Today I...May 31st

Today I...

...am feeling better. My Sweetheart's flight left on time and he is more than halfway to Frankfurt now. Once there he will have a five and a half hour wait before getting on his next flight to Katowice. Poland and from there he will head to his hometown of Czestochowa. Since I'm feeling more cheerful today, I'm sharing this lovely picture of a tree in full bloom in Los Angeles. It was so wonderful when my Sweetheart and I got there to see green, green grass and flowers and trees in bloom. Everything seems to bright to us Canadians after a long winter of no leaves or grass!

...was so happy to see D when I got to the office this morning and C made it in too, we were quite the happy campers to be together again after more than a month of not having worked together. Hopefully now we will all be able to let the stress levels fall and get back into the swing of things.

...went out to a book store with a large stationary department after work and got myself a little notebook and a pen (all of mine seem to have disappeared during my trip to LA, I'll have to ask my Sweetheart if he finds any in his bags while he's away!) to chronicle my Sweetheart's trip and all the things that happen during the day that I will want to put in my weekly e-mails to him. I'm going to stick his itinerary in there and little maps of where he is every time he changes cities. I figure if I make a project out of following him around his absence will go by faster! I've had books to write to him in during his long trips before, but I lost the hang of doing it and I also wasn't too keen on writing long notes every day, so I figured I would get crafty about it this time and keep the notebook small enough that I can carry it around and write in it whenever something happens that I want to remember to include in an e-mail rather than having to devote a half hour every day to write everything down all at once. I just might show it to him when he gets back too, he'll probably get a kick out of it!

Today I...May 30th

Today I...

...am sharing this photo of my Sweetheart taking a photo beside the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles with you. We went to lunch today so he could return some clothes to me that he had used to wrap a bottle in on our trip home from LA. We also wanted to spend a bit of time together since he is leaving on a five week long trip to Europe which will take him from Poland, to Berlin, to London and then back to Poland again. My Sweetheart is, of course, very excited about his trip and is looking forward to being in Poland and is all geared up to visit Berlin and London, two cities that he has never seen before. I am happy for him, of course, but of course I am sad too because I'm the one being left behind. I would love to be able to travel with him, but I can afford to travel as much as him. He has been saving up for this trip since he moved to Toronto two years ago. With the plan in mind that he would take six months off when he got home to finish all the work that needed to be done on his condo and travel. I knew I would never be able to take five weeks off work, so we decided that we would go to Honolulu together, which then turned into Los Angeles. I was dreaming of London, but I simply couldn't afford it. We will go back together eventually though, maybe next summer or Spring. For now, I tried very hard and succeeded in not crying while walking back to work after lunch and will try my best to keep busy while he is gone so I won't miss him too much. We won't be apart any longer than we were between our visits while he was living in Toronto, but the difference this time is that we will not be able to talk to one another very often if at all and my Sweetheart may not be able to write to me very much either because he will not have much access to Internet while he is in Poland. Phew, this may be hard...we aren't used to not talking to one another or writing to one another for long periods of time. I will write to him once a week plus when he writes to me and hopefully that will tide me over!

...was alone in the office today. Hopefully both C and D will be back tomorrow, but I'm not getting my hopes up too much about D. I did tidy up his desk for him in case he does come back to work tomorrow so it will be just as he left it.

...walked home so I could soak up every drop of sunshine possible. It is miraculously supposed to be sunny ALL WEEK here! I don't think that's happened since...uh...April?

Today I...May 29th

Today I...

...am sharing this photo of a Gold Line Metro Rail train entering the Pasadena station. I don't actually remember if that's what the station was called, but I know for sure that this was the station in Pasadena. As I have mentioned before, the metro in LA can be a pretty rough place, as can some of the bus routes, but the Gold Line was pretty nice and a much better ride than the bus we took into Pasadena. I looked around today just to make sure that I wasn't on the metro in LA on my way home from an appointment in the West Island when I was seated diagonally across from a Schizophrenic off his med who was yelling at someone who wasn't there and smacking his head and in front of a rather exalted elderly Asian lady who began crying out to the man 'Jesus has healed you, Alleluia!' with her arms raised up. Yeah...the difference between LA and Montreal metros? People smirk or grin at this sort of thing in Montreal, as long as the crazies are harmless. In LA people yell at them to shut up and things can get ugly...especially since when you're in the States, you never know who has a gun!!! Long live gun control, I wouldn't feel nearly as safe out at night, or during the day for that matter, without it!

...discovered the delectable delight of the 70% dark chocolate Aero. So very worth the 1.69$ I paid for it!

...carried a rather heavy grocery bag all the way home since it was just more trouble than it was worth getting on the bus for one stop to go to the pharmacy, get off and then get back on for one more stop. I made it home faster without the bus anyhow since I never even saw one. The bus I take runs very often, but sometimes I just end up in between them.

...am thoroughly enjoying Edward Rutherfurd's novel 'New York' since beginning it yesterday. I also finished Kate Morton's 'The Distant Hours' yesterday, which was quite good as well, but I'm so far liking Rutherfurd's book even better!

Today I...May 27th

Today I...

...am sharing these two pictures from the church of Scientology compound in the Hollywood area, right near where my Sweetheart and I were staying. My Sweetheart was very curious about Scientology as he has this thing where he likes to find out as much as possible about different cult-like religions, but I am very cautious about them because I dislike their recruitment habits. We did not go into this Scientology center, but I did cave in when we were in Pasadena and we went into a smaller center. We watched a film about how dianetics, the base of Scientology, became popular and as soon as it was done, what I knew was going to happen happened: someone came in with two 'Dianetics' books in their hands to try and sell them to us. We made it out of the center about an hour later after my Sweetheart had satisfied his curiosity (he is incredibly curious about pretty much everything and soaks information up like a sponge), without the books I am proud to say. The experience was quite interesting, to say the least, especially when we completed it with some more research when we got back to the hotel that night.

Skywatch Friday

This week I have two photos to share with you for Skywatch Friday, both of them featuring the flags over the bow of the RMS Queen Mary against the beautiful blue sky that my Sweetheart and I enjoyed the day we went to Long Beach, California two weeks ago :o)

To see more skies from around the world, you can visit the Skywatch Friday blog. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all have a lovely weekend :o)

Today I...May 24th

Today I...

...am sharing this picture of a couple heading in to attend a concert at the Walt Disney Concert Hall with you. This is my favorite out of the entire series of photos that I shot outside the concert hall that evening.

...had a fairly quiet day. My Sweetheart and I were supposed to see one another, but he ended up having too much work to do. I was a bit disappointed, of course, but a quiet day actually did me quite a bit of good and my Sweetheart will get together on Thursday instead.

...went out grocery shopping and to get some stuff at the pharmacy.

...read my book.

...cuddled with my kitties.

...tried not to think too much about going back to work tomorrow. I'm hoping it will be a quieter week than last week and that C and I will have some help to get our work done

Today I...May 23rd

Today I...

...am sharing these photos of the R.M.S. Queen Mary with you. She was pretty much the highlight of my visit to the Los Angeles area. I am a major trans-Atlantic Liner buff and have a particular fascination for the Titanic, so ever since I found out quite some years ago that the Queen Mary was permanently docked in Long Beach, I had been dreaming about visiting her figuring that she was the closest I would ever get to seeing anything near what the Titanic was and she did not disappoint! My Sweetheart and I both felt that she was well worth the 25.95$ we paid to spend nearly three hours exploring her.

...That is my Sweetheart's size 9 & a half foot on a link of the Queen Mary's anchor chain.

...and this is one of her first class corridors. The Queen Mary has been out of service and docked in Long Beach since 1967 and now functions as a museum and hotel. You can learn more about the Queen Mary here.

Today I...

...went out to play mini-putt and share a barbecue dinner with four of my friends.

...finished third in the mini-putt standings and had the highest number of holes in one. Unfortunately, when I was down on my luck, I was really down on my luck and three holes in one weren't enough to get me first place. Better luck next time!

...enjoyed having lots of laughs with me friends, I needed it!

...am happy to report that my cold water tap in my bathtub & shower is FINALLY fixed. I just wished the landlord hadn't actually meant it yesterday when he told me that the handyman was going to be here at 7:00 A.M. to fix it, as I literally had to roll out of bed to let him in and tell that I hadn't actually believed the landlord when he'd said 7:00 A.M. I mean seriously, how often does it happen that anyone coming to do work in your home is actually there when they say they're going to be there? Oh well, at least it only took 45 minutes to fix and then I went back to bed and slept for two more hours!

...am looking forward to seeing my Sweetheart tomorrow!

Today I...May 22nd

Today I...

...am feeling a bit better and am back to sharing my Los Angeles vacation pictures with you. I took this one while my Sweetheart and I were going shutterbug crazy taking night photos of the Walt Disney Concert Hall. I happened to turn around and was struck by City Hall, the palm tree and, of all things, the yellow fire hydrant! I love the look of them together and snapped a series of photos of them and this one came out as my favorite :o)

...am beginning to repopulate my fish tank. I bought seven buddies for Trooper and Alguie today, three Harlequin Rasbporas and four others whose species I cannot recall at the moment. Sorry...cross your fingers with me that they do well though!

...am keeping this short and sweet as I have to release my new fish into the tank and then head out to dinner with my brother and one of his friends. We're going to sushi, yum!!!

Today I...May 21st

Today I...

...am very sad to tell you all that I had to say goodbye to this dear, sweet old girl, who really wasn't so old at all. Rhea was only eight years old, but had been suffering from degenerative myelopathy, a disease of the nervous system which really is kind of like multiple sclerosis for dogs, for the past four months.
I called Rhea 'Squishy', because as you can see, she was very good at flaking out and flattening every inch of herself to the surface which she was lying on.

I also called her 'Goofy', because that's what she was, a goof. She was so very laid back, but when she played or came to greet you, she would get this great big goofy grin on her face. She was also quite the klutz, because she had very long legs and a long body, so her gait was definitely not what you would call graceful, but it was all her own. I will always remember her soft fur, her gentle and very selective kisses, how she would run over enthusiastically when I called her name and climb up on my lap for cuddles. Well, she could fit halfway on my lap anyway. I will also remember holding her in my arms when she was a puppy and how she brought a smile to my face no matter what my mood was. I will remember how hard it was taking her for a walk because she loved to chase cars and how hard it was to keep her from eating my cat and I will remember how wonderful it was to give her a hug. I will miss seeing her run up to greet me when I go to visit my mom so very much, but I know she will have the very same enthusiasm, if not more, for each one of us when we see her again some day, along with all our other dearly loved and greatly missed pets, when we join them in heaven.

I am sorry if I have not been around to your blogs very much this week, but between work and now Rhea, I have not been able to make it. I will make the rounds tomorrow if I can and I thank all of you for visiting my blog since I have been back from my vacation and for your comments.

Skywatch Friday

I'm happy to be back to sharing Skywatch photos with all of you after an entire month of not being able to! This week's Skywatch feature is this photos of a flowering tree int he garden of the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. Yes, the sky really was that blue :o)

To see more Skywatch photos from around the world, you can visit the Skywatch Friday blog.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend :o)

Today I...May 18th

Today I...

...am sharing these two photos taken in front of Sid Grauman's Chinese Theater with you. An important thing to remember if ever you visit Los Angeles and are majorly pumped about Hollywood and star watching and celebrity home hunting: the Hollywood we see on TV meaning the Kodak Theater and the Chinese theater are not even a block long. The walk of fame is kilometers long, but it also begins kilometers away from these two famous theaters. Do not go there expecting to see celebrities as they are very good at camouflaging themselves and also do not expect to see anyone at the movie premiere as they close off a good sized chunk of the area the movie premiere is being held in. My Sweetheart and I, on our first evening in Los Angeles decided to walk to Hollywood. We figured it had to be no more than a half hour walk away as our hotel was named 'The Hollywood Hotel' and was on the corner of Vermont and Hollywood boulevards. We had to walk for two solid hours before hitting the super long walk of fame and another 15-20 minutes to get somewhere in Hollywood that was mildly recognizable and then were shunted across the street and half a block away from the Chinese theater because the premier of 'Something Borrowed' was going on that night. As for Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive, they are a good hour and a half away by public transportation and maybe half of that by car if you don't get stuck in traffic, which would be astonishing. So, my friends, the moral of this story is: Los Angeles is huge, meaning that its name should be the sole definition for 'urban sprawl'. It is a marvelous place to visit and you can see pretty much everything in a week, but be armed with patience, lots of guts if you're going to be taking the metro and buses...and pepper spray in your purse wouldn't hurt either, because you can see some pretty crazy stuff in the metro. Be prepared to travel long distances and to be disappointed if you're going there to see movie and TV stars, because when they aren't at work or at a premiere, the are just like the rest of us and have no desire to be hunted. If you do cross paths with one, watch out for the rabid photographers and the very serious bodyguards. I really enjoyed my time there though and had lots of fun taking pictures and spending time with my Sweetheart. The only stars we were seeing were each other though...so we didn't care who else we saw or didn't see :o) More on Los Angeles as I continue posting photos :o)

On another note: work is still rough, the weather is still so-so, but I managed to walk home for the second day in a row. The cold water tap in my tub has been broken since Sunday and I'm getting sick of having turn on and shut off the water for the tub with the valve behind the panel in my bedroom wall, but I'm going to be doing it for a few days yet as I firmly refuse to have anyone come into my apartment to do work while I'm not here since I have visions of one or both of my cats venturing into the hole in my wall where the valve is and getting stuck in there thanks to a negligent contractor who would very well not close up the hole once he was done. I permanently have one of my dressers in front of it to avoid such an incident. The orange line on the metro has broken down three days in a row now for over an hour each time, so I'm wondering who has hexed it and am thankful that I no longer rely on it for my daily commute, though I feel for those who do. Talk about a nuisance! Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day for the orange line patrons...and for C and I, if the secretary we are borrowing from another department can begin working with us.

Today I...May 17th

Today I...
...am sharing these two pictures of Hollywood and greater Los Angeles taken from the Hollywood Hills area. You can just make out the Hollywood sign in the upper left-hand side of the second photo, otherwise this could have been an Italian city in the Tuscany area!!!

...had another incredibly busy day at work. C and I went to see the director of personnel to see about getting someone in to help take part of the load off of our shoulders, he said he would see about getting us someone as soon as possible, phew!

...was amazed when the sun actually came out this afternoon and took full advantage of the situation by walking home. It felt good not to be wet and cold the second I stepped outside for the first time since Saturday!

...am hoping that the bloody jet stream unjams soon so we can get a nice long stretch of nice weather!

...spoke with my Sweetheart for over 45 minutes this evening and it was lovely. We may see each other on Friday and go out with some friends, but until then he has to have some work done on his condo, like getting his hot water heater replaced and his roof repaired as the hot water heater he does have only gives hot water for 10 minutes and his roof is leaking like a sieve. He spent 45 minutes in the attic with a neighbor on Sunday afternoon putting plastic tarps and buckets and containers up there to catch all the leaks!

Today I...May 16th

Today I...

...am sharing a photo of this perfectly posed cat that my Sweetheart and I came across while walking through the Hollywood Hills area one evening during our vacation. He is perched in front of one of the Yamashiro Restaurant and Farmers' Market's decorative arches. My Sweetheart and I didn't eat there, by the way. We went back down the hill and ate at a little Mexican joint...without this pretty kitty.

...was back at work again. Phew, it's rough at the office right now with only C and I around. We don't know when D is coming back and we are short-handed tour guide wise as well. I will more than likely end up going into the office on Saturday and taking Sunday, Monday and Tuesday off. Monday is a holiday here in Canada and the Tuesday would replace my Saturday. I'm not too keen on working six days straight, but I have a tour with no tour guides on it and the only solution I can see to the problem right now would be to removed one tour guide from an earlier tour if the second tour guide on it is willing to take on 40 people on his own and put the removed tour guide onto the second tour with me.

...ate dinner at home for the first time since Thursday.

...am very happy to report that my concert with my choir went very well yesterday. I will post a video from it when they put some up on YouTube.

...really, really want to kick off the jet lag tonight and be in bed with the lights out by 1:00 A.M. It should work out since I'm feeling pretty tired.

Today I...May 13th

Today I...

...am sharing this first photo from my trip to LA with you all.

...am letting you all know that my vacation with my Sweetheart was amazing. We had a wonderful time and came home rested.

...went back to work to find out that C had unexpectedly been alone in the office the entire time I was away and therefore had been so bogged down in work that she did not have time to take over most of my work like she was supposed to. I had an insane day and am thankful that I only had one day of work before the weekend. I got just about everything that I needed to do done and will only have to finish recruiting tour guides for next week on Monday.

...am still struggling a bit with jet lag.

...am looking forward to a family dinner tomorrow and my concert on Sunday. I am going to have a lot of family and friends there to see me so I'm pumped and am hoping that everything goes off without a hitch!

...don't think I will be able to post again this weekend with my grandparents in town and the concert and all, but I'll be back on Monday with more pictures of L.A. to share with you :o)

Today I...May 1st

Today I...

...am sharing this photo of the fiddleheads that my mom and I found growing the back yard of her new house yesterday afternoon with you. We both love fiddleheads and were wondering if these were the edible kind. According to a lady at the eco exhibit that that mom went to today, they are, however due to a mineral found in the soil in the area my mom lives in, they apparently taste very bitter. Darn...I would have loved to have some free fiddleheads!

...headed out to the West Island for a spa appointment and then came straight home after I was done and found myself feeling nostalgic for my visits to my mom's place after my spa appointments. Up until two weeks ago she lived 10 minutes from the spa I go to so I usually went to visit her every third Sunday. Oh well, hopefully I will be able to keep up the frequency of my visits by getting my brother to visit her with me once a month, as the only way to get out to her new place is by car and he has one!

...started getting some things together to pack the for my vacation with my Sweetheart. I am looking forward to getting away with him for a week, but just can't get over my fear of getting on a plane and am hoping that the person either sitting beside him or me will be a kind soul willing to switch seats with one of us so we will be able to sit together on the horrendously long six and a half hour flight to Los Angeles. Do not ask me how I made it all the way to Italy and back a few years ago because I just don't know, but I do remember crying a lot before and during the flights. Yeah, pretty bad eh?

...don't think I will have time to post tomorrow, so I will see you all when I get back in a week and a half, I should be able to have a post up on May 12th!