Hey Buddy, Got Any Spare Luck?

Thanks to the illegal activities of a certain scumbag landlord, I'm dealing with the biggest crises of my life. More details when I get things calmed down a bit. If you have any luck to spare, I could use some right now.

Beginning Of The End

First cheque from a new customer always feels good, but I'm not jumping for joy just yet. I have a long way to go before I can breath a little easier and too many things can go wrong in between. Some car repairs are already looming. Paraphrasing Churchill, this is not the end, but is perhaps the beginning of the end. Knock on wood. *taps forehead*

Today Was A Holiday

Um. Yeah. Today was a holiday, wasn't it? By the time I realized this, it was already 10:30am and I was well into my normal first Monday of the month routine (sending invoices, nothing exciting). Well, it is an optional Ontario holiday.

I did get out for a bit and the empty roads had that post-apocalypse feeling. I expected to see zombie hordes, but it was just a holiday. ^_^

Exercise

I have lost more than an inch from my waist. (Sorry, 2.5 centimeters just doesn't sound right.) I lost around 6, maybe 7, pounds, which is not that much really. Losing inches is a better gauge of improvement.

The main reason is regular, albeit fairly moderate exercise. I'm not dieting but I am eating less due to being on a budget. The snacks were the first to go. I miss my snacks. ;_;

Still, I'm way too stressed to really feel the benefits of this. In fact, the exercise may be the only thing that is preventing me from becoming a total basket case.

Feast Or Famine

My life as a peculiarity that I call feast or famine mode. There's either too much or too little of everything. Too much work or too little work. Too much fun or too little fun. Get the idea?

Now the last few months have been period of way too little of everything. So, once once things start improving, my expectation is I will be have way too much of everything. Work, fun, everything. And there are hints the reversal has already started. Oh, joy!

One thing I have never figured out is: do I bring this cycle upon myself by my choices and actions? Or is it the Universe having a bit of fun with me?

Big Surprise

I had a great time at the BBQ today: first to arrive and the last to leave! Yay! The young'uns can't handle it any more. ^_^ They were all gone by 9:30 while I chatted with my sister and brother-in-law until 11. What ever happened to the days when we went until 2am? (Yeah, I know. We are getting older.)

A late afternoon shower sent everyone indoors but it lasted less than half an hour, and cooled things down a little. My sister's air conditioner had failed so it was better outside anyway.

A few members of the extended family actually showed up this year so there was over 20 twenty people at one point. Sadly I was the only one representing the Low-Shang side of the family, thanks to my other sister being MIA, and one of my nephews (unintentionally) not getting the invite.

The big surprise is that I am going to be a great-granduncle. I suddenly feel very, very old. ^_^

All Fired Up

I'm all fired up (figuratively, but in this heat almost literally! ^_^) for the family BBQ tomorrow. There is rain forecast for tonight but it is supposed to clear by morning. Forecasts, pfft! We shall see. (We need rain; it's been the driest July on record so far.)

I already know one person won't be at the BBQ. It is always in July so I don't understand how my sister Jean managed to schedule something else. Ah well, we'll fun without her anyway. Loser! *Blows raspberry.* ^_^

Hangout? Apparently Not.

I was hoping to try Google Hangout with a small group of people (four or five) this evening. What do you know? Nobody showed. Sigh. Some friends I got. Mutter. Mutter.

Sunny And Hot!

It was a scorcher in Toronto today with a high of 35° at Pearson Airport. And that was real temperature! With the humidity, it was supposed to feel like 42°. I almost skipped going out for my run but a breeze (albeit a warm one) actually made conditions more tolerable than the numbers suggested. Hot but not muggy. The annual family BBQ is next Saturday. The forecast is sunny and hot. Here's hoping that holds up!

The Unexpected English Lesson

In an on-line environment, it is easy to forget that you may be conversing with a non-English speaking person. However, if you are not careful, you may unexpectedly find yourself giving an English lesson. In a recent conversation, I used the word "exotic" without thinking and suddenly found myself having to define it. After explaining what it meant in the context the conversation, I offered examples of other uses. I really should have stopped before I got to "exotic dancer". ^_^

Paying The Price

Today, I paid the price for being a lazy bum on the weekend, as I had to catch up on all the things that I should have done. In other words, I worked harder after goofing off, which is pretty normal after coming back from a vacation, even if it was only three days. It is one reality of working life that applies to employed and self-employed alike. Actually, I think it is worse for self-employed, but obviously I am biased.

Plans? What Plans?

Well, that's that for the 2011 Canada Day holiday weekend. I ended up sleeping in everyday which killed most of my plans for the weekend. Never underestimate my capacity of being lazy. ^_^

Halfway

Well, we are halfway through the year and the high hopes I had for turning things around this year have not been realized. If the rest of the year continues in the same manner, this will be my worst year ever. Much, much worse than last year. I've done everything I could think of to drum up some new projects, but I'm now getting the message, "Eject! Eject! Eject!" Porkins went out in a blaze of glory. Ivanona only got a few bruises. Think I'll follow the B5 character instead. Only problem is, life doesn't have an ejection seat. ;_;

Wasted Time

Holiday weekends are supposed to be for relaxing, so why do I feel a bit guilty about having goofed off all day? I'm not even talking about work. I have a list of personal projects, any one of which would be perfect for times like these. Sometimes I wonder what goes on in the dark recesses of the grey lump pretending to be my brain. Er, or maybe some things are better left unexplored. ^_^

Changing Routines

I generally dislike being in a rut so I've made a big change to my daily routine by moving my exercise period into the evening. I needed something to separate working time from relaxing time. For people with a regular job, this delineation is obvious. It is even worse when the work and the relaxing both involve using a computer, so the distinction between the two isn't always obvious. In the worst case, I'd just keep working and end up with a only a couple of hours to relax before bed time, which isn't good for the mental health.

It's Just Entertaiment

It really annoys me when people take entertainment too seriously (which is actually a contradiction in terms). Don't get me wrong. I enjoy a good nitpicking session as much as the next geek. But I tend to lose interest in the discussion when it becomes too heavy. My opinions will never be that strong about something which isn't supposed to be taken seriously. It's just entertainment.

Easter WIth The Family

I spent Easter at my sister Pat's home, along with most of the family. We were missing my other sister Jean and my nephew Max, both because of work. The dinner highlight was the beef curry that Pat made. It was yummy. ^_^ I haven't had beef curry since leaving South Africa as my sisters usually make chicken curry, which is also delicious but the bones are a little annoying.

I got into a lengthy discussion with my nephew Doug about why Hollywood produces such crap these days compared to just twenty or thirty years ago. I think we hit the main reasons quite nicely (basically a reliance on gimmicks: action, CGI, and now 3D). Not that our opinion matters since neither of us are in the the target demographic these days.

As usual the festivities wrapped up much too early (I was home by nine), but most people have to work tomorrow so it was to be expected for Easter Sunday. The next full family gathering is the BBQ in July.

Breaking Habits

I'm trying to break the habit of staying up late for no reason. I have tried to do this several times before but usually slipped back into the late night mode without realizing it. Which basically proves that it is just a habit with no conscious purpose. It would not be so bad if I was productive at night, but that rarely happens any more. Just another sign that I'm getting old, I guess. ^_^

Kick Me When I'm Down

OK, now I'm really starting to feel like I'm being kicked when I'm down. I hope this run of bad luck ends soon otherwise there's going to be blood. Or screaming. Or both.

Birthday Bash

For my birthday, I had supper with my two sisters and brother-in-law. After supper the conversation meandered from topic to topic as usually happens when we get together. And that was the birthday bash. ^_^

I am hoping that next year will be equally low key, but it's the big five-oh so I expect someone will want to make a fuss. Frankly, I could care less. Birthdays are the least of my worries.