At-Home-Oldies4

Wednesday, November 24th, 2004. Hey, Baby! What's Up? Well, we went in for our dreaded Parent-Teacher Conference last night, and it turned out to be pleasant and productive, so now everything's back to normal. What a relief. It's funny how you can get yourself all worked up about something that ends up being relatively easy to work out... and I think I'll start going into Aidan's Classroom to work with the kids every so often. I miss Teaching, so that's a way for me to be involved in Aidan's Class and actually do something productive while I'm there. I just need to decide if I'll show the kids how to make Marshmallow Snowmen (or Snow-women!), or Candycane Reindeer -- they're both cute and fun to make.

I was just looking at the Calendar, and I can't believe our Big Holiday Party is less than two weeks away -- man, where does the time go? Thank Goodness Dwight wanted to change the Date, since we used to have the Party on the Last Sunday in November to get around the Christmas Rush. Our take on it now is that however happens to show up, shows up. We're very informal that way! I'm gonna have to get cleaning so it's not too much work, say, the day before the Party! I usually tackle one 'group of rooms' at a time -- all the Bathrooms, The Dens, The Bedrooms...that sort of thing. This morning I actually remembered to take a handful of big Garbage Bags into each Bathroom, since that's makes clean-up a whole lot easier. Now I just need to get Dwight to fill them! ha,ha,ha! Jeeeest Kiddink! I'll probably do it!

Ugh, I hurt my toes this morning when I tripped on the Hand Weight I keep under my desk. It's the 10 Pound Weight I keep there so I can exercise while I'm waiting for something to go onto my Site, or I'mm gazing at some Show or another... anyway, I forgot it was there and tripped on the stooopid thing, so now my toes hurt. That's important to me because I just bought some fabulous new Shoes for the Party (or whenever I can find a place to wear them!), so my toes need to be in good working order to wear them! Also, I have big plans to order a bunch of Shoes and Outfits from Frederick's of Hollywood -- maybe later today -- and it would be good if I could go ahead and wear them, too!

I put the new Frederick's of Hollywood Links of my Christmas & Holiday Shopping Page, then I ended up spending well over an hour looking through all the Shoes and Dresses. Man, they have some incredible deals! I waited for Dwight to get home to show him what I liked, and luckily he liked them all, too...Surprise! When I clicked on the Sale Pages (one of my favorite Pages!), I saw the Blue Gown on my Christmas Page, and it was on Sale for $29. -- can you believe that? When you click on the Christmas Page to see it, you'll be very surprised, I'm sure! ha,ha! Ooooh, and they had a Crystal Martini Glass Brooch, too -- very cool and an amazing price, so I need to pop in and get that, too! And yes, in case you're wondering, I do love shopping for Christmas Gifts! It's a lot of fun to get just the right thing for each person (or wee dog!) on yer List!

Hey, The Bachelor is on tonight -- yippee! We like Tonya, the Special Ed Teacher, so I hope that's who Byron chooses. Now they're household names! Funny how quickly that happens, then six months later you can't quite recall who they were...but I never forget a House that I like, so I hope they show lots of Exterior Shots of the House, tonight! Oh, that reminds me, I was going to try to get the House Redesigned (on paper...) before the Party, so I can show my friends what we're up to, but I don't know how I can fit that in, now.

Dwight's home, so I better get going... I'm making Fish for Dinner, so I should get started on that.

Tuesday, November 23rd, 2004. Hey, HEY, Hey! I hope you're well, today, and so far everything's going well for you...unlike me! I'm struggling with today, because we have to go into Aidan's School (and on the off-chance that you are new to my Site, Aidan is our sweet little 5 year old...) for our first Parent-Teacher Meeting. Hmmm. I'm afraid it might be one of our last Parent-Teacher Meetings -- for this year, anyway, since Aidan had a really, really bad Report Card, and I'm not sure how to deal with it. My immediate response is to pull him out of the Regular School System and go right back to Home Schooling, which worked out well for us. I'll have to see what his Teacher says before I make my final decision.

Dwight is inclined to follow the Normal Path, and leave him in the School and just hope for the best, but I know how Schools work, and it might not go like that. I told Dwight that a parent has to be their child's best Advocate, and we might have to intervene earlier than we thought we would...poor Dwight was left in his Catholic School even when he was being beaten on a regular basis by the Nuns -- and I'm thinking his parents fell into the 'wait and see if it gets better' group. Back then (in the Palaeolithic Age...yuff, yuff!), it wasn't considered that big a deal if the kid was given The Belt (or worse) at School. Ah, the Good Old Days...depends on who you ask, I suppose! Anyway, there was a Public School right up the road from Dwight's House when he was a kid, but he was kept in the Catholic System because that's where they started, I guess. (And for the Record, it did eventually get a whole lot better, and Dwightie really enjoyed the Shop Program, which lead him directly into his great Career as a Contractor, so it all worked out in the end!)

I need to know if a child can Fail Kindergarten, which seems ridiculous, but I need to know if that's a possibility. If it is a possibility, then I'll pull him right out of the Class and Home School him until Grade One, since I don't want him to be held back a year, academically, for the wrong reasons, if that were to happen. That could have ramifications on his whole School Life, so that ain't good. Most Social Stuff is Age-Related (by 6, most kids are ready to sit at a desk...), so I might be better off to just take Aidan to a variety of Programs where he would be involved with other children, but not in the standard School System. So you can see why I'm feeling disconcerted about this, today. Who wouldda thought we'd have to deal with this in Kindergarten? I thought it was supposed to be a nice Year of Fun and a little Light Learning... and yes, I did use to be a Kindergarten Teacher in the Early Years, so it's not like I don't know how other Classrooms are run...

Now on to Bigger and Better things ... TV Shows! Did you see Trading Spouses, last night? It was all about a Vegan Mom Trading Places with a 'Crocodile-Huntin' Mom, which made for some very good TV time! Ah, those Vegans -- they're a laugh-a-minute, they are! ha,ha! And a pleasure to have as a guest in your house, because all you have to do is hide all your 'Regular Food' and most of your Clothes (because it's offensive), try and find an Organic Grocers that is acceptable to yer guest, pay a fortune for they food, then go home and try to make it Appetizing. So simple. And then you get the wonderful pleasure of a Lecture about your current Lifestyle until you find a reason to go to bed around, oh, 7:00 pm! There are certain 'Lifestyles' that lend themselves well to becoming 'lecture topics', and me thinks Veganism is one of them, so it wasn't too surprising that these Two Moms would each have a difficult time in each other's Environment.

That reminds me of Food, of course, which reminds me that it's almost Thanksgiving in the States! When I lived in California, I couldn't believe what a Big Deal Thanksgiving was -- it was like a Major Holiday! I fina;;y figured out that it was one of the few Holidays that is truly shared by everyone in the States -- no boundaries of ethnicity or religion, so it was a whole lot of fun for everyone. Very nice. In Canada, we enjoy Thanksgiving (we celebrate Thanksgiving in October), but it doesn't have the same flare that it has in America. So I thought you might like to check out a few of my favorite Recipes that would be tasty during a Thanksgiving Weekend, since it tends to start on the Thursday, and wind down on Sunday Night, so that's a lot of Food you have to prepare!

Everyone likes a nice Salad (well, not everyone, but you know where I'm headed with this...!), so you might like to try the Pecan Coleslaw (delicious!) or my favorite Macaroni Salad (yum!). You can make them ahead of time, so that makes life easier on the day of 'The Big Feast'! And I love a great Dessert, so you could try out the Easy Schmeasy Pie Crust Recipe, the Blueberry Tart, The Fruit Puffs or the Apple Crumble. If you want to make a great big dish of the Apple Crumble, just fill the dish with Peeled and Cut Apples, then put the Topping on and pop it in the Oven... see how easy?? If you have a bit more time, you could try the Ultra-Light and Delicious Cheesecake (!) or my Peach Pie. They're both Crowd-pleasers!

Recipes --Fruit Puffs, Cinnamon Buns, Cheesecake , Salsa Chicken , Macaroni Salad , Taco Spaghetti , Easy Schmeasy Pie Crust , Creamy Peach Pie , Great BBQ Marinade , 'Pass da' Pasta , Rosemary Steak, Onion Barley (an Aphrodisiac!), Apple Crumble for One , Barbequed Meatballs , Barbequed Veggies, Stuffed Peppers, BBQ Veggies, Chicken Noodle Soup, Soft Tacos, Blueberry Tart, Everything Else!!

I was going to link each of the recipes above, there, but wouldn't you know it? I've run out of time, again! Ah, well! If I don't see you again before you head out on your Thanksgiving Holiday Weekend, Have a Great Thanksgiving! And if you are have a 'same old, same old' Weekend, enjoy that, too, eh!

You know what? I think I forgot to put on the Recipe for the Pecan Coleslaw, but it's very, very complicated, so it'll take me a whole sentence to tell you fast! ha,ha! Just put the Pre-cut Coleslaw (it's in the Veggie Section of the Grocery Store) in a great big Bowl, Add a small amount of Mayonaise (let's say 2 or 3 Tablespoons), mix well. Chop up a Cup of Pecans and Add to the Salad. Done! And really tasty, too! You can add a Dash of Pepper, if you're so inclined.

Lookie what I just found! Bamboo Flooring is one of my favorite new Products -- it's a totally renewable source, so I really like that, and it looks fantastic! There are different Shades (Light - Dark) so you can choose your own color preference. I need to show this to Dwight because this is what I want to use in our next House Build.

Friday, November 19th, 2004. Hi, Honey! You're Home! Can you belive two days in a row for me to find time to write?? Yippee! And pictures, too -- wonders never cease! So that Dwight and I heading out to Dinner (Fabulous Restaurant -- I'll tell you about that in a minute) on our Anniversary. It was a really special Anniversay, this year, because I actully wanted to be there! Ha,ha,ha,ha! (Yes, that really does make me laugh!) And that's the second part of the Front Entry -- see the Flowers along the Stair Surround? I finally replaced the Daffodils with Red Poinsettias -- man, they're beautiful! 'll need to take some pictures to show you, in case you want to try the same thing.

Oh, and did I mention that I found a couple of Fakie Christmas Trees at WalMart?Yep, and only $17.23 a piece -- can you believe that?? So I quickly bought them, and got Dwight to help me put them up and get them into the Giant Pots on the Front Entry Landing outside. The Pots are huge ('uuuge!), and all full of dirt from my flowers (for the most part, real...) in the Summer, so Dwight dug a big hole for me to place the Tree Base -- without the Legs -- in the Pot, then we (and by 'we', I mean 'Dwight'!) filled the pot with Gravel. Then they won't blow away when the Chinook Winds blow in. I put some Silk Vines of Poinsettias on my pegged out real trees, to make like they aren't so hideous looking, since It snowed last night, so this morning my little 'fakie trees' look fantastic! Go Plastic, Get your groove on...(you should be dancing and making your hands go in a little circle in front of yo' body! ha,ha!)

So the restaurant we went to for our Anniversary Dinner was absolutely beautiful. Would have made a lovely House! ha,ha! Everything I like -- gorgeous View, a massive amount of Windows so I can look out at the view, and fabulous food. And the Service was fantastic, too, so it couldn't have been a nicer Dinner. If you are in Calgary, Alberta (or you're cming in for a wee visit), it the Newport Grill Inc, right on the lake at Lake Bonavista. They don't have a website (that I know of), but their email address is newportgrill@shaw.ca if you want to drop them a line. We went early enough that we could watch the sunset over the lake, which was just lovely. I ordered the whole Special of the Day (Three Courses), which was neat because there were a few things I normally wouldn't have ordered, but in keeping with our new idea to 'change things up', I tried all the new things. There was a Warm Spinach Salad that I'm sure I would never, ever have ordered for myself, but it came with the Crab Cakes, and it was unbelievably delicious, so that was a great find! The Staff there are so lovely that we invited them to our Annual Holiday Party! Now that's a good sign!

Speaking of our Holiday Party, Dwight wanted to change the date, so now it's on the First Sunday in December, and I have to admit that I don't think I would have had time to prepare the house for next week, so that's a relief...But now I better get my Invitations out to let all our Friends and Acquaintences know about the change in the date. And I'm going to mention in my Invitation that we are having a 'Giving Tree' again this year, since it was so much fun last year. Our Guests bring a Gift and/or a Food Item to the Party, and I set out all the Baskets under the Christmas Tree. Last year we ended up with Four Great Big Baskets full of Toys and Gifts and a whole lot of Food to donate to our local Family Charity. It was fabulous! We all had a lot of fun, and we were able to brighten the Holidays for over 30 families in need in our own community -- isn't that great? I just made a new page (I'm still working on it!) on How to make throwing a Big Party easy, so everyone can try it.

That's the Deer over by the Banff Hotel, and a Herd of Elk on the way out of Banff -- beautiful, eh?? You're in Canada, now! ha,ha!

Thursday, November 18th, 2004. Hey, Good-Lookin'! How you doin', 'aday? Cara wants me to learn more 'Gangsta talk' -- she says I don't have a good handle on it, so she wrote me out a whole list to keep beside the computer that I can use as a 'reference'...and the vast majority of the words are nowhere to be found in my Oxford Dictionary, about a foot away from the 'Gangsta List'! ha,ha! Fo' Shizzle. (I think that means, "Yes, For Sure, I am quite certain, Sir and/or Ma'am"... yuff, yuff!)

Did you notice I put a Link at the bottom of today's little blurb with some Deer? That's because when Aidan and I left to go into his Kindergarten Class (he only gets the bus one-way), there were three Deer (Two 'Girls', One 'Boy'!) running alongside our vehicle! Beautiful. Makes you want to go get your guns...or not. Aidan thought they were out looking for Santa, so of course I said that's exactly what they were doing! Fun having a little 'Believer' at Christmas time. But it reminded me of the little story I heard last week that Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russel might be breaking up, and I think I know why...

Every year when Hunting Season rolls around, couples everywhere start discussing the amount of time that is 'required' for Hunting. We barely made it through Hunting Season, last year, because Dwight had gone ahead and scheduled his Hunting Trip for at least a week without bothering his shirt to consult with me on it at all. Hard to believe that didn't go over well. And you know how I just got back from Los Angeles, decided to recommit to the marriage and everything would work out? Yes, well, about three weeks after I got back I overheard Dwight chatting with his Hunting Buddy about a TWO WEEK Hunting Trip, and he wasn't going to consult me on that, either... Hmmmmm. I actually didn't say too much about it, this year, since I thought it might just go by the wayside, which is exactly what happened. It took me a long time to get that if I didn't say anything much, things that drove me crazy before would just slide on by unnoticed by Dwight. (Works for bizarre Invitations you don't want to deal with, too -- you'd be surprised what doesn't happen when you don't say anything about it!)

In the past, Dwight has gone hunting when we were at really important times in our lives -- right in the middle of a crucial part of a Build in our last house, that boy was 'Gone Huntin', which was intensely annoying. And it never fails to gall me that there's no problem carving out plenty of time from his busy schedule to go hunting, but no time at all for a 'Real Holiday'... wonder how that is?? So that's what I think happened with Goldie and Kurt (like I'm on a First Name Basis with them! ha,ha!) That and it's not at all uncommon to have a Hunter married to a Pacifist -- why they go together, I'll never know!

I'm okay with the hunting as long as it is primarily 'Male Bonding' (yes, I am fully aware that there are female Hunters...), and tramping about in the woods carrying a gun, and riding around on an ATV (And Dwight says he desperately needs another ATV, since I made him sell his last one when he hadn't actually taken it out of the garage for about three years...)(Quick aside -- I've made Dwight sell a whole lot of his 'Boys Toys' that he never, ever uses...the ATV, his Jet Boat, and next is his Dirt Bike -- and his horse and other boat went before I met him, so I canny be blamed for that! ha,ha!)

Oh, and since we're talking 'Hunting', I'll just add in one of my main concerns about Gun Safety. I think the most critical thing if you have guns is to Store them correctly in a Locked Gun Safe. You can get them anywhere you can also buy guns or ammunition (usually), and if there is any concern about who has access to the Keys for the Gun Safe, make sure you give them to the Gun Owner's Partner or to a Trusted Friend or Relative of said Partner. No child should ever, ever have access to guns.

And they need to change the stooopid Gun Laws to reflect reality for safety for the Wives of men who want to have guns in the house. The most assinine part of the Gun Registry Paperwork, for the partners of Gun Owners, is the section where the wife has to sign on the dotted line to say that her husband is indeed not a nutcase -- while he's standing over her, waiting for her to sign. Yes. What wonderchild came up with that brilliant idea? I'm sure they didn't bother to ask one woman who has actually dealt with an abusive spouse to see if that scenario seems fair. In Canada, the Government wasted a massive amount of money on a Gun Registry that was supposed to make life safer for women. The money wasted on this Gun Registry should have been given to Women's Shelters, not to something that never did work.

Rats, I've run out of time, again! Tia's going to the Groomers, today -- she's soooo cute in the car! I looked out her little Seatbelt for the Car, but for the life of me, I can't quite remember how to get Tia attached to the thing...must go try to figure that out.

Friday, November 12th, 2004. Yo,yo...What it is, what it issss?? Yuff, yuff! I have no idea why I love to write that, but I do, so there you go! Maybe it's some sort or Gangsta' Phase, or somethin'... perhaps something I'll grow out of in the next Decade or so! Man it's been a busy little week. I think I've found a couple of Properties I'm interested in -- one 9 Acre Parcel of Bare Land (Every Builder's Dream!), and a piece with an Older Home and 20 Acres. Hmmm. We hadn't thought of buying a larger piece of Land at this stage. We thought for a long time, there, that we would move back into Town (Calgary), but now we've decided that buying more land might be the better way to go.

I've been thinking a lot about finishing the Drawings for the New House -- I can see it in my mind, and I'm still trying to figure out what should go in the area where the Garage would go at an angle -- right now, it's straight, but if we were to have a Lot that allowed us to build the garage at an angle to the Main part of the house, that would leave this new space... so far, I've decided that would be a good place for the Stairs, since I'm Drawing a One & a Half Storey version of this house, and you need a ton of room for a large Staircase. I'm not so sure about how much extra space that's going to create, though. I suppose that depends on the Angle (I'm guessing it would be a 45 Degree Angle ...), and what kind of Window-Space I have there. It might be a good place for the Pantry, but then I would have to put the Door from the Garage at the back of the house... see all the things to think about?

Now here's the annoying thing -- every time I think Dwight and I are completely on track with this new House Design, he says something like, "We should find a Plan we really like..." Ugh. Isn't that annoyink? That Boy. And here I just decided not to trade him in for a different model... yuff, yuff! I don't want to spend hours and hours planning and designing a new House Plan if he wants to build something completely different, but on the other hand, every day he says how much he loves this house, and the new House Plan is just a variation of this house... I guess I'll go ahead and draw it out -- I need to change a few more things, then I think it'll meet with his approval! Plus, I need to drive him by the Land I found, to see if it has a nice clear Mountain View, and has the possibility for Sub-dividing later on.

So did you see The Apprentice, last night? That Jennifer is a slippery wee thing! In the Boardroom with The Donald, they were all talking about how she just seems to slip through the cracks...and you know I can't stand her for hurting those little dogs in the Dog Grooming Task, so it doesn't matter to me what else she brings to the table. Dwight is far more forgiving, since she is very pretty with nice long legs -- a key factor in any business decision, according to Dwight! ha,ha,ha! But you know what I came away with from The Apprentice Task? They were trying to Sell Wedding Dresses, and The Donald mentions that the Wedding Industry is a 30 BILLION Dollar a year Industry...man, I gots to get in on that deal! Just a tiny slice of the Wedding Pie is all I want! So when I'm done this, I think I'll develop a new Wedding Shopping Page.

I was very happy to se Chris go, last night -- what was with all that swearing? I don't get why someone would swear their beeehind off on National Television working in a Financial Business situation. That drives me up the wall. I've never seen a functional C.E.O. who does that -- it is offensive to too many people. Not that the occassional 'sweary-word' is bad -- sometimes it's fun, but it seemed like he had a steady stream on the Show. I thought he was a yuck, and I would never want to work with someone like that. Or Hire him, for that matter. He was wise enough at the end to say what an opportunity it was to be on the Show, though, so that part was good. Now I want to see more about Wes, Kelly, Kevin and Maria. And maybe Sandy...but first I have to go get me a slice of Weddin' Pie! ha,ha,ha!

And I missed Survivor because they had it programmed against The O.C., and I know for sure that Survivor is on again on the Weekend, but I wasn't sure when The O.C. would be on -- now why on earth do the Networks do that? Thank Goodness we're on Satellite TV, so we get most Shows over and over again, so you can choose when you are going to watch them (now, I wonder if you can get TiVo in Canada?? Must look into that!), but it makes no sense to me that the Networks would force Viewers to choose between two of their favorite Shows. Silly. But The O.C. was great, as always. I still like to look at scenes from California -- it's just that since my trip down to L.A. in September, now I get how much those houses really are, and how I am far better off to keep California as a Vacation Destination rather than a place for me to live!

Well, better get going! Think I'll go have another look at that Land! I added a link for Deeelicious Chocolates on my Christmas & Holiday Shopping Page, today, and later I want to add this new company called Swank-Martini -- they sell gorgeous Martini Glasses, and they can get them to you without any breakage! Plus, I really like the name!

Okay, I'll go get some new pictures for you -- I'll get you some interesting links before I head off to do that!

Friday, November 5th, 2004. Hey, there, Baby-Cakes! Sugar Dumpling...Tiny Dancer (well, maybe not all that 'tiny' after all the Baby Cakes and Sugar Dumplings, but you get where I'm going with this! ha,ha,ha!). Man, my computer is soooo slow, today -- hope I don't have another annoyink virus in there -- I ran a program through the computer at the beginning of the week, and had to remove the Toolbar, too. That seemed to help, but now I'm thinking maybe a Brand New Computer might be the best way to go...! I was going to wait until we sold this house, were moving anyway, and then, magically out of nowhere, a new computer would arrive in my Office at the new house... but since we've decided to take our house off the market, I'll have to come up with a faster plan!

So here's the weird thing -- since we've taken the house off the market, pulled all our Ads in the Newspapers and Online, and taken down all the Signs we had up, we've had Four Calls on the House. Funny, eh? It's like when you get married or engaged -- suddenly there's all sorts of people to choose from ... or is that just in my head?? ha,ha! Anyway, we decided to show the house one more time, then focus in on our Annual Holiday Party (Last Sunday in November -- partly for fun, partly to Collect all sorts of great Gifts for Children in our Area, and partly as a cheap excuse for me to put up the Christmas Decorations ludicrously early! Ah, well. It's all good, right??). Now here's the bizarre thing -- we had no idea when we were actively preparing for Open Houses that a good portion of the week has to be devoted to tidying up the house and then keeping it nice and tidy until the Open House is over. That had put us in a stand-still position for getting certain types of work done, since you couldn't drag out all the Saws and Work Benches if people were on their way over to look at the house.

That will be our last Showing, then, until we put the house back on the Market at some later date. We haven't found any Land, yet, and we've been actively looking for about a month, now -- or however long it's been since I came back from L.A. in total shock at how small a Cardboard Box I'd be able to Buy down there! ha,ha! There are some new Lots that look like they might be available in the Spring of 2005, so we'll keep an eye on those Lots. Then in the meantime (since I now have upwards of 23 minutes a week, now, to spare with my annoying new Schedule...), I'll keep working on my New House Plans, which I am very, very excited about. It occurred to me the other day that I could put the Sun Room beside the Living Room, and be able to still Window it in on the Interior (Interior Windows are fabulous!!) by raising the Windows about 4 or 5 feet off the Floor. Right now all our Windows start only a Foot off the Floor, which I love, but that would be too restrictive for the Flow of Furniture if the new Sunroom were to be off of the new Living Room --- that's the sort of thing I think about while I'm sitting having my Tea!!

It's TV Time! Did you catch The Apprentice, Survivor and The O.C., last night? Man, that's a dream night of TV! yuff, yuff! (Makes me think of a meeting I might find myself at, one day ... "Hello. My name is Ailsa, and I'm a TV Addict", but I wouldn't go since I'm sure there's be something good on that I wouldn't want to miss -- then write about the very next day! ya'ha,ha!) So Raj is gone -- I thought he would have made it a lot further than that, but The Donald just didn't like making the House they had to Renovate into a Three Bedroom Home from the Original Four Bedroom Home. And Contractor Troubles -- whodda thunk that?? They should have read my little thing about How to Deal With Contractors, first! You know what's funny about that? Everyone always thinks they'll have lots and lots of time to complete whatever Renovation or Building Task you're facing, but in the end, there's always a time crunch. I don't know why the Universe does this sort of thing to us, but it's pretty much a given to happen in Construction.

Quick Tip: Always allow a lot more time than you think you will need to complete any Construction Task. Oh, and add in more money, too, since the Costs are almost always higher than seems humanly possible... Welcome to the Wonderful World of Real Estate! AND, know when it's time to Fire someone. It's never easy (although, sometimes it is a little bit fun!), but it can make the difference in whether you can come in on time and on-budget without having a Major Coronary or being hauled off to the Loony-Bin (which may sound quite appealing to you by the end of your Construction Project! ha,ha,ha! -- and no, that's not a crazy laugh, just a gleeful one, is all... no need to send the trucks just yet! ya'ha,ha,ha!) If you want to see how I had to Fire someone, go to my Timeline for the Build Page, and look at Stage Six -- "Rick the Dick" -- that was my own special name for someone I don't think The Donald would have liked so much, either!

Did I mention last week how much I can't stand that stoopid Jennifer Girl on The Apprentice? That's right, because she really hurt those little dogs when she was cutting their little nails on that Dog Grooming Task. Plus, she just generally annoys me...but I'm starting to like Maria a lot more, and then I like Kelly and Wes, too. I liked Kevin up until last night, when I thought he seemed to be hiding from the truth, which ain't a good trait, so we'll see how he does next week.

And on The O.C., what's going on with Mischa's Character (I have a sudden brain freeze and can't remember her Character's name -- it's not Spring, although that would go along with 'Summer'...I'll have to ask Cara -- she knows these sorts of things!)? What a nut! See what happens when you spoil your children? They end up throwing your good Patio Furniture into the Pool...and drinking alone on the Beach in the Middle of the night -- now what's that all aobut? Didn't anyone notice she left the house with all the booze? Now what's her Mom gonna drink when her boyfriend comes over, hmmmm?? I'm sure you're wondering the very same thing! ha,ha! But I'm thinking that Contractor Hiring will go waaay up after all the Shirtless Workmen were showcased at Seth's House! That's a good way to get more women into the Trades -- see who you might be working beside (not your typical image of the slovenly worker -- ick! The new image is clean-cut, smart and most likely, wealthy!!).

Rats... I've run out of time, again! I'll see if I can get back in some time tonight or tomorrow to get you some pictures. Thanks for popping in for a wee visit! It's always lovely to see you!

And in honor of The O.C. coming back for a Second Season, I thought you might like to hacve a wee look at what is available in Real Estate in The Real O.C.!!

I love this Ad for Spongebob Squarepants Screensavers because on of my very favorite Spongebob scenes is where Spongebob is secretly watching a Show of Jellyfish like it's a porn movie, when Gary the Snail comes in the room and Spongebob yelps at getting caught watching 'something bad' and quickly changes the channel so Gary can't see it ... Hilarious!