Please pass the Ketchup, I think its going to rain.

Some Random things that make me smile…

- The 57 on Heinz ketchup bottles represents the number of varieties of pickles the company once had.
- Bard on the Beach play – Rooster begins play and has its head chopped off within 15 seconds… then regular play continues

- Karoke means "empty orchestra" in Japanese.
- The BoomDeYada Song on Discovery Channel

I love the mountains, I love the clear blue sky

I love big bridges, I love when great whites fly

I love the whole world, and all it's sights and sounds

Boomdeyada, Boomdeyada, Boomdeyada, Boomdeyada

I love the ocean, I love real dirty things

I love to go fast, I love Egyptian kings

I love the whole world and all it's craziness

Boomdeyada, Boomdeyada, Boomdeyada, Boomdeyada

I love tornadoes, I love arachnids

I love hot magma, I love the giant squids

I love the whole world, Its such a brilliant place

Boomdeyada, Boomdeyada, Boomdeyada, BoomdeyadaBoomdeyada, Boomdeyada, Boomdeyada, BoomdeyadaBoomdeyada, Boomdeyada, Boomdeyada,

- Babies – They don’t know how hard to touch animals – Chelsea grabbed new puppy Zeuce.
- The poor unfortunate soul whose last name was “cockburn” in my email inbox.
- I chew my pen and my boss always picks it up by accident
- The kid who waits for his mom everyday when I am walking to my car before work – I can hear him singing… until the elevator door opens… I think he likes the echo in the elevator well.
- New puppy Zeuce (12 weeks old) gets the hiccups when he is scared (fyi first trip to the river)
- Girl at work trying sushi for the first time

- When you die your hair still grows for a couple of months

Be Brave my Friends

I have recently been thinking about what it means to be a true friend and really in this day and age it takes a lot. Things that used to be something chalked up to being just teenage girl traits, such as gossip, lying, cheating and stealing, are now trait common associated with grown women or men. To go with the flow of society is becoming more and more difficult, not because people are bad, but because these days there are so many bad choices. People have to literally take a stand if they want to just “be.” You can do the most innocent action and because of how our world is people assume the worst. This frustrates me immensely. We as people have stopped giving our fellow citizens, neighbors, family and friends, something so desperately needed, “The benefit of the doubt.” You have to be very brave and courageous in order to be a good friend, person, and really, you have to be brave to treat yourself properly.


In light of my recent revelation, I come across this poem and it really spoke to me heart.


IF

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;

If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;

If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;

If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

Rudyard Kipling

Swine flu

The last month…

This past months has been a whirlwind of social events, weddings, and a bit of traveling. Perhaps the highlight of this past month was going to Mexico for a friends wedding. It was a beautiful wedding and Mexico was amazing. Great weather, awesome service, delicious food, there was just one small problem. It just so happens that when I was in Mexico, the H1N1 Virus hit. (Also know as the swine flu) What are the chances? At first I was not too worried about it, I though, “Just a flu, It cant be too serious.” Then I started seeing a couple people wearing masks and it really hit about halfway through the week when I saw early checkout notices and almost every third door. That is when we turned on the TV and wow, I think that may have been a bad move. On the TV all that was talked about was the swine flu and how it was a global pandemic and reached a 5 out of 6 on the severity level for unknown virus’s. Then we started hearing that flights were not leaving Mexico City, or had a very low chance of leaving. We had to re book our flight on another airline to avoid the travel through Mexico City, which is a good thing because I later found out that flights that day were all canceled due to people not going into work. This is when things around us started to shut down. The brother of the bride decided one night that he was going to a night club. He paid this Mexican guy 40.00 buck to drive him around to 3 clubs. The Mexican guy did in fact drive him around… He didn’t know the clubs were not open?! He did his job so he never refunded our friend… Nice Right?
The flight home was also eventful, there were many people in the airport with masks and when you were checking in you had to de a brief medical exam because they wanted to make sure you didn’t have swine. What I was wondering is, what if you did? Would you be left in Mexico? It was very interesting when we were connecting in Phoenix because we were treated very much like a leper. People didn’t want to come close or breath or talk to us. I felt like a foreigner! But that is totally okay because this foreigner got one whole week off work PAID as sick time. I was quarantined! How crazy is that!

Ahhh another life blessing in disguise!

Half and Half

Today I realized sometime rather interesting. I was in the kitchen doing my regular morning duties. Stocking the coffee machines, (how glamorous… sometimes I wonder why I volunteered to help out with that) when I realized something. The bag that was full of espresso beans for the latte machine was almost empty and the bag that had regular coffee beans was very full. This was strange because just last week, I stocked all the beans and filled the regular coffee machine with beans ready to be ground and used. Then… It all came back to me, the little complaints of how the coffee was a bit bitter, the remarks on how people have been more energetic in the morning (blamed on the sunshine) and most importantly, “man, this coffee is strong, I think I should put some brown sugar in it” remarks. Yes, That is correct. I put espresso beans in every pot of coffee that people have been making for the past 3 weeks! Ooooyyyy Vey… People have been drinking pots of espresso, not just shots, like in say… a latte.. POTS! I have tried to scoop out all of the beans from the machine, but it’s a bit of a lost cause. The beans have wormed themselves down all the tunnels and chutes of the machine. So technically now people are drinking half and half. Some people like that in their coffee, right? So what if it’s not half and half cream… I guess anything is better than full strength espresso coffee…

I want to be a Loser!

Biggest Loser Work Out

Today I feel encouraged. I have been having this ongoing struggle with my weight since I have been… I don’t know like 10 it feels like. I don’t know if that is because I was actually over weight or if it was because I just focused on it so much? Anyways I don’t have a problem with my body per say, however I would like it to be a little less… whats the word… well… Lets just stay a bit more toned. I have had to kick myself into high gear because I am going to a wedding in Mexico and the entire wedding party is like size 6 and under so its made me evaluate the bikini. So I thought about it and said, “you know what Stephanie Leakey, You like bikini’s and you want a great tan, so you are not going for the one piece!” (although I am going to buy this really retro red poka dotted number… super cute) So I have decided that I am dedicated to going for the two piece, I must feel my best. So I have decided to do a biggest loser workout video.

Yesterday was day two of doing the video and Oh my goodness, the sweat was pouring! I couldn’t believe how hard it worked me. My skin was actually wet. Its basically a six week video so it’s nice that it has a goal. It also has 3 different levels of intensity 1 2 and 3 and I have not even attempted 3 yet because man oh man, level two was tough! The best part of this is that if I keep it up, I’m confident that I will lose weight.

The reason I am blogging about this you ask?

I need to hold my self accountable because lets face it. JC cant do that for me… He more so is the type to bring home chocolate mini eggs and candy.

I feel that if I blog about it I will keep it up!

FOR THE LOVE OF EVERYTHING THAT IS GOOD.....

If you go to the washroom and poop. DO NOT leave smudges on the seat for other innocent people, (like myself) to sit on.

It is nasty and discusting, I almost vomited.

PLEASE WIPE PROPERLY!!!!!!!!!!!!

The only Pot I use, Is under the Kitchen Sink!

This past weekend I took a splendid trip to Calgary. When I was in Calgary I saw my Step Mom, Karen, who had just recently come back from a two week trip to Africa. While she was there she picked up some tea for my brother and myself. It was supposed to be some of the best tea in the world, so I was very excited to get it home and try some. The loose leaf tea was packaged in a clear package about the size of a large zip lock bag, and as I was leaving My Mom and Dad’s house I made a joke about how the package look like a bag of weed and “I hope they don’t catch me…” joke joke lol.

Do I ever regret that statement.

I brought my luggage to the airport, checked my bag and boarded my plane. (This only had 12 people in total on it; Talk about people not wanting to spend money in an economic crisis. No wonder I got my flights for 52 dollars) When I arrived in Vancouver I walked over to the luggage carousel and saw about 10 bags come out. I waited, and waited, and waited, and then, the carousel stopped. I then thinking my baggage was lost (with all my new clothes I bought) sadly sauntered over to the “lost baggage counter.” When I asked the lady about my luggage she could not find it in the system, she said in a very concerned voice “I’m sorry Miss Leakey, It looks like the bag never even made it onto the plane. Could you please wait a moment, I am going to contact security.” Then she proceeded to call security, and inform them that passenger Leakey was at the baggage counter. Another West Jet person came to the counter and said in a stern don’t mess with me voice, “I’m sorry that this has been an inconvience Miss Leakey, but your baggage has be detained under the circumstance of suspicious content.”

GOODNESS GRACIOUS… was my first reaction, followed by a long sigh in preparation for the explanation of the tea in my bag. I knew immediately that the tea must have been the culprit in getting me in trouble. I told the West Jet representative in a calm manner, well as calm as I can be, that “I have some loose leave tea in my bag and you want to get some hot water, I would be happy to sit down and have a cup with her.” She did not appreciate that very much, and told me that my bag will be detained for up to 30 day until the content has been examined.

Just my luck, I am busted for pot, and have never even smoked the stuff. This whole situation makes me know that I do not believe in karma. I would totally get it if I were some sort of stoner in the past; this sort of stuff would just be bound to happen. But Moi? Really? Apparently so.

Have no fear however, I got a phone call about 1 hour after I left the airport telling me that my luggage was going to be sent on my next flight and for the inconvience, I get a $100.00 West Jet flight Credit, A very happy ending to a crappy / comical situation.