I got the job! I interviewed this morning for a job at Olan Mills Photography Studio here in town. They had a few positions available, and I got hired there on the spot for a position a couple of towns over, as sales & assistant to the photographer. I start at $9.50 an hour, and if I do well in the first 3 weeks, will get a raise to $10 an hour. In 30 days I will have benefits even! Around here, that’s something, because most companies are not offering benefits. I just have to figure out what the heck is the difference between HMO or PPO and what we need and how much we want to spend (benefits are 50% paid by employer). At the moment I have no medical insurance, and to a Canadian, that’s a scary concept! Especially a Canadian whose prone to need surgery every few years :-p

Anyhow, this job will be assisting the photographer in the studio, where they do baby portraits and family portraits and stuff like that. My job will be selling the packages; making appointments; and answering phones and whatnot. Plus, I will be trained eventually to be able to actually do the portraits, which will be cool. They also pay bonuses on dollar amounts sold for packages. So if I sell a whole bunch, I get more money. Money is good!

It sounds pretty good because the shift doesn’t start too early, the studio opens at 10 so I have to be there at 9:45 or something, and closes at 7pm, but they actually close for lunch break! Something I didn’t have at my job at the hotel. Can you imagine working 8 hour shifts for $5.75 an hour with no freakin’ meal break? Sheesh! The studio is about 40 minutes away, but they may get an opening at the studio here in town that they could transfer me to, which is only 5 minutes away. Either way, it’s a job with some extra money coming in. And judging by an article in the local paper today about the cost of natural gas going up by $60 or $70 per month, we’re going to need “extra” money. That will probably double our gas bill from last winter. And the insulation and windows in this house really suck, we’re going to need to shrink-wrap the house.

No, I will not give up my Watkins business. I will keep doing that as much as possible. And who knows, I will probably benefit from having a full time job because I will meet people and can grow my customer base that way. It’s difficult trying to create a customer base, when you know only 5 people in town! I will only have Monday and Tuesday evenings available for Good Tasting parties now, but that’s ok, there’s nothing on TV on Monday nights anyhow ;-) I just hope that I can get home on Wednesdays in time for LOST! I’d hate to miss any of it.

PLUS! Get this, I said that I had a couple of prior engagements that I simply could not break, and would require a half day and one whole day off, is that a problem? She said “nope, no problem, what dates?” Cool! So I can still make my commitment to one of my Good Tasting parties, which is scheduled for a Thursday, and keep our “date” with Juli and Jim to go to Renaissance Faire in November. Which, by the way, I am anxiously looking forward to. I’m going thru Renaissance withdrawl!

I also get employee discount at the studio and can have 50% discount on portraits every 30 days if I want it. Why I would need photos taken that often is beyond me, but ya never know. Brother-in-law and Niece may want some photos done, and Mother-in-law maybe. The discount is only for immediate family, I think in-laws count. They’re the only family I have here in NC, all the rest are up in Ontario.

Well, I start on the 12th of October. I couldn’t start right away because friend Allen from Australia is coming to visit for a few days and he’ll be here on Monday. I hope to be able to take him up to Grandfather Mountain one day, if James can get a day off to drive us up there. The road up is just waaaaaaaaaaaaay too scary for me! It’ll be nice, the weather has finally cooled off, and the fall colours should be showing soon, especially up in the mountains. If the weather is clear enough, you can see for miles and miles and miles from up there. If the weather is crappy, maybe we’ll go to Asheville and check out the Biltmore mansion. I’ve been once, but it’s a day out of the house, and an opportunity to imagine what it would be like to live like a multi-millionaire. *snarf* yeah, right!  ¶ 1:47 PM 3 Comments

  Establishing Credit Ok, to other immigrants, this will mean something, and possibly be helpful. To someone who already has an established credit profile and has no worries in that department, you probably won’t care to read on :-p

I just got off the phone with MBNA America, who said they have *finally* approved my credit application for a credit card. Now, at age 38 you’d think I would already have a perfectly good credit profile, and yes, I do. In Canada. But since I moved to the US, I have to start all over again, from scratch.

Shortly after I moved here I called MBNA to find out if I could transfer my MBNA Canada account to an American dollar account, and they said “nope, sorry you have no credit history in the US, we can’t give you a credit card” eejits. Then a couple of weeks ago I got in the mail a letter from MBNA America saying that I was “pre-approved” for an Air Canada affiliate credit card, just fill in this form and send it in. So I did. With a letter telling them of my excellent rating with MBNA Canada (in 3 years they had raised my credit limit 5 times!) and please please please! Give me a US dollar MBNA account.

Well, they called me yesterday. At the god awful hour of 8:45am (believe me, to folks who don’t get to bed til well after 1am, 8:45 is just too early for the phone to be ringing!) and they asked me about my Canadian account and my Social insurance number and they had to check my Canadian credit bureau. Today they called and said they wanted me to fax them a copy of my Social Security card, and then she called back to say I’d been approved! Yay! Finally, I am a person in the United States, with a credit history!

This whole immigration process is rather frustrating and annoying and stressful. I don’t know why they have to make it so difficult to transfer a perfectly good credit history from one country to another. Especially from Canada to the US, where they can easily share police records with no problems at all, but ask them to make a long distance phone call to one of their own foreign branch offices, and you’d think you were asking them to fly to the moon.

Next is American Express. I tried to transfer that one as well, but they said they can’t do it unless I have a job here in the US, and I have to cancel my Canadian account first. Maybe if I get that job that I’m interviewing for tomorrow, I’ll try them next. I just cancelled my Canadian AMEX card because I realized I have no idea where the heck it is! I figured I’d cancel it before someone else finds it and ruins me.

In the long drawn out process that is US immigration, I have one more step crossed off the To Do list, which was “establishing credit”. Now I just wish they’d set up my appointment for my Green Card already!

Oh, and my new MBNA Air Canada card will get me 5000 bonus miles added to my frequent flyer account with Air Canada. Maybe I can fly home for a quick visit sometime this year. If I have a job that is nice enough to give me time off that is. If not, I’ll be stuck here til Gods know when.

*sigh* Its like being 18 again and having to prove myself to the entire freakin adult world. Its really very frustrating.  ¶ 3:11 PM 4 Comments

  Hurricane, and Mosquito relief Well, I had been wondering what Watkins was doing to help out survivors of Hurricane Katrina, and well, here it is! From our newsletter:

Watkins products to help aftermath of Katrina
Watkins Incorporated is sending more than 2,000 large bottles of its Insect Repellent Lotion, as well as numerous personal care items to help aid the people affected by Hurricane Katrina. The truck will be leaving Winona later this week, and the products will be distributed directly to the victims by volunteers of Catholic Charities. The total retail value of the products is more than $20,000 US. In addition, Watkins has made a financial donation to the American Red Cross Disaster Response Fund to help with efforts to support those left homeless by the storm.

Watkins has a long history of working with the Red Cross in Winona. For example, Watkins regularly hosts the Bloodmobile, providing release time for its employees along with a healthy “canteen” for those who donate. Watkins employees quickly filled all 40 appointments for the September 21 Bloodmobile stop at Watkins, with 24 additional employees “on call” in case appointments opened up.

Both Watkins and its employees, like individuals and institutions all over the US and beyond, have significantly increased their charitable giving in response to the suffering and loss of our fellow citizens in Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi. We also know that many of you have risen to this challenge as well. At the same time, Watkins continues with its ongoing commitments to the United Way, Red Cross as well as other non-profit, education, and arts organizations.
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Let me tell you something I learned about the Watkins insect repellent. It was developed in Canada, and is used by Canadian military and police forces. And ME! This stuff actually WORKS! We had gone camping in July to the coast of North Carolina, where the mosquitoes are as big as humming birds, and sound like cessnas! We stayed at KOA campgrounds mostly, and when we checked into the New Bern KOA, we were given a free bottle of Avon’s insect repellent, developed from their Skin So Soft oil crap. Well, the following night in Ocracoke, we were in our tent and I couldn’t for the life of me find the Watkins insect repellent, but I found the Avon stuff. We sprayed that on and kept getting bit. So we sprayed more on. Every 10 minutes until the dang tent fell down around our ears at 2:30am in a horrendous storm. When we extricated ourselves from the collapsed soggy mess and got into the truck, guess what I found!? Yep, that’s right. So, we put on the Watkins insect repellent, and did not get another single bite the rest of the night, and the truck was full of mosquitoes trying to get out of the rain!

Watkins insect repellent contains DEET, which has been scientifically proven to effectively repel all kinds of biting insects. And in these days of West Nile Virus infected mosquitoes and lyme infected ticks added to the mix, you really can’t take your chances. Sure, it would be nice if the natural products made from plants like citronella and such worked better than they do, but they don’t. Health Canada has done studies and is considering disallowing the use of citronella and lavender for use as insect repellents. And I’m not particularly in the mood to be getting encephalitis caused by West Nile! EEK!

According to Health Canada, DEET is not recommended for infants under 6 months, and for toddlers up to age 12, should be a concentration of 10% or less. DEET is not recommended for pets. However, the CDC and American Pediatrics Association has no such restriction on use of DEET on children. Strange that. DEET is effective in concentrations of 30% or less, and considered potentially hazardous to your health in concentrations above 30% by Health Canada. Watkins has DEET concentration of 29.55% . What I also liked about it was it doesn’t have a yucky smell, and its not sticky or slimy. It comes in either lotion (most effective because it can be applied directly) and in spray.

For information from Health Canada regarding the use of insect repellents go to http://www.pmra-arla.gc.ca/english/consum/insectrepellents-e.html

And also a link to CDC http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/qa/insect_repellent.htm

For our dogs, we use a product called Pet Gel Guard. I believe this was originally formulated for horses, but is now available for dogs and cats as well. The bottle says “sold only by veterinarians” but I got ours from PetMeds.com I think. George and Bruno don’t seem to be too bothered by biting insects, but I did have a dog years ago who was terribly allergic to black-flies and flea bites, I wish I’d known about this stuff back then! The poor dear came camping with me once and swelled up from all the black-fly bites, we had to leave a couple of days early and get him to the vet! From then on he was on daily antihistamines. I don’t know if dogs are susceptible to West Nile, but I don’t want to take chances with them either.

I know the season is pretty much over for most of North America, but for those of us south of the Mason/Dixon line, we’re still swatting at gnats, and chiggers, and mosquitoes. It starts in February or March and goes well into Autumn. I’m tellin’ ya, I really do miss snow!  ¶ 11:08 AM 0 Comments

  Ghost Busters Well, I got nuthin’!

Last night’s foray into the paranormal was interesting, but I got nothing on video or digital camera at all. We do have to take the 35mm film in to get processed to be absolutely sure, but I’m guessing it will be much like everything else we got. Just pictures.

However, there were probably 12 of us wandering around the house, and several others say they got digital photos of “something”, as well as several people said that they felt “a presence”, or felt nauseous in certain parts of the house, or felt as if their breathing was constricted and other things.

My own thoughts on the experience are many. First, there were just too many people wandering around aimlessly, with no organization really of who should be where doing what at any given time. Camera flashes were going off as the guys with the EMF meters were getting readings, and as the video cameras with night vision were taping. Both inside and outside the house. All, in my admitted inexperienced opinion, kind of work counter productive to each other. There were 3 or 4 people with pendulums that would alternately be completely still, and then go nuts whenever another pendulum got near. As far as I know, this wouldn’t be unusual, as the “energies” from each pendulum, and pendulum’s owner, could/would interfere with the other. Some people felt “things” in certain spots in each room, some felt it was malevolent, others felt it was harmless.

Me, I felt nothing more than utter confusion and frustration at just how many “investigators” were there, and at the lack of organization, as well as courtesy toward what each person was attempting to investigate.

Each and every “feeling” or “odd occurrence” I tried to find a mundane reason for. Such as, a couple of the men said they all of a sudden caught a whiff of some scent. I started looking for a hidden room freshener, scented candle, open bottle of perfume etc etc etc…which was eventually found.

Creaking floors that the inhabitants of the house spoke of, are easily explained that the basement/crawlspace of the house had recently been flooded, so the foundations likely shifted a bit; the a/c going on and off will expand and contract the floor boards; the dryer’s vent runs from the middle of the house outward to the rear exterior wall, also likely to cause the floorboards to expand and contract with heating and cooling. The burn on the bathroom counter, attributed to the “ghosts” turning on the curling iron, I highly doubt, and will say it is more likely that the girl herself left it on and just forgot. Then, because her roommates believe the house is haunted, just blamed it on the ghost. This happened quite often in my house when I was growing up. If something got broken or lost or misplaced, it was blamed on Joe, our ghost. Later it usually was revealed that someone other than Joe was the culprit.

As for quite a lot of the inhabitants, their friends, and the investigators feeling “something” there, it is entirely possible. I will not say “no way, I didn’t see/feel/hear anything, so it can’t be”, but I honestly do believe that the power of suggestion is greater than most people understand, or will admit to. I believe that some went in there, having read the ladies’ account of their haunting, predisposed to “feel” something. And then as soon as someone “felt” something, others immediately piped up “wow, I did too”. This in itself is a phenomenon that deserves investigation, along the lines of “is a yawn contagious?”.

There are things in the house that bothered me. Such as the light under the house/crawl space being turned on and no one can figure out where the switch is. The ladies of the house had no idea there was even a light under there, and they’ve lived there for 10 months. I find it hard to believe that a light has no switch, or pull chain and can just turn itself on at dusk, and the people who live there have never noticed it before. The landlord had been there months ago to drain the flood (which the ladies in the house also had not noticed), if he had left the light on all that time, I’m sure they would have seen it before I noticed it last night! They claim to never have noticed it.

One of our investigators came to the conclusion that the haunting is being caused by a family of Native Americans who died on the spot generations ago, and they are ready and willing to move on, they just don’t know how to. They’re also angry with what has been done to the land there, and the house, and cul-de-sac is relatively new, so that is understandable. A lot of locals were also angry with the developer for carving up another piece of the mountain.

I don’t find it too much of a stretch to think that a family who may have lived and died on that spot generations ago would be angry with the current state of things. Nor do I find it a stretch to think that they would still be around, haunting the hill. I just personally found no evidence to back it up. I would be interested to go back there, with A LOT fewer people around, to see what I get. But for now, I will defer to what other’s saw, felt and heard. Cuz I got nuthin’.  ¶ 2:01 PM 3 Comments

  Urban Legends and other fun things Well, today’s topic is ghosts, and urban legends. Why? Well because RaspberrySwirl’s comment in my Halloween post triggered a memory about an urban legend that came true, and because I’m going ghost hunting tonight! ;-)

First, the urban legend. When we were kids going out trick-or-treating on Halloween night, we were not allowed to eat candied apples or popcorn balls from people we did not know until Mum could check them out first. Some families who regularly gave out such treats would put popsicle sticks with their name on it so we’d know who they came from. Anything else had to be dumped on the living room floor and Mum and Dad went thru it all before we could eat it. I always gave Mum my candy kisses (molasses candy…yuck!) and Dad my licorice (again…yuck!). Anyhow….there were rumours and legends that kids had found razor blades and pins, and sometimes poison in their candy and apples and whatnot, which is why parents always checked everything out before it got eaten.

I can’t tell you how difficult it is to wander around for several hours with a bag load of candy and NOT eat any of it! Tee hee hee ;-)

Well, that urban legend did “come true” in several neighbourhoods around North America. Children were finding all kinds of nasty things in their candy. On my favourite Urban Legends website; where by the way, they have given themselves a facelift; is their article about Pins & Needles http://www.snopes.com/horrors/mayhem/needles.htm There are actual documented cases of people finding such things in their Halloween loot. Another page on Snopes has an undetermined story of children at a party in New Jersey becoming sick, and rumours that their candy had been spiked with PCP http://www.snopes.com/horrors/poison/hallowee.htm

Seriously, what kind of sick #@$% does such a thing to children? >:-

Anyhow…on to the ghost story. Tonight I will be joining up with some new acquaintances who are “Paranormal Investigators”, and we will be investigating a haunting. A woman emailed the group to say that she and her housemates have been bothered by possibly several entities since they moved into the house. Things going bump in the night, apparitions, and other neat and nifty things. They are up in the mountains, and I believe there are about 10 of us going. I have an 8mm video camera that has night vision on it, so I’ll be taking that, as well as my digital camera. If I get any pictures of ghostios, I’ll post ‘em.

I figured I’d post the link to Snopes’ article about the Amityville Horror house. Is it real? Or is it all Hollywood? http://www.snopes.com/horrors/ghosts/amityville.asp

The truth is out there. But can we handle the truth?  ¶ 11:04 AM 0 Comments

  More Pride, More Prejudice Yesterday was the Boone Highcountry Pagan Pride Day. It was held at Appalachain State University (for my Canadian readers, that is pronounced “appa-laa-chin” down here in the south) in Boone, outdoors at the Duckpond Field.

It was a lovely day, sunny, and not too hot, and sometimes breezy. It did start to cloud over later in the day, as Hurricane Rita gets closer to us, but she still has not reached this far in-land. Our thoughts and prayers and energies were sent to our fellows in Texas and Louisiana who had to cancel their PPDs yesterday because of the storm. Hopefully they will all be home soon and able to reschedule.

Thankfully James was able to take the day off work and attend the festivities with me. Its not a normal thing for him to get a Saturday off, and I was grateful that he was able to do this, and to share the day with me. I’m so used to standing in circle wishing that he was there, that being able to share the experience was almost strange. I wish we could do it more often.

I found a necklace to match a pair of dagger earrings that I’ve had for years, which I coincidently was wearing yesterday, and we found James a really nice tiger-eye stone necklace as well. We stocked up on some incense and got T-Shirts to remember the day. Oh, and I won one of the raffle draws, and got a really nice 8x10 print that I will be able to hang on the wall over my altar.

I missed not being able to go to Toronto PPD, I miss my friends and family there, and I miss the FEAST that is seemingly always part of being Pagan in Toronto! I have suggested it to the organizers here for next year’s Boone PPD. I guess there’s not many Celts around here ;-) Who knows, maybe I’ll even jump in and help out next year, if we’re still living in the highcountry.

We finished off the day with a wonderful (Wiccan) ritual and spiral dance. We had some spectators of course, being on campus and close to residences. There was also a guy who kept driving by in his pick-up truck yelling things like “Spread the Blood of Satan” that caused a few giggles, but he stopped when one of our members walked out to the street with his camera and snapped a pic. LOL! There were others who yelled some things that were unintelligible, but for the most part we were left alone. Some folks who wandered by came to say hello, and some just kept walking and wondering what the heck we were doing there.

Here’s to another year of Pagan Pride. May those who are able come out of the closet, and those who aren’t, keep their faith.  ¶ 12:37 PM 3 Comments

  Come as you aren't Who here likes Halloween and/or just getting dressed up in silly costumes for the heckuvit?

Me! Me! Me! Me!

I love getting dressed up for Halloween. Sadly, where I live now doesn’t DO Halloween, so I’ll have to think of somewhere else to go. Maybe that pirate bar in Asheville will be having a costume party. I expect everyone would be dressed up as pirates. ;-)

We are planning at least one trip to the North Carolina Renaissance Faire, probably for their last weekend on November 13th or thereabouts. We’ve been once to NC Faire, a couple of years ago. It was ok, but honestly, not as much fun as Ontario Faire. I really missed the Pub Sing! NC Faire doesn’t even have a tavern like they did at Ontario (now since closed up shop, expenses ran too high). By not having a sit down tavern, you can’t really have the Pub Sing along, and without the Pub Sing, I would just look like a crazy idiot wandering around drunk singing pirate shanties :-D Plus, the Tartan Terrors don’t come to NC. :-( I really must email them and ask them to add North Carolina to their tour, I miss them. *sigh*

BUT! North Carolina Faire has what they call The Greenman. I call him Treebeard. It’s this person in a tree costume that moves really really slow, like an Ent. I have no idea how tall it is, but when we saw it a couple of years ago, I just stood there with my mouth hanging open. I couldn’t believe there was an actual real Ent wandering around the fair! How cool is that!? It’s a very convincing costume, and a bit startling when you first see it move.

And yes, I used to go regularly to Ontario Faire in full wench costume. It makes the experience all that much more memorable and fun. I will definitely be forcing James into his pirate garb when we go this year! He refused last time because we were going with friends who didn’t have any garb, and he didn’t want to embarrass them. :rolleyes:

I was just surfing around the internet and came across a costume site, and was wondering what I could dress up as for Halloween that is completely opposite of what I am. A complete “come as you aren’t” turn around. The only thing that I found there that would be remotely opposite was a Southern Belle dress, complete with ruffles, crinolines, and floppy hat. Or perhaps a nun. Or the Virgin Mary. What do you think?

I just really miss Halloween, and I wish I could get all dressed up and sit here and wait for children to knock on the door so that I could scare the bejeebers out of them. Which is probably why they don’t do Halloween in this neighbourhood, the kids scare too easily! LOL! *snarf*  ¶ 5:37 PM 1 Comments

  TV Junkie Well, last night was the season premier of LOST. I, like all other LOST fans waited anxiously to find out what the heck was in that hatch and what happened to the guys on the raft. And now I’m just as confused as ever.

Is Shannon psychic, or can Walt astral project?

What the heck is that guy doing down there, and how long has he been there? (Jack’s wig in the flashbacks was LOL! *snarf* ) How did he get there? And why is he quarantined?

What happened to Kate?

Why does it look like Hurley has gained weight? He should be losing weight by now!

How long will this series be able to last? Is it suspenseful enough with enough story lines to last a few years? And will they EVER tell us what the heck the Monster is who lives on the island with them? Or will it continue to be like the cat jumping out at us from behind a door?

Tonight is season premier of CSI at 9pm. Then Sunday is Desperate Housewives, and Grey’s Anatomy. Next week is Bones with David Boreanaz (ep. 3 I think. I missed the pilot) and another new show called Supernatural. And then Boston Legal. William Shatner and James Spader together just kill me!

And then we’re back at Wednesdays with LOST. So what do I do on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays? *hmph* ;-)  ¶ 11:38 AM 2 Comments

  It would be nice to breathe Ugh! My allergies are going nutz. I can’t breathe whenever I’m in my own house. I’m quite sure it’s the mold under the kitchen sink, in the bathroom and in the bedroom closet. Its everywhere, and I’m allergic to it. The dog hair everywhere is probably also a contributor, but not as much. I can sit in the car, which is also full of dog hair and my nose won’t be as stuffy as when I’m in the house. If I'm out of the house for an hour or more, it clears up almost entirely. Only to return about 15 minutes after I get back in the house. *pout*

At night time I take Advil Cold & Sinus, plus an anti-histamine just so I can sleep. And somewhere around 4:30 or 5am its stopped working, my nose stuffs up again and I wake up unable to breathe. This totally sucks. I’m allergic to our house :-p

The kitchen sink was leaking for goodness knows how long, and there is mold everywhere underneath. We can’t afford to remodel the kitchen, or even replace the counter and cupboards right now. I also discovered mold in the bathroom, but it’s not as bad. I just can’t figure out if the tub is leaking, or if it’s just James being lazy and not placing the curtain properly so the water gets out and soaks the floor.

My house is toxic. I wonder if we could get a government grant to tear it down and start all over?  ¶ 1:18 PM 0 Comments

  Wha's happenin? Not a whole heckuva lot really.

As you know, I moved here last fall from the Toronto area of Ontario, Canada. Toronto is Canada’s largest city, and has been touted as one of the world’s only “truely” multicultural cities. I’ve lived in the Greek neighbourhood, little India, noshed in China-Town, wandered drunkenly along Queen Street West with the crazy freaky Goths, and I was born in Scarborough. I grew up near Stouffville, about 45 minutes north of the city, moving back and forth when either one started to annoy me enough that I needed a break. Even in Stouffville, I had 3 pubs within walking distance of my apartment.

One of the first things I noticed after moving to North Carolina? The almost complete LACK of diversity. The only Asians around town own the Chinese or Japanese restaurants. The Greek restaurant has been so “Americanized” there’s no freakin’ garlic in the tziki sauce, and the Thai restaurant in Hickory has no ginger! The population of this “city” is about 17,000. The racial makeup of the city is 75.67% White, 12.76% African American, 0.55% Native American, 1.99% Asian, 0.81% Pacific Islander, 6.64% from other races, and 1.58% from two or more races. 11.16% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. (source, Wikipedia/US census). Comparitively, Toronto’s population population is 2,518,772 and demographically White: 53.3%, Chinese/Asian: 14.2%, Indian/South Asian: 10.3%, African/Black: 9.8%, Hispanic/Latin American: 2.5%, Mixed: 2.1%, Other Race: 7.8%. And, Toronto has 79 ethnic publications. I don’t think there are any here in Morganton. Tho there is a Spanish page in the local newspaper.

Why should this bother me? Well for one, when I first moved here and some of the neighbours came to introduce themselves, they all mentioned how happy they were that we bought the house and “not some stinkin Mexican”. Then they go on to disparage immigrants in general, but of course I don’t count, because I’m Canadian and close enough to being American anyway :-p Ugh! Plus, it makes things really boring! Whenever I think of going out for foreign food, there’s no where to go because its all been dummed down for the sensitive local palet. I want some souvlaki dammit!

I get rather tired of hearing racial slurs, disparaging of immigrants, people tossing around the word “nigger” all to freely, at the very least a helluva lot more than I’m used to, and I’m tired of feeling uncomfortable around quite literally Everyone! I really don’t fit in here, and I really wouldn’t be here at all if Canadian Immigration had not banned my James from entering Canada. They suck!

We’re about an hour away from just about anything interesting to do. Here in town I guess there are a couple of “sit down” family restaurants, 100 bazillion fast food joints, and apparently one bar that I’ve been warned not to go to. There are no “clubs” like I’m used to back up in Toronto, and even if there was, there is no public transportation to get there if we wanted to have a few drinks. Apparently there are clubs in Charlotte and Asheville and Winston-Salem that have “Goth Night”, but there are no Goth clubs anywhere in the state. Although, there is a new bar in Asheville that we have to check out soon called Joli Rouge. It’s a pirate bar, and was in the paper as a “member only”. I’m not sure exactly what that means. Can’t be all bad if its run by pirates tho ;-) Too bad its so far away.

We’re considering moving elsewhere, but for now we’re kinda stuck here, as James doesn’t want to move while his mother is so ill. She’s been having chemo therapy for a few months now, and doesn’t look good. Not to mention of course, James would need to find a job first before we could consider moving somewhere else. Me, I can take my job anywhere. Which is part of the reason I started this home based biz, other than there are no jobs here in town except retail or fast food.

Oh, and get this! I saw a commercial on TV for that farmer’s market the other day. It’s a PSA sort of from the mayor. He says something like “a little bit of the Big City, right here in Morganton”. Now I ask you, how is having a Farmer’s Market anything like being in a Big City? Huh? He must be on crack.

Tonight I’m goin up to Marion to the book store for a Paranormal Investigation thingy. She does them once a month, and the speaker is a new Watkins customer of mine, so I figured I’d go check it out. At the very least, it’s a night out. I hope the gas prices have gone down a bit.

*sigh* catch ya later!  ¶ 2:19 PM 4 Comments

  Ink Yesterday I went to a local farmer’s market to check them out and see if they had anything we would want to eat (I got some cheese and some fudge). Well, I was wearing a sarong skirt, and a tank top. I walked in there and the proprietor immediately said “hey, I like that armband!” Which is rather unusual in this town, I usually get looked at like I’m some sort of lowlife just because I have tattoos. Some people say their body is a temple, mine is a canvas!

Anyhow, we talked a bit about tattoos. She apparently has one on her back, which was covered up by her t-shirt. I myself have 4. 2 on my back/shoulder blades, 1 on my left arm, and one on my right leg near the ankle. I really would like some more, but haven’t got the money for it right now. I have an idea for a Yin/Yang if I could ever get George and Bruno to lie down together head to head. I’d get a picture then try to draw a Yin/Yang symbol with their heads! Bruno is darker than George, so it would be really cool I think.

Of course it doesn’t help my addiction now with 2 new “reality” shows on TV, one called “Inked” and the other called “Miami Ink”. I prefer the latter show, I don’t know why exactly; maybe it just seems a bit more down to earth. They have some really awesome artists in their shop, and if I was anywhere near Miami, I would definitely go there to get some artwork done.

James says I can’t get another tattoo until after he’s got another one. Why? Because he wants to catch up to me. He only has 3 tattoos. He’s got matching armbands, the same as mine. Well, one is the same as mine, and was even done by the same artist. The second one he got somewhere local, and the guy messed it up so its almost the same, but not quite. And on his back/shoulder blade he’s got a tiger. He got that because he used to be a Tiger Claw fighter. Apparently he was pretty good too.

Tattoos can be very addictive, and yet some people will get one, and that’s it. I know a few people who have one, and have said they’d never get another one. I wonder why that is? How do some people get addicted and others don’t? I guess it’s the same as any other addiction. Some are prone while others can take it or leave it. I love tattoos. I wish I could get more and more and more. Maybe not a whole bodysuit, but I definitely need some more to even out.

Could be worse. I could be into piercings. I could have metal all over my face and body. Personally I just don’t find it very attractive, but to each their own. It’s the same endorphins rush just with different decoration. I wonder…do you have to remove all those when going through a metal detector at the airport?  ¶ 12:17 PM 0 Comments

  Shameless Plug - Only 98 Shopping Days Left! Chocolate Truffles

I just have to share this recipe from Watkins! Its for chocolate truffles and I know so many people who are chocoholics who would just looooooooove these!

Ingredients
6 oz/170 g semi-sweet chocolate4 oz/113 g cream cheese1-1/2 cups/375 mL powdered sugar1/2 tsp/2.5 mL Original Double-Strength Vanilla1 tsp/5 mL Watkins Extract of choice. Suggestions: Danish Pastry Extract, Hazelnut Extract, Irish Cream Extract, Vanilla Nut Extract, or Almond ExtractBaking Cocoa, powdered sugar, chocolate, nuts, etc. for decoration

Cooking Directions
Melt chocolate in microwave on high for 60 seconds. Stir and continue cooking on high for another 30 seconds or until completely melted.Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add powdered sugar and continue beating until well-blended. Stir in chocolate, vanilla and extracts. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm. Shape into 1-inch/25-mm balls. Roll in cocoa, sugar, nuts, etc. or dip in melted chocolate. Store in refrigerator.Makes approximately 3 dozen truffles. Try This:Use white chocolate in place of the semi-sweet and follow same directions. Or use white chocolate for dipping

The Holiday gift line Extract Assortment is featured now until the end of the year. It includes Anise, Irish Cream, Danish Pastry, Wintergreen, and Hazelnut flavours, 2 fl oz each. Also the Watkins tried and true Vanilla Extract and more than a dozen other year round flavours are always available. The orange, or cherry extracts would be nice for these truffles I think! Oooooooooh, how ‘bout Mango? Yummmmm!

Here’s another recipe, this time for Crystal Cut Candy, in case you were wondering what to do with the Anise and Wintergreen extracts. I think these would be cool to take to a Halloween party.

Ingredients
2 cups/500 mL sugar1/2 cup/125 mL light corn syrup1/2 cup/125 mL water Dash salt Few drops red food color or green food color(2 to 3 tsp/10 to 15 mL) Anise Extract— or Wintergreen Extract

Cooking Directions
Combine sugar, syrup, water and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook to hard-crack stage or 290°F/145°C on candy thermometer. Add food color and extract; allow to set for a few seconds before stirring. Mix well and pour into an 8 x 8 x 2-inch/20 x 20 x 5-cm pan that has been sprayed with Watkins Cooking Spray. Let stand a few minutes until slightly cooled and a film forms over the top. Mark candy into 3/4-inch/20-mm squares using spatula or pancake turner. (Because candy is cooler at edges, start marking at the outside and work toward the center.) Press a line across pan 3/4 inch/20 mm from edge. Be careful not to break film. Repeat around pan, intersecting lines at corners to form squares. If lines do not hold shape, candy is not cool enough. Retrace lines, pressing spatula deeper, but do not break film. When spatula can be pressed to bottom of pan on all lines, candy will be shaped into square puffs. Cool thoroughly and break into puffs. Store loosely covered in a cool, dry place. Makes approximately 100 candies.

In the US the Holiday Extracts set is $19.95 and in Canada its $27.95. I use them to flavour my SoyNilla protein drinks too for a bit of breakfast variety.

Check my website www.canuckinnc.com for more information. The Holiday Gift Line products tend to sell out by the beginning of December apparently, so you’d better get there fast!

/shameless plug  ¶ 9:44 AM 0 Comments

  Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr A letter in the Marion newspaper...

Apparently, it is all my fault. Well, mine and every other Liberal, Witch, Gay/Lesbian baby killer, tree hugger. It is our fault that Hurricane Katrina wreaked the havoc that she did. It is our fault that this country is going to hell in a hand basket. It is our fault that the God Fearing President George W. Bush can’t adequately do his job, because we all just hate him so! It is not his fault. It is not global warming or any other scientific theory. It was the Liberals. We did it.

I must have missed that meeting.

Seriously, is this woman’s brain wired backwards or what? I would post the exact letter, but the paper doesn’t have letters on their on-line edition, and I didn’t keep the copy of the paper, it was my friend Juli’s.

This lady is just as whacked out as Pat Robertson when he said it was the baby eating Lesbian Witches fault that the terrorists flew planes into the World Trade Center towers! Sheesh! We just can’t get a break no matter which way we look.

As someone said today, they’re getting fewer in numbers, so those whack jobs that are left are screaming even louder. And it gets more mind numbingly teeth crunchingly maddening every day! Where do they get these ideas? Since when is being “liberal” akin to infanticide and debauchery?

This is all just too much for my little Canadian brain to fathom. I mean to me, Liberal is a political party. Not a cuss word. I don’t understand how the label of “liberal” (as said with the conservative contemptible sneer) is meant to be the epithet that it is. It’s as if 5 of the 6 definitions of the word in the Merriam Webster dictionary (an American publication!) do not exist here. The only one that pertains to how the word is used here is an obsolete definition: “lacks moral restraint”. It’s a bad word here. Tossed around to try and make people with open minds feel bad, and to make the “conservative Christian right” people feel superior. Left. Right. Liberal. Conservative. UGH! Pass the Tylenol.

She also said that we Liberals should all stop complaining about Bush and what he’s done (or not done) to help the disaster regions in the south, because by golly, the Liberals have done absolutely nothing to help out.! We’ve just sat back and watched them all die! I guess she missed seeing Sean Penn on the news, up to his waste in sewage contaminated flood waters rescuing people. Or maybe she did see him, and figures that he’s converted now, and he came to his senses so that’s why he’s out helping people now. Of course I didn’t make the TV news when I volunteered to help out and donated all those clothes. And all that food, water and first aid supplies. And dog food and cat food. And money…and and and….Not that I do any of that to get on the news. Or even for any recognition other than the pat on the back I give myself. But for ANYONE to say that a particularly loathsome group of others does NOTHING to help EVER, is just incredibly small minded and hateful. And rather ignorant to say the least. She doesn’t get out much I guess.

This country, this the richest of the superpowers in the world, is so divided and divisive, it’s frightening. The Government trying to pass laws and constitutional amendments that TAKE AWAY human rights from minority groups. The monied few getting richer and the working poor getting hungrier. And the religious divide getting wider than the parting of the Red Sea.

It just makes me want to laugh. Then vomit. Then hide in the closet and cry. This shouldn’t be happening here in the land of the free, home of the brave. Pffffffffffft.

Well, I guess I’ll go cook a nice chunky baby for my dinner, and then go do another hurricane rain dance under the moonlight. Heck, if they’re gonna blame me for it…

:-p  ¶ 6:11 PM 0 Comments

  What would you do? Lately I’ve been thinking “if we had to evacuate, what would we take? Are we ready?” The list is long, and no, I don’t think so!

First and foremost, we would definitely take the dogs. If there was an evacuation mandated by the city or the state government, there would be no way I’d go to a shelter that wouldn’t allow our dogs. So we’d have to just get in the truck and drive. Of course we’d need dog food, and water. Which got me thinking, “how’m I gonna fit 2 ginormous dogs and a month’s worth of food and water in the back of the Escape!?” Plus we’d need food and water for me and James. Luckily we’re campers and have one of those car top carriers, we’ve got room for more stuff!

We have a few of the basics. We have a few bottles of frozen water in the freezer, to put in cooler, and also for drinking. I should probably defrost those and make some fresh ones. They’ve been there a year or more. We have some backpacker’s dehydrated foods, just add boiling water. Assuming of course we have fresh water. I do have an MSR water filter that works very well to filter out normal level contaminants from lakes and streams, if that is your water source. If the flood waters are contaminated with sewage and whatnot, I dunno how well it would work. Maybe I should get some water purifying tablets. Plus we’ve got a couple of week’s worth of canned goods. Beans mostly. And some soup base mixes, and Ramen noodles. Again, always assuming we have fresh water.

James is a bit of a packrat when it comes to first aid supplies. He’s got a tackle box full of bandages, gauze, tape, gloves, antiseptic wipes, expired analgesics, etc etc…plus another kit on the kitchen wall, same stuff, smaller quantities.

We’ve got flashlights galore, but do you think I can ever find any of the dang things? I should get one or two of those newfangled ones that you just shake and it turns on. No need for batteries. We have a crank radio, needs no batteries.

Of course we have several dozen candles. It’s a fetish ok! What kind of witch would I be if I didn’t have candles!? The Apocolypse could ride right thru my house, and it will never be dark!

We have James’ laptop, and one of those plug in converter things for the car so that we could charge the battery for that, and our cell phones. We wouldn’t be totally cut off, unless aliens attacked and knocked out all our communication systems.

Of course I know where the sleeping bags and backpacks are so that I could stuff those with necessaries. And there’s a roll of TP in the car already. No idea why James put it there, but there ya go. Plus I have a roll of camper’s toilet tissue in my handbag. Its pocket size and comes in handy when in public restrooms that have run out of tissue! Go to www.cottonbuds.com to see what I’m talking about. I need to stock up, I’m down to my last roll.

I have no idea what to do with my 2 goldfish tho! That’s what’s been bugging me. I don’t think I could put them in the car with us, and if the power goes out, they’ll die in about 3 days without filtration.

After seeing what happened in New Orleans and the people in the Superdome and the Convention Center, there is NO WAY I’m heading for a public shelter. I’m heading for the hills!

What will you do, if a Katrina like disaster strikes your hometown? Will you stay and “ride it out” and possibly die in your attic? Or will you pack up the car and go…somewhere?  ¶ 11:44 PM 0 Comments

  We don't have much, but we'll give what we can As I mentioned previously, I have decided this month to donate 10% of my Watkins proceeds to Hurricane Katrina relief funds. A couple of weeks ago when a local company was taking food donations, I donated water, Gatorade and canned goods. Well today, another trucking company is taking donations of clothing and will be driving it down south on Friday. I stopped by there this morning with 4 bags of our clothes that we’ve grown out of (3 were James’), and ended up staying for about 3 hours to help them sort thru the several dozen bags and boxes that hadn’t been properly sorted. The Red Cross won’t take clothing unless it is properly sorted apparently. And Hardee’s (hamburger chain) donated lunch to those of us who just happened to be there volunteering for the day. One of the guys called them up and they said “sure, how many do ya need?” Cool eh?

The organizer of the clothing drive said she will be having a BBQ for the volunteers probably tomorrow after the truck is loaded up. I left my business card and a couple of catalogues so she could call me to let me know where and when. I had mentioned my 10% donation pledge to her already while we were eating lunch, and said I’d leave a catalogue or 2 so she could check it out.

And I wasn’t wrong about the shut off notices the other day. This morning in the middle of trying to surf somewhere, my cable connection went out. So I checked the pile of mail, there was no shut off notice from the cable company, but there was one from the Power Company. Already 8 days past the date they said they’d shut us off. Which is why I never pay attention to their shut off notices, they send them whether we pay or not, and then never follow thru with their threats ;-) The cable company however does not send notices of any kind, they just shut ya down. Big meanies. I paid them, but had to dig into the savings account to do it.

I’ve been looking for a job, but there’s not much here in town, and at minimum wage (which is about all that’s available even in surrounding towns) I can’t afford to pay the gas to put in the car to get to a job. I sent an application to the city the other day; they’re looking for an admin assistant. I probably won’t hear back from them. I never did on the 3 other applications I sent them earlier in the year. I’m probably over qualified. Or they’re worried I don’t speak English :-p

I suppose I could go wash dishes somewhere.  ¶ 5:48 PM 0 Comments

  Living with Saint Bernards, Part II Gotta love my puppies, and my husband even. But put the 3 of them and me on the bed, they start playing and invariably someone gets hurt. Usually me! It sucks being the smallest :-p

Last night as we're getting ready to go to sleep, Bruno crushed me under his nearly 150 pounds by half resting on me, and half standing on the floor. Then once he got settled (James had to lift his rear end up onto the bed) and just before I turned purple from lack of oxygen, George jumped up, and landed right on me! 130 pounds of dog concentrated on one back foot, which happened to be stuck in the crease of my left leg at the hip! Boy did I yelp!

I'm tellin' ya, we need a bigger house so the dogs can have their own room with their own beds!  ¶ 12:06 PM 0 Comments

  Pride and prejudice Saturday was the Asheville Pagan Pride day. My friend Juli and I went together, and all in all, it was a very good day. Well organized, well attended, with a lot of very good workshops and speakers. Not to mention the vendors, all of whom had such wonderfully lovely things! Alas, I’m broke, so could only afford to spend $20. Well, I couldn’t even really afford that, but spent it anyway! :-p I got some nice aromatherapy bath salts, and a hand thrown ceramic mug with a Greenman face on it for James. I sat in on a Yoga workshop as well as Bellydancing. I’d love to be able to take classes for either or both of these some day. Bellydancing is so much fun!

It was a bit different event than what I’m used to back home in Toronto. There was no after ritual feast for one, no competitive games, and it was held indoors. Here in the Bible Belt tho, this tends to keep away the protestors ;-) It also unfortunately hides us away from the curious but tolerant who will sometimes wander by and end up joining in the festivities. The Asheville event was held at UNC, pushed way back in the Student Union building, beyond the cafeteria, so not too much curious foot traffic on Saturday afternoon. And of course, “somebody” removed all the directional signs that had been put up by CERES organizers out on the roads. I don’t think it was ever really figured out why “they HAD to come down” or whose decision it was to remove them. This I think kept away people who had probably intended on coming, but then couldn’t find their way to the university. Luckily Juli and I had left home early, and the signs were still up, so found our way with little difficulty.

On the 24th there is another PPD event scheduled in Boone, which I will also be attending, barring any unforeseen catastrophes, and assuming of course that I have some money to put gas in the car! Saturday I topped up and it cost me over $23 for just slightly more than half a tank! GAH!

Anyhow, I finally got my re-direct web domain working that James got me for my birthday. For a quick peek, go to http://www.canuckinnc.com and it’ll take you to my Watkins info page, where you can go to either shop, or to get info on the business opportunity. I hope to someday have some money to do some advertising and use this web link to generate some business and new associates. I checked prices for just 1 day print in 5 publications, and 30 days online is about $250. Probably worth it, but I just don’t have that kind of money right now. I suppose I could run up my credit card, but then how do I pay for that later? I’ll be damned sure not to spiral into that hole! We have enough bills piling up, and I’m sure if I opened up a couple of these envelopes, there’s a disconnect notice or 2 as well! Of course, the local power company sends us one every month, whether we pay on time or not, so I’m not too worried about them :-p  ¶ 9:39 AM 2 Comments

  Lovely Almost Fall Day Well, thankfully, the temperatures have gone down some here in NC. Its actually less than 80F/27C for a change, and bearable to go outside for extended periods, and even for a walk!

An odd occurance yesterday, James took the afternoon and evening off, so we were able to take the dogs for a walk along the Greenway, and then for a dip in the Catawba River. Unfortunately, we had them on the short leash, and George nearly dragged me into the water with her! She loves the water, and loves "snorkeling". She sticks her head almost completely under, and then snorts and blows bubbles. Its rather funny! Bruno had his first trip into the river, and much prefers it over the ocean. There are no waves to chase him ;-)

We went to see "Land of the Dead" at the cheap theatre last night. We're very grateful that we only paid $1.50 each, it wasn't very good. But then, we're both so desensitized to horror movies, its difficult to find one even marginally entertaining anymore, or that isn't totally predictable. It was however, nice to see pictures from home! It was filmed in Toronto, Mississauga, Klienburg and Brampton, so I recognized quite a few places. I think I even recognized a few of the zombie extras, but its hard to tell! :-)

I've been feeling a bit homesick this week. A couple of weeks ago I bought some bagels at the grocery store, and they were just yucky. Mushy and squishy and not at all bagel-y. If you follow. I started craving Montreal bagels. Then the other night on "$40 a Day" on Food Network, Rachel Ray was in Montreal. Eating bagels! THEN, they showed the episode when she went to Vancouver, and she went shopping at Granville Island market. I love that place! I have fond memories of a couple of friends and a banana cream pie there. *snarf* I wonder if she's ever been to Toronto for that show? I've been craving Greek food. No thanks to Chris for that :-p

Well, I've got a loaf in the oven I must go rescue. TTFN!  ¶ 1:54 PM 2 Comments

  Made the local paper at least Well, if there ever was an Open House that never was, that was it! I don't know if it was the gas prices, or the holiday weekend, or everyone home watching the disaster that is the State of Louisiana, but no one showed up. Except a rookie reporter from the local paper. I got a paragraph and a half I think. Plus a blurry picture.

I'd post it, but their website seems to be down at the moment, maybe I can get it later.

I had planned to donate a portion of proceeds to Hurricane Relief funds, but there were no proceeds. Needless to say, I'm rather disappointed. And kinda broke.

Ah well, what else is new? :-p  ¶ 9:43 PM 2 Comments

  A lottery, and gas prices Well, it finally happened! North Carolina has finally got a lottery. Well, the state senate finally voted to allow a lottery at any rate. I suppose it'll take a while before I can actually buy a ticket at our local convenience store. Here's an excerpt from our local paper

"State Sen. Jim Jacumin, R-Burke/Caldwell, voted against the lottery Tuesday, calling it a tax break for the rich and a tax against the poor.

"Poor people are bearing the brunt of the lottery," Jacumin said. "Whether we accept it or not, we have a responsibility to the poor and we didn't accept it very well."

He said by voting in a lottery, proponents are asking the poor to finance the school system in the state.

"Our vote today just made 200,000 to 240,000 people compulsive gamblers," Jacumin said, quoting statistics used to argue against a lottery."

That's kind of a defeatest attitude ain't it? Figuring on his constituents to just go spend all their money on lottery tickets. Can't see how that will be possible, not if they own a car! No one will have any money for lottery tickets, not even the poor and desperate. North Carolina, is I believe, the last state on the eastern seaboard to get a lottery. Up til now, we've been driving to neighbouring states to get tickets. Of course, with the price of gas, we can't do that anymore!

Also in today's paper is an article about the rising cost at the pumps, and line-ups as fear mongers and conspiracy theorists spread rumours that the price will be up to $6 per gallon by the day after tomorrow. Anyone who has more than one vehicle, and any legal container, has been going and filling them up. Now stations are empty of regular and mid-grade fuel, leaving only the more expensive, and for most cars unnecessary, high-grade fuel. I filled up yesterday, because my tank was nearly empty. It cost me $32.11, which is about a $12 hike from what it used to cost me, when I first moved here last October.

Yeah, yeah, I hear my Canadian friends and family sayin' "quitcher bitchin!", and I totally understand that it is much worse in Canada and the UK and Europe. However here where our minimum wage is $5.15 per hour, and most people make less than $10 per hour, filling up a tank of gas is a heartattack inducing endevour. I'd rather be home in Canada with my old job (that I hated) making over $50k per year, and paying $5 a gallon. At least at home if I have a heartattack, I know I won't have to sell my house to pay the hospital bills!

And to anyone wondering what they can do for our suffering neighbours in Lousiana, Alabama etc...monetary donations, if you can spare it, can be made through the Red Cross. At the moment, they still do not have the means to transport donated food or supplies, so they really could use some money. They'll need it, so they can get the refugees out of there, and into the AstroDome in Houston. Blood donations are also needed, to supply the wounded. Not sure if any blood donations made in Canada would be sent south, but if you're able, its always a good idea to donate when you can.

My prayers go out to them. I'm very sad that I never got to see New Orleans. Now its gone.  ¶ 3:06 PM 1 Comments