It's Sunday and cabin fever is setting in. Funny how when one is able to get up and about that a weekend stuck in the house is like stolen time. Today though it seems like a bit of torture. I could likely go out and about, but I'm taking no chances so maybe tomorrow I'll head over to the grocery store and pick up something special for lunch.

I'm not in pain but i am not comfortable either. The advil is certainly helping and I can't really complain.

Yesterday was one of those days when you feel and think that maybe Spring could be just around the corner. Our temperatures last week went from -30 on Monday to +5 by Saturday. Sitting in my living room yesterday with the patio door open I could hear the drip, drip of water and hear the cars driving through the slush. The air had that smell of freshness. You know what I am talking about. That great smell that all Canadians recognize as the beginning of the next season. Today however Mother Nature is bringing more snow. Snow, snow and more snow. All day it has been snowing. Lots of big fluffy flakes and a sky so grey that it has the look of rain. Rain would be nice.

So I'm sitting and lying and napping and reading and generally just vegging and it is all good. Maybe when the sun comes back I'll get outside and take a drive.

Thanks to everyone who has written and called. I have certainly appreciated you thinking of me. Don't take me out of your prayers yet. This part is over, now I wait a month to make sure I am healed and then 5 months later go back in for another test to make sure they got all the bad cells. I have the spring and summer to relax and enjoy myself.

It's LEEP day! No it isn't a national holiday...maybe I'll lobby for next year. No, today is the day for my procedure.

Check list:
1. flowers all over house check
2. junk food supply at more than adequate levels check
3. nutritious food supply at above normal levels check
4. movies and books for relaxing and chilling check
5. laundry done (not quite a check but it is in progress)
6. taxi booked check
7. couch set up for comfy relaxing and nap check
8. house just messy enough to give cleaners something to do next week check
9. mentally prepared and ready to just be done with this check
10. chicken is dressed and ready to go! check

No doubt I've forgotten something but I think I'm ready to rock. The take out thai is in the fridge...last nights supper was SOOOOOOOOOO good and the leftovers the next couple days will be just as delicious. This is my no cook plan for the weekend!

I plan to follow dr's orders to the letter. No exertion,no lifting, no exercise, etc for 2-4 weeks. I will follow the no exercise one for at least 4 weeks if not 43 weeks. LOL.

I'm off to finish laundry. Next post will be from the couch in my lazy, I'm recouping mode.

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Everything went smooth. I'm home and hanging on the couch. I'm crampy and a bit sore but otherwise in good humour. If the rest of the recouping goes as well as today then I'm going to have a great week and should be able to do some exploring of the city. Have a great weekend.

It's 8:05pm. I'm sitting on the couch digesting the supper I inhaled. I left the office just after 6:30pm and ran a couple of errands. Phew. Since tomorrow is my last day at work for 10 whole days!!! I knew I needed to get my act in gear and finally get a b'day gift ready to go. My wonderfully, amazing niece and nephew celebrated their birthdays last week. They were born on March 5. No they aren't twins. Same day. Three years apart. I don't think my sister knows yet how she managed it.

Auntie J has had a gift idea in mind since before Christmas but was having some technical difficulties in getting it done. Last week I found the answer to my problem and today finally purchased the necessary supplies. Tomorrow I will create part of the gift at work and then finish it when I'm off. It's a bit of a secret, but once it has been delivered I'll fill you in. I think it is a bit of a fun idea my sister may not. Oh well...Auntie J perogative.

I also picked up flowers for me. Many of you know of my passion for fresh flowers, when and if at all possible I like to have fresh flowers in the house. I may have gone a bit overboard, but that's ok...I like 'em all and will appreciate having them spread around the room in the coming days.

Then I stopped and got myself Taco Bell. It is a questionable choice when it comes to food, but I was there, it was handy and at 7:40pm it doesn't matter where the food is from just as long as I have some. I inhaled it and am now hoping it was a good choice. So far so good.

Tomorrow after work I plan to pick up some real take out food. I was going to go Indian but on second thought am thinking the thai place across the street might be a better choice. Not better, just different. It's been a while since I've graced the thai restaurant with my presence. I want supper for tomorrow night (with some wine) and then leftovers for Friday night so I have one evening where I don't need to actually cook anything.

I really am hoping for the best. The best being that when I wake up on Saturday I have no pain, the sun is shining and I decide to go for a cruise around town. Or at least by Monday I'm in that mood. But I am planning for the worst. Pain for a number of days and me not feeling like getting out of the house for the entire week. Either way I am prepared and have a plan. Just the idea of not going to the office for a week makes me feel good. With the exception of the two days I was home sick with a fever I haven't had a long weekend or time off since Christmas. I missed having Family Day in February cause I was in Nunavut and they don't partake there...bet I will be in Alberta for Nunavut Day and won't get that off either. LOL.

Ok...now I need to do work work. I have a new program at work and want to see if I can figure it out tonight and post a new job ad before I am off. Then I can go to bed.

Apparently I wasn't the only blogger who was feeling less than happy with their Saturday night plans. It was an evening for thinking about all kinds of things. Neither good nor bad. The other bloggers will know what I mean.

It's a Monday. I'm not sure if it was the time change, the mere fact that it was Monday or the horrid staff meeting from last Thursday but I spent the day spinning my wheels and thinking. Thinking about jumping to another ship as a matter of fact. I'm not sure if I will be able to move on from the poisonous office environment I walked into. Certainly people who were not trying before and now trying some to get along with their office mates but I don't know if I can trust that. I give my trust and my heart upon first meeting....once you lose it, it really is tough to get it back.

I'm not going to pack it all in and leave tomorrow. It really would take me a long time to make a decision if/when I do. But there are days when I'm not sure. I LOVE the work, but really the people....ick. Would you want to work for 8 hours a day with people you don't trust?

New topic.

I went into my bedroom this evening and saw chicken laying on the bed. I picked him up and put him into the pocket of my sweatshirt. He is still my constant travel companion and will be with me at the end of the week. Laugh if you want but I brought him to the appointment in January. Just knowing he was in my purse made me feel better.

I'm tired. The time change has been hard on me. Good night.

Dating in the modern age...

Ok, so I've technically been single for a LONG time now. It doesn't bother me to be single, but every now and then I really want a partner to do things with. When I get these feelings I start to wonder how one goes about finding a partner in todays world.

I don't like going to bars. I mean I enjoy the odd night out at a pub for a drink or two, but it is unlikely that one will meet someone in a room where the music is so loud that having a normal conversation is out of the question and a lot of the lines floating around are there for just one nights entertainment, not a long term commitment. I'm not into that.

There are these events geared towards singles in cities of this size. I would prefer to not attend alone and as of yet haven't met any single girls to tag along with me.

If you think back to a few years ago I did attend a speed dating event in Charlottetown and while it wasn't disastrous it certainly didn't end in any additional evenings out for me. I haven't been brave enough to try it again.

Online dating has been around for a long time. I have talked to and heard about a lot of folks who have met this way. And hey, the internet is a big part of my life so it makes sense I would try it. I've dabbled over the past few years and have had limited success.

I met a gentleman on line a few weeks ago and well...don't get your hopes up. I think I may entirely pack in the online thing. The latest guy is too, I don't know...tooo something. He has two cats. And while I know some guys with cats he seems to make them his life and hide behind them. All of the pictures of him have at least one of the cats in it and he went on for about 20 minutes the other night about them. I don't know much about him, but I know all about his cats.

So sorry cat boy, but it isn't going to work out.

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It is snowing today. The wind is scheduled to pick up and blow around. I have a list of things to do outside the house but think I will put them off until tomorrow or early next week. The thought of fighting Saturday mall traffic in these blustery conditions doesn't sound like fun so I will pass for now.

Another care package arrived from PEI this week. Yes, Canada Post finally delivered. It seems to take forever. The cookies arrived in excellent shape and I was happy to see some of my favorite books show up in the box. Thanks Mom.

It is March and I am anxiously awaiting Spring. Maybe too anxious for it. The inches of snow that have fallen over night are making me wonder if it will ever come. I know it will and that I will likely return from my next trip to Cambridge Bay to find it is spring in Edmonton. Yes folks, there is another trip to Cambridge Bay being booked for the end of the month...just another one week trip. I'm starting to become a regular on these flights. LOL.

We've had a temp at work the past couple months and she is/was terrific. Her laughter was infectious. Her attitude was great and I appreciated her being around. She lives the kind of life I want in a way. Her and her hubby do lots of trips around the world. One or two trips a year. Not always exotic glamorous trips, but always exciting. She brought in some extra travel magazines she had. I've been drooling over them ever since. I've planned a dozen trips in my head since bringing them home. Sigh. I'm going to try and book something later in 2009 for either Christmas this year or late winter 2010. I can't wait!

It's almost Friday! I am happy to report that except for the odd sneeze and coughing fit I am well on the way to recovery from my cold/sinus issue/sickness of late. Thank goodness.

I will admit to struggling the past couple days at work. I had over 200 resumes that I needed to screen for 4 competitions I have on the go. I'm behind on getting them screened and that will put me behind on getting the interviews done. Somehow the schedule I had in mind is being pushed back...I'll deal. Screening 200 resumes is rather daunting I gotta say. I finally made it through all 200 once and have made it through one pile for a second time. Hopefully tomorrow I'll finish the entire project and be ready to rock 'n roll next week.

Here's a couple of websites that I check on a regular basis:

http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/

http://www.passiveaggressivenotes.com/

http://postsecret.blogspot.com/

http://ifoundyourcamera.blogspot.com/

And a thank you to Edith who sent me a site of some old friends from gov't who are on an incredible adventure.

Montreal the postal black hole of Canada

Yet another parcel of mine is being held hostage in Montreal. It left PEI on February 24 and has been held in Montreal since February 26. I haven't received a ransom note yet but I am expecting it any day. I thought that it was just living up North that made my mail so slow but now think it is simply--Canada Post is S_L_O_W.

Finally had my follow up ultrasound today. It was so uneventful with everything else going on I almost forgot about it. This was a follow up to all the pain I had after the last procedure. No biggie and as far as I know she didn't find any left over sponges, scalpels, etc inside me.

I arrived and left the office in daylight today...whoo hoo. I think I will lose some of that this coming weekend with the time change but I know in the end Spring will come! My cold/sinus issue is still with me and while I feel a bit better everyday the comments from my co-workers would lead me to think otherwise. "You look terrible. You must be sicker." Um, thanks.

I'm chatting on msn with a guy I met on one of these dating sites....I'm not sure how it is going...I'll let you know.