves.
At the end of the show, I cried. It had nothing to do with the play or how well it was done, it was because there was a little girl sitting in front of us who kept turning around and looking at me all during the play. My mind wandered and had we not been through all we have (through out the years), we might have a child that we were taking to that show with us.
I thought I was past all these feelings and I hate that it still affects me. That it still defines me. I don't want to feel that kind of pain anymore. That kind of hurt. That sense of guilt.
Yes, guilt.
I feel horribly guilty that we're still childless and that a lot of it (if not all of it) has to do with me. That it's my fault. That maybe if I had done something differently, things wouldn't be the way they are. I know these are just the cards we were dealt in life.
Now don't get me wrong, I still have faith it's going to happen eventually. I got to thinking about all of this because of a poem that K1 posted on her blog and it affected me deeply, especially these words...
"I am not my pain
I am not my past
I am that which has emerged from the fire."
So, I will pick myself up and try not to dwell in the past and what was. I will look to the future and revel in what will be.
At the end of the show, I cried. It had nothing to do with the play or how well it was done, it was because there was a little girl sitting in front of us who kept turning around and looking at me all during the play. My mind wandered and had we not been through all we have (through out the years), we might have a child that we were taking to that show with us.
I thought I was past all these feelings and I hate that it still affects me. That it still defines me. I don't want to feel that kind of pain anymore. That kind of hurt. That sense of guilt.
Yes, guilt.
I feel horribly guilty that we're still childless and that a lot of it (if not all of it) has to do with me. That it's my fault. That maybe if I had done something differently, things wouldn't be the way they are. I know these are just the cards we were dealt in life.
Now don't get me wrong, I still have faith it's going to happen eventually. I got to thinking about all of this because of a poem that K1 posted on her blog and it affected me deeply, especially these words...
"I am not my pain
I am not my past
I am that which has emerged from the fire."
So, I will pick myself up and try not to dwell in the past and what was. I will look to the future and revel in what will be.
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Yes! We have nooooo baaaaags...
Ever have one of those days where you want to strangle a cashier? ;)
On the way home from work today, I had to go into Staples to pick up several things. As I approached the cash register, the cashier told me "We have no bags!"
I looked at him and said "Really?", he replied "Yes, we ran out and have to order more." He further said "If we need bags, we have to go to the Dollar store next door."
Now, the thought that a multi-million dollar company would have to go to a Dollar store is just laughable. I mean, really...
I pondered what he said for a minute and then looked by his feet and said "Excuse me? But what are those large, crinkly, plastic objects down there?" He replied "Oh, those are bags." Reeeeeeally.
I said (oozing and wiggling with sarcasm) "Oh really?! Could I have one?" He tallied everything up and I walked out of the store with my purchases in a *gasp* plastic bag.
On the way home from work today, I had to go into Staples to pick up several things. As I approached the cash register, the cashier told me "We have no bags!"
I looked at him and said "Really?", he replied "Yes, we ran out and have to order more." He further said "If we need bags, we have to go to the Dollar store next door."
Now, the thought that a multi-million dollar company would have to go to a Dollar store is just laughable. I mean, really...
I pondered what he said for a minute and then looked by his feet and said "Excuse me? But what are those large, crinkly, plastic objects down there?" He replied "Oh, those are bags." Reeeeeeally.
I said (oozing and wiggling with sarcasm) "Oh really?! Could I have one?" He tallied everything up and I walked out of the store with my purchases in a *gasp* plastic bag.
Friday, January 02, 2009
Happy birthday, Z and Nic!
Today is my nephew, Z's, birthday as well as Nic's!
I think our friendship was meant to be. Not only is her birthday the same day as my nephew's, but Zubin's birthday is the same day as my sister-in-law's (Z's mom). Anyways, enough trivia for now...go wish Nic a happy birthday!
Thursday, January 01, 2009
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