Thursday, December 21, 2006

Happy Holidays!!

I just wanted to post and say happy holidays and Merry Christmas to everyone, I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while, unfortunately I just don't have the time or the energy right now to be able to do it. Thanks again to everyone for all of their encouraging words and great posts. I will be back, and will be checking in on your posts when I get a chance. Happy new year everyone.

k

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

I'm lazy


I freely admit that but even I wouldn't go so far as to walk out of the house in rollers. Ok, let's be real I would never take the time to put rollers in my hair in the first place but that's besides the point. This woman got on my train the other day. Now if you're wondering if she was put together otherwise - well not even close. The b!tch was wearing black leggings and a black shirt (under her white coat) covered and I do mean completely covered in cat hair! I mean she seemed normal otherwise, just reading a paper with the rest of the rat race but seriously take care of your hair before you walk out the door! Unfortunately you can't see the one on top of her head too well but that was by far my favorite! I was starting to wonder if she was doing a story for some magazine like let's see how many people will tell her she left some rollers in but they usually use models for that sh!t and she definitely wasn't. Plus there were no photogrpahers lurking about. Ahhh only in NYC kids!

Friday, December 1, 2006

tagged... twice

Ok, so I was tagged twice, and I am still the worst blogger ever, but will respond so you guys know I'm still alive!!

A - Available/Single? I am in a committed relationship and have been for almost 12 years!

B - Best Friend? Connie

C- Cake or Pie? Cake for sure, but only vanilla

D - Drink Of Choice? Grande Two Pump Sugar-Free Vanilla Non-Fat Latte, Water, or Wine

E - Essential Item You Use Everyday? MAC "PRRR" Lipglass & Mascara

F - Favorite Color? Pink

G - Gummy Bears Or Worms? Gummi Bears

H - Hometown? Calgary, Alberta although I don't live there anymore

I - Indulgence? Sour Cream & Onion Chips

J - January Or February? February cause that's my birthday!

K - Kids & Their Names? No kids, just my cat Martha

L - Life Is Incomplete Without? Friends

M - Marriage Date? none yet

N- Number Of Siblings? 1 sister

O - Oranges Or Apples? neither, I don't particularly like fruit

P - Phobias/Fears? Birds, Animals that talk, and People who dress in costumes

Q - Favorite Quote? "Everything will be ok in the end. If its not ok, its not the end" - Unknown

R - Reason to Smile? Its snowing!!

S - Season? Fall

T - Tag Three or Four People?

Cat
TTQ
Lindsay

U - Unknown Fact About Me? I was a vegetarian for 6 years, all through highschool and college

V - Vegetable you don't like? Ummmm, I love veggies so that's a hard one... squash

W - Worst Habit? Biting my nails

X - X-rays You've Had? Foot - twice

Y - Your Favorite Food? Pizza

Zodiac Sign? Pisces

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

yup, I'm still the worst.blogger.ever.

I missed the one thing I didn't want to miss over at Leigh Ann's blog, and I'm so sad that I did.

I missed Jagular being his fabulous self

I also missed that Sheila got a new job!! Congratulations, you're going to have your debt paid off in no time now!!

I have sort of caught up on my commenting, I will try to wade through all of the posts from everyone I have missed as soon as I can. My internet at home can't come fast enough. Thanks for being patient with me, sorry I can't comment on everyone's posts, but I will do my best.

I miss you guys xoxox

Friday, November 17, 2006

so, I'm pretty much the worst blogger ever. I am so busy at work, I have no time to do my blog and its making me very sad. The boy & I are looking at getting our internet hooked up at home, its on his list for next week, so then I'll be able to blog properly, but for now I can only do it when I get 5 minutes of free work time. I apoligize to everyone I am neglecting, its not intentional if it makes you feel any better, I am neglecting everyone equally!! I am also neglecting my eyebrows, they are out of control, so basically I'm hairy and busy and have no time to blog (sigh)

Monday, November 13, 2006

I'm back!!!!

Good morning everyone, I've missed you guys it was a very long week without access to you and my email and internet, I felt as though I was living in the olden days!! I've got a ton of work to catch up on so I have to keep this short, but, here is a list of 13 things I did last week while I wasn't blogging...

1. I actually called people instead of emailing them, that's what not having email does for you.

2. I spent nothing - without access to my banking online, I couldn't log on to my accounts to check how much money I had, so I decided not to spend at all just in case.

3. I organized my desk at work so that it now look slike some sort of magazine photo shoot desk, all of the papers are perfectly stacked, I have colour coded folders for everything, all of my pens are perfectly lined up - I know, I'm a dork!

4. I met one of my neighbours - this really has nothing to do with not having internet, I ran into her at the garbage can and had to walk all the way back to my door with her talking to me.

5. I made a note to myself to always check outside before taking out the garbage in case one of the neighbours is out there, I don't want this to happen again!

6. I went to the gym 3 times last week - that's a new record for me :-)

7. I ate 2 bags of halloween chocolate bars - kind of cancels out my excellent gym going.

8. I went out for a yummy dinner with my family, and had way too many belinis! - also cancels out the gym going.

9. I made myself a grocery list and have vowed to stick to it all week, and make my pre-planned meals.

10. I discovered that they now finally have holiday cups and holiday sleeves at my Starbucks!!

11. I had a wire shelf with all of our coats and a box of our shoes come crashing down on my head yesterday afternoon while cleaning in the laundry room.

12. I was then waited on by the boy who felt terrible, as it was him who installed the shelf, although it was me who tried to hang at least 30 coats on it and then put a very heavy box on top of it.

13. I opened up my email this morning to discover 168 unread messages - its going to be a long day!!!

Wednesday, November 8, 2006

my mac died :-(

my work computer is down, so no posting for me, I'm using someone else's computer and I don't want to leave a big blog history on it. I'll try to get to my Thursday 13 tomorrow, but I'm not sure if it will be fixed by then.

I miss you guys, hopefully I'll be back soon.

Friday, November 3, 2006

my lie revealed...

Well, I know I've kept you under suspense, but I will now reveal my lie.

There were some pretty varied guesses and I'm quite surprised that no one guessed #1 - it is completely true, but was so unbelievable to me while it was happening, that if I hadn't been there, I would never have believed it myself.

#2 is also completely true, 'the boy' and I met at the beginning of 10th grade, when we were 15, and have been dating ever since.

#3 - completely true, it was almost a once a week occurance, our jobs were so awful, it was the only way we could make it through!

#4 - also true, when I was in high school, my best friend at the time was a smoker, and she told me that she tried smoking and didn't like it, but also couldn't stop. I knew I didn't want to be a 'smoker', so I was too afraid to ever try it in case the same thing happened to me, and to this day, I have never tried it.

#5 - this is the lie - congratulations Karina, you're the only one to guess the right answer! It is partly true, I was a lifeguard and swimming instructor, however, I don't know how to scuba dive, and although there are national competitions held to showcase those skills, I have never attended them.

Thursday, November 2, 2006

thursday thirteen...

13 things that really annoy me...

1. Those that drive below the speed limit in the fast lane, what don't they understand about the words 'fast lane'??

2. The words 'what's up' when used as a greeting, I'm never sure how to answer that, do I just say 'hi', do I respond with 'nothing', is it really them asking what's new, should I tell them about my day?? It always confuses me!

3. Mothers who talk endlessly about their children, but when I try to comment, they say 'oh you wouldn't understand, you're not a Mom'

4. TYPING ALL IN CAPS, DON'T PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S SEEN AN YELLING, AND ALSO IT'S VERY HARD TO READ???

5. Small talk in an inappropriate siuation - waiting in the Dr's office, while changing at the gym

6. Who am I kidding, small talk with a stranger at any time

7. Those that have no sense of personal space and stand way too close while in line

8. Public nosepicking (while driving in your car counts too, those windows don't make you invisible) - that's what bathrooms, and kleenex's are for

9. White gym socks worn with dress shoes and pants

10. The fact that apparently everything these days requires internet access and a credit card

11. When you're talking to someone on the phone and they use the washroom while talking to you - I feel as though I am invading some sort of private moment that I do not want to be included in

12. When someone asks for your honset opinion, and then is angry at you when you give it to them

13. People that offer to help you do something and then will not follow direction, causing you to go back and re-do whatever it is that they have done, and making twice as much work for you in the end.

Wednesday, November 1, 2006

tagged...

Wow, my first time, I'm a tagging virgin, and to have my first time to be a royal event wow, I feel so special!!

I am supposed to make a list of 5 things I have done in my life and you have to guess which one is a lie, I'm not a very exciting person, so this list will definitely not be as fabulous as Cat's, but I'll do my best. Vote below in the comments, and I'll post the answer on Friday.

1 - I once worked at a Miss Universe pageant, which was hosted by Alan Thicke - you all rememer Mr. Seaver! and spent most of the time backstage with a can of hairspray spraying the asses of the contestants so that their bathing suits wouldn't ride up while they were doing their walk across the stage.

2 - I've been dating the same guy for almost 12 years

3 - At a previous job, 2 of my co-workers and I would regularly go for a 'liquid lunch break', where we would enjoy not one but 2 giant (4oz) margaritas and then go back to work for the rest of the afternoon way too drunk to be doing our jobs!

4 - I have never smoked a cigarette

5 - I am a trained lifeguard and swimming instructor and scuba diver and have competed in national competitions against other lifeguarding teams to showcase my amazing skills at pulling lifeless bodies out of the water.

I now tag Karina, Jagular, Sheila and TTQ, come on and lie to me!!

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

happy halloween!!

I went to Starbucks this morning to get a coffee on my way in to work, and they were all dressed up in there, a hot young sailor made me my latte! - I'm not sure if it was the costume or what, but he was pretty cute, definitely a nice way to start the day!!

Friday, October 27, 2006

thursday thirteen... (on friday)

thirteen things I did yesterday that didn't invlove posting my thursday thirteen...

1. I was 20 minutes late for work

2. I had 2 meetings with clients about projects they need done by the end of the month (ie. Tuesday!)

3. I convinced my big boss that due to stress and work pressure we needed Starbucks & he went out and got it for us!

4. I helped HB design his hallowe'en costume

5. I spent an hour talking to HB about the differences between boys and girls

6. I stayed late at work to catch up on the work I wasn't able to get done because of #'s 4 & 5

7. I went to the gym

8. I vacuumed and did the giant pile of dishes that had been sitting beside my sink since Sunday

9. I had toast and 2 glasses of wine - that came from a box! for dinner (yup, I'm extremely classy)

10. I put on my warmest fuzziest pyjamas and my pink slippers

11. I was all excited for Grey's Anatomy only to find out that for some reason (likely sports related) it wasn't a new episode :-(

12. I watched Anger Management instead - quite possibly the worst movie of all time

13. I fell asleep and was woken up in the night with the realization that Thursday had come and gone and I hadn't done my thursday thirteen!

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

call waiting...

My best friend called me last night, and the start of our conversation was so funny, I seriously thought I might die of laughter...

me: (picks up phone) hello?

her: (sounding a little panicky) hi, finally, I was starting to get worried

me: why??

her: I've been trying to call you for the last 20 minutes but something was wrong with your phone

me: (very confused) what do you mean?

her: well, I would dial your number and then there was silence and then your phone would make this strange beeping noise, like this beeep, beeep, beeep, beeep

me: hysterically laughing, tears streaming down my face, it takes a full minute before I can speak

her: (annoyed) what is so funny, I was really worried

me: um, that's a busy signal, I was on the phone with my Mom!

Apparently I'm the only person she knows who is too cheap to get call waiting!

Thursday, October 19, 2006

thursday thirteen...

13 things you didn't know about me

1. I'm deathly afraid of birds

2. Martha Stewart is my idol, and I don't care if people think that makes me crazy

3. I need my socks to match my outfit, if they don't, I will change my outfit to match my socks

4. I have no desire to ever go to Europe, but I would love to go to Australia

5. I don't think Angelina Jolie is the least bit attractive - I actually think she looks a little like a man

6. My sister is adopted, but I am not

7. Cheese pizza with pineapple is my most favourite food

8. I constantly bite my nails, and have tried everything to stop but nothing seems to work

9. I have a serious crush on Vince Vaughan, although I really don't find him at all attractive

10. I own every season of Friends and am constantly referencing episodes to my every day life, much to the annoyance of most of my friends

11. I put ketchup or ranch dressing on almost everything I eat

12. I own over 30 pairs of flip flops

13. When I hang up the phone with someone, I always wait for them to say goodbye first which sometimes results in a very awkward pause, but I just can't be the one to end the conversation

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

frustrations...

I tried calling about updating my satellite TV service today, and it didn't go well, why does it have to be so difficult to deal with a big company?? This is basically how our conversation went...

me (happy, and being my usual chipper morning self): Hi, I'd like to get another receiver for my satellite

her (bitter about her job, and obviously doesn't speak englsh well at all): ok, you have receiver ID number

me (still chipper): no, I don't have a receiver, I'd like to get one.

her: ok, you need receiver first before service.

me (a little less chipper): ok but I already have service for one, I'd just like to get another one from you

her: ok, you must buy receiver, it costs $99

me (annoyed): ok, that's fine.

her: I need credit card number from you to pay

me (more annoyed): can't you just add it to my monthly bill that I already receive and I'll pay that way

her: no, you need credit card, you give me number

me (frustrated): I don't have a credit card

her: I can't give you receiver without credit card, you give me number

me (angry): I DON'T have a credit card, can I pay you a different way

her: no, you go to (names a large electronics store) and buy one, then you call back

me: fine (I hang up).

I don't understand this, I have satellite service, I pay my bill ontime every month, I want to upgrade my service, essentially paying you more, and you say no. Just because I don't have a credit card, I can't buy anything from you, so you'd rather I go to a different company, buy a product from them and then activate it with you? How does this make any sense at all?

Monday, October 16, 2006

monday randoms...

I forgot to pick up my paycheque on Friday! I actually forgot!! This has NEVER happened before ever in my life! I realized it yesterday and was so excited to discover what it feels like not to have to live paycheque to paycheque, its amazing!!! (I did however make it a priority to pick it up immediately when I got into work this morning, and will be cashing it on my way home tonight, I can't live that long without it!)

Our office is so cold today, I'm still wearing my jacket & scarf, its very hard to type when your fingers are like little icicles.

I have fettucine alfredo for lunch today, but I really want it to be a salad.

The boy & I found a huge foresty/conservation area with walking trails literally across the street from my house which I had no idea even existed, and I've lived there for 3 years! - apparently I'm not overly observant!

I really need to get my eyebrows waxed

I'm halfway done my Christmas shopping - this has also never happened before.

HB is going to Starbucks to get us coffees and help warm us up so we can continue working - I voted for going home instead, but he said no.

I really need to go to the gym, that is my priority for tonight - that & grocery shopping because I have nothing to eat in my fridge

Today my job is boring me and I'm doing everything possible to avoid actually working - so far so good!

One of my friends told me last night that she & her husband are trying to get pregnant - I am happy for her, but sad for me, she is my most fun friend, and selfishly I know that she'll have less time for me once she is a Mom, also that means that I now only have 1 close friend who doesn't have kids, apparently we are getting to 'that age' - I don't want to be 'that age'.

Thursday, October 12, 2006

thursday thirteen...

After reading a ton of posts on other people's blogs, I have been inspired to create a theme day for myself, I have decided that every Thursday, I will give you a list of 13 things about me. They could be random things, things I'm thinking, or things you'd like to know, feel free to make suggestions, I'll do my best to accommodate them (within reason of course!). So, find below, the first installment. Happy Thursday!!

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

13 things you'll never hear me say...

1. 'Oh, no wine for me thanks, I'm not a big drinker'.

2. 'I'm bored, I think I'll go spend an hour at the gym'.

3. 'Early retirement, no thanks, I'm going to work until the day they throw me out of here'.

4. 'Hi, I'm Katie-Q, you must be my new neighbour'.

5. 'That's ok, its not a big deal if I miss an episode of Grey's Anatomy/ANTM/Project Runway/Big Brother/Rockstar'.

6. 'Its ok if it isn't exactly what I asked for, its the thought that counts'.

7. 'Everything doesn't have to be coordinated to look good'

8. 'I love camping'.

9. 'I think this size 2 is too big for me, maybe I should try the 0'.

10. 'I didn't hear that about (insert celebrity scandal), I never follow Hollywood gossip'.

11. 'No thanks, I'm full'.

12. 'Maybe a girl can have too many handbags'.

13. 'Wow, I'm having the best hair day ever!'.

monday randoms...

1. I am so full from my weekend, I had to wear my 'fat jeans' and a very loose sweater today as I am quite sure that no one wants to look at me in anything else, I'm heading to the gym tonight to work off all this turkey!

2. Leighann is back!!!! She's recovering from her surgery and I am so happy for her! It won't be long now until she is back to her old Starbucks-drinking self.

3. I watched 'When Harry met Sally' for abouth the millionth time over the weekend, and remembered how much I love this quote,

'Harry Burns: There are two kinds of women: high maintenance and low maintenance.
Sally Albright: Which one am I?
Harry Burns
: You're the worst kind. You're high maintenance but you think you're low maintenance.

I'm a little bit afraid that I might be that kind too!

I also love the message he leaves her on her answering machine

'The fact that you're not answering leads me to believe that (a) You're not home, (b) You're home but you don't want to talk to me, or (c) You're home, desperately want to talk to me, but you're trapped under something heavy. If it's either (a) or (c), please give me a call.'

4. Sheila has paid off almost $7,000 of her monster debt in just over a month, WAY TO GO!!!

5. I love that its a short week for me, it feels like Monday and yet its already Tuesday!!

6. Lindsay is going through a difficult time right now, please send your happy thoughts over to her.

7. Please also send your happy thoughts over to Cat, who got home from her trip to Germany, but her luggage did not!

8. HB is here today and is wearing a very nice white t-shirt, dark jeans and brown shoes, he obviously didn't overdo it on the turkey over the weekend, because he is looking as fabulous as ever, apparently it was just me who chose to go back for thirds (two days in a row)

Friday, October 6, 2006

mmmm turkey...

Just a quick note today to wish everyone a Happy Thanskgiving (everyone Canadian that is) as this weekend is Canadian Thanksgiving, I am leaving work at 2:00 today and will be off until Tuesday, eating turkey and drinking too much wine!

My sister is home from school for the weekend, so we have fun plans for Saturday, and I have a couple of dinners to go to on Sunday and Monday. I'm making créme caramel for dinner with my Parents on Sunday, wish me luck on that one!!

Have a happy weekend everyone, I'll be back on Tuesday, and hopefully I'll still be able to fit into my clothes after all that turkey!

Wednesday, October 4, 2006

happy thoughts needed...

Please send your thoughts and good wishes to Leighann & her family, she is sick and will be in the hospital until at least Friday. If you could take the time to post a happy thought on her blog, I'm sure she will appreciate it when she gets home. She is someone I am proud to call my friend (even thought we've never met) and I will be sending her happy thoughts for a full recovery every day.

We miss you Leighann, feel better soon. :-)

Tuesday, October 3, 2006

I'm in the money...

I am happy to report that for the very first time in about 3 years, that my bank account has a positive balance and has had one for almost a whole month!!!! I know this sounds silly to most people, but this is a huge accomplishment for me, I can't even tell you how good it feels to know that I have money in my account and I am not accumulating more debt every day. I still have a small amount to pay on my line of credit, but the budgeting is going well and by this time next year, I should be free and clear of all debt!

Also, I bought my sister's Christmas present on ebay today, the exact purse she wanted which retails for over $50, for just $24.73 with all taxes and shipping! Wahoo!!!! :-)

Thursday, September 28, 2006

deep thoughts...

So last night I'm in yoga class being all zen and fabulous, doing my poses perfectly, silently congratulating myself the entire time on my amazing yoga skills. I'm in the front row because I like to have no one between me and the instructor, I'm wearing my cutest outfit, black pants with a pink stripe and matching pink top, my toes have a perfect french manicure, my hair is fabulous, everything is perfect.

Towards the end of the class, this thought comes into my mind... 'what am I going to wear tomorrow' and I start to feel very concerned because all of the outfits I start thinking about are either dirty, or I've worn them recently. So I'm mentally flippling through my closet and I'm finding nothing suitable for my day which includes going to work, antique shopping and then dinner with a friend. Nothing I can think of suits all 3 purposes. At this point I've pretty much stopped paying attention to the instructor, I'm following along, but I'm really not listening, I'm just copying her and busily planning my outfit. She has us do Warrior 1 pose and then we are to slowly move into Warrior 3.

Well, I do my Warrior 1, then I move to Warrior 3, but as I do, I'm starting to really get a good outfit put together in my mind, I'm completely lost in thought deciding which accessories I will wear with the outfit when...

CRASH! - yup, I fall, and not a graceful stumble which people sometimes do in yoga class, no, a full on fall to the ground, a fall so disruptive that everyone stops what they're doing and turns to look at me, the teacher even stops for a second to ask me if I'm ok, which I am, although my ego is now severely bruised.

How embarrasing, and to top it all off, the outfit I had been planning, the one that caused the crash, the top is dirty, I wore it on Saturday. So now today I'm wearing something that I'm not happy with and I'm feeling that I may never be able to go to that yoga class again.

Monday, September 25, 2006

moving in...

Well, the boy & I spent all weekend talking about it, and have decided that he will move in. He's got to let his landlord know so it will likely be at the beginning of November. He practically lives at my place most of the time anyways, and this way we will be able to save a lot of money, - I'm going to take Jagular's suggestion and get him to chip in for the internet, as I know he wants to have it. That will make my blogging much easier, especially since I'm getting much busier at work and just don't have the time to read and comment on everyone's blogs during office hours! - I also think we're ready to go back to that step - we had previously owned a house together for a year, but decided we weren't ready and so we sold it and went our separate ways, and for the last 3 years have been living apart - we've both grown and our relationship is much better because of the time we spent apart.

It will be hard adjusting though as Martha & I have gotten used to having the condo to ourselves, and 750 sq.ft. is not a lot of room for 2 people and a cat. We talked about selling my place and getting another place together, but I think for now, we'll stick it out where we are, it will help us save money and we can be sure this time instead of jumping into buying a place together and having to go through all that heartache again.

Its funny though because the first time around, I was totally all about moving in, it couldn't happen fast enough for me, but this time, I'm much more hesitant about it, I'm sure because I was hurt in the past, but its interesting how your views change as you get older, I'm much more independant now and don't feel like I 'need' to live with him to be ok.

Thursday, September 21, 2006

so busy...

I am so busy right now, no time to post, I really should get internet at home so that I can post from my couch instead of from my desk while I'm supposed to be working. Not a lot new with me, I think the boy wants to move in, he's been hinting about it for a little while, so we're going to have to talk about it and figure it out. It would really help me with the budgeting as I wouldn't have to pay for everything myself. He's going to be here all weekend so I guess we'll figure it out.

Friday, September 15, 2006

more dress shopping...


Apparently my duties as a Maid of Honour are far from complete. The dress that we already picked out and were measured for is apparently not the right colour, and so I have to go back this weekend to look at another one. From the pictures (to the right) I've received, I'm not too pleased about it, I think the cut and the fabric will be a lot less flattering, but maybe I'm wrong, I guess I'll know tomorrow.

So tonight, I'm off to do the long drive up to their place, and then the longer drive tomorrow to the bridal store. I've got a big weekend of riding in the car and doing things I don't really want to do, as you can see, I'm really excited about this!

I'm super excited for next week though as I am a TV junkie, and all of the new shows startnext week, so I'll spend the better part of my evenings on the couch catching up on all of my favourite characters' lives!

At least its something to look forward to while I'm in bridal hell this weekend!

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

what's wrong with being me...

Why is it that people always want you to be like them, even if they're not happy? I am a bit of an anomaly amongst my friends. Almost all of them are married, have kids, or both and they are constantly trying to get me to become 'one of them'.

The married ones talk about how its so great to be married and feel secure, (although the girls are constantly worried that their husbands might cheat at any moment) that their wedding was the best day of their lives (but they spent a fortune on a giant wedding dress, and food for 200 of their 'closest friends' and are still in debt because of it) and they can't imagine spending their lives with anyone else (I see them checking out other people when we go out).

The ones with kids tell me how they feel so much closer to their partner now that they have a child together (even though they seem to spend so much less time together) and that there's nothing like the love and joy you feel for your child (while constantly complaining about how much of an expense and emotionial drain their children are) and that life is so much better now that they are parents (I just don't see how getting up at 3am to feed a screaming baby seems better than getting a full nights sleep).

Every time I see any of these friends, they spend the entire time probing as to why 'the boy' and I are not married, asking if we are thinking about having kids soon, asking why we are waiting, and delaying the wedded bliss and joyful family life that they are all experiencing. But then in the next breath, they are complaining about their husbands, venting about their children and saying how they wish they could just have 5 minutes for themselves.

It drives me crazy, I'm happy with my life, I don't see the need to be married and I'm not ready to have kids. Eventually I'd like to experience it all, but its not as if I'm 40 and am running out of time, I'm 26, 'the boy' is 28, we've got a good 10 years before we really have to start worring about the fact that we may end up un-wed and childless for the rest of our days, and really, with the way all of my friends talk, would that be so awful?

Friday, September 8, 2006

random friday thoughts...

I'm taking a cue from Lindsay, and posting some random things for today.


1. I FINALLY got my hair done, it was so bad that when I sat down in the chair, my hairdresser said 'oh. my. god. how have you been walking around in public like this for so long' pretty bad when someone says that to you! I think because she felt so bad for me, she took an extra long time making it look fabulous, and then she straightened it!! That's the best part because I can't do that on my own!



2. I'm going to see my best friend this weekend, she has a 1-year old daughter, who I adore, and who has just learned to say my name, apparently she walks around the house saying 'kate, kate, kate, kate'. I LOVE her, here's a picture of her in all her cuteness



3. I've discovered a new band I love - The Fray, they were featured on Grey's Anatomy last night, and I am in love!


4. There are some amazing people in this world who I have had the pleasure of meeting here on my blog, people who I would have otherwise never had the opportunity to meet, and for that I am extremely grateful, they are fun, they make me smile every day, and are truly an inspiration.

5. Here's a fun, inspiring quote for Friday, have a great weekend, I'll be back Monday!

'I spent a long time trying to find my center until I looked closely one night & found it had wheels & moved easily in the slightest breeze, so now I spend less time sitting and more time sailing.'

Wednesday, September 6, 2006

a long time coming...

Well, my mortgage is officially re-financed. I didn't get as much as I was hoping for so I won't be able to pay everything off, I'm about $2,000 short, but its a great start and I'm feeling much better about my situation. I will be putting together a proper budget for myself and starting it officially on October 1st (after I pay off my credit cards and am able to start fresh with my monthly bills etc.

I decided to keep the jacket. I know it may not be the wisest financial decision, but I do really love it and I did need to get a new winter jacket this year as my old one is white and over the past 3 years has turned into a very ugly yellowish-grayish-brownish colour. But I have vowed not to shop for the rest of September to make up for the amount I spent on it. I have to get used to the budgeting and if I spend all of my budgeted money on one thing, then I'm done and if that means missing out on something else that I want, then that's what I have to do.

Yesterday when I checked my mail, I found the best surprise! A package all the way from Australia!!! :-) This is the first time I've ever gotten mail from so far away, so I was extremely excited. Karina sent me some Mary Kay samples and a book 'Gazumped!' which I am very excited to read. Thank you so much Karina!! Here are some pictures of what I got, my cat 'Martha' was extremely interested and would not let me take the pictures without her!That's Martha's tail in the corner, and this is all the cool stuff I got!Here she is trying to attack the bag it came in

And here she is stealing the bag!

Friday, September 1, 2006

step away from the light...

Forgive me bloggers, for I have sinned.

Last night, I had an overwhelming urge to shop, so I went to the mall (which has just been renovated and is absolutely beautiful) and, being a responsible shopaholic, did a lot of looking around, trying on, but not purchasing, then I bought a birthday gift for my niece ($28.74), its the cutest little brown dress with a little tie polka dot belt and a striped undershirt to go with it from H&M, very appropriate for her, she's 1.

Then I did some more wandering and window shopping and was starting to feel very good about myself and my ability to walk the mall without purchasing. And then, from across the hall, there it was, I had one of those movie moments, where its all shiny and music is playing, and you are just completely drawn towards something and you have no control.

That was me. It was ridiculous. I. Had. No. Control. I purchased.

A beautiful chocolate brown, down filled puffy winter coat. Its short and has the cutest pockets on the front, and a super fluffy fur lined hood. I LOVE it. (I tried to find a picture online, but its not on the website) It was $148.19

I am a bad bad bad girl. I only slightly regret it, because as I said, I LOVE it. But, the boy is going to be really upset with me.

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

a very wise choice indeed...

well, my boss has FINALLY made a decision, and a very wise one at that. He has decided to go with the Audi, and I have to say, I'm so glad that I won't have to stay up late at night worrying about him n`vigating those icy roads in that second-rate BMW this winter, thank god the Audi has all-wheel-drive or I just wouldn't feel safe with him out on the roads.

Meanwhile, my older than time Hyundai has decided to leak all of its oil out onto my parking spot and then make a funny clunking noise while I drive. But you don't see anyone here losing sleep over that one (except for me, but what else is new)

I LOVE my life today!

Monday, August 28, 2006

uneventful...

My weekend was good, and pretty uneventful, I spent Friday night with the boy, and then Saturday, we slept in, lazed around, went for a walk to the store to get the ingredients to make Chicken Curry (which he bought) and then walked home, made dinner had a bottle of wine and watched a movie, it was nice and relaxing. Sunday we had brunch with his parents, then I went shopping with my Mom, the Gap was having a huge sale, so while my Mom was buying a bunch of stuff for her, she also bought me this super cute jean skirt (ok, I tried uploading the picture of the skirt 3 times, but apparently Blogger doesn't like me today, so instead you get a link), I heart my Mom!

Today is busy at work, and for all those who asked, I did not inflict any harm on my boss (see post below), although I wanted to, I'm a bigger person than that (barely) but he still hasn't made his decision, so everyday, we have to listen to 'the great debate' as I've started calling it, over which is better, Audi or BMW.

HB is here today, looking stunning in a tight white t-shirt, dark jeans and sandles, (sigh) oh how I love him! I think he's having girl troubles though as he seems pretty sad today. maybe he needs a shoulder to cry on (aka mine!).

My mortgage refinance is finalized on the 5th, so I can't wait for that day so that I can get myself back on track. I'm thinking I should take a second job for a bit to really get my finances & savings in order, I'm thinking of stopping into the Starbucks at the top of my hill and seeing if they are hiring, because I figure, if I've gotta work somewhere in my spare time, what better place than the land of the grande-2-pump-sugar-free-vanilla-non-fat-latte's.

Friday, August 25, 2006

oh... so... tired...

Last night was so fun, I went out with a couple of people from work (including HB) to this great sushi/martini bar. We had a blast, I don't think I have ever laughed so hard in my life, but didn't get home until after 1:00am, so this morning I am feeding myself coffee through intravenous and praying that I don't fall asleep at my desk.

Yesterday, while reading Lindsay's blog, I came across a great website called Story People, and I found the following quote which pretty much sums up my life right now.

'Tired of knowing everything without ever being sure'

Have a great weekend, I'll be back on Monday!

Thursday, August 24, 2006

changing my look...

I see so many people with such cool looking blogs, and it starting to make me a little bit jealous. Does anybody know of some good places I could go to get some ideas on how to make mine much more beautiful?? I've looked at the Blogger templates, but none of them are very exciting, and I know that there are people out there who you can pay to do it for you, but I'd really like to do it myself. Any ideas, or suggestions would be great.

By the way, check out my links on the side, I've been browsing around and found some really cool people in my travels.

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

tough decisions...

My boss - not HB, but the other one - was complaining today about a very tough decision that he has to make, the lease is up on his car and he can't decide whether to trade it in for a BMW, or an Audi, he's spent the entire morning obsessing over his choice and asking everyone in the office what they think. It must be nice when this is your hardest decision. Here is a bit of our recent conversation.

Boss - 'I'm just not sure, the Audi has all-wheel drive which will be great when we go away skiing in the winter, but I just like the BMW more, Katie what do you think?'

KQ - 'Well, I'm not sure, that's a tough call, are you going to do a lot of skiing this year?'

Boss - 'Yes, we bought a chalet on the mountain, so we'll likely drive up there every weekend'

KQ - (as I sit here sipping my crappy office coffee because its free, wishing I had a ski chalet) 'Well then maybe the Audi is the better choice'

Boss - 'I think it is, but I like look of the BMW more. Its just so hard, I don't know what to do, what do you do when you have to make such a tough decision?'

KQ - 'Well, I really don't know, my toughest decision this month was whether to buy groceries, or to pay my phone bill, but your choice is obviously much more difficult than that'

Boss - 'hmmm... maybe I'll call my wife and ask her what she thinks'

Oh my god, kill me now!!!

Monday, August 21, 2006

the dress...


This is the dress I will be wearing next summer at the wedding that I am in, I'm ok with it, it was the best of the options, in my opinion, its a little too shiny for a beach wedding, but I'm not the bride!

My weekend was pretty good, not a lot to report, I didn't really spend anything other than the gas to get to Ottawa, so that was good, I'm in the process of working on my budget and figuring out how to get my money situation all figured out, so I will report on that when I get it all figured out.

Its been a while since I've given a HB update, today he's wearing a longsleeved white shirt, light jeans and sandles, Friday afternoon we were the only ones here, and we ended up having an hour long discussion about our lives, which was very interesting, as I learned some things about him that I didn't know. If only I didn't love the boy so much, HB & I could run off & live happily ever after!!!

Friday, August 18, 2006

this is cute, what are you...

Your Personality Is

Artisan (SP)


You are both grounded and flexible. You adapt well to new situations.
You are playful and free spirited - but you are also dependable and never flaky.

You don't do well in conservative, stuffy situations.
It's probably very hard for you to keep a normal job or stay in school.

You are always up for fun and adventure. Most people are too boring for you.
You take risks and bend the rules. And if things don't work out, you chock it up to life experience.

In love, you tend to take things quickly - but you have a huge problem with commitment.

At work, you need to make your own rules. You're best suited to be an entrepreneur.

With others, you are animated and physical. You prefer doing something with friends to just hanging out.

As far as your looks go, you tend to be buff and in good shape. Your spend more time on your body than your clothes.

On weekends, you need to keep active. From cooking up a storm to running a 5K, you wear yourself out.

happy & sad...

well, I called my bank yesterday and talked to the nicest man (I love you Al, whoever you are!!) who was able to get all the information needed for me to apply to refinance my mortgage. Because I did it through my actual bank, there are no fees or penalties, and they will blend my interest rates so my rate may actually go down a little. I'll end up paying around $75 a month more on my mortgage, but that will be the only loan that I have, so all my CC's and my LOC will be paid off. He's going to send me the paperwork today and it should be all completed in the first week of September.

I'm happy and sad. Happy that I will be able to actually start a savings account now that I have reduced my monthly bills by almost $300, but sad that I let it get this far and that at 26, I have now owned 2 houses and refinanced a mortgage, I'm sure I have just become some sort of obscure statistic!

This weekend I'm going bridal shopping for the wedding I'm in next summer. I hope that will be fun and not stressful, the crappy part is that I have to drive nearly 7 hours each way to do it as the girl getting married lives in Ottawa. Oh well, these are the things you do for your friends.

Thursday, August 17, 2006

money sucks!

What awful cruel person gave me a credit card, line of credit and a chequing account in the first place, cause whoever they are, I want to hunt them down and strangle them!

I got paid on Tuesday and my chequing account is now sitting at -$249.52 (that's a negative sign for anyone who missed it). I just feel like I will never be able to get out of this black hole of debt.

I went over to see my Dad last night and brought him a copy of all my bills and expenses each month, he's going to go through them and make me a budget so that I can get myself back on track. I asked him again about consolidating my debt and he suggested I call my actual bank, rather than a third party like I did before, he thinks I may be able to keep my rate since I am already a customer, and in the long run I will be giving them more money, so I will do that when they open at 9, maybe they will take pity on me and help a girl out.

I just want to go home, crawl into my bed and never come out!!! :-(

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

did you miss me??

wow, this week's been crazy and it has barely started!! I was so busy at work yesterday I barely even had time for lunch. I'm feeling very out of touch, I've had no time to read anyone's blog, no time to catch up on the gossip from People Magazine, I've done no email chatting with my friends! I've actually been super productive at work which I guess is good, but I really miss my work related social life!!

I did really well on the spending over the weekend, since I had no money, I spent almost nothing! Here's how I spent my time.

Friday - went to see The Devil Wears Prada with my Mom, she paid for the movie & popcorn!!

Saturday - cleaned the condo, put gas in the car ($10.00), went to the store for very minimal groceries, milk, bread, chicken breasts, cheese, lettuce ($18.62) then had some friends over went out to dinner (the boy paid) and went to the drive in (the boy paid again)

Sunday - Lazed around, did laundry, then went to the boy's Dad's place for dinner

Monday - went to work, worked like a crazy, then had a girlfriend over for dinner, I made alfredo chicken pasta (all from things I already had), and provided the wine, she brought caesar salad, garlic bread & blueberry cheesecake yum!!!

I think overall that was a very good non-spending weekend! I get paid today, thank god!! And I'm hoping to get myself out of the overdraft this time, we'll see how I do.

Still thinking about the tattoo, my sister said that if I get the one I posted below, it will have to be pretty big or else they won't be able to do the detail, and I really want it on my foot/toe, so I'm not sure now, maybe I'll just get the little yoga person, and not the word.

Friday, August 11, 2006


Here's what I've been thinking of, for my tattoo, let me know what you think...

tattoo

so I have been thinking for a long time that I want to get a tattoo somewhere on my foot, maybe on one of my toes. My problem is that I have absolutely no idea what to get. Here are some ideas that I have been thinking about

  • Bubbles - maybe on their own or coming from a bubble wand
  • Ants - crawling from the side of my foot across my toes
  • Writing - possibly the title of my blog which is a quote that I love,
    'everything will be ok in the end... if its not ok, its not the end'
  • A Yoga symbol - maybe a little stick person doing a yoga pose, and or the word 'Satya' (which kind of means 'truth', or 'that which is unchanging' and is one of the 8 limbs of ashtanga ) incorporated into it somehow

But I'm a very visual person and I am having a hard time picturing any of those on my foot. Last night I got out a Sharpie and drew some stuff on, but I'm the world's worst artist and they looked awful.

Do any of you have a tattoo, or have you seen one you really like. I'm looking for input about my ideas, or suggestions for something else. I'm not a 'deep meaning' kind of person, as long as I like it and I can relate to it, I'll be happy with it.

Thursday, August 10, 2006

updates...

I'm feeling very behind on both my blogging and my commenting and I aplolgize for that, this is a very hectic week for me at work (which is the only place I have internet) so it makes it hard to get it all in.

I talked to my Dad about the debt consolidation on my mortgage, and he thinks with the penalties & fees I'll have to pay its going to end up costing me an extra $5,000, so I really don't think that will be a wise financial decision. He said I should just wait it out, try to pay off as much as I can and then in February 2008, when my mortgage term is up, I can renegotiate and add in whatever debt I have left, that way I don't have to pay any cancellation fees, or extra lawyer's fees. This totally sucks, but I think its the best option for me, maybe it will help me to be more frugal, because I'll have to be in order to pay all my bills each month.

On a happier note, I went shopping with my Mom & Sister on Tuesday night as my sister had to get some stuff for going back to school (she's in her last year of university), and while we were picking out stuff for her, my Mom said she felt bad for me & my no money situation, so she bought me a new pair of jeans, a really cute t-shirt, and a new bra/underwear set!! yay me :-)

I paid my bills yesterday, and am now left with $72.69 in my account to last me until the 15th, I should be able to do it, but it will be tight.

HB is not here yet today, so no updates there, although I did have a dream about him last night, he took me on a date and he was driving a Hummer that was a convertible and we were driving around looking at the stars, and then at the end of our date, he kissed me, and I told him that it was wrong and that I had a boyfriend but he said he didn't care, then I woke up. Very strange and I feel like I'll be uncomfortable when he comes in this morning!

Tuesday, August 8, 2006

you're invited...

I have been invited and so am extending the invitation to a little blogging mixer at the fabluous Bumble Blog by the extremely talented and wonderful TTQ (I hope she appreciates this lovely description!) Stop by, say hi and be sure to tell her that I sent you, there's a great prize for the one who brings the most people.

Thanks!!

tired, tanned and still broke...

Well, my weekend was really fun, my new BFF didn't end up coming which was great for me as I didn't have to feel like I was entertaining someone all weekend. It ended up being me, my sister, the boy and his friend (who I adore). There was a lot of tanning, a lot of drinking and a general good time had by all.

The town we were camping near was having their annual festival over the weekend and they were 'lucky enough' (as all their signage said) to have Amanda Marshall playing there on Saturday night. We were across the river from the actual town, but could hear the festivities, and after a few too many drinks we all thought it was hilarious that the concert in the town square that cost everyone in the town $35 each was free to us! At one point around midnight, the boy was standing at the edge fo the water screaming "I LOVE YOU AMANDA MARSHALL" and then "AMANDA, DO YOU LOVE ME??... AMANDA... AMANDA MARSHALL... CAN YOU HEAR MEEEEE??" Oh my god I was laughing so hard, I hope she couldn't hear him because it was more than slightly embarrassing!

We got home around 10:00 last night, so I am extremely overtired today, and have to have dinner tonight with the parents and my sister, so it will be a long day. I'm doing great on the spending, I only spent about $100 total over the weekend for food, alcohol and gas money so that was good, today I have to pay a few bills which I'm not looking forward to, I will update a proper spending post when I have all the amounts figured out.

Thursday, August 3, 2006

yippee long weekend!

Just a super quick post for me today, I'm crazy busy at work right now and I am taking tomorrow off so that I can have an extra long weekend, as Monday is a holiday for us here in Canada.

So far so good on the spending, I've spent nothing this week. I will have to purchase some food and alcohol tonight for camping on the weekend, but that's it, I'm feeling very proud of myself and my efforts.

I'll be spending the next 4 days laying on the beach, reading and working on my tan, I can't wait!! Try not to miss me too much and I'll be sure to post a proper message when I'm back on Tuesday.

Tuesday, August 1, 2006

two baby steps towards the end

Well, I cancelled my hair appointment and I called to set up an appointment with a Debt Consolidation specialist so that I can hopefully cancel my credit cards and line of credit and put that money onto my mortgage, it will suck that I'll be paying back this debt for basically the next 25 years, but it will make more sense because the interest on my mortgage is only 5.5% and that's a heck of a lot less than the 19.5% I'm currently paying to Visa, also since I'll only be making one payment for the whole thing rather than 3 diferent ones, it will reduce the amount I have to pay each month making it easier for me to get from paycheque to paycheque.

The lady I spoke to also said that they will work with me to set up a savings plan as well and take some of the money that I am saving from only having to pay one loan and put it into a separate account so that I have an emergency fund and can actually start saving money like a normal person.

I'm feeling a little better about my situation, and I really do need an emergency fund because I know I'm going to owe about $2,000 on my taxes next year, and I'm the maid of honor in a wedding next July and its a destination wedding in Dominican, so that will be at least $2,000 as well. It seems like it just never stops!

Monday, July 31, 2006

well, this was a pretty good weekend for me spending-wise.
Here is my tally from Friday night to this morning, I'll highlight the things I maybe shouldn't have purchased in orange.

Friday
Gas for my car $30
Wine $31.50 (its my weakness, I enjoy it with dinner, I have decided not to give it up, but I did buy it in a box so I'm saving some money there!)
Wings & drinks with the boy & his Dad - $0 (his Dad treated us!!)

Saturday
Groceries - $87.29 (yikes)
Really fun concert at the local Casino - Gary Sinise & the Lt. Dan Band!! - $0 (free tickets)

Sunday
I spent nothing!!

Monday
I had to mail a letter $1.82
Starbucks $4.26 (I caved and got a latte)

So, that's only 2 questionable purchases, and 2 things for free, so I think I did pretty well.

I left my debit card at home again today, so I will not be able to make any more purchases, and since I caved at Starbucks this morning, I'll likely not be able to get coffee again this week. I also found an ad in the paper over the weekend for a place that helps you consolidate your debts onto your mortgage, so I am thinking of calling them to see what I can do, as I know my condo has gone up in value since I bought it 3 years ago.

Overall, I am feeling much better than I was on Friday, although, my bank balance is still in the overdraft, so that depresses me, but its usually negative, so its not something new!

Friday, July 28, 2006

yum


In an effort to cheer myself up a little, I thought I should give you a HB update.

Today he is looking stunning in a faded black t-shirt like this one
and jeans like these...

I don't have my digital camera back yet, and I'm not sure how I'll take his picture anyways, so this is the best I can do.




Imagine these items being worn on a very well tanned, perfectly proportioned, man who works out every day and has perfectly white teeth and a great smile, that's what I'm looking at across my office right now.

Have a great weekend ladies!! :-)

payday :-(

well, thank god today is payday, but unfortunately due to bills/mortgage etc, I am back in the negative. It sucks being broke all the time. I made a hair appointment for next week because its been so long since I've had my hair done that I'm starting to look like a crazy bag lady, but now I'm thinking I may have to cancel it, I really don't want to, but I'm not sure that I'll be able to afford it.

On the plus side, I have been doing really well with the no spending, and I plan to leave my debit card at home all next week and not spend over this weekend. Next weekend we are going camping so luckily that won't cost much more than the price of a pack of hotdogs and some alcohol.

Being broke sucks, why oh why did I allow beautiful sparkly things to put me into such a shitty situation??

:-(

Thursday, July 27, 2006

My new BFF... uggg

what do you do when your friend has a new girlfriend that you can't stand??

I have a very close male friend who the boy & I have been friends with for almost 15 years, and he has a new girlfriend who is clingy, needy, whiny & annoying, and I really have a hard time spending a lot of time with her. She is new to this area, and therefore really doesn't have a lot of friends, so lucky me, I have been designated her new BFF - great.

Now I'm all for pretending I like people to make my friends happy, I really have no problem doing this, what I do have a problem with is her complete lack of personal space and her constant need to tell me every gory detail of her life. Like the fact that she's constantly jumping from one bad relationship into the next and that one of her past relationships was abusive and another turned out to be gay. I also now am fully aware of her monthly schedule and what type of feminine products she likes to use - did I mention I've met this girl only 3 times!

The boy and our friend have now decided that we (me, the boy, our friend and my new BFF) should all go camping together next weekend. - did I mention that I don't camp under the best circumstances, now I'm going to be stuck with Little Miss. Clingy for 4 whole days!!! What am I going to do????

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

shopping

Now before you go getting concerned by the title of this post, let me just say that last night I went out for dinner with my Mom & my Grandparents, then my Mom & I popped into the mall to pick up a few things, I got a really cute new pink bra and some banana body butter, the grand total of that little excursion... $0!! My Grandpa bought us dinner and then my Mom bought me the bra & the body cream! They were having a sale of buy one bra, get one free, and she only wanted one, so she let me pick out the free one, and then in the Body Shop, it was buy one item, get the second half price. I was so excited, because I was starting to feel a little deprived at not having anything new for over a week, so this is the little boost I needed to get me through until payday on Friday.

Today at lunch I did spend a little because I had to go get my eyebrows waxed, but the girl I go to is a friend of a friend, and she doesn't charge me, so I just tipped her $5 - do you think that's enough?? - and then since I was thirsty, I stopped into the coffee shop next door and got myself an italian soda - $2.93.

I think that's not too bad, in the last 24 hours, I've had dinner out, gotten a new bra, some body cream, an eyebrow wax and an a delicious grapefruit-lime italian soda, all for the grand total of $7.93!!

Maybe I am getting the hang of this saving money thing after all.

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

I spent...

I confess, I stopped and bought a coffee on my way in to work this morning, I couldn't help myself, that delicious coffee aroma was calling my name, and I was in desperate need of caffiene, but instead of the fancy latte that I usually get, I just got a regular coffee, so I was quite proud of myself for only spending $1.58.

I like Karina's idea of having a spending journal for a week, so I am going to do that for a bit on here and see how it goes, maybe I'll be able to see where all my money is dissappearing to, I'll record it each morning for the day before.

I don't have a lot to update today, except to say that I forgot to tell you, HB called my cell at 8:00 on Friday night, I wasn't going to answer it, because it was displaying my work number, and I had been drinking and was hanging out with the boy, but I did, he was looking for my office key (apparently) as he had his motorcycle at work on Friday and apparently his work key was on the key ring for his truck. He was a little flirty with me on the phone, and then was sad when I said I couldn't come back in to work just to lock the door for him. I'm not really sure what to think of the situation, he is my boss, and I'm sure it was nothing, but maybe...

Monday, July 24, 2006

so far so good

For once on a Monday, I am glad to be back at work. the weekend is a very difficult time to get through when you don't have any money. Friday night I went to see the boy, and we ended up having dinner and watching a movie at his place, there was drinking and sillyness and I gave him a pedicure! - without the polish of course.

Then Saturday - which was the hardest day not to spend money - we went downtown to get 2 birthday gifts for friends, and I had such a hard time not shopping for myself. But, I'm happy to report that other than my subway tokens ($5.50) and a birthday gift for a friend from Lush ($17.59), I spent nothing. The boy bought us drinks and lunch and I did a lot of window shopping, along with a lot of whining, foot stomping and sulking over things I 'just had to have' like these super cute yoga pants that I could get a lot of use out of, but made no other purchases - YAY!!! It felt sad at the time, but by the time I got home, I was completely ok with it. Saturday night we went to a b-day party for a good friend and had a blast, it was so much fun, and there was way too much drinking, but all in all a great time.

Yesterday, I spent the whole day at home, I really wanted to go out, but I knew that if I left my house, I would spend money, so, instead I cleaned my entire condo, I even cleaned out my fridge and my oven, finished the book I was reading - The Undomestic Goddess - and then made dinner from what's left in my bare cupboards.

So, today, I'm glad to be back here where I am not tempted to spend. I did bring my debit card today, but will not use it and will leave it at home tomorrow.

Friday, July 21, 2006

Happy Friday!!!

Happy Friday to everyone!

I am happy to say that I have made it through this entire week withough purchasing anything!! I left my debit card at home every day, and it made a huge difference! There were a couple of times during the week when I know I would have shopped but because I didn't have my card with me, I wasn't able to. I think I'm going to make this a habit from now on and just live on cash.

Also today HB brought Starbucks in for everyone! And as you all know, there's nothing better than a free latte!

I don't have much else to report today, I'm spending the weekend hanging out with the boy and on Saturday we have a 30th birthday party to go to for one of our really good friends, so that will be fun! Other than that, just hanging out, I will have to do a small bit of shopping, as I have to buy a birthday card, as well as a few essential groceries like milk, and wine, but other than that, I promise to stick to my NO SHOPPING plan. I'll check in with you gals on Monday, as I don't have internet at home.

Have a great weekend!

oh, I almost forgot - today HB rode his motorcycle again, and he's wearing a blue t-shirt that says 'surfer's paradise' on it, very tight and very hot! He's also wearing light jeans with some rips in them, and brown shoes. I think he went tanning last night because he looks extra brown and yummy today.

I'm still working on a photo for you ladies, so be patient!

Thursday, July 20, 2006

to wear or not to wear...

So today I have a fashion question for all of you fashionistas out there.
I work in an extremely casual office where flip flops, fashionably ripped jeans, short skirts and shorts are completely acceptable. However I am unsure about the tube top/tank top rules...

Today I am wearing this shirt ---------->
with jeans and flip flops, I have my hair down so it covers my shoulders and am wearing a cute white shell necklace.

Do you think that is appropriate??? I brought a cute yellow sweater to wear on top, but I can't decide if I need it or not. None of the other girls who work here are as fashiony as me, so they would never wear something like this at home/on the weekend, ever, so I have no one here to ask.

What do you think?????

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

WOW!!!

A HUGE thank you to Save Leighann for her extremely generous donation to me!
I really can't believe how nice that is, I honestly never expected anyone to donate to me, but being such a warm and caring person, she has!!! Its going straight onto my VISA card :-)

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, I really can't say it enough.

P.S. Watch your PO box, I'll be sending you a thank you gift for sure!!!

YAY!!!

a little victory for me!

I was very proud of myself yesterday I went to Chapters to just wander around and kill time before the gym, and I was tempted to buy some books as I always am, but since I didn't have my debit card, I had no way to buy them. So instead, I went to the Self-Help section, and flipped through some books about saving money almost all of them recommend living on cash only, so I think I'm going to work on doing that, it would help me a lot with the spending if I didn't have my debit card handy every time I went out into the world.

Karina has asked for a photo of 'HB' which I will work on, although I'm not really sure how to secretly take someone's picture and post it online without them knowing! If you have any ideas, let me know.

In the meantime, I will tell you that today, he is wearing a white linen shirt with the sleeves rolled up, light jeans with a couple of strategically placed rips in them and sandles, hot, hot, hot!! I will try to find a celebrity photo as a comparison to what he looks like, and post that for your viewing pleasure.

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

a little wine will fix anything!

Thanks for the encouragement ladies, I'm having a much better day today, I went to the gym last night, and did a yoga class which helped immensely - the 2 glasses of red wine that I had when I got home also didn't hurt!! - and today I am starting the day with a positive outlook.

I purposely left my debit & credit cards at home today so that I can't use them at all, and my goal is to not buy ANYTHING for the rest of the week. I figure if I can get through the next 2 weeks with only $60 to my name, then I should be able to always do that, and maybe I'll be able to pay off my bills that much faster with all the money I'll be saving.

I also had a look through my cupboards last night and realized that I do have quite a bit of food there, so I'm going to use my creative culinary skills and see what I can do with tomato soup, pasta, granola bars and frozen chicken breasts. Should be interesting!! My goal is to only buy the essential groceries on the weekend like milk and some lettuce for salad.

I also had a quick look around my condo for things that I can sell on ebay and I think I've got a few things, so will gather them together and post them sometime next week. - my digital camera is broken and is currently being repaired (yay for warranties!!) so when I get it back, I will be able to post all of that stuff, and hopefully some fun pics to my blog as well.

I think that's it for me today, 'hb' is here today and looks hot as usual! Today, he's wearing a light blue & lime green polo shirt, untucked, with light vintage jeans and black shoes. He also rode his motorcycle today, so that upped the hotness factor, I swear its like a commercial when he walks in the door, takes off his helmet, unzips his jacket... I could go on, but I'm at work and it seems inappropriate, besides, its getting a little warm here at my desk!!

Monday, July 17, 2006

well, my day just gets better & better...

ok, slight problem...
I just finished doing all my banking, aka bill payments, `nd at the moment including my overdraft on 2 accounts, I have $535.18 to last me from now until my payday on the 30th. That seems all well & good except for the fact that on the 28th, I will have to pay my mortgage which is $471.29 so that leaves me with $63.89 to spend on everything, including food & gas for my car, that I might need for the next 2 weeks.

shit...shit...shit, what am I going to do???

monday...

Well, I hate Mondays, and today is no exception, why do they have to be there to start out the week so badly?? This morning I was late getting up, so that threw off my whole morning schedule and then I was 15 minutes late getting in to work! And since Friday was payday, today is pay the bills day, I just spent $200 for the luxury of having hydro, gas, and water and then put another $200 on my line of credit, oh the joys of being an adult!

My weekend was pretty good though, the boy & I went downtown to the rib festival where we scored cheap ribs and $1 beers so that was a fun way to spend Saturday night, and then yesterday I spent most of the day lounging around my friend's pool in the sun, and then had dinner with the parents.

Saturday I totalled up my debts, oh what a sad number that is, how could I let this happen??

MasterCard - $156.27
VISA - $3,225.63
Line of Credit - $6,998.22
Overdraft on my bank account (which I go into every month) $500.00

TOTAL: $10,880.12

I almost cried when I saw it. I knew it was around that much, but until that giant ugly number is staring you in the face, you just don't believe it. I guess its not too bad, lots of people owe way more, but still, its scary.

On a happy note, today 'hb' is wearing a baby-blue t-shirt, dark jeans and sandles, mmmmm delicious!

Friday, July 14, 2006

adsense???

Has anyone used this, what's it like, I was wondering if its worth adding to my blog to help with the cash flow situation, or if it will look bad and clutter up my page??

thoughts??

how I got here, and where I'm going...

Wow, thanks for the great comments, I will totally check out your sites as well, and keep updated on your lives/debt etc. That's a great idea to set up a PayPal & a Debt tally. My debt is somewhere in the $10,000 range, although I'd have to add up each of my Credit Cards & Line of Credit to be sure - I'll do that over the weekend, and update you guys on Monday. In the interest of saving money, I don't have internet at home, so I can only get online while I'm at work.

How did I get here, well, I wish I could say that I had a good excuse like school, or an emergency, or some sort of fabulous trip or something, but unfortunately, its due to too many lattes at Starbucks, and my obsession with jeans, pink & sparkly things. I am a compulsive shopper, I shop when I'm happy, I shop when I'm sad, I shop when I'm bored, there's nothing that doesn't get me in the mood for a little retail therapy. I am also one of those people who sees something, and then has to have it. If I don't buy it right away, its all I can think about, it consumes me and the only way for me to stop thinking about it is to buy it. (I know what you're thinking, 'just stop thinking about it' but its not that easy, if it were, I wouldn't be here!)

So that's how I got here, the positive things about my life are, that I have a great job that I love, it pays just ok, I should be making more. And, I don't rent my condo, I have a mortgage, which I'm sure will be a good thing later on in life, but for now, it seems scarier to me that I am responsible to a giant bank every 2 weeks to keep a roof over my head, rather than just some regular person. Unfortunately, along with a mortgage come all of those other yucky bills like hydro, heat, insurance, taxes etc. so that eats up a lot of my money each month.

Anyways, that was a really long post, and I feel like I should stop now.

oh, updates, I almost forgot...
hb is not here today :-( very sad about that, so no updates on him or his outfit.
the boy called last night, and wants to spend time with me on the weekend. There's some sort of jump rope competition going on downtown, so we may go check that out for a bit, and then park ourselves on a patio somewhere and soak up the sun, its supposed to be really hot & sunny all weekend.

Thursday, July 13, 2006

debt

ok, so considering I have a serious problem with shopping and a love of all things sparkly, add to that the fact that all of the blogs I am addicted to reading belong to people just trying to scrape by and get out of debt. I'm thinking I'll use this blog to chronicle my spending habits and my effort to get myself out of debt. - as well as of course of giving daily updates on 'hb' (who by the way is looking exceptionally good today in a tight black t-shirt that shows off his extremely toned arms and great tan, and vintage jeans with really great man flip-flops).

So, any advice, help, ideas, I'm open to them, this is totally an open blog, so please comment, add me to your favourites/links/etc. I'd love to hear from anyone out there with any ideas for me.

Thanks! - online blogging rocks :-)

my life

Well, here I am, my first post.

I live in Toronto, I work for a really fun design company, and I have a little harmless crush on my hottie-mc-hot-pants boss, let's call him hb (hot boss) for short. I have an on-again-off-again boyfriend, let's call him 'the boy' - who of course doesn't know about my obsession with hb. I live in a really cute condo, and have some very strange neighbours. I have the usual troubles of an everyday 20something girl, not enough money, too many handbags, a love of wine, martinis and anything pink. My life is average, I am average (I'd like to think I'm above average, but doesn't everyone!). Lately I've been really into reading about other people's average lives online, so I figured, maybe someone would like to read about mine.

I'll try to make this interesting and give you something to laugh about, so stay tuned.

k