Wipe Out!

                                                                    

Another "It could only happen to me,…" moment

I am all ready for work yesterday morning. I go outside and drive the car out of the garage and get out to let the car warm up. I figure I’ll just nip into the house and make my coffee for the ride to work. The car will be warmed up by then. So I get my coffee, my purse, my lunch bag, and my bag with my work shoes and I go back outside. I open the car door and ‘bam!!!’ my feet hit ice,… slide out from beneath me,… bags go flying everywhere,… I instictively reach out to grab the open car door only to a face plant onto the top of the car. My shoulder is wrenched as I twist around. I end up (and you can probobly picture this) sprawled on the driveway. spilled coffee and overturned bags strewn all about. I feel like my head has been hit by a 2 x4. My shoulder is in agony. I sheepishly look around to see if anyone has been fortunate enough to catch my little show but luckily the street seems empty. I am in pain now. I mean it HURT! I manage to stagger back into the house and call work. "Ummm,… I’m sorry, but, I don’t think I’m going to make it in today,… I sort of fell getting into my car,…" (I can almost see the rolled eyes on the other end) I feel like a complete idiot. A missed day of pay because of a stupid fall? Needless to say, I spent the remainder of the day tucked up in bed with a heating pad and tylenol. But I made it back into work today!  sore and slower but I was there. I guess I’ll be picking up some salt tomorrow,…

 

Not a good day

 

                                                                                    

Today has been a bad day! Work was bad. People think the cashiers are a punching bag for their frustration. Usually it rolls off my back but today I seemed to take everything personally so that by the time I left I felt quite drained. And money problems are another issue swirling around in my head. The clothes dryer is broken and now the water softener died. All the groceries and Christmas presents I’ve bought in the past month have been put on credit cards as I just don’t have the cash. I have to face it. I don’t bring in enough money to sustain a livelihood. I’m finding it hard just to ‘exist’ financially. Just the basics are hard to afford. Food, shelter, electricity and water.  I feel like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders today.

I’m also really tired and in a lot of pain as well so thats not helping. Fatigue and pain make everything else amplify.

I’m really hoping tomorrow is a better day.

                                                                                       

Snow, Snow and more bloody Snow!

                                                                                            

They said it was coming and come it did! It’s a big fluffy wonderland out there. It looks beautiful. Until you have to go out and shovel the damn stuff. Michelle said that she would do it when she got home from work at 6 tonight. But by one o’clock this afternoon there was already a foot of it so I thoughtI’d better go out and make a start on it. So I bundle up like a good little Canadian in my furry boots and ski jacket and hat and scarf and gloves so by the time I actually get outside I’m a big puffy ball. It took me over an hour to finish. And now, I am DONE IN!!! My back hurts,… my wrists are toast,… and my shoulders and arms ache. Can’t imagine what I’ll feel like tomorrow when I wake up. But, we are in Canada and Canadian winters have snow. I should be used to it. But I’m not. I HATE SHOVELLING!!!! And do you think you can find someone to pay to do it?? No. Kids now make more than I do. They’re not going to waste their time shovelling when they can sit inside and play Wii (or whatever the ‘new’ game is now) My 6 foot neighbour across the way came out and used his snow blower and was back inside in 20 minutes. He even took the time out to wave hello! But no offer of help.

Anyway, thats it for me today. I am now going to soak in a lovely hot bubble bath and then curl up on the couch with my cats and a coffee and not move. I am bloody exhausted!!!!!!

 

 

 

Early Christmas Present

Yesterday proved to be a surprising day. I got a message on Facebook from my half-sister. I was totally shocked. I knew she existed but didn’t know where she was. She is my biological fathers (Alan Longfield) daughter. I still can’t seem to get my head round it. I have a sister! And whats more, she only lives a half hour away. Shes a nurse in Newmarkets Southlake Hospital. What a small world. I saw her photo and she even looks similar to me. (kind of eerie – but in a nice way) So far, we have just comunicated through email. It would be really nice to actually meet her though. I was so distracted all evening yesterday as I just couldn’t stop thinking about her. I HAVE A SISTER! 

Black out

 

                                                                                                                  

I finished work last night at 6 tired and wanting to cuddle up in bed with a tea and read. But driving home, I noticed something eerie. No lights. No traffic lights. No lights in any homes. Black. When I arrived at home I couldn’t even see five feet ahead of me in the house. Thankfully I had my mini-light on my key-chain which was enough to help me find matches and candles. You just don’t realize how much you rely on electricity until you don’t have it. No furnace for heat. No lights. No tv. No computer. No kettle. So I had some crackers (no stove or microwave) and went to bed. The lights didn’t come on until the next morning.

But the nice thing was, while still outside, It was so dark and clear. You could see all the stars. It was beautiful. Like God was forcing me to just stand still and admire his work. Sometimes we need to be reminded of what we take for granted. The beauty of nature.

Snow Day!

     

 

                                                                       

 

OMG! I woke up to find 20 cm of sfresh snow on the ground. For the first time,…. welll,…ever,… I called into work to say I wouldn’t be there because of the snow. Michelle is out shovelling the driveway and she says the snow is up past her knees and it’s hard to walk. Theres no way I would have got the car out of the driveway let alone make the 30 km trip into Bolton for work. So I am in my pajamas (Yes, at 2 in the afternoon) and I’m reading with a large mug of tea. Bliss! I really needed this.

Attention WalMart Shoppers!

Well you know Christmas is drawing closer when the customers going through my cash get grumpier and grumpier. I try to be as pleasant as I can when I’m at my till. Infact, I’ve been told I’m downright cheerful. So why do I get all the miserable gits in my line??? I’ve decided I’m going to put up two signs. The first weill read "If you are grumpy, irritable or just down right mean, I will be charging you $10.00 just for having to put up with you" I mean really folks,. I make $9.00 an hour and get snarled at all day long. Will it really kill you to just smile? Is the tree skirt thats priced wrong really that much of a drama? And the second sign will read: "All unattended children will be given an Espresso and a free puppy".  I am so sick of kids pushing the buttons on my debit machine. Hello! Mothers, where are you? Your child is opening someone elses cookies!! I know your stressed. We all are. But people, I’m a cashier! I’m not the founder of WalMart. Nor the manager. I’m not even a supervisor. I’m just a cashier getting paid minimum wage. I make the effort to smile and chat pleasantly. It’s CHRISTMAS for goodness sake.

Okay, I’ve had my rant,…. PMS moment over.

On a brighter note,… My christmas shopping is done. Finished. Finito,…. (But my credit card bill bulges with pages and pages I owe – ouch!)

I will worry about that in January just like the rest of the suckers who fall for the over-marketed, high-priced holiday. (Do I sound bitter?) For now, I will blissfully close my eyes in ignorance.

And to top off my other wise cheery day. It’s still brass monkeys out there. Minus 5 degrees celsius. It takes 10 minutes for your car to warm up. The ground is a sheet of ice. Ah well,… we are Canadian. I guess we should be used to it by now. Heres a happy thought – five more months ’till spring!!!!!

Snow, Snow & more Snow!

I left to go to work at 4:00 in the afternoon and the weather was great. Cold, but clear. I got out of work at midnight and it was a blizzard. My half-hour drive home was tense, stressful and took well over an hour! Yes, Winter has now officially descended upon us. The radio has just announced an expected 15 cm snowfall throughout the night. Thank God I am not working tomorrow so I have decided that it will be "Pajama Day" for me. I won’t even bother leaving the house. Hopefully I’ll be able to get my letters done to put in with my over-seas Christmas cards so I can post them on Monday. Either way,… I’m hibernating inside!