tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2954241408318814972024-03-21T15:14:12.443-06:00Tales From the Dark SideCome to the dark side... we have cookies!Robbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17485030097983516428noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-295424140831881497.post-37705764201465422482011-11-14T21:13:00.003-07:002011-11-14T21:17:02.058-07:00Surprise! It's Snowing!Seriously, folks? It's November 14. Edmonton has actually set a new record for latest first snowfall this year. If you didn't think winter was coming, you're living in a completely different world. I'm impressed Momma Nature held off this long.<br /><br />On the plus side, the snow brightens things up at the dogpark - since the only time we'll be seeing that place in daytime is on weekends and holidays, I have to say, it's nice to be able to see my dog without the benefit of the Disco Collar (video to come on the next dark night).<br /><br />As for the snow, well, let's get it over with and start the process of enjoying winter.Robbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17485030097983516428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-295424140831881497.post-31077080411027102482010-04-12T12:52:00.001-06:002010-04-12T12:54:41.333-06:00Who's to blame?I just watched a Yahoo news video about an 86 year old Vancouver grandmother on a fixed income who was scammed out of $10,000, and is upset because Royal Bank won’t forgive the debt.<br /><br />Grandma received a call from someone who sounded just like one of her grandchildren. The caller told her he was in jail, needed money for bail, and had her check her Visa card limit ($22,000.00). He then told her how to withdraw money from her credit card, and had her wire it to his “lawyer” in Montreal, a fake name, and obviously not a lawyer.<br /><br />Royal Bank should have asked questions about such a large withdrawal, especially from a Visa. Royal Bank acknowledges this, and will waive the interest on Grandma’s account. But Grandma is still responsible for the debt itself. Grandma views this as “unfair”. She thinks large credit limits are bad. She never wants to have a Visa again.<br /><br />Um. Really? Don’t get me wrong, I have some sympathy for Grandma. But Royal Bank didn’t force her to wire money to her “grandson”. It is not up to the bank to monitor what people do with their money. If I want to take $25,000 off my credit card and burn it in homage, that’s my business (other than the part where destroying money is a crime…)<br /><br />I have a bunch of questions for Grandma: Did you call your grandson’s parents to find out what the hell is going on? Or his siblings? Or his cousins? Did you ever ask your bank to reduce your credit limit?<br /><br />You took the $10,000 off your Visa. How did you plan to pay that money back? Did you stop to ask your bank if they would give you a loan at a lower interest rate? I expect that during THAT discussion, it would have come out why you were seeking a large sum of money, and the bank might have said some stuff in conversation while filling out the paperwork that would have had you look into things a little more carefully. But it is UP TO YOU to check into the veracity of this claim.<br /><br />And the news video I watched was completely silent on one important point… Grandma stated that this caller SOUNDED just like her grandson, called her “Gramma”, knew stuff. At NO POINT IN THE CLIP was it stated that her grandson was NOT involved. Which makes me ask… WAS the kid involved? (And is Grandma the type to be on a news cast crying and telling the viewers “my grandson is such a good boy, I can’t imagine what he was doing in a stolen pickup truck with a body in the back, four hookers in the front, and eight pounds of crack in the glove box but I’m sure it’s not his fault…”)<br /><br />Either way, my thoughts are that the bank is not culpable, Grandma needs to use come common sense, and people need to be accountable for their actions.Robbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17485030097983516428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-295424140831881497.post-25990173555829123312010-03-27T00:30:00.004-06:002010-03-27T00:51:03.091-06:00Unicorns and Other MythsUnicorn:<br />–noun<br />A mythical creature resembling a horse, with a single horn in the center of its forehead: often symbolic of chastity or purity.<br /><br />We (the Royal we, being my friends and I) also refer to The Unicorn as a curse. (N.B. If you are one of my friends and didn't know about this, take notes) For us, The Unicorn is also known as "The One Who Got Away". Love perfected. The ideal partner. The woulda/coulda/shoulda relationship we have all had at some point our lives.<br /><br />More sacrifices have been made in the name of The Unicorn than we care to count. Stop and think about it for a second. Is there one person in your life that you wish you could go back to? Be with? Track down? That one person, who, if they called, you would stop what you were doing to see if it would work out? The standard who you compare all your relationships againt? That's The Unicorn. I've had a few.<br /><br />Unicorns are bullshit. They don't really exist. What you see, at a distance, is a big white horse with an optical illusion sticking out of its forehead. You get up close to it, give it some time, and you will find that the horn isn't a horn, the hooves aren't really silver (or cloven, or ring like bells, or whatever version you want) And if you get to close, you are either going to get covered in horseshit or trampled. Maybe both. (My unicorn turned out to be an ass.)<br /><br />The only way to learn that The Unicorn is really a horse is to chase it. People can talk until they are blue in the face, all you will hear is blah blah blah. Funny thing, though. Sometimes, just sometimes, you get up close and it turns out that you were looking for a horse in the first place, and things work out fine. Your unicorn is taken from myth to reality, and it's a reality you can live with.<br /><br />As for me, while I love the<em> idea</em> of unicorns, I just don't believe in the myth anymore.Robbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17485030097983516428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-295424140831881497.post-58569603156034306562010-02-12T10:45:00.003-07:002010-02-12T10:47:11.902-07:00Thought for the dayJust in time for Valentine's Day, courtesy of Paige. <br /><br /><blockquote><strong>Sometimes the one you think is your <br />knight in shining armour turns out to <br />be a retard in tin foil.</strong></blockquote>Robbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17485030097983516428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-295424140831881497.post-45901084953312756202010-02-11T20:46:00.002-07:002010-02-11T20:57:02.007-07:00Divide and Conquor??It seems like every second non-profit radio commercial touting fundraising is for cancer research. Cancers above the waist. Cancers below the waist. Women's cancers. Men's cancers. Breast cancer, lung cancer, tropic of cancer.. oh, wait, not that last one. <br /><br />I am completely in favour of finding a cure for cancer. (Actually, I half believe one already exists, but drug companies are making FAR too much money peddling other drugs, why release one that they could be pressured into providing at reasonable cost?)<br /><br />Anyway, completely in favour of curing cancer. The sooner the better. <br /><br />But... I have to ask. Are we putting our eggs into too many baskets? There's a foundation for nearly every type of cancer, and one for virtually every province, country, state or region. Each doing their level best to raise money to continue to find a cure. (And don't get me started on the fundraising conspiracy theory, that's a topic for another blog entry.)<br /><br />Wouldn't it be better to have the money less spread out? Less requirement for administrative costs. Less building upkeep. Less lab upkeep. Are some (or even most) of these organizations duplicating each other's research? How much money is being wasted simply by the sheer number of organizations trolling for donations in the first place? <br /><br />In the past year, I've given to breast cancer, cancer cancer and prostate cancer fundraisers. I've supported the Terry Fox Run fundraising drive. My question is, are all these organizations doing everything they can to get the most bang out of our bucks?Robbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17485030097983516428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-295424140831881497.post-68935820457328695082009-06-10T13:46:00.003-06:002009-06-10T13:49:26.252-06:00Canada Food Guide - Revised EditionSome foods should have their own food group. <br /><br />Chocolate, for example.<br /><br />Or bacon. Bacon definitely deserves to be in it's own group.<br /><br />Pizza covers all 4 food groups, if you get the right kind - meat, bread, veggie and dairy.<br /><br />Wine is technically in the fruits and veggies group. Beer and most spirits are technically in the starchy foods group.<br /><br />I'm just saying that a well balanced meal might consist of pizza, with bacon as one of your toppings, a beer, and possibly some chocolate for dessert.Robbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17485030097983516428noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-295424140831881497.post-20307938832240564742009-06-05T15:01:00.006-06:002009-06-05T15:18:33.156-06:00Show me the money!So, being single, it's tough to meet new people. I don't date from the work pool (not that I work with any single men anyway) and I'm not really into the bar scene. So I joined eHarmony a while back. <br /><br />As I want the option of communicating with people who interest me, I pay for my membership. Membership is not terribly expensive, and if you pay attention to the promotions, you can get a short term membership really cheap.<br /><br />There are several men who send icebreakers and such (wink, smile, whatever) for free, and never follow up when you express recipricol interest. The conclusion I draw from this is these are non-paying members hoping you have paid and will send them a message including contact info and an email address. <br /><br />Seriously? SERIOUSLY??<br /><br />In my mind, this is the dating website equivilent of asking a girl out then expecting her to pay for the whole tab. (I'm not opposed to going Dutch..) Or sending someone flowers COD. <br /><br />I'm serious enough about finding a partner that I don't mind paying a small fee to use this website. When I see men trying an end run around the fee part, it makes me wonder if they are so cheap they don't want to pay, if they are not really serious (or worse yet, not really single) or if they just can't afford the $60 for a three month discount membership. <br /><br />Needless to say, these guys quickly get crossed off the list of possible matches. You might be the greatest guy on the planet, but if you can't make a little effort, you aren't what I'm looking for.Robbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17485030097983516428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-295424140831881497.post-72838104780362423252009-05-30T23:49:00.002-06:002009-05-30T23:51:05.189-06:00Geography makes all the differenceI can prove that perception can be relative to geographic location. <br /><br />A guy riding a moped or scooter in Italy is hot.<br /><br />A guy riding a moped or scooter in Edmonton is not.<br /><br />Enough said.Robbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17485030097983516428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-295424140831881497.post-45503333839846559362009-05-27T15:20:00.002-06:002009-05-27T15:29:37.834-06:00When I was your age...I realize I'm only 33, but a few things have come to my attention lately. <br /><br />First, my darling niece is two-thirds my age, and has graduated college. Eeep.<br /><br />Second, the kids who were born the year I graduated high school are now getting their driver's licenses. Yikes.<br /><br />Third, my best friend's second YOUNGEST child is the same age that she and I were when we met. And I thought it was a shock when her oldest turned five. <br /><br />I caught myself saying "when I was your age" to my nephew a couple years ago. He was 26 at the time. <br /><br />I'm turning into my parents. Worse, I'm not really even fighting it, because there are worse things I could be.<br /><br />AUUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!<br /><br />A friend was telling me the other day that he had mocked his father when his dad suggested extra steps to get onto a semi trailer, but now he's finding he needs the extra boost, too. I'd have mocked him, except that he's almost 4 years younger than me. I'm grateful I have running boards on my truck.<br /><br />A piece of wisdom floated across my desk the other day - "The best things about the good old days is I wasn't good and I wasn't old." Truer words have never been spoken. Or if they have, I don't remember them ;)Robbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17485030097983516428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-295424140831881497.post-60902820472466630812009-05-20T10:36:00.000-06:002009-05-20T10:37:01.753-06:00Back off - get your own sandwichI am I packrat. Yes, I can hear my friends gasp in simulated shock whilst pasting surprised expressions on their faces. It’s true, though, and I get the packrat gene from both my mom and my dad, so I’m really doomed. I do try to keep it under control and somewhat organized. I will never be one of those people with the last 40 years worth of newspapers piled up in my hallway.<br /><br />Where I am I going with this? Well, my packrat gene is the same thing that causes me to carry a pharmacy in my purse and keep a drawer of inappropriate starches (“Dollhouse” fans will recognize the reference) in my desk at work. Hey, you never know when you might be accidentally trapped in your office by hoardes of drooling zombies. It also causes me to pack an excessive amount of camping gear for almost any occasion.<br /><br />That being said, people who never have anything useful to contribute irritate me. It’s okay if you run out of Advil or Halls and need to get some from me. I’m willing to do a snack food exchange if your chocolate granola bar doesn’t appeal to you but my bag of baby carrots does (yeah, cuz THAT ever happens). We do not need six bottles of ketchup, mustard and relish when camping. Well, maybe mustard.<br /><br />I recall a camping trip once upon a time where one participant showed up with nothing. No tent, no bed, no sleeping bag, no food. Figured he’d “borrow”. Yeah, that’s great, except that I brought enough bedding to keep ME warm and comfortable, and I don’t intend to freeze because someone can’t plan, or at least call ahead and ask us to bring extra everything. I have no problem sharing my tent, it being huge and all (though it is common courtesy to ASK me rather than assume.) I do draw the line about sharing a bed – I’m pretty picky when it comes to bed mates, and like to chose those myself, rather than have them foisted off onto me. We ALWAYS pack way too much food, so sharing there isn’t really a problem. Beer, on the other hand, is sometimes grossly miscalculated – you might intend to only have a couple, but after the first six, who’s counting? And running out of beer because some freeloader didn’t bring anything but attitude is sure to irritate me. Who in their right mind shows up to camp empty handed (and then doesn’t even bother to pitch in on the cost of firewood or campsite)?? <br /><br />I also get a little cranky the same person is constantly dropping by to borrow drugs (Advil, Asprin, Contact C, Halls, Imodium, Pepcid AC Ex-lax and Gas-X, and that’s only since the beginning of the year) or bum munchies off me (I got smart fast – after the first 3 times, I started saying I didn’t have anything and I lock my desk when I’m out). <br /><br />I thought sharing was a basic playground rule established early on. How do some segments of society actually wander around all day believing they are entitled to just take take take and never contribute anything back?Robbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17485030097983516428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-295424140831881497.post-41614134064846414182009-04-06T14:59:00.001-06:002009-04-06T15:01:03.253-06:00Bridge for Sale…I like email, I really do. Great jokes, good tips, interesting advice. I try to be selective about what I forward to my friends. <br /><br />When I get a sob story about some kid dying of cancer and Bill Gates is going to donate 10 cents every time the email is forwarded, I actually want to reach through cyberspace and smack someone for being a gullible idiot. <br /><br />There is a website called Snopes, www.snopes.com. It’s an urban legend myth-busting site that has a vast library of scams, hoaxes and lies that circulate by email. Do everyone a favor…when you get an email that says “Cough to stop a heart attack” or “Starbucks is unpatriotic”, take two seconds to find out whether it’s fact or fiction before you hit forward. If it’s fact, great! If it’s fiction, send a reply to the person you got the email from and tell them, too. <br /><br />Some of this stuff is a matter of common sense – yes, women get attacked in dark parking lots at night. Always have your keys at the ready, pay attention to your surroundings and don’t give rides to strangers. Duh. But weird guys using drug soaked business cards to knock out drivers and steal their lives/cars/money at large gas stations? Please – large gas stations have cameras and people around. Not the ideal setting for an ambitious criminal. <br /><br />As for emails asking for your bank or credit card information, requesting your help to get some money out of Nigeria or offering to share an inheritance with you, for a small processing “fee”… if you or someone you know have actually fallen for something like that, please give me a call. I have this great investment opportunity on Arizona oceanfront condos.Robbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17485030097983516428noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-295424140831881497.post-56022588958538821932008-11-22T14:47:00.002-07:002008-11-22T15:04:03.983-07:00Life is a one-way trip...Someone called me brave last night. Hey, I've been called worse, but I was quick to correct him by pointing out that bravery and drunken foolishness are often confused, but I was flattered none-the-less. <br /><br />I was at my friend Rob's company Christmas party, and the DJ was also a karaoke host, so people could sign up to sing stuff (or sign their cowokers/competing departments up to sing stuff). It was a hoot. Towards the end of the evening, after massacring several songs each and a couple duets, Rob and I opted to do Paradise by the Dashboard Lights (sorry Meatloaf). Which is when the "brave" comment came out. And that got me thinking...<br /><br />It didn't cross my mind that it would take courage to get up there and sing. After all, it was a small, non-judgmental group who had consumed a lot of booze. It's just that at the end of my life, I don't want to get to the Pearly Gates and have St. Peter ask me "Remember that karaoke party back in 2008? Did you want to sing something? Well, since you did, why didn't you?" Fear isn't a good reason.<br /><br />I don't want to be the girl that looks at other people and says "I wish I could be that brave". It's not bravery. It's that I want to have these experiences, I want to try stuff and do stuff and learn stuff, and if that means butchering Eminem's Slim Shady song, then at least I can laugh at myself for doing it, and my friends can laugh at me for doing it. And because they're my friends, they laugh in the good way, and then pick a song to butcher themselves, and on we go.<br /><br />If you make one New Year's resolution this year, one promise to yourself, make it that you will try one thing, even a small thing, that you have always admired someone else for doing.<br /><br />We only get one shot at life, ladies and gentlemen. At the end of it, if anyone says to me "Did you do everything you wanted?" I want to be able to answer, "No sir, but not because I didn't try, only because I kept finding new things to do!"Robbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17485030097983516428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-295424140831881497.post-5298763639367208052008-10-03T18:20:00.005-06:002008-10-03T18:38:34.828-06:00Random EntertainmentIt's been a while since I've posted anything, and while I have a few thousand options circling in my brain looking for a way out, they will have to wait. In recent weeks I've seen a number of amusing statements on bumper stickers and t-shirts, and I think they're worth posting. What with this being MY blog, I'm gonna post them!<br /><br />Got one you think belongs here? Let me know, if I agree, I'll post it too!<br /><br />- I don't mind coming to work, but that eight hour wait to go home is a bitch.<br />- Your garden club called. Their ho' is missing.<br />- Kinky is using a feather. Perverted is using the whole chicken.<br />- Deja Moo - the feeling you've heard this bullshit before.<br />- I didn't say it was your fault. I said I'm going to BLAME you.<br />- Well behaved women seldom make history.<br />- When your gecko is broken, you have a reptile dysfunction.<br />- I didn't fight my way to the top of the food chain to eat vegetables.<br />- Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.<br />- Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.<br />- There is plenty of room for all God's creatures. Right next to the mashed potatoes.<br />- I'd tell you to go to hell, but I work there and I don't want to see you every day.<br /><br />And my personal favorite:<br /><br />- If you're gonna ride my ass that hard, you could at least pull my hair.Robbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17485030097983516428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-295424140831881497.post-81307813812744447122008-05-07T11:40:00.004-06:002008-05-14T10:29:43.982-06:00Why Pick on the Fat Girl?Having just seen a movie with a fat girl as a supporting actress who plays a sterotypical fat girl (on a diet, trying to get into a smaller bridesmaids dress, manages to, until she sits down and splits the dress), I have to ask, why does the fat girl always get the short straw? If Star Trek had two expendable people on an away team, and one was a fat girl, the fat girl would die first, in a horrible and possibly funny fashion. The fat girl never wins. <br /><br />Take Criminal Minds, one of my favorite TV shows. Penelope Garcia, played by actress Kirsten Vangsness, is not a tiny little thing. She's also not Rosanne Barr. She's average height and somewhat statuesque - a lovely woman, actually. Kirsten herself is not exactly a mainstream fashionista, but rather goes for "clothes that make her happy". She's got her own sense of style and self, and she has overcome adolescent shyness to be an actress I admire. Bravo. Her character, Garcia is the cyber-wiz of the FBI criminal profiling unit. She's a genius with a computer, and comes across as bold, witty and fun. Her blonde hair sometimes involves pink streaks. I wish I could be so bold. She'd be a hoot to party with.<br /><br />Garcia has a great relationship with another character, Derek. (And both actors are friends off-set, as well) They flirt, they laugh, you kind of get the sense of maybe she has a crush on him, that maybe it might go somewhere some day. You never saw an insecure side to this girl. Until last fall. An episode started out with Garcia in a coffee shop, where a hot guy is having computer problems. She helps him out, he kind of hits on her and asks her if he can buy her dinner to say thanks. And I thought, hey, cool! She tells her buddy Derek, and he's cautious, rains on her parade, and she snaps on him. Kind of lays it out - "dude, you flirt with me, and don't do anything about it. I'm not the kind of girl that this usually happens to, so back off and let me have a moment, he's just saying thank you, but leave me to enjoy it". And I thought, you go girl! Show Derek what he's missing! This could be the start of something beyond friendship.<br /><br />About half-way through the episode, I started thinking, uh oh. Something's hinky. This guy isn't what he seems. But, Garcia goes out with Hot Coffee Guy, he buys her dinner, walks her to her front step, gives her a kiss good night. He starts to walk away, turns around, and shoots her. WTF?? Why can't the fat girl get a break? Ya know, I don't even think this woman is in the plus sizes, she's just not a size 2. So why is it that she gets set up with the psycho? One of the skinny chicks on the show could have had a bad date. Why do they take a strong girl, who up until this episode has been happy with herself, and turn it around so that, if she hadn't been so desperate to believe that a hot guy could go for a chick like her, she wouldn't have been so blind about this guy and wouldn't be in the hospital fighting for her life. Now, the reasons for this all do with story line, but it bothers me that they played on insecuries that, up to this episode, had been non-existent.<br /><br />It gets worse. The guy who takes over for Garcia while she's recovering is this completely nerdy geek, sort of cute around the edges but so utterly goofy he belongs on reality TV. And I though, oh, no. I'm gonna be some pissed off if she comes back to this guy in her computer lab AND FALLS FOR HIM. Guess what? Yup. So, the fat chick gets the nerd with the pocket protector. Not only falls for the guy, but becomes more stupidly moony over this guy than any other character in love on any other TV show I've seen. <br /><br />Hey, I get that Brad Pitt isn't going to call any time soon. I also understand that I'm not exactly pin-up fantasy material. Frankly, I don't usually date pin-up fantasy material, either. But to imply that a hot guy can't find a chubby girl attractive is utter crap. I guess I'm just disappointed that one of my favorite shows fell into the fat girl stereotype. Shame!Robbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17485030097983516428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-295424140831881497.post-64959726667530374532008-05-03T17:44:00.009-06:002008-11-12T19:24:17.151-07:00Government Gone WrongOh. My. God.<br /><br />The Office of Government Commerce, or OGC, is the treasury branch of the UK government. Some brainwave in a design firm in London came up with a great new logo, seen here:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFSZLgj_du2TGkcAS5wmbxXFs9Z2z-gX4aFzCgnLMSaY8jeePrvO_PwLFlOwWw_tTA-gh5pSuhF_btSv2FxA-1w46pEIaQ2fcMa5Kr4oDkxHAEpxtYGkb63f0CC_9YsDjBVBp90m5yCRUN/s1600-h/OGC+right.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFSZLgj_du2TGkcAS5wmbxXFs9Z2z-gX4aFzCgnLMSaY8jeePrvO_PwLFlOwWw_tTA-gh5pSuhF_btSv2FxA-1w46pEIaQ2fcMa5Kr4oDkxHAEpxtYGkb63f0CC_9YsDjBVBp90m5yCRUN/s320/OGC+right.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5196302378258874434" /></a><br />They put this logo on mousepads, coffee cups, all sorts of promotional material. It cost them 14,000 Pounds just to have the logo designed. That's only about $30,000 CDN, for anyone who's interested in the conversion.<br /><br />For the cost involved, you'd think they would be more...thorough. Obviously, they didn't look at this from all angles. If you turn that baby on its side, you get an entirely different logo:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJBFclijJT41u7xUOj_e8tWMMUc4jtK_ONmBJRA-w52iMuO4DK1FacgoZwcfnMRW8knAvePBvK5d4R6d_vB3ejoYEypnvwVUCx7bTaUVgA5Jtp5L4LilfRDCvSYYV50CA75eSEVMnEAx5q/s1600-h/OGC+wrong.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJBFclijJT41u7xUOj_e8tWMMUc4jtK_ONmBJRA-w52iMuO4DK1FacgoZwcfnMRW8knAvePBvK5d4R6d_vB3ejoYEypnvwVUCx7bTaUVgA5Jtp5L4LilfRDCvSYYV50CA75eSEVMnEAx5q/s200/OGC+wrong.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5196304624526770274" /></a><br />I believe this is actually a much more accurate representation of any government department, regardless of country.<br /><br />In the meantime, I'll bet employees are selling stuff with this logo on eBay. I'm going shopping!Robbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17485030097983516428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-295424140831881497.post-61386014260850938582008-04-28T23:29:00.007-06:002008-11-12T19:24:17.295-07:00Life is a Highway...I wanna ride all night long. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-uSnGTbhtyPim6c0c7LZ4hK5suUqo9V1pWonMKVozVJq4Drgp5ZL_3LnjgYg5BEQeSgH-lE0gum4tlT55F2pnLHgSe3ALCXkAPpa_kV0NuoN-FNu4y1r5vBTmv59rp9BD1WBlYRD_ufOn/s1600-h/IMG_1091.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-uSnGTbhtyPim6c0c7LZ4hK5suUqo9V1pWonMKVozVJq4Drgp5ZL_3LnjgYg5BEQeSgH-lE0gum4tlT55F2pnLHgSe3ALCXkAPpa_kV0NuoN-FNu4y1r5vBTmv59rp9BD1WBlYRD_ufOn/s320/IMG_1091.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194536455210483762" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Ideally, while staying between the lines and rubber side down.<br /><br />Actually, I find something very comforting about driving at night, especially somewhat late at night, with very little other traffic out there. There a peace to be found on the road at these times, a sense that I could just keep driving. For me it's a time of contemplation, where the journey is way more important than my ultimate destination, and it's just me and my out-of-tune CD sing-a-long. No worries, no cares. Some of the best trips have been these late night excusions - by myself, with friends, or a love. Whatever. These kind of moments are what I live for.<br /><br />I love having the freedom to pull over on some side road and get out of the truck and watch the Northern Lights dance, like I did the night I wandered out into the middle of Highway 43 to take this picture. Driving with the light of a full moon rocks, too, with or without snow to reflect the cold fire of the moonlight.<br /><br />I'm always just a little disappointed when I get where I'm going. Happy to get there safe, sad that the road ends. May all your journeys be this much fun.Robbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17485030097983516428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-295424140831881497.post-81360382854016758882008-04-02T15:12:00.011-06:002008-05-14T10:34:11.734-06:00All Things in ModerationMy new year's resolution was to lose weight, and to do this, I've joined Weightwatchers to help with the diet and Curves to help with the exercise. Thanks to the glorious rear-end collision in early March, the gym has been put on hold, but the diet is going.. well.. not strong, but still going.<br /><br />I'm overweight, and the reason for that is simple mathematics. From 1998 to 2008 - a whole 10 years - I have eaten more calories than I have expended. The weight gain has been slow, and somewhat yo-yo like in the past couple years. I started out around 140 pounds, when I first moved to Edmonton in 1997. At my heaviest, in 2000, I was more than 280 (how much more, I don't know. I avoided the scale.)<br /><br />My name is Robbi, and I am a chocaholic. I love food. This is partly nature and partly nuture. (No, Mom and Dad, I'm not blaming you. Read on.)<br /><br />I am genetically hardwired to love food. And I am what is known as an "easy keeper". I can pack on weight just SMELLING French fries.<br /><br />Growing up, food was both comfort and reward. A scraped knee might be treated with a band-aid and ice cream. A good report card could mean dinner at my favorite restaurant. My mom is a great cook, but her baking could tempt a saint. Mom makes butter tarts to die for. Her black forest cake is soaked in cherry whiskey and covered with real whipped cream and chocolate. Even her fruitcake is good!<br /><br />Some of my fondest memories (even recent ones!) involve food. Each birthday meant a homemade shaped birthday cake with buttercream frosting - I recall Mickey Mouse, Holly Hobby, Garfield, a rainbow, a horseshoe (darned useful U-shaped pan, that one), a Smurf, and several others. Yummy!<br /><br />Road trips meant toast and coffee on the road and usually lunch or dinner at a truck stop - I have never met truck stop food I didn't like. Camping meant smokies and smores over an open fire, and mac and cheese cooked in a pot on a Coleman gas stove somehow tastes better.<br /><br />So, what to do? These days I'm still finding reward and comfort in food. I'm just making different choices - berries and yogurt soothe skinned knees just as well as a cookie, and my niece had an angelfood cake with strawberries for her birthday that was pretty tasty indeed. There will still be summer smokies over campfires, but I think I'll limit my intake.<br /><br />I wouldn't trade those childhood memories of food for anything. Fighting the battle of the bulge might be easier if the war wasn't being waged on so many different fronts, but it also wouldn't be nearly as interesting.Robbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17485030097983516428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-295424140831881497.post-88120638399388431822008-03-08T08:49:00.002-07:002008-03-08T08:54:21.533-07:00Tag, I'm ItAmber tagged me with this.. sigh.. order to list 6 non-important things/habits/quirks about me. They are:<br /><br />1. I'm a nail biter with no interest in quitting.<br /><br />2. I have a phobia about bees/wasps/hornets. It's a deepseated thing from my childhood, but it's getting better.<br /><br />3. I don't like olives. But I keep trying them in the hopes that might change some day.<br /><br />4. I have at least two books that I'm at some point in reading. Always. <br /><br />5. I once had a job as a tour guide in a pulp mill.<br /><br />6. As a child, I liked mashed potatoes with dill pickles. I still do.Robbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17485030097983516428noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-295424140831881497.post-4963660157319380372008-03-06T14:05:00.007-07:002008-03-07T07:29:25.437-07:00The Customer Is Always Right...but the service is still the shits.<br /><br /><br />My friend Aaron once suggested to me that at least 5% of the population is unemployable. I actually think the number might be higher, say, 7 - 10 % of the popluation should not be working, for reasons such as mental or physical issues, poor attitude, chronic laziness, or simply dumb-as-a-rock. Now when the unemployment rate dips below this number, you can bet your ass that some of these unemployable folk have found themselves jobs.<br /><br />Are businesses using "labor shortage" as an excuse for sub-standard service? I think so. Worse yet, we, the customers, are expected to just nod our heads and agree with these businesses, and accept that service is just going to be terrible. I disagree. I can accept that I might have to wait a little longer for staff to serve me as a result of staffing shortgages, but because a business is short staffed doesn't mean I am going to accept rude behavior or terrible service.<br /><br />I'm not talking about the waitress-having-a-bad-day kind of poor service. My complaint is the glaringly obvious issues that come up each and every day.<br /><br />For example, you will find two types of salespeople out there. Ask a salesperson a question they probably won't know the answer to, but valid to whatever you are thinking of buying. One type will say "Gee, I don't know, but let me ask someone who will". The other type will say "Duh... I dunno" and then stand there looking at you as though you should just forget about your question and move on with shelling out your hard-earned money.<br /><br />I'm horrified at the number of employees who seem to think there is nothing wrong with wearing their Ipod while serving customers. Or the gum-chewing, bubble-blowing vacant-eyed folks who will be happy to assist you, as soon as they finish this one quick text message. Or the cashiers who ring through $150 worth of groceries without even acknowedging the customer, because they are too busy flirting with the pimply-faced stud bagging the groceries.<br /><br />If my words strike a chord with you, I urge you to join me in open rebellion! Jaded customers of the world (or only Alberta), UNITE! My plan goes like this - if you experience a problem, report it to management. Do so politely, but firmly, and follow up with a phone call or email to the corporate office for the company.<br /><br />If nothing else, you might get a discount on your next bad experience.Robbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17485030097983516428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-295424140831881497.post-57580323308028280262008-03-05T11:58:00.001-07:002008-03-05T12:00:09.645-07:00Just Call Me "Crash"Okay, well, I've been roaming around all winter feeling like I've had a big target on my truck. You see, it's been more than 7 years since my last car accident, and the way people have been driving lately, I've had the feeling like they were aiming for me. I even took the time out to objectively evaluate my own driving habits, to see if maybe I'm the maniac behind the wheel. Nope, not me. I haven't been speeding, I've been obeying traffic signals, I shoulder-check.<br /><br />So this past Sunday, I'm sitting in the turning lane on Calgary Trail South at 23rd Avenue (AKA Edmonton's worst intersection). There I am, minding my own business, and BAM! Some chick rear-ends me. No warning screech of brakes, nothing. She hit me hard enough to knock my foot of the brake. Good thing I paid attention to the lectures on following distance in drivers ed....<br /><br />Well, I get out, look at the truck (now known as "The Tank"). There's a small crack in the rubber on the bumper step, and my wiring harness bracket for my tow package is bent and loose. Better get that checked.<br /><br />Then I turn to the car that hit me. The driver is in front of her car, cursing and swearing. As for her car, the front bumper is broken completely in half, the hood is kind of peeled back, and I'd bet money on the frame being bent. And the driver is ranting about how unfair this all is. Yeah, I couldn’t agree more.<br /><br />She explains to me that she just got this new puppy, and he bit her finger, and she looked down, and well, she's really sorry. Sorry? I've had a headache since Sunday. I can't turn my head to the left. She's sorry. She's a new-ish driver. Her car is only 3 months old, a 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer. Her mom cosigned and is on her insurance, too. She swears she's going to give up driving.<br /><br />Here's my pet theory on drivers exams: Multi-task or fail. Make people take road tests in a car with a manual transmission. Put a cell phone in one hand and a burger in the other, a cup of coffee on the dash (remember License to Drive?). Have the spouse in the passenger seat to nag.. er.. I mean, provide directions, at least 2 screaming kids in the back seat of the car who are alternating between kicking the driver's seat and trying to cover the driver's eyes, and at least one small pet loose in the interior. And you have to change CDs at least twice while shifting. If you can't manage this, you don't get a license.<br /><br />Until they introduce such a system, we'll keep giving drivers ed lessons and road tests in a quiet car so the driver can concentrate on what they are doing. Once they pass, we'll turn them loose with no restrictions on cell phone use or eating while driving. I'll bet the first thing a new driver does on the road home is call their friends to share the news.<br /><br />Just call me "Crash".Robbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17485030097983516428noreply@blogger.com2