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Thursday, September 30, 2004

STEPPIN' OUT!!

Everyone who knows me knows I LOVE the best band in the whole world, Def Leppard ~ and they also know that my second favourite type of music is Classical music. Well tomorrow night I am finally making a long-time wish of mine come true, and I am going to the symphony! I've seen the Lepps live 4 times now, and it's absolutely the most exciting experience for me every time. But although I've long had the wish to experience the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra playing the old master's Classical music, I've never yet been. I don't know why either, as it was such an easy thing to do!! A little while ago my best friend and I were talking about it (she's been before) and I thought "well why don't I too??" So.....to make a long story short, I got online and got tickets ~ for her and I and for my sister Pammie (she's my standing "date" for all Lepp concerts and the one who turned me on to them) who also loves Classical music. Tomorrow night's the big night, and I'm soooo looking forward to it!

Where I work, I am in a cashroom all day, and because it's a room of it's own and away from the public, we are allowed to have music playing in the background. There are several ladies there that come in on my breaks to relieve me. I always have soft music playing, whether it's classical or soothing nature sounds put to beautiful piano tunes.... and when the relief cashiers come in they are always commenting on how they love being in there "in all the good energy" and soft music, and they always refer to being in there as "zenning out". LOL Yesterday after work there was a staff meeting, and they put on a themed dinner for us first, and one of the ladies who was planning the meal came and borrowed my CD/radio/tape player early in the afternoon to set up for the meeting. It was so quiet in there without my tunes and it felt "empty". I'd have to admit that music has always been a huge part of my life; growing up hearing my parents' fav country music, then getting totally turned on to the Beatles when they came out, and the Stones, and all the way down the line to Def Leppard. In between, lots of other great stuff from Bon Jovi and AC/DC to, as I said, Classical music. I can't imagine my life without it. During the good times it's uplifting and fun, and during the lowest parts of my life, it is healing.......so healing.

And the other thing is that through music I've made some really wonderful on-line friends, through the BEST Def Leppard website out there, Savage Attitude. (just a little plug there, Lors! LOL) There's several ladies on there who I've become very fond of, and we call ourselves a "family"...... and it all happened because of music really! Anyway I'm looking forward to tomorrow night's musical experience with a lot of enthusiasm, and I'll let you know how it was ~
~~ wishing you all peace and great tunes!

Tuesday, September 28, 2004

SCRAPED BUTT CHEEKS...

Well my first day back to the salt mines is over...and my ass is dragging. It was nice to see the people I've missed that I'm close to, and getting all the hugs and "I missed you!"'s etc. You all know what it's like though, you're free as a bird for 2 or 3 weeks and then suddenly you throw yourself back into the fray.... let's just say I was bewildered at best today! lol Not to mention, with all the new changes at work, there is a WHOLE lotta stuff I have to learn now, which isn't a big deal as far as that goes (so get to it!) ~ but when it's your first day back.....my head is swimming like a fish! lol

Like my southern sista Janna talked about in her blog, she moves fast when she walks..... and at work, I tend to be the same way. Well, in an earlier post here I talked about how with our office integrating two of it's departments they had to move a lot of things around, and it's crowded! So picture in your mind, someone (me) first day back in and running around in areas where there never used to be a desk, never used to be a cabinet........ suffice it to say I came home tonight with a few nice juicy new bruises.... and I'm sure every time I banged into something else it must have added to the bewildered look on my face. Gawd what they must all think of me.......

It's all good though.....just need to get used to new stuff and learn new procedures that we never did in the cashroom before. I'll get there. I just hope I don't break any bones in the process, especially since mine are menopausal and more brittle these days.... lol

Peace to you!

Monday, September 27, 2004

SUNSHINE YELLOW!

Well peeps I decided I needed some sunflower colour in here so all by myself I got into my HTML code and figured out how to make a yellow background. Hope you find it a sunnier place now like I do! Lors and Debs, you'll be happy to know that I got into an HTML Basics site and did this without bugging you~ LOL

Sunday, September 26, 2004

END OF MY VACATION....

Well in another couple days I have to go back to work, after 3 lovely weeks at home, not getting up with alarm clocks. Sigh. I wish I didn't have to work to earn money. But like most of us, that's the reality. I really do love my job and the people there, so it's not like I have a problem going back there. The thing for me is having my own free time and especially, not having to worry about getting up at 6 a.m. even if I didn't manage to fall asleep until 5 am. With so many problems some of my friends and family are facing, this isn't really huge, as far as the scheme of things. I just felt a little bummed (and pissed off, lol) and thought I'd share it.
It wouldn't be such a biggie either if it wasn't for the fact that I'm going back to changes that took place while I was away. Two of our departments (Travel agency and Auto Club) have now been 'integrated', so there is no more Auto Club, which is where I work. Or workED, when I left there 3 weeks ago. I work for the Alberta Motor Association, which is CAA, which is affiliated with AAA in the U.S. All the same thing. Anyway, what's left of the department I work for is now called "Association Services".....we deal with memberships, advocacy and the odd other little thing. Also the Accounting team stays there, which is great, since I'm on that team too! LOL ( I am one of the ones there who does bank deposits and balancing etc.) I am a cashier, I work in a cashroom where the safes (vaults) are, where all the tickets (ski passes, Disney, etc. etc.) are kept, foreign currency, and traveller's cheques. And I have a big cash register where I ring payments in for the Insurance Dept. Anyway it's a nice variety, what I do, and I love it. Now with this integration, we're no positive yet what will be staying the same for my job. So far, I'm still doing a lot of it, but I'll find out for sure what changes have/may occur when I go back Tuesday a.m.

Also, when each of the AMA offices throughout the province integratged, there had to be renovations..... no other choice, cuz one dept. (Travel) now has twice the staff (most Auto Club people moved over there) and the "new" Association Services (me) is downsized to only about 5 people in it. So, counters and desks had to be moved/reworked. Well, the office that we're in is old and quite small. Even before this stupid, silly integration came along, we needed more space to grow. Being as we don't have the room, they couldn't renovate, so they just moved some stuff around until everyone was crowded enough. lol
Instead, we are going to be moving to larger premises sometime after winter is over. I walk to work (don't drive, don't wanna either) and where we are now is only about a 7 minute walk, which is great. In the really really cold days of winter, the ones where any exposed skin risks serious frostbite, that walk for me is just about right. I just make it to the office before my face starts falling off. The new place we're moving to is twice the distance, however. Still not far, probably a 15 min. walk. So on any days that it's THAT cold out, I'll need to arrange rides, which is a huge pain in the butt. Don't talk about buses either....there are no buses going from my house to that area. I could take a taxi once in awhile but I couldn't afford to do that too often. So this winter I'll still be fine, but next year I'll be wanting to spend some big bucks on a new parka etc. For the most part, our winters here aren't that bad.....and the walking is nice. It's actually quite beautiful, especially on sunny days, to see the snow sparkling like diamonds.
There are just some days now and then when we get into a deep freeze. Something our Debs wouldn't want to be in!! LOL However, I much prefer the crisp freshness of winter (just not too much snow or ice please!!) to the stifling heat and humidity of some summer days.

So, I'm running out of time now to just do what I want, it's back to the grind for me! Hopefully my hubby will have pity on me and snore less so I'll be able to get some sleep, LOL

Saturday, September 25, 2004

ALL FIXED NOW!!

A very HUGE thank you to Lors, she just got my comments problem all fixed in here! So please feel free to natter away at me now everyone! I got real lonely in here without you all........ *sniffle*


WHAT TYPE OF ANGEL ARE YOU?

Well we're on a roll....here's another quizz, and my results. Made me feel pretty good at the start of a day! lol
pure
Congrats! Your a Pure Angel! Angels, as far as most
of them go, are all compatabile creatures, but
Pure ones simply are symbols of God. Pure
Angels always appear when a child is born, when
a rainbow is seen, or when someone shares their
first kiss. They never grow old, an can appear
in the shape of a naked woman with white, bold
wings. Pure angels are the carriers of god, and
show their love to everyone in the world.

What Kind of ANGEL are you? (For Girls only) This Quiz has amazingly Beautiful Pictures!
brought to you by

BAD GIRL/GOOD GIRL?

Thanks to my southern sista Janna, here's another quiz and my results ~ oopies, I actually typed "reSLUTS" in error and had to backspace! lol

You are Bettie Page!
You're Bettie Page!

What Classic Pin-Up Are You?
brought to you by posted by Jude at Saturday, September 25, 2004 0 comments

Thursday, September 23, 2004

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

Wednesday, September 22, 2004

MY NEW LOOK!!!

Check it out!!! How do you like the new "me".....I finally found a new blogskin that not only works better for me, but it's my whole Sunflower theme. **ahem!** ......now, after much blood, sweat, tears, and tearing out of hair, I got this up and running with a LOT of help. Thanks are in order to 3 peeps in particular ~
Thanks to my sister Pam, for teaching me how to download the dang thing in the first place ~ I love you and owe you big time.
Thanks to Lors, for teaching Debs how to do this so well ~~~
And thanks to Debs.... for patiently teaching me enough HTML stuff so that I could finally get my links etc. working. Poor Debs, we did it on I.M. and she was trying to get to bed... I bow and scrape to all 3 of you....without you I'd still only know how to play Solitaire and do emails online........lol
Sorry everyone I lost all your comments from my previous posts.... there's probably a way to get them back but this is ME you're talking to here. Enough for one night......I must go and check out all your blogs again now. PEACE everyone, and thanks again!


Monday, September 20, 2004

Another Quiz......

Thanks to my Down Under friend Danni for this link ~~ this is the my results:
BLUE

You give your love and friendship unconditionaly. You enjoy long, thoughtful conversations rich in philosophy and spirituality. You are very loyal and intuitive.

Find out your color at Quiz Me!


The first time I tried this I got purple, don't ask me why!

My Faerie Status

This is what kind of Faerie I am ~ thanks for the link again Lors!
Swamp Fairy
Your a fairy of the swamp! You love to dance and
play with the frogs and other fairies. you the
size of a humans hand and like it that way.

What Type of Fairy are You
brought to you by

Sunny Disposition?

Thanks to Lors again for another great link ~ this is what Tarot Card I am ~
The Sun Card
You are the Sun card. The light of the Sun reveals
all. The Sun is joyful and bright, without fear
or reservation. The childish nature of the Sun
allows you to play and feel free. Exploration
can truly take place in the light of day when
nothing is hidden. The Sun's rays fill you with
energy so that you may live life to its
fullest, milking pleasure out of each day. Such
joy and energy can bring wealth and physical
pleasure. To shine in the light of day is to
have confidence, to soak up its rays is to feel
the freedom of a child. Image from: Stevee
Postman. http://www.stevee.com/

Which Tarot Card Are You?
brought to you by

Don't Laugh!

I tried this quiz and this is my results ~ thanks to Lors for the link!ex angel
You're like an angel. As everyone knows, angels
dwell in heaven. They were desribed as shining
ones wearing white and the idea that they have
wings is believed as well. Guardian angels are
the ones that many people think are dead loved
ones who try to protect the living friends or
family they have on Earth. They usually had
blonde hair and maybe brown with flawless
appearance and sweet dispositions. They were
cheerful, hopefull, selfless, loving, and kind.
Angels are the one mystical creature that a
majority of people truly believe in. Encounters
with angels are poping up all over the world
and reassuring people's beliefs in angels. (If
you cannot see the picture, go to my userpage
and look near the bottom. There should be the
picture and description for all the results)

What Mystical Creature Are You? (Pictures)
brought to you by

Like I said.........DON'T LAUGH! lol

Saturday, September 18, 2004

MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT BLUES

I love my husband, he was just out of town for a few days and is home again. I missed him, but I have to tell ya, I sure did sleep!
Sigh.... dontcha just hate it when you're sleep deprived? Here I am, it's in the middle of the damn night ~ AGAIN ~ and I'm awake and sitting at my computer to pass the time......
Okay, here's the setting..... I'm snuggled in my cozy and oh-so-comfy bed, sleeping away and minding my own biz, and I am becoming vaguely aware that whatever it is I'm dreaming is slowly but surely getting interrupted, and I'm being transported from the Air Force Base in Ottawa where I lived as a kid, back to reality and the present, in my bed. Why?? Turns out it's NOT an F104 Starfighter Widowmaker military jet screamin' in my ears. It dawns on me that the racket I hear is my hubby, facing me, and snoring up a storm!

Okay, so incarcerate me, but it IS the middle of the night and I AM sleep stupored ~ but I realize that what I'd like to do is put my hands around his neck and squeeze. Lots. For a long while. Or stuff a pillow in his face and hold it there until I can't hear any more damn noise comin' outta him. Sigh...... but I remember that I am basically a good person, not to mention a law-abiding citizen, so instead I get out of bed mumbling obscenities under my breath (so as not to wake him, wouldn't wanna do THAT), go pee, sit my butt down at the computer, and have a smoke to "calm" me down. Feeling homicidal is a tiring business you know. So here I am in the wee hours, when house noises are spookier and more unexplainable, and I'm the only person in the universe who is conscious, aren't I??

Most people, if not all (what do I know, I'm not a specialist) snore as they get older, and we're both in our "middle" age now. I know I snore now too, but he says it's "softly" and not enough to wake him. He only notices if he's already awake. But HE snores like a bloody freight train most nights. The really shitty thing is that I have bouts of insomnia . Here's the kicker ~ this is what makes me go round the bend ~ why is it that I can sleep like the dead on the nights that he is snoring like a banshee, but on his more quiet nights (there are a few) I'm staring at the ceiling as if Sav is hanging around over my bed??? (for any of you non-Def Leppard lovers, Sav is their bass player and THE most gorgeous man in the world, bar none) Call me screwed up, call me a cab, but my little world of "going to bed at night" can sometimes be enough to make anyone a little wacky in the head. Or homicidal.

And I'm such a perverse little sleeper too. Sheeit, you'd think I was obsessive/compulsive. I read every night in bed before I go to sleep. I have to, it makes me sleepy. I started doing that decades ago because when I go to bed that's when my mind wants to go over the day, the next day, all my problems, everyone else's problems, and the world situation too. So, if I'm reading a good book, my eyes start to shut, I turn out the light and drift into sleep immediately, thinking about the story I'm reading instead of everything else. So what happens is.......... when I'm so rudely jarred awake from snoring or from "bed jumping" (that's another thing, why do some people flop around like a fish out of water in their sleep? WHAT IS THAT??) if I can't fall right back into la-la land, then I have to get up and....you guessed it !! ....... start all over again! What FUN in the middle of the night! **smiling with a grimace**

So I usually do what I'm doing now, sit at my computer. Normally I'll play a mindless game of Solitaire to numb my homicidal tendencies before I go back in there with him. He's innocently sleeping away, of course. And then when I go back to bed I have to read to get sleepy ~ again. Nuts, aren't I?? There have been nights when it's so noisy in there, and NOT the good kind, lol , that I have to do that 2 or 3 times before I can finally stay asleep. And a few when I never get to sleep at all until he gets out of bed for the day........sigh*

There's something to be said for sleeping alone. If you ain't sleeping, then it's your own damn fault. Oh lord, then instead of homicidal I'd be suicidal.

Okay we won't go there, that's just silly! I can say in all honesty though, that if I had the option of a spare room that I could stick another bed in, I'd have my bedroom to myself, and the "old guy" as I lovingly call him, would have his. Not an option in this house though, so instead I'll be up some nights, playing Solitaire on my computer or thinking up songs to write for Debs on the SA forum.

I love my husband, but I need my sleep. I'm just working out whether I want to loligag around in prison where there's no computers in the middle of the night though........... what to do, what to do.........? Aaaawwwww, maybe just one more game of Soitaire.......

Thursday, September 16, 2004

My vacation.... a good example of my motto

I've been enjoying the crap out of 3 weeks at home on vacation, which is now half over. I had said here in my profile how one of my strongest beliefs is about having to take both the good and the bad in life, it's just a part of living, you know? Well to elaborate on that 'motto'....... in the last week and a half, I've got from bad news (a death in my husband Albert's family, one of his sisters) to some really great news about my job (long story but let's just say through some changes at work, I'm relieved that it looks like my position will still be there!), then back today to some really shitty, stressful, heartbreaking news in another area of my life. ( kinda personal as it is about someone else and it's their business) In the space of less than 24 hours I've gone from hopping around squealing with glee to crying my eyes out for someone I love dearly who has major stress and problems, and I want to take it all away for them and can't. How frustrating and helpless I feel!

Okay, so us human beings who totally believe in a 'higher power' have, I believe a better chance dealing with the hard stuff, and I'm certainly grateful for my faith and all the help I get with it in my life. (God knows me well by now!!) Anyway, I just wanted to say that somehow, like everyone else, I'll deal with the crappy stuff somehow by facing it, feeling it, and trying to either fix it or move forward. And I'll also keep enjoying the ups and the joys, knowing I can't have it all one way. I have to tell you though, sometimes I just wish that all this "growth" would just plateau for awhile....... sigh. But then, that would be cheating, wouldn't it.

One thing I can say for sure, and with complete certainty, is that I know from experience that I'll always be looked after, no matter what is going on in my life. Sure, it doesn't mean the problems/hurt will be taken away, but it does mean that I'll be okay in the end, as long as I do the best I can with it all. I believe the best help is always at the end of our own two arms. (which are also great for hugging other people ~ another blog!) 9 years ago, a life-changing experience (mild way to say it, my beloved late husband, Gary, suddenly passed away, in my arms) steered me, out of absolute necessity, on a more spiritual path, which to this day I am grateful for the journey of, and will be on that path for the rest of my life. I have learned so many things on this journey, and mostly it's been about life's ups and downs, and how to cope. In short, I don't believe that when something bad happens, it's "life dealing us a crappy hand", but rather, when something bad happens, it's all about how you deal with it.

I know I've been rambling here a bit...... but as I said to a really great online friend of mine the other day, sometimes expressing your feelings and writing it all down is very healing....... I think when I started this post, I did not realize that I needed a little healing right now. So thanks for letting me vent. Please say a prayer for my loved one, God will know who you mean........ thank you.

Welcome!

Hey everyone, welcome to my little space on the internet! I'd never heard of a "blog" before, but after enjoying some of my online friends' blogs so much, I couldn't resist trying my own. Don't even ask me how I got this far with it without bugging Debs or Lors, but I'm going to see if this works!

Sorry for the template but I haven't as yet been able to figure out how to get a custom one. Until then....hey this works right? DAMN RIGHT!! So come on in and say hi, I look forward to it!

Peace!!
Jude