I'm being a bit bad today at work. I'm having a few issues really focusing on the tasks at hand and my brain keeps veering off track. No particular reason, just a whole bunch of little things. The reasons are not listed below, btw.

I need to do laundry. I have piles of it sitting on my floor just waiting for me to take it downstairs and clean it. I haven't yet. It is tricky. There is only one washer and dryer in my building and while it seems that everyone has different schedules it would appear that we all have similar laundry needs. All I need do it open my door, cock my head and listen to tell if the machines are in use. Simple. The hard part of late has been getting the proper coinage for said laundry as there is no coin changer in the building and I have trouble getting to a bank before closing. My solution to this is that I have googled laundromats and have found some where else to go. I am going to pack up all my dirty belongs and head out to a laundromat. One of those places that are open late at night, sell soap by the load and have row upon row of coin operated cleanliness. I figure it will take me less time (even with the driving and the wrong turns) to get it all done at once than it will at the apartment. That's my plan. I also hope to pick up some fast food on the way and eat, read a book and generally people watch while I wait for clean clothes to emerge.

My next task for this week is to finally get the truck inspected and registered. I have an appointment for the inspection on Thursday morning. I left home extra early one day last week and spent some time drive in circles in the blocks close to where I work looking for a garage. I finally found one not more than 3 blocks away. And they take appointments. The only downside is that it is going to cost $142.99 plus GST and she mentioned on the phone that an alignment would be an additional $253.45. The fact that they are mentioning the alignment prior to my arrive is a bit un-nerving. I am pretty sure the truck doesn't need an alignment, but if the inspection people need Christmas money and say it needs to be done...who am I to argue? And at this point in time I can't find anyone who can take the truck in a reasonable way.

In 8 days I will turn 35. Yep, 35. I know that most of you are now shocked and had thought you had been reading the ramblings of a young 20 something from the maturity level of the posts. (Traveling stuffed chicken, pet fish, etc.) But in fact I am closer to 40 than most of my friends care to admit. It doesn't bother me. In fact I have continually embraced getting older. When I was in my 20's women in their 30's were in vogue. The new power houses of the working world. When I tentatively entered my 30's the magazines said that 40 was the new 30. It seemed as though I was never old enough to be one of the power women. Now that I am almost 40 I'm sure they will change that back to 30. And hey, aren't women supposed to hit their 'prime' in their 40's...that's something to look forward to. And according to an eye doctor I had a few years back my eyes will start to change when I hit 40 and that by my mid 40's I will finally need glasses. Yeah! I've always kinda wanted a pair of really awesome funky glasses. I think they would look so cool. So no, I am not scared of the year that I will now be checking off on marketing surveys, in fact I think its great. My sister asked me today if I had received my b'day package yet. Nope I said. If I did you'd know cause I would have opened it by now. She questioned my age and maturity level. I hope I never grow old enough to not want to rattle the boxes and rip the paper a bit on the corners before the big event.

I learned some sad news this morning here at work. There will be no storm days in Edmonton. Damn. According to some of the ladies I work with the last official storm day was 12 years ago. 12 years??!! WTC. I love storm days. They make you feel alive. A whole day with nothing scheduled to do. It's like getting an extra Sunday in the week. There is simply nothing better than curling up with a good book on a storm day. Or deciding to re-arrange all the furniture in the house...or bake some cookies. Oh sure, occasionally the lights go out and the house starts to get cold. But I remember some great nights of cards as we crowded around the kitchen table, oil lamp a glow (I'm not THAT old, but my family never seemed big on flashlights), playing cards for a penny or a nickel a game. Storm days make winter worth surviving. And apparently I'm not going to get any here. Nuts. I just may need to "cough, cough" find a way "wheeze, sneeze" to take a day "do I have a fever" off some other way.