Ooops

I missed a few days. It's only February. Work got the best of me. Bugger.

Gulp

I'm scared. Tomorrow, I am Fedexing my passport to Canada. It expires in April and there is no way I'll be able to renew it in person. Given that the last time I renewed it (when I lived in Canada) I waited in a long line three different times only to have my photos rejected (for various reasons, including blurriness and my head being 3mm too small), I am very skeptical about this process. Yesterday, I asked my boss if he'd ever renewed his passport via mail from Bermuda and a look of horror crossed his face. I was ready for a comment about the photos not being suitable. However, he then informed me that Passport Canada had once lost his son's passport in the process. He Fedexed it and someone at Passport Canada signed for it...but when he called to follow up, they denied ever receiving it and said they couldn't trace who had signed for the package. His advice was to send it to my family and have them deliver it. Unfortunately, that's not going to work since the mail-in process only works with the Passport Canada office in Gatineau, Quebec and my family is clear across the country....and so, with a great deal of trepidation, I'm saying goodbye to my ticket out of here. Apparently, if worse comes to worse I could get back into Canada with my birth certificate...I just wouldn't be able to get out again. Fingers crossed.

On a side note, why is the Canadian passport system such a gong show? Dave can walk into a passport office in the UK with his photos in hand and have a brand new passport that.same.day. Plus, the thing is good for TEN years. Why can't Canada take a cue?

Spicy?

One of my coworkers was talking about Indian takeout yesterday and it gave me a craving. We ordered take-out tonight and I waited in the car while Dave went in to pick it up. Who should turn up in that exact tiny window of time but the same co-worker. It's a small world...but Bermuda is really small.

Too Complicated

On Saturday, Dave's golf course is having a tournament. The catch is that the two-member teams were drawn tonight and then auctioned off. If the team members themselves did not win their auction, they could pay the winners 50% of what the auction proceeds were for their team. The proceeds raised in the auction are then allotted to the 'owners' of the winning teams. This is all way, WAY too complicated for me. Dave's team sold for $700, which the guy is writing up on the board in this shot - I'm hoping he comes home with thousands on the weekend...but I've probably just jinxed him.

Reconnected

Apparently it is too much to ask to hook a Canadian XM radio up to a US subscription. Dave was very distressed when they cut him off and we ended up having to order a new radio to get reconnected. Dave's a happy camper now that he has good music for his long drives around the 22-square mile country.

Guest Photographer

While I was still at work late this evening (boo!), Dave sent me this shot of what the monsters were up to.

Rainy Day Entertainment

Temptation

Hangin' Around

Roxy, who joined us about a year after Lola, has often sat on the stairs this way. Lola has learned the sitting style.

Upgrade

The glares and rude comments from co-workers were getting to be a bit much, so I paid a visit to the doctor this afternoon. Apparently the decongestant and cough suppressant I've been taking may actually have been making me cough more. Now I have this $36 bottle of cough liquid. I can't even call it cough syrup because it's pretty much the same consistency as water.

New Collars

What Every Living Room Needs

Beggars!

They Were Out of Buckley's

Cage of Cuteness

Yet again, Roxy needed to see the vet this afternoon. While we in the waiting area a taxi van pulled up. The driver came in and one of the ladies went outside with him. They opened the back and I could see a huge cage but not what was inside it....I assumed a typical Bermuda Pitt Bull or Rottie was one his way in. However, they just continued to stare at the cage for the longest time, which seemed a bit odd. Eventually, the two of them lifted it out and I could see it was full of puppies! I wasn't sure what they were at first because they seemed so big but when they got inside, the owners explained they were Great Danes! They were SO cute and their feet were SOOO big! There were seven puppies in the crate and the owners explained that they were only 5 weeks old and that they had TWO MORE at home! I couldn't help but think how small Lola was when we picked her up at seven weeks...these guys were almost as big as full-grown Lola - that poor doggy mom! (Of course I didn't bring my purse with me...I had to borrow Dave's blackberry to snap this shot!)

Head Shot

I got a new wide angle lens last month and tried to get some funny doggy shots tonight...it is very hard to get any co-operation out of the dogs, though!

Pouter

It's gotten very 'airy fairy' at Dave's office - much more so than the days when I used to work there! Recently each member of senior management was required to undergo some sort of 'behavioral assessment', conducted by a third party. Dave got his 'report' today and parts of it were highly entertaining. Some of the more comedic insights were:

~ His tendency to prefer to work alone and to deal with activities which limit his contact with people may contribute to his appearance of being non-aggressive. Yet when the need for confrontation arises, David may take up the challenge. This may surprise those who have not previously seen that aspect of his behavior.

~ He may also tend to sulk, becoming sullen and aloof, if he is not getting his share of the limelight

~ One of the ways he could 'increase his effectiveness' was listed as 'avoiding rigidity in his thinking and being "dead right"'

Brr

While we don't have any snow (like all of North America seems to!), it has been pretty chilly. I've taken to wearing this toque around the house.

Jerry Can't

Last January, I bought a Vespa. It had an issue with it's fuel injection system since the day I picked it up. Several letters and visits to the shop later (including one stint where they kept it for 2.5 months while they 'investigated'), I ended up giving it back to them and exchanging it for a 'more reliable' brand new Honda. I picked the Honda up just before Christmas. It has 130km on it. I got on it at lunch and it wouldn't start. I turned the key and it made a nasty noise. I repeated this exercise. I swore profusely and gave it a nasty look. I called Dave, who I was supposed to be meeting at home for lunch, and told him I was stuck. He said, "Bugger". (Gotta love those English-isms.) I let it rest an hour, lest I had flooded it or something. Same result but I noted the fuel gauge was in the 'orange' zone. With my tail between my legs, I informed Dave that perhaps I was out of gas and how could I get some gas into my bike. He suggested a watering can. I didn't think that sounded like the safest means to transport the gas. Being the awesome husband he is, he made a trip to the hardware store and then the 'petrol station' and brought me this Jerry Can full of gas. My bike gobbled it up. I pushed the start button. Same result. Bugger indeed. Seriously?! Another lemon bike?!

Winter Blooms

No idea what these are but saw them on my way home from work today (boo to working on Sundays!). Murphy's law prevailed and the low battery warning came on right away, so I could only take a couple shots...I used the 'fisheye effect' for this one. I'll have to be careful not to use that too often...it may make me want another lens!

Windy

The weather has been pretty crappy of late but at least it was just windy and not raining this morning, so we took the dogs for a walk on the beach. I hadn't contemplated that the high winds and surf would bring out the crazy kite surfers, so of course I had the wrong lens...but here's the best shot I got.

Sucker for gadgets

One of my Boxing Day shipments was this gadget. It's magically going to tell me both how many calories I burn each day and how efficient my sleep is...all in the aid of cutting some of these pounds I've packed on over the last several years. So far, I've managed to strap it to my arm. I'm procrastinating taking any further exercise weight loss activities until I've let the armband collect several days of 'baseline' data.

Boxing Day!

I'm pretty sure only grocery stores and gas stations were open here on Boxing Day and there certainly weren't any deals to be had (I saw some Christmas stockings I really liked a few weeks ago but I wasn't shelling out $90 a piece...we went back to look at them this past weekend and they were still $90 - what the heck?!). Luckily, I was able to score some Boxing Day deals from home in the comfort of my pj's and they finally arrived today!

Saving Grace?

I bought this P&S for DSLR users a few months ago as a backup for those times when my DSLR is too bulky/heavy to bring along. I'm going to clear some room for this baby in my purse, in the hope that may lead to more photo-taking opportunities during daylight hours.

Baby It's Cold Outside!

I never owned an electric blanket before I moved to Bermuda...and other than Bermuda, the only place I've lived is Calgary, Canada (where it gets just a wee bit colder!). You don't truly appreciate central heating and sub-50% humidity until it's gone.

Head Tilt

Quite a number of words and phrases elicit a head tilt from Lola. Dave is always concerned I'll 'wear them out' by using them for purposes other than intended...like, for example, photographic effect. I, however, suspect that 'dog park' will always generate the same reaction.

Still lit

It's bereft of presents and shedding needles like crazy but I am reluctant to admit the holidays are over and undress it.

Doggy Dentist

Roxy was excited for her 'car ride' on Thursday morning and she was still excited when we left her behind at the vet for her teeth cleaning appointment. However, Dave reports that she was no longer excited when he returned to pick her up later that day...she seemed a bit bitter and was not quite herself until she'd had a good night's sleep. A couple days later, she's back to normal except for this patch of shaved hair on her leg and a similar one under her chin. We're not too sure why there are two patches....it looks like the one under her chin saw more use...so perhaps they couldn't find a vein here? Roxy was kind enough to cross her legs ever so cutely as I was trying to get a shot...but I could only snap one before she uncrossed 'em again.

Today's January 1...time to reflect on Project 365. Upon reflection, things didn't work out ideally - it seems like I only posted less than 50% of the time. A couple things threw me off - vacations and busy work periods. So, I'm vowing to start anew....and am going to try not to let these things throw me off this time. It may not be pretty some days but I'm gonna try...