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What is that wet stuff?

Today is the first day of Spring and it actually rained last night!  We’ve had so little rain this year that I almost forgot what it looked and smelled like.  It was wet outside when I came out of my painting class and was wet again this morning as I walked the dog.  It was so nice.  I think I need to do my rain dance.  We need more…

 Update 3/22/07:  It’s definitely Spring.  I walked the dog this morning and noticed how noisy the birds are in the neighborhood.  Then during our usual lap around the park, I saw two ducks wandering around.  I have no idea where they came from.  Then on the way home, I counted probably 6 bunnies just hanging out eating the grass.  I thought to myself, “any minute now I should see Bambi just around the corner.”  Since I work with kids, it’s normal to be coloring pictures of ducks and bunnies around this time of year but this is ridiculous. 

What time is it?

Sunday marked the first day of Daylight Saving Time, which is whole month earlier than usual. My sleep schedule has become so messed up. Yesterday I woke up for work but felt really crappy…sniffles, headache, and sore neck. I got to work a little late, did a little work, and ended up going home at 11 for a nap. I woke up at 12:30 in time for my 1:00 appointment but on the way there my driving was making me really nauseous. So, I turned around, got home, and crawled back into bed. I slept until 4pm and stayed up until about 1:00 am this morning.

Fortunately, I woke up at 7:00, felt much better, and actually got to work on time. The weird thing is that I can’t seem to remember which clocks have been changed and which ones haven’t. So I’m constantly asking, what time is it? Am I early or late? It also doesn’t help that I didn’t wear my watch today, which has the correct time on it. *sigh* I hate DST. Springing forward never works to my advantage. I don’t care if it’s still light out when I’m driving to my painting class. It’s still 6:30.

He fought a good fight.

I am sorry to announce the death of our friend Scrappy. We found him in the pond swimming upside down on January 31st, rescued him from the current, and he stayed alive for another month. He sure was a fighter and actually looked like he was going to make a full recovery.  Alas, his health did a little nose dive a week ago and we found him dead today in his bowl. *sniff* So long, Scrappy. You will will always be remembered as the little fishie that fought a good fight.

I shall call him Scrappy.

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This is one of the goldfish in our pond in the patio.  I found him floating upside-down and spinning around with the flow of the filter’s current.  Around and around he went.  I thought, “Hm…I guess it’s time to flush him.”  Then suddenly, he wiggled, turned himself over, and swam away from the current.  So I guess he was OK.

Later in the evening, I told Jes about this morning’s incident and we searched for him with the flashlight.  At first we couldn’t find him but then later found him upside-down and stuck inside the container that holds our plants.  Oh no…he croaked.  So we poked him with the net to dislodge him from the container and he floated to the top.  Just a moment later, he flipped himself over, and wiggled away. So, we scooped him up and plopped him into our empty fishbowl (AKA Farshie’s old studio).  He’s now comfortably resting in his new home without a current to fight.

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I looked up his quirky little problem and apparently it’s common with these ornamental goldfish.  His air bladder is malfunctioning and he may or may not recover.  I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.  Until then, I shall call him Scrappy and maybe I’ll take him to work as our clinic mascot.  He’s a “special” just like the little kids I treat!

buttery

For this Winter Break, I decided to pamper myself. I actually went to get the massage that I always wanted but didn’t have the time or motivation for. I went to this place called Body Centre Day Spa that is just a couple exits from my house. My friend recommended it to me because of their reasonable prices and no-nonsenseness (is that a word?) of the facility. She was right. I went in for a 60-minute neck, back, and shoulders massage for 70 bucks, which would normally cost about $125 at some fancy hotel spa or Burke Williams. They were really nice and really concentrated on the trigger spots in my neck and shoulders. I brought Jason there for a relaxation massage and he came out feeling “buttery”. What an indulgence.

I didn’t get to say goodbye.

At my school, we have VERY limited parking. The only way that I don’t have to fight for parking is to actually get to work on time. If I’m just a little late, I end up circling the tiny parking lot for the one miraculous spot to open up. This presents quite a problem considering that all the kids that attend my school are under the age of 5 and all need to be walked to their classroom. So, we have staggerered drop-off and pick-up times but it’s still a nightmare everyday for the parents to park and get their kids to school on time. So, over the summer, the School Board approved the expansion of the parking lot to the back field. It should really help! If there’s ample parking, I can easily leave for lunch and get back in time without having to worry about finding a parking spot.

Well, I arrived at work on Monday morning and noticed that the campus felt eerily “open”. I looked again and realized that they chopped down FOUR huge pine trees to make room for the road that would lead to the back lot!!! All that was left were little mounds of wood chips. I didn’t really think I was such a tree hugger but I was genuinely sad for the trees. I couldn’t believe that within the span of a weekend, these innocent trees, who I’m sure are older than me, were put to death so suddenly. There was plenty of room for a road! I don’t think it was really necessary for these trees to be sacrificed for the sake or more parking. *sniff* I didn’t even get to take one last look at them to appreciate the shade and extra oxygen they offered. If I knew they were sentenced to death row, I would have tied a ribbon around them or something. I know I would have at least taken a photo of them. Bye bye, trees, I hope that they at least recycled you guys for something useful.