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I shake my fist at you…

Posted on November 9, 2006 | Filed Under Rants

Things that made me mad on Tuesday:

Waiting in line at a bank to pick up something for my work and having to wait for over 30 mins while the bank figured out what i could have explained to them in one.

Waiting in line at the post office and the unfriendly service i received.

Almost being shot full of someone else’s allergy medicine at my clinic. When the doctor said “So Verna, you are on the same dose as last time” and started filling up the needle, I said “HEY WAIT A MINUTE, IM NOT VERNA!”

Being constantly interrupted all day long by someone who cant handle anything themself.

Having to handle my most difficult crazy client at the same time as being constantly interrupted by someone who cant do anything themself.

Having to try to balance our daily reports while four men stand around me talking about sports/football/hockey in really loud voices.

Taking the bus home and having people blow their stinky dry-mouth/coffee/smokers breath on my head. (I got off two stops early and walked because i couldnt handle it. I started imagining i was breathing in deadly bacterial spores).

Craving cookies and baking them only to have them turn out more like butterscotch pancakes and burning the last batch anyways.

Life could be much worse, I dont really have anything to complain about. I think it was just a grumpy day. I feel better now.

~L

Robbed

Posted on October 5, 2006 | Filed Under Family, Rants, Drama

My parents’ house in suburban Victoria was robbed today. As they ransacked my parents’ bedroom they managed to find the small safe in the bottom of the closet and decided it was the paydirt. Somehow thieves carried the safe out of the front door of the house, pockets full of jewellery from my mom’s dresser and nobody noticed anything. Not the neighbor beside them who was home. Not the neighbor on the other side of them that was working in her front lawn. And not the neighbor across the street from them who was ALSO gardening in her front lawn.

How do you not notice people carrying a safe out someone’s house?

GRRRR!

My wedding band which matches my engagement ring was in the safe. Along with all my grandmother’s diamonds. Huge ones. And my great-grandmother’s ring too.

Sucks that the list my grandmother wrote up before she passed away with a decription and sizes of each diamond ring/piece of jewellery was in the safe as well.

My parents are OK and their kitten didnt run away, even with the front door being open all day. And for some reason, the camera, cell phone, jewellery in the bathroom and the TV and electronic equipment is all fine.

My mom tells me that the police didnt bother to fingerprint anything because “these people always wear gloves” That made me really mad. How can you just assume that without even LOOKING for fingerprints? That does not sound like good police work. I watch CSI!

Word of warning: The piece of wood in the window sill to lock the window DOES NOT WORK.

~L

Dealing

Posted on August 10, 2006 | Filed Under Rants

How do you deal with someone who is really nice, but honestly, just is not smart? Right now, I’m using a combination of patience, understanding, but recently a little more frustration and anger is seeping through.

How can I not be impatient? How do you deal with people in your life who just dont get it!?

 

~L

Honey, while you’re up, can you get me a big bowl of WTF?

Posted on May 17, 2006 | Filed Under Day to day, Family, Rants

Hey, it’s Jeremy… the guy who never posts on here

So in general, my life is pretty good. If you read the title, don’t worry, i’ll get to that part in a bit. I’m feeling healthy — i’m enjoying weekly yoga classes and i should start biking again closer to June. I’ve had three extremely good days at work in a row — we’re releasing the tech-preview of the web-security product i’m working on and things are going exceedingly well. I also got a raise that i’m very happy with.

My juggling skills are improving since i’m practicing more often. I’m up to 30+ catches-without-dropping of 3-club juggling after just starting clubs two weeks ago. I’m heading to Bellingham with Luke and friends on Friday (I took Friday off). I’ve got some custom-made clubs on order that we’re going to pick up on the way down, which i’m very exited about. Even more exciting is that I’m going to be staying in a barn in the middle of a swamp with lots of other jugglers.

Unfortunately, I had a bit of a shock yesterday after coming home from a really good vanjug meeting and a nice visit afterwards with Luke and Jen. Hence the title.

First off, I found out that my Grandpa on my mom’s side has aparently had a stroke. I’m not sure how serious it is. I’m a bit estranged from that side of the family, so i feel nervous about phoning and trying to find out more. I wasn’t really close with my Grandpa, partially from competition with the 30-so cousins (i have 12 aunts/uncles on that side of the family), but mostly because my family was fairly insular. I’m more afraid that I’d end up having to talk to my mom…

Which brings us to the second shock. My youngest sister is only my half-sister. She found this out this week after finding out that my dad is O+ (the + means Rh+, the O is the blood group). My mother is also Rh+ (not sure of the blood group). My sister is Rh-. She found out when she had her daughter, who is Rh+ and needed blood transfusions after birth. It’s pretty much impossible to be Rh- with two Rh+ parents. Therefore, since we know for sure who the mother is, it’s extremely likely my dad is not my sister’s genetic father.

I’m upset that, once again, my mother has lied to my entire family. This is why i have no respect for my mother. Well, that and the stories of abuse from my childhood that i’ve no recollection of — I found out about a year ago from my Grandma on my dad’s side. To a certain extent, it’s not my mom’s fault; she’s Bi-polar with a few other mental illnesses. But, she’s hurt me and the rest of my family so much in the past 25 years it’s hard to forgive. I’m sorry if i sound bitter, but i think i’ve been through a lot in this respect.

This brings up some interesting thoughts. Namely who are my parents? What is my blood type? I don’t think i’ve even been told my blood type. I bear a very strong resemblance to my mother — hair, eyes, skin, build. I almost don’t want to know… If i’m not my dad’s genetic son, how would that change things? Would I even be able to figure out who my real father was if it turns out to be true? I hope i’m just being paranoid.

Either way, i am what i’ve become, no matter how that came about. I’m happy about where I am and who I’m with (my very significant other, my friends, and my co-workers). Who cares if i’m a literal bastard? It’s not like i’m nobility

Pedestrian rage

Posted on May 16, 2006 | Filed Under Rants

Since Ive started walking home from work Ive had a few close calls with cars. Today took the cake.

Last week as Im walking up the sidewalk a car pulls up to a stop sign to my left. She wants to turn right, so shes looking left for traffic, seeing none she decides it would be great to start going before looking forward or left. So Im edging slowly out, trying to get eye contact with her but she never LOOKED. She just drove forward with her head still turned looking for traffic. IDIOT. Anyway so I jumped out the way and she looked all confused.

Today Im waiting at a crosswalk. The light turns orange and of course a car in each three lanes decides to come through the intersection and stop in the crosswalk. I love that. Anyway, the light turns red, I get a walk signal. First car gives me eye contact and I walk past him. The second car is looking out her left window daydreaming and starts rolling forward. Without looking for pedestrians IN THE CROSSWALK she is stopped in. She rolls into me and I slap the hood of her car really hard with my hand and give her a huge scowl…I really wanted to yell out WTF! but I didnt. Anyway, the third car was watching me the whole time and just shook his head at the second car.

Am i risking my life to enjoy the sun and get exercise?

~L

She’s gone!

Posted on May 9, 2006 | Filed Under Day to day, Rants, Drama

If you start a new job and you know that you live really far away from the office, for example you live in White Rock and your new job is in Downtown, should you really be surprised that it is a long commute on a bus?

She quit today and left right away.

And so, Im back at the phone. Sigh.

But, my raise is still happening. So now Im just answering the phones for more money. It still sucks monkey butt though.

~L

It’s official.

Posted on April 20, 2006 | Filed Under Rants

It is “Be Rude to Laura on the Phone” day. Seriously, what’s wrong with people? Why be mad at me that you dont know what you’re doing? Why be rude when I tell you you need to call a different office? sigh. Its only 1045am and Im already completely annoyed at everyone. I guess there’s a small chance that it’s me who’s grumpy today.

~L

Work babble

Posted on March 2, 2006 | Filed Under Day to day, Rants

Jeremy and I are headed over to Victoria tomorrow to visit my family for the weekend. Since we are going straight to the bus depot after work to get on the 7pm ferry there is a lot to do tonight; to do laundry and pack our bags, and clean up the dishes and house in general. Luckily I had some mountain dew energy at work this afternoon so Im kinda buzzed still. Ive already cleaned the kitty litter and taken out the garbage and recycling and Ive only been home a little while.

Work was good today, but I am struggling with an issue related to my “promotion” as I still havent really seen any hard evidence supporting it actually happening besides the incoming resumes of people applying for my position. The thing with this resume frenzy that my manager is going through is that I have seen some of them, and these people are way more qualified for my job than I actually am. All these people with crazy schooling and experience applying for a standard receptionist position is kind of overwhelming. It is quite clear that many of these people would be completely bored at this job. I think part of the problem is that the position was advertised with a slightly different title and it wasnt really clear that this job is pretty much a phone operator/secretary and not a really complex admin job. The more difficult admin job, with more responsibility and actual interaction with our clients is the job that I am moving to, in theory, hopefully…
I think the other reason for this huge response is that SO MANY people need jobs. I remember what it is like to be out of work, and needing a job badly. So, in that sense, I sympathize with these applicants and feel a strange sense of respect for them in that it is SO hard to be looking for work. Now because I feel this way, I am having a hard time not flipping out at my co-workers. Of course we will see the resumes, as they are coming in by fax and my boss has them at a desk in the middle of the office, but i would never think it my place to start looking through them. My boss seemed to not mind that my co-workers were looking through them and reporting to him the ones they liked, and making fun of them. I found this to be very hard to swallow, because I would hate to be the incoming person into our office and know that everyone there had looked at my resume and teased, laughed or otherwise made fun of it. I dont think thats cool. or professional. and maybe i shouldnt even be writing about it but it’s weighing on my mind.

I will balance this work rant with saying that today my coworkers surprised me with their kindness when discussing a past employee who was having health and money troubles and offering to pitch in money to help her, I thought that was very kind and sweet. But I still dont think its cool to laugh at peoples resumes. and Im sticking to it.

~L

Sick again.

Posted on February 17, 2006 | Filed Under Rants

So…Jeremy is sick again. After fighting a fever on Tuesday it has turned into a sinus cold. With all the vitamins and vegetables we have eating, is it possible we just have horrible immune systems? I have psoriasis and I think that is connected to my immune system, but what can I do? Is our apartment building full of mold?

I just cant stop thinking that the colds/sicknesses we have been fighting this winter are connected to us taking a crowded skytrain every morning. In the last three weeks I have been both wet-sneezed on (on the skytrain some guy sneezed ALL OVER my hand as I was holding onto a bar) and had a street person spit in my face as I walked by her (causing me to convulse with grossed-out-ness until I got home and washed my hands and face three times). And Im not even going to address the level of rude-ness it takes to do either of those things to someone.

Besides spending the money for a private chaffeured limosuine every morning there is really no way to stay away from all the germ monkeys out there.
Last week Jeremy asked me why we (as a culture) dont use those face masks that Ive seen mostly Asian people use. It may look funny, but really it is the most polite thing you could do! It says, “I am well enough to be out walking around, but i am being considerate enough not to share my mucus with you while I am sick.”

Please keep your mucus to yourself. I have enough to deal with managing my own (with hayfever starting soon.)

Stinky bus

Posted on January 24, 2006 | Filed Under Randomness, Rants

Coming home tonight I had two very uncomfortable bus rides. First was a crazy packed bus up main st to the grocery store. There was a young businessman beside me who somehow couldnt seem to tell that the corner of his huge briefcase kept whacking me on the leg! grrrr…theres no way that you cant feel your bag hitting someone else, and its common courtesy to put your bag between your feet so as not to hit people with it or at least try to hold it still…
Coming back home from the grocery store I got on the bus and the driver yells out “Watch out for the dog excrement!” I could tell he wanted to say ” sh!t” Someone had walked on the bus earlier with a HUGE clump of the stinkiest dog poo ever on their shoe and it was stuck to the floor by the front…and it was stinking up the WHOLE bus. Everyone had opened their windows and it was just so awful. At broadway he stopped and said “LAST STOP! I cant stand this smell!!” so he made everyone get off while he cleaned it…I just walked the rest of the way home thankful for the fresh, clean, crisp air
~L

PS- A public service announcement- If anyone has eaten at the Foundation vegetarian restaurant on Main St in the last little while, you might wanna go to your doctor:

They had an employee working there in the kitchen who has hepatitis.

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