It's funny how there are moments in your life when you know that things are no longer the same. It can be a simple as finding out that there really aren't pirates in big ships or as painful as realizing the impact of a good friends death. I had a friend. I stood up for him despite many peoples advise otherwise. sacrificed for him and believed in him even though he repeatedly let me down. Now I feel like an idiot. I'm not angry at him, but rather, furious at myself for being so blind. I should have realize things sooner and just given up when everyone told me to-but I'm tenacious and stubborn and don't know when to quit. I enjoy a challenge and honestly thought that at some point my efforts would be appreciated.T and I left for a much needed trip to Wpg. I had thought that it would be nice to get away and leave everything at home. He had said that he would house sit...let the dogs out, feed the menagerie of pets etc. It wasn't a whole lot to ask in light of all we have given. Apparently though, it was too much to ask. I called up a different friend to check up on things..just in case. I had hoped that it wasn't necessary. It was a good thing because he came in the house to find the kitchen covered in the filth of dogs who had been neglected for a day and a half. I am furious and feeling stupid but interestingly, not angry at this individual because as far as i'm concerned... he was a bad experience...a learning experience...and no longer exists in my life.Sorry all for the rant but I had to get it out...the time on my counter is now at 2min reamaining...gotta love interent cafe's

coffee junkies unite

This isn't going to come as a shock to anyone, but I really appreciate a truly good cup of coffee. The dark coloured liquid that Tim Horton's tries to pass off as coffee is not coffee. In fact, it's an embarrassment to the sacred name coffee. But, I buy the stuff....I don't enjoy it but I drink it. I like my coffee black, the way it's supposed to be...pure, untainted coffee. Tim Hortons coffee cannot, in my opinion, be consumed this way. Copious amounts of cream and sugar must be added to make the beverage bearable. It's funny what we will put up with for convenience sake. I even reheated my truly terrible cup of joe, because i didn't finish it while it was hot. It's even worse the second time around. Damn Tim Hortons and their nicotine laden coffee.

Mental note to self: the guys who install flooring exist for a reason. All things considered though, the new kitchen floor looks pretty damn good- especially given that it was done by a bunch of amateurs with almost no experience. We didn't kill each other either, which I believe says a lot about our relationship. I do however believe that a book deal on "101 ways to combine various curses thereby making them even better" could be in the works. Fortunately the kids were spending the day at grandmas so there shouldn't be any problems when I pick them up from daycare. Daycares don't seem to like foul language...go figure. Now that the floor is in, all that's left to do is paint. This is the part that I'm excited about. In a twisted kind of way, I love painting. I would probably repaint my house monthly if I was allowed. At first we were just going to use the same colours, but how much fun is that really? So, with all the major work being done, I am extremely happy (you have no idea how much) to report that the house is almost odour free. There's still a funk coming from some where but it's nothing like the eye watering outhouse stench that we came home to. The kids are no longer asking to move which I'm considering a really good sign.On the employment front, mommy guilt kicked in with an extra punch this morning when I dropped my sobbing, clinging 1 yr old off thus causing me to ponder the idea of opening my own liscenced daycare. It could be just the fumes from the linoleum adhesive but it's starting to sound like a good idea. It would only be for a year or two and I would make more money doing that as compared to working full time and paying for childcare. Without the partial subsidy that I managed to qualify for, daycare expenses would have been over 1000$ per month this summer....that's outrageous. As it is I'm still paying somewhere between 3 and 400. It's something to think about, I guess. The evenings, weekends and holidays off are a nice perk too. Not sure if I could do it though...*sigh*

Trudging on with the tenacity and resilience of.....a salamander??

I've come to realize that the last 30 hours have not been all bad. My carpets are now closer than I ever thought posssible to their original shade of creamish-brownish thanks to hours of going back and forth with a rug doctor and some heavy duty, odour fighting cleaners. The new linoleum for the kitchen floor is purchased and sitting ready to be installed. We also happened to find our ex-roommates salamander. He had three of them last year. One plucky little guy had decided to make a break for it and take his chances in the wilds of our basement. He was never seen again....until today. Even more surprising was that he was still alive. Slightly smaller and thinner than previously noted but doing all right for an amphibian that was far from home. After some discussion with the kids regarding why we couldn't keep him or sell him to a pet store, we decided that he would be happiest in the duck's unlimited pond. After a harrowing ride to his new home in a bucket and then a starbucks grande sized cup Sal finally found his freedom. We left fairly quickly because knowing my luck as of late something probably came along and ate him....and I'd prefer to be none the wiser. As far as I know he's swimming along happily doing his slimy salamander thing and I can live with that.Except for dealing with the my house is now the outhouse incident, our trip to Winnipeg was pretty good. We ate too much sushi and did a whole lot of nothing particular. It was nice. I think I need to do it more often.