Thursday 28 April 2011

I heart photoshop

Current Book:Origin in Death (I'm reading my way through the series, and it's a long one!)
Current Baking: Still eating the Bran Raisin Muffins. Apple Muffins and Chocolate chippers on menu.

I should first point out that I still have absolutely no idea how to use photoshop. I'm an internet-email-word-itunes computer user, who has enough basic knowledge to mostly maintain a system but not enough for complicated programming. I got the bright idea to look on the internet for a free photo editor so I could remove all the redeye from my pictures.

Apparently, using open source free editing equipment is bad, as it came with 7 other programs, and when I took them off, J's Starcraft ceased to work. Oops.

Yesterday, we were in Costco. I have a love hate relationship with Costco because I love all the pretty things and large volumes of tea, but hate the bill at the end. This bill was augmented by a copy of Photoshop Elements, specifially designed to touch up pictures and without the $700 USD price tag.
J decided that I needed it for my scrapbooking, so I could touch up the pictures before I printed them.
Have I mentioned lately how much I heart my husband?

Anyway, we got home, I started putting groceries away, and he got to installing it. By the end of the evening... I'd logged 10 minutes fiddling around, and he had logged three hours.
I now have a desktop that shows me 41 weeks pregnant next to me 4 days post baby.
I heart photoshop. I'm also banning J from playing with it for a while.

Friday 22 April 2011

Shoes, glorious shoes!

Current Book:Imitation in Death
Current Baking:Planned pumpkin tarts for easter brunch

So, today I dragged my friend K shoe shopping. As neither of us have a lot of money for said shoes, and payless has been extremely disappointing lately when it comes to stylish yet affordable shoes, we headed for the mecca of consumerism. The place that swallows all other places. No, sadly, not West Edmonton Mall. We went to Wal-Mart.

I have a friend or five who refuse to shop at this temple of less expensive goods, citing the poor working conditions of employees, poor working conditions for the people who manufacture their items, poor quality items, etc. I however feel that if it saves me money that I need, I will embrace it since it isn't going anywhere.

The Walmart shoe department has more shoes in my size then Payless. It has many beautiful pairs that are crying for someone to come and love them. It also has some butt ugly pairs that only a blind, three toed elephant could love. I found about five pairs that should be mine, but I narrowed it down to three.
I now possess a pair of casual tan and red leather slides, a pair of black strappy sandals with a two inch wedge heel, and a pair of brown strappy sandals with a one inch wide heel. They are wonderful and mine.

Of course, this also means I need to throw out all the shoes I don't wear or have worn out. The point was to purchase three multipurpose pairs of summer shoes in order to make more room in the closet. The time has come to part with the much loved but worn out sandals of last year (and the last five years, come to think of it) as I realized the last shoes I bought were for my wedding.

Thursday 21 April 2011

Frustrations of Condo Living

Current Book: Purity in Death Current Baking: Banana Bread Muffins

Sometimes I can go for months without being annoyed at living in a condo. Yes, we are crowded, and yes, I wish we were happily settled in a house in suburbia with room for a garden and a swingset. At the moment, that's not happening.
Then, you have weeks like this week. My condo manager is useless. I know this already, from her complete ineffectiveness in solving the vandalism problems and the amount of time it took to have the locks fixed so the homeless would stop sleeping in the laundry room. Then, I get a letter, addressing us unprofessionally and using the tone a principal would use on a teen caught skipping class, informing us that 'an excessive amount of mud was tracked into the premises by you or someone in your suite' and that it would 'not be tolerated' along with suggestions of 'common courtesy'. I saw red, and I'm still trying to calm down enough to send a scathing reply.

Now, I'm in the middle of doing laundry. I set timers so I can get as much done as possible. 5 minutes after my timer went off, I went to move my laundry over.... and discovered someone else already had, putting their own in the washer, moving mine into the dryer, and moving the laundry I have in the dryer into the basket I had waiting for it. I keep telling myself at least they had the courtesy to move everything over and not just dump the wet laundry on top of the dryer (which has happened) ... but call me weird, I really prefer other people not touch my underwear.

With the Sproglet in cling mode, it's going to be even more difficult to get the rest of my laundry done. But, I'm trying to remind myself that the sun is shining, it's a long weekend, and everything comes around in the end.

Tuesday 19 April 2011

Accidental overload...

Current Book: Seduction in Death, JD Robb
Current Baking:Peanut Butter Confetti squares, in the fridge.

Signed up for boot camp classes today. Ok, not completely accurate. Purchased vouchers towards bootcamp classes today. Husband, Brother in Law, and I are probably going to end up going together and husbands Mom is salivating at the thought of babysitting three times a week for a couple months. We are so lucky to have such a dependable babysitter when we want to do stuff!

Probably won't end up going until J finishes this term of school, but that's OK. It's an outdoor bootcamp, and with the weather being as whacky as it is, I'd rather wait until it's guaranteed nice out. I might also attempt to start training for it a little bit. As in, actually get out and walk with the Sprog everyday. Smell some flowers (well, mud, at this point, but whatever).  I'll be stuck back in my pod soon enough, wishing for the chance to be outdoors, might as well take advantage of the time I have left.

Monday 18 April 2011

First posts...

It occured to me that while I love to write, and am generally talented at telling everyone everything that is going on at any one time, I don't really share what I'm actually thinking. I very rarely, for example, will comment on something I see that amuses or offends me, and don't generally comment on other people's parenting, decisions, or general idiocy.

So, this is my spot to call 'em as I see 'em, comment on our daily lives, and generally address all those things I have run through my head on a daily basis and get other takes and visions on them. 
Some posts will be completely unrelated to the others, some will be researched, some will not. I will not be posting every day, but it's a personal challenge to have something posted at least three times a week