today, no one can wreck my mood.  no one.  no bible thumpers.  no self-righteous pricks.  no ignoramuses.  no idiot bosses.  you know why?

if you know anything about hockey, then you'll recognize this song.

and if you are even remotely a hockey fan (or you're Canadian) you'll know that today, my beloved Habs unseat the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Pittsburgh Penguins.  i missed the first 4 Hab goals and the first Penguin goal, but i managed to get home in time to watch the rest of the game (and nearly died of a heart attack).  but it was worth it.  it was *so* worth it!  and i went back and watched all the goals, and so i've picked out my favourite one to share with everyone who was so unfortunate as to miss it.

now... just so you don't mistake my meaning, hockey is TOTALLY a team sport, but that play was pure beauty.  and don't be misled by this goal.  this was no cake walk of a game.  if you thought the Penguins were going to take this lying down, you're insane.  at the end of the second period, Habs ended up being down by 2 men (friggin' penalties) and the Penguins just hammered us.  and they hammered us hard.  they're a good team and then really gave us a run for our money.

i am a fiercely devote Habs fan.  Montréal is my home town.  sure, i spent most of my life in Toronto, but i am a DIE HARD Habs fan.  no sport, no team, no *anything* is worth more to me than my beloved Habs.  but let's be honest here.  i didn't think they'd make it to this point.  i watched the last regular season game.  i watched them lose to the Leafs in overtime.  and it's only because they lost in overtime that they got the 1 point they needed to guarantee them a spot in the playoffs.  if they lost after 3 periods of play, it would've depended on whether or not someone else lost.  how sad is that?  but they're my Habs!  so i don't love them any less, but i was prepared for very brutal playoffs.

so you have no idea the effusing joy i experienced when they turned it all around to come back after being down 3 games to BEAT the top seeded team.  and i felt so much satisfaction as my team wiped that smug, arrogant sneer off of Ovechkin's face.  after we beat the Caps, i said to myself, "i'm so happy they got this far, whatever else we get, is gravy."  i know that the boys don't think like that.  but if the run for Lord Stanley's Cup had stopped here, i would've have been okay.

facing off 7 games against the Penguins has been so stressful.  win one.  lose two.  win one.  lose one.  i was constantly on the edge of my seat.  but then... we took game 6.  freaking GAME 6!!!!

that goal was sheer beauty.  the skating.  the stick handling.  and then... BIG GOAL!!!  so big... it became a commercial.

and that's how we got to today's STELLAR game 7.

so how do i feel now that we're heading off to the third round?  let's just say i'm so glad that my trip to Montréal next week corresponded so nicely with the playoffs.  i'm gonna be in Montréal next week... CHEERING ON MY HABS!!!  GO HABS!!!  OLÉ OLÉ OLÉ OLÉ OLÉ OLÉ!!!"

what can i say... sometimes, it's just too special to keep to myself.

i came in this morning to this email from my boss.

Subject:  April 9
Did you take this day off as a free day?

i don't take free days off unless i've been told that i could just take a day off.  i ALWAYS enter my time off.  because i'm a by-the-book sort of person.  HE is the one who never follows the rules, tries to by pass the system, etc....  so why would i have been off this day without entering into the system?  because April 9th is my birthday.  my first year working up here, he told me to take it off as a free day.  last year, he didn't say anything, so put it in the system and properly requested for approval to take the day off.  it was a vacation day.  this year, he said he felt bad about not giving me the day off so he told me to take it as a free day this year.  so i took it as a free day.  what the F* is this email?!

so... i promptly replyed.

Subject:  RE: April 9
You said I could have it as a free day because it was my birthday.  But I can put it in as a vacation day if you've changed your mind.

just to be clear, anyone who knows me knows this is not me being sweet and nice and giving him an out.  this is me saying, "you're the idiot who told me to take the day off and now you're asking me to defend myself as if i've done something wrong?  fuck you. i have no problem taking it off as an official vacation day."

but i can't write that in company email.  swearing at a coworker (boss or otherwise) is grounds for dismissal... toxic work environment and all that jazz.

anyways... on with the ridiciulousness.  because you *know* it didn't stop there.

Subject:  RE:  April 9
No you don't need to put it in.  However, going forward this will not be the practice.

at that, i'd pretty much had enough.

so i marched over to his office, interrupted his meeting with our group's useless turd, ignored his salutations and said, "i don't know what that email is supposed to mean because i didn't see this as a 'practice'.  last year, i officially took the day off as a vacation day.  this year YOU told me to take it off as a free day." 

he kept saying "it's not a problem.  it's not a problem." 

and i'm thinking, you feckless gimp.  what the hell is YOUR problem?!  if you had just left well enough alone, followed the gawddamned HR policy, i would just be taking the day off officially every single year.  like i have EVERY YEAR SINCE I GRADUATED FROM UNIVERSITY!  and for everyone who's gonna say "he's just trying to be nice" that's bullshit!  i work for a large corporation.  if my boss wanted to be nice to me for my birthday, he could take me out for lunch.  giving me the day off is using COMPANY money to APPEAR like he's being nice.  it's called abusing your position.

i swear... if he isn't the WORST boss i've ever had, he's a pretty damned close second.

too funny!!!

Wez gots union now

 

... is not my forté.  i'm generally pretty negative.  but today... i have tried to function a little outside my comfort zone.

1. woke up late today
   
   normally, i'd be rushing like mad.  but today, i decided i would just take it easy.  why get all stressed out about it?  i have a class tonight, so i'm going to be staying a little later than usual anyways.  it's fine.
   
   
2. missed my bus
   
   there's actually two buses i can take, but the bus that runs on my street is always less crowded (though it comes less frequently) than the one on the major cross street.  but that's okay.  it's a beautiful day.  the sun is shining.  there's a light breeze.  it's not too cold.  i can wait for a bus.  and even though i took the bus on the major cross street, i was pretty lucky that it wasn't jammed packed.  there was some breathing room in there.
   
   
3. broke my boot heel
   
   no the whole heel... i'm wearing stilleto suede boots.  i took a step on the crappy concrete near the bus stop and it broke the lift on the bottom of my right heel.  but that's okay.  my commute to work is pretty short, and there's a shoe repair shop inside my office building.  i'll get them to fix it. 
   
   
4. forgot about the bake sale
   
   i got on the elevator to go up to my office when i ran into someone who had a piece of steaming hot cornbread.  crap!  i forgot about the bake sale.  but that's okay.  i'll go upstairs, take off my jacket and rush back down to see if i can get a piece of 9:00 cornbread (the cornbread comes out on the half hour).  by the time i actually got down to the bake sale, all the 9am cornbread was gone, but i only had a 5-minute wait for the 9:30 cornbread.

so what makes today so special that i'm able to be *this* positive (believe me, it's quite the stretch)?  my boss is at home today, doing his taxes.  Happy Tax Deadline Day (okay... so *tomorrow's* the deadline... but i'm celebrating right now).

source:  http://www.klassicgrenada.com/shared/images/2009/06/15/TAX.jpg

have *you* filed your tax return yet?

 

...if you don't know how to use it.

this was *so* funny... i just *had* to share.

Crazy Things Parents Say - Jenny's Crazy Dad Said...

  
source:  http://www.editorsweblog.org/facebook-logo-copy.jpg

 

THREE WAYS I'M A KID:

1.     I sleep with plush toys

2.     I use the “baby” voice when talking to my dog

3.     I could sit and play with LEGO for hours on end

 

THREE WAYS I'M OLD:

1.     I have a “career.”

2.     I can’t go out drinking 4 nights a week into the wee hours of the morning and still get to the office bright-eyed and bushy-tailed by 7:30 am.

3.     Body parts that never use to hurt seem to hurt/ache all the time now.

 

THREE THINGS I WANT TO DO:

1.     Make a difference in the world

2.     Open a dog rescue

3.     Have a horse ranch

 

THREE WAYS THAT I'M A STEREOTYPICAL "BOY":

1.     I don’t like stuff that’s too overtly emo

2.     I go into a store with a list of the things I need, pick them up, pay, and leave

3.     I’m good with power tools

 

THREE WAYS THAT I'M A STEREOTYPICAL "GIRL":

1.     I wear makeup (sometimes)

2.     I like flowers, chocolate, teddy bears, puppies and fine champagne

3.     I like shoes and bags

 

THREE NEW THINGS I WANT TO TRY IN THE NEXT 12 MONTHS:

1.     Purchase real estate

2.     Start a not-for-profit to educate children about science & engineering

3.     Get away from my micromanaging boss

 

THREE THINGS I LIKE ABOUT MYSELF:

1.     I’m smrt

2.     I'm well-rounded (not the physical kind) and usually quite in the know

3.     I always try to be as socially and environmentally responsible as possible

 

THREE THINGS ABOUT MYSELF I'D LIKE TO WORK ON:

1.     Reduce my level of procrastination

2.     Controlling my witty sarcasm (especially with people I just met)

3.     Care less about my idiot boss’ ridiculous requests

 

THREE THINGS THAT SCARE ME:

1.     Horror flick

2.     Really big creepy crawlers

3.     Today’s teenagers.  Indignant:  *That* is our future?!

 

THREE OF MY EVERYDAY ESSENTIALS:

1.     Coffee

2.     Hairbrush

3.     Play with the dog

 

THREE THINGS THAT ATTRACT ME TO SOMEONE:

1.     Appearance (well, if I don’t *know* anything about them… what else am I gonna be attracted to?)

2.     Intelligence (they don’t have to be super academic… but if you can’t keep up with me when I’m yammering on about electricity, business process, heat capacity, or carbon trading, we will have a problem)

3.     Passion (if there’s something they really love or an issue that’s really important to them, and they’re the type to go after it, that speaks volumes to me).

 

THREE THINGS I JUST CAN'T DO:

1.     As proven by my failed attempts as smoking shisha while in Dubai, I can’t smoke

2.     Date a smoker

3.     Like cats

 

THREE CAREERS I'M CONSIDERING:

1.     Strategic management

2.     Consulting

3.     Wife to rich man (Okay, maybe not, but I thought it’d be funny to throw that in… cuz on very crappy days, I sometimes say, “That’s it!  I’ve had enough.  I’m just gonna marry rich and quit my job!)

 

EIGHT WAYS TO WIN MY HEART:

1.     Love dogs

2.     Be damned freaking smart (and not socially inept).  He doesn’t have to be PhD smart… but I like smart people… so worldly and intelligent are a very good combo.

3.     Try to do the things that I like to do... even if he hates it (like go to the opera?)

4.     Clean up good (yeah… I don’t require that he look good every day – just on important days)

5.     Be understanding and compassionate

6.     Have a good sense of humour and be fun

7.     Be romantic and a bit spontaneous (but not too much).  A little bit of chivalry goes a long way… a lot of chivalry goes all the way.

8.     Oh yeah… Have an English accent… like Orlando Bloom’s or Colin Firth's… *melt*  None of that weird Liverpool or Manchester accent crap.

 

FIVE THINGS THAT CROSS MY MIND A LOT:

1.     Wow, I am *so* under-utilized at work… and *so* micromanaged.  This has become insulting.

2.     Would it be wrong to get more coffee now?

3.     Why are people so stupid?

4.     How can I make this better?

5.     What should I cook for dinner?

 

FOUR THINGS I DO BEFORE GOING TO BED:

1.     Facebook (I admit it… I check it)

2.     Shower & wash my hair

3.     Play with the dog

4.     Fantasize about what my dream life would be like until I fall asleep (because that’s the only time in the day I have for that sort of activity)

 

TWO CONFESSIONS:

1.     I do like him.

2.     I do think I’m better than *insert person’s name here*

 

ONE THING I'M THINKING ABOUT RIGHT NOW:

1.     Why do I put up with this bullshit?  They don’t really pay me enough for this.

i don't usually do product endorsements here.  i probably complain about products more than rave about them.  but being an avid coffee drinker who's main complaint is that travel mugs just don't keep my coffee hot enough for long enough, i figured that since i've now stumbled upon a mug that has solved my problem, maybe i should tell people about it.

and yes... for those who hate big-bad-corporate, you can just stop reading now.  because it is a Sbux product.

around Christmas time i bought one of these mugs for my mom.

source:  http://iweb.starbucksstore.com//images/products/Enlarge/262568e.jpg

side note:   i'm not a huge fan of instant coffee... but i will admit Starbucks' VIA is a little better than just tolerable. 

my mom and i were at Sbux and she loved this cup.  she loved the size, the colour, the shape, the snap on the lid... but her love for it had nothing to do with coffee.  she wanted a large-ish mug, with a nice tight lid with a snap (for the hole that you drink out of) for.... soup. 

source:  http://www.womenshealthmag.com/files/images/1001-cup-of-soup.jpg

don't ask me why a thermos isn't good enough.  i haven't really figured it out yet... but she claims that it's because she's a bit clumsy and has been known to knock over her soup regularly.  so although it's not exactly spill proof (and there's a disclaimer on the info sheet that came with the mug that clearly says it's NOT spill proof), it'll at least make less of a mess than if you spill an open cup.  right.  seems a little far fetched to me, but maybe i'm just overly skeptical.

so after much of her not-so-subtle hinting, i bought her the damned mug just to get her off my back.  every day after that, my mom would rave to me about how much she loved this mug.  how it kept the contents (soup, coffee, tea or whatever) hot for hours.  so with the constant "ohmigawd this mug is so awesome" i decided to give it a shot and bought one for myself.

i know there's at least one review on the Sbux site that says this mug doesn't keep the coffee hot for more than an hour, but i swear to you, that usually after 1 hour, my coffee is still too hot for me to drink with ease.  sometimes i have to leave the lid open for 10-20 minutes just so that i can drink it without scalding myself.  i know.. it's a rare gift to make a positive review sound negative.  i'm just that good.    anyways... i've waited about an hour now and my tea (Second Cup's tea is superior to Sbux. personally, i  the blueberry tea - scroll down, it's the 6th one on the page) is still to hot for me to drink. 

source:  http://www.campusdish.com/NR/rdonlyres/0442A6EA-F192-454F-A61C-A543E2E3890B/0/SecondCupLogo.jpg

so i just opened the lid.  hopefully it'll cool down enough before it's time for me to leave so that i can at least drink *some* of it while i'm still here.  good thing it's a travel mug.  i can take it with me if i don't finish it before it's time to go. 

so we don't *really* think these things about Americans, but holy crap... this was *so* funny.  i shortened the clip to just Billy Bob Joe Taylor (cuz there's 4 comedians on the podcast) but if you want to hear the whole clip, check out CBC's Laugh Out Loud page.

full source:  April 3rd Episode

the stereotypes in both directions (against Canadians and Americans) are HILARIOUS!

 

pictures = 1,000 words.

i took this photo with my iPhone in the executive kitchen.  i love it!  and the owner of said cup, she's a very serious person... some might say she's uptight.  but to me, that just makes this note so much funnier.

this happended the other morning while i was out walking Elfie.

walking up the street towards me was a man (early to mid 30s) with his two sons (approx 4- and 2- years old).  the 4-year old was walking next to his dad.  the 2-year old was in the stroller that the dad was pushing.

4-year old (pointing at cars):  "There's a recall.  There's a recall."

Dad:  "No!  That's not a Toyota!"

source:  http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2010/03/04/468027.1-lg.jpg

they were playing spot the recall.  too funny!