Day 342 - Inception & Stirr!

Today we went to Black Diamond where I did another quick shoot for Stirr! I was very excited when Clayton called me on Tuesday to ask me if I would be interested in taking some more photos for their business. Of course I was! I was ecstatic to get out of the house & have a challenge on my hands! 

They were on a tight time frame, so I raced home, edited the photos & then took them with us to Calgary, where I would drop them off after the movie. Movie? What movie? 

Jaco & I decided to go see Inception, which was playing at Chinook Centre in the Imax theatre. I had heard a lot of crazy things about the movie, so I was excited to see it. Jaco loved it. I did too. It was fantastic to see the special effects on such a big screen!

I was quite impressed with my Kinder Kids Pack. A bit of popcorn, a drink & a Kinder Surprise. It was a top. Yeah, that's right, a top. If you've seen the movie, you'll understand. In the movie, each character is supposed to have a totem. A little something you can carry in your pocket that tells you whether or not you are in a dream. If you have the totem, it's reality. Leo DiCaprio's wife's totem is a top. When she dies, he takes her totem, the top. 

It was quite bizarre, as I didn't open my Kinder Surprise until the movie was finished & we were watching the credits roll. We were the only ones in the theatre. It was spooky! 

I've since downloaded the Edith Piaf song they play in the movie too. Additionally, I seem to recall last summer while I was working at EVIC, I was told that Leo DiCaprio would be filming a movie in K-Country during the winter. I can't believe I missed my chance. Well, besides the fact that I'm married... Anyways, moving on...

We dropped off the DVD of photos after the movie & made our way home. I was happy to fall into bed &, gulp, dream... or not...

xxxxMJV&O


Just to make sure I'm not dreaming...

Click to double check!

The creepiest Kinder toy this big girl ever received!

Day 217 - Running Around In The Snow

Okay, so last night I fell asleep to the sound of rain. I love to hear the rain & have a nice cool room while I'm snuggled deep under the covers. I have a window right next to the bed, so I opened it up a little bit & listened to the drops come splashing down. 


I woke up to the sound of rain & admired at how green everything looked. I love the miracle of Spring & how quickly things transform. Sadly, my admiration turned to disbelief as I looked out the window a few hours later & saw the rain transforming to SNOW! Ugh! Seriously? Yup.


It snowed all afternoon & through the night. Blah. So not excited about that! Mom & I went to town for the late afternoon & luckily it was only raining in the city. I managed to tick all the things off my list (on my handy iPod!). I picked up my engagement ring, as the stone was loose & luckily it was just a prong & not a chipped stone! Gasp! They polished it up & it looks brand spankin' new! Feels like I'm newly engaged again!! :o) 


I stopped at the bank & the teller was so sweet! We visited about wigs & weaves & she's going to include me in her prayers. How thoughtful! I told her I'm going to come back & show off some of my wigs... :o) I haven't been banking at the TD very long, but they are so friendly! I have yet to have a negative experience there! And they're open late & on Saturdays!!! Is there any question I've found a good bank? Especially after the CIBC omitted a digit on my cheque! Ha ha... That will keep my chuckling for a long time!


Next stop - Chinook. (For those of you reading from overseas, it's actually pronounced 'Shin-ook' (ook as in hook)) (It's a warm dry wind that blows down the east side of the Rocky Mountains during winter months.) If you're lucky, it melts MOST of the snow & then refreezes as slippery ice & then it snows again, leaving parking lots & streets a disaster to navigate! One of Calgary's bigger malls is called Chinook Centre. I popped into SportChek to see what kind of stuff they had for the World Cup. It's in South Africa this year & I thought I could find Jaco something with the South African flag on it. All they had was a t-shirt in a hideous shade of yellow. Never mind. Their flag is really pretty...

I was returning a luggage weigh scale that I used once in Mexico & then it broke. The lady wouldn't give me a refund & offered me a credit. I told her I had great luggage & enough handbags & wallets to last a lifetime. (Don't tell Jaco the handbag thing - a gal can NEVER have too many!) :o)  Mom had went to a restaurant to order some supper to go. I left the shop without my refund or credit & also forgot my keys there! I found Mom sitting at Starbucks. The restaurant was closed for renovations! Doh! I realized the keys were missing about now. We walked all the way to the other end of the mall & sure enough, there they were. As we left the shop, Mom pointed out the kiosk outside. They sold wigs. I told Mom, 'Nah, they're not my style & they are fake & they are expensive.' She said, 'No, come here. Look.' She pointed to the name of the kiosk - Oceana. Hah! Imagine that! We made our way back to the car & left the city.


We headed towards Longview. Tonight was Fawna's evening with some spiritual speakers from Australia. Of course we arrived late. I wasn't sure where exactly it was & I phoned Fawna's house to see if her husband was home & could tell us where to go. Her daughter answered the phone & I nearly bust a gut from laughing. Here's a recap of the conversation:
'Hello?'
'Hi, Fawna?'
'No, she's not here.'
'Oh, is your Dad there?'
'No, he's with my Mom.'
'Oh. We're supposed to be going to the event your Mom has arranged this evening, but I'm not sure of the location. Do you know where it is?'
Okay, this is the one that got me. In a totally posh British accent, she says:
'I'm not sure of the specific location of the exact event you are referring to.'
Are you kidding me?? I'm sure she's only about 8 or 10 years old!!! Too funny!


Anyhow, we found the place & of course, we were only 40 minutes late. The couple that were speaking were most talking about the Course In Miracles & how it had changed their life. The wife had just wrote a book & the husband did most of the talking. He was quite entertaining! We finished up about 2230 (!) & then headed home.


Before we left, we let the dogs out for a wee. While they were sniffing around, I hear this REALLY LOUD 'CRACK'! behind me. I turn around to see that someone has just SMASHED into my car!!! Oh no!!!! Poor Contemplate!!! I go over to inspect the damage & sure enough there is a big dent in the back bumper & there were bits of shattered plastic lying on top of the bumper from the license plate area. The trunk was also open. I tried to close it. Nope. Again. Nope. Again. Repeat 60 times. Nope. Oh dear. I know it gives me hassle from time to time, but NEVER this much!!! Finally it closes. The lady gives me her address & phone number & I am to call her with the cost of repairing the damages.


We drive home. It's a freaking blizzard. The slush is lying on the road & splashes up over the car, pulling it all over the road & making visibility zero. Add in the falling snow & the visibility is less than zero. (Negative visibility?) We drove about 60km/h the whole way home. I chatted with Jaco for a large chunk of it.


I just don't think he gets it. I tell him it's snowing (on the 27th of May) & he says, 'Oh, cool. That must be beautiful. You must enjoy it!' Are you kidding me? Does he have any idea how stressful driving in this 'stuff' is?!? Pretty? It's dark out & you can't see a bloody thing!!! And this is why I don't want to live in Canada!!!! I'll take an Australian dust storm any day!!!! And the debate goes on...


We arrived home about midnight, with a fair bit of organizing to do before the 0530 wake up call for tomorrow... Wish me luck, it's going to be a short sleep! xxxxx


Maria & Valentina

Oh so pretty.

Blah.

Not cool for the end of May!

Day 117 - Running Around!

Hello everyone! I hope this finds you well!


Today was my day to run around the city & accomplish everything on my LONG list of 'To Do's' before Mexico. As usual, I got a roaring good start to the day & left at the early hour of 2. (p.m.) Yes, hardly early, but hey, I did good to get out of the house at all! Luckily for me my bank is open late & I could do most things at Chinook Centre - a large mall that is fairly centrally located.


First stop was the finance division. After today I have two remaining payments on my bankruptcy - Yay! I will be happy to have the shadow off my back & begin rebuilding in the sunshine! After I left MNP, I headed over to Chinook. Again, to the financial divisions. Trying to sort out a bank draft for 2 doctors when you're not quite sure what either of them is going to do to you is a bit of a dilemma! We managed to get things sorted out & one more stop back at the bank before we leave will have Mom as the Power of Attorney, so she can help with any pickles that might arise while I'm away. The Teller I dealt with was the same Teller I had before I left to see Jaco. She has this amazing pearl/bee pendant. Her boyfriend gave it to her, along with some other unique pieces of jewelry. I was excited to see her & find out what she got for Christmas & Valentine's Day, only to hear her say she got a Wii. Apparently my face must have looked disappointed, because she quickly told me that was what she had wanted! :o)


Off to another bank to change the PIN number. Holy Jeopardy music while he sorted things out! A cute young feller with an Aussie accent, he takes my card & says he needs to check with someone. Then he comes back & says he needs to make a call. Great. Does this mean they're taking back my card?!? What have I done now? I'm sure I've been good. I didn't break any laws. I think. No, I am sure I didn't... Finally, after a million scenarios play out in my mind, he returns & with a smile, hands me my card & sends me to the ATM. Relief!


Next stop was the accessories shop. I picked up some headbands for one of the nurses at Castillo's clinic, as well as a few necklaces for the receptionists & the other nurse. $15. Next stop was LuLuLemon. I walked in, looked around & walked out. Yay for me! Didn't buy a thing! I'm getting so good at this game! :o)


I headed across the street & stopped at the pet store to pick up a harness for Valentina's 'Service Dog' patches. Unfortunately they were out of the kind I needed, but I did get her a 3-pack of mini-tennis balls, along with some treats for Adios. Next door was Staples & I was in need of refills for my day planner I picked up in Ushuaia, Argentina. Unfortunately they didn't have a size that would fit, so it looks like I'll have to order them online. By the time I get around to it, the year will be half over! Oh well!


Next stop was Community Natural Foods. I needed another bottle of MCP to last me the month while I was away. I hadn't purchased it before at this particular location, so I asked for help. While the new clerk went to ask for help, I picked up a few other things I needed & put them in the reusable bag I was carrying. The give you $0.05 if you use your own bag, plus I don't enjoy plastic bags. I managed to find the MCP on my own & waited until the clerk came out of the bag to let her know I'd found it. She brought another clerk with her & when I showed them I'd found it, I put it in my reusable bag. The 2nd clerk proceeds to tell me that I should use a basket & not my reusable bag, for 'product control'. My jaw hit the floor. Is she accusing me of stealing? WTFiretruck is going on? I always bring in my own bag & put my stuff in the bag, proceed to check out & PAY for my things! I had a cold & I don't like to touch the carts that EVERYONE else has touched & will continue to touch after my 'sick' germs have been added to the mix. 


I was 100% offended. When the clerk brought me the basket, I said, 'It's okay, I'm finished shopping now.' She looked annoyed & said, 'Okay, I guess I'll put it back now.' (Again, not necessary) Thank goodness it wasn't Zoe's store. I think I'll report it to the Manager. Preposterous! FYI - I went to the competitor's store - Planet Organic that night & asked the clerk if there was an issue in using a reusable bag instead of a cart. He said, 'Absolutely NOT!' I told him what happened & he apologized that I had to go through that. Hmpf. Well, I guess that's settled!


Next stop (after CNF) was Costco. Generally a zoo, but tonight it wasn't bad. I even managed to get good parking! Costco always has so many fun things. You go for three items, come home with fifteen & twelve of them you didn't need! Anyhow, I only came home with the necessities. A hard drive for Mom ($100 for 500gb - portable!) & some fruit & nut bars for moi.


I dropped by Mom2's to leave her the water bottle she forgot in the car. Luckily she was home & we had a quick chat. She sent me home with this delicious soup. It was kind of like a miso soup with beet greens, rice, & some sort of chinese root in it. She made it from scratch & was it ever yummy! You should try her stuffed salmon one day... Wow!


The last stop of the night was at Pet Planet & Planet Organic. Pet Planet managed to find Valentina's harness & Planet Organic didn't feel the need to give me a criminal record for shopping there. The day has been a success!


I motored home, exhausted & trying to be excited about the impending packing day waiting ahead. Mom had left for Nanton & Valentina waited at home for me. Boy, was she excited to see Mama! She reminds me of the Tasmanian Devil when she's been alone for awhile. There's this flurry of motion every which direction. I've learned the trick is to greet her outside. Open the door & walk back outside, otherwise, you're left cleaning up 'happy pee' everywhere. Think pee & a wagging tail. Not a pretty sight! So, if you come to visit, just IGNORE her for the first 5 minutes until she settle down. It will be ALL good & much cleaner! :o)


Alrighty, there you have it... another enthralling day in the city running around. Here's to a good night's sleep & an efficient day of packing tomorrow! 


Lekker slaap!
Maria & Valentina
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Nonna has a lump in her side! Oh no! But wait! It's moving... :o)

My gorgeous little girl, who loves me unconditionally!

Mom2's Super Duper Souper!