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By kilax, November 25, 2009 5:28 am

First of all, can you believe Thanksgiving is tomorrow? It feels like just yesterday I was looking for friends at the Chicago Marathon. The holiday really snuck up on me – probably because we aren’t doing much of anything tomorrow! Well, we’re running a 5K, maybe volunteering to box canned goods (if we aren’t all sweaty), checking in on Diane’s babies (cats) and picking up my sister at the O’Hare (returning from Cancun), but we’re not actually having the big meal until Friday, when we can celebrate with my sister and her friend.

What are your Thanksgiving plans? Traveling to see family/friends? Hosting? Sleeping in and lazing around all day?

On to Facebook. I’m sure you heard the story about the Canadian woman who says she lost her benefits (she was on long-term leave for depression) after her insurance agency found photos of her having fun on Facebook (story here).

According to the woman, Nathalie Blanchard, her insurance agent found photos on Facebook of her on holiday, at Chippendales, and at a birthday party, and that was evidence that she was well enough to go back to work. They cut off her sick-leave benefits this fall.

Blanchard says her doctor recommended she go on holiday to cheer up, and that she went when she was feeling particularly low.

The insurance agent said they would never deny a claim based on a website like Facebook. Blanchard’s case is going before the Quebec Superior Court next month.

What is your opinion on this story?

A few thoughts come to my mind. My cynical side can definitely imagine someone milking sick-leave benefits for all they are worth. Some people are just lazy and abusive of privileges like that – you know it.

On the other hand, I’ve been up and down in moods myself, and I know that going on a holiday is a good change of pace and way to cheer myself up.

Either way, it’s strange to think that photos you publish online could have this power. Of course, the insurance agent is saying they didn’t base it on that, and we can’t really know, but we do know that online photos have prevented people from getting jobs (and maybe dates, ha ha). Stories like this always cause me to stop and think about my internet persona. Right now, I don’t think I put anything risky or harmful (to my image) out there, but you never know how things can be interpreted!

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By kilax, November 30, 2008 10:24 pm

Unfortunately, yes.

Unfortunately, no.

I am really embarrassed that I am bad at painting. And that I hate it so much. I mean, I am an architecture major. Shouldn’t I be good at these “home improvement” sort of things?

I just like to think this means I am better at telling people where and how to paint, than actually doing it myself. Ha!

Okay, I’m not really good at that either. I am not an Interior Designer, after all.

I really love the way the paint is turning out. We painted our bedroom a dark greenish/brownish/gray – Valspar’s Seine. We have an accent wall behind the bed that is even darker – Valspar’s Italian Leather. That is the color we painted the bathroom today – the Italian Leather. I LOVE dark rooms, so I am super excited about this.

Seine and Italian Leather. They look nothing like this in real life.

But why no photos? Because the bathroom isn’t finished, and because we have no bed (just mattress and frame) and the ugliest bedroom furniture you have ever seen. So I estimate you’ll see a photo of the bedroom in about… 6 months, and a photo of the bathroom… maybe later this week.

On Friday we hung out and spent the night with my friend Alejandra and her husband Sony in Des Moines. She is the other bridesmaid of mine that I have not seen in over a year! AHH!

Anyway, we obviously had a great time and I really, really wish we could see them more. We both do. They are a unique couple – she’s from Puerto Rico, and he is Chinese, but from Venezuela… they are fun to be around. We have a lot in common, but they have a different perspective on some things.

Yes, this has a point. They moved into a new-to-them townhome in July and I could tell they put a lot of thought and hard work into decorating it and making it homey. They were talking about the last time they saw our place and that we didn’t even have a dining room table. Ha! Steven and I have done so much work together on our home since the wedding, it really feels homey, like it is “ours” now (instead of just his). It was fun to talk about all the work we have done with them because they could relate and… I could tell they were actually listening (another reason I like them!).

It’s amazing to see your home come together. Because, unless you are rich… you can’t really afford to get everything/do everything you want all at once. But maybe I wouldn’t even prefer it that way. I like that we have made it what it is. Even if I haven’t loved every minute of it!

Comments (8)

By kilax, August 24, 2008 5:30 pm

Data just attacked my foot/ankle while I was playing the guitar (solo) on Rock Band.

Jeez, Data. Tell me how you really feel about the game.

Of course, I was too into the song to stop playing, but I did to yell at him. Now I have a long diagonal scratch that goes from my ankle to my foot.

I think the most I have even played Rock Band consecutively is for about an hour. When we are home enough to play for longer periods of time, we’re doing other things.

Which is fine with me. I don’t need to devote a ton of time to it. But Data gets so jealous when we turn it on. He sulks, and sits on the living room floor, far away from us, but so that we can still see him, with his back to us.

I guess he wouldn’t be too happy if I bought the Purr Pals game!

Comments (12)

By kilax, August 14, 2008 12:32 pm

Thanks for the lolcat, Christina

Coincidentally, my infrequent posting corresponds directly to the increase of daily exercise in my life.

Instead of my usual evening routine of eating dinner then lounging somewhere with my computer, I am now eating dinner, exercising, taking a shower… and maybe turning my computer on to check my email.

But it’s more than that. My “quietness” seems to have seeped into real life as well. People I see every day are asking me “Is something wrong?” “Is everything okay?” “Why have you been so quiet lately?”

Nothing’s wrong. Everything is okay, and actually, I feel happy! But I don’t know why I’ve felt so quiet lately. All I know is, I don’t quite feel like myself.

If that makes any sense.

Comments (14)

By kilax, July 23, 2008 10:10 pm

Notice anything funny about my shoe in the picture below (not that it is old, dirty and worn out)?

Yes, one of shoelace bows is missing.

Let me tell you a little bit about Data’s shoe fetish.

One time, Steven bought an expensive pair of shoes at the Kenneth Cole store downtown. Over $200 expensive. He only wore them on days he had to look “dressy” at work. I don’t know if they were very comfortable or not, but they sure looked nice on him.

Data didn’t think they looked so nice. He chewed them up during the night. Maybe Data just has expensive taste? That was the end of those shoes, anyway.

Steven learned his lesson – he shouldn’t leave his shoes out overnight. Now, he takes his shoes upstairs every night, to protect them.

Whenever Steven forgets his shoes downstairs, Data is drawn to them. Steven often unties the laces in the morning to find out he now has 2 extra, loose, pieces of shoelace. Or little bite marks around his shoes. Or toys in them. I always leave mine downstairs, because Data seems to leave them alone (probably because they stink so much).

Well, not anymore. After one year of living here, he finally pulled the shoelace trick on me, only this time, he left me with one bow on each shoe, instead of killing both. How nice.

He hasn’t attacked any of our house guests’ shoes yet, but don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Comments (13)

By kilax, April 17, 2008 6:04 am

A few nights ago, I was playing fetch with Data. I picked up both his yellow ball and his orange ball and said to him “I am going to throw both of these down the stairs at the same time. You bring back the one that is your favorite color.”

He brought them both up, together! Holding one completely inside his mouth, and the other with his teeth. He never does that.

What a little overachiever.

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Today’s Idiom: a wet blanket – one who spoils fun

One of my college friends was a total wet blanket – she always wanted to go home early so she could spend hours talking to her long-distance boyfriend.

Comments (14)

By kilax, December 23, 2007 9:22 am

“I’m gray… inside the suitcase it’s gray… they’ll never know I’m here!”

Truthfully, I took this picture yesterday before Steven and I left for the airport, but planned on posting it today, as sort of a filler while Steven and I are on vacation in Kansas City.

But we never made it. And here is one of those “wow, I am happy it didn’t happen to me” stories for you.

I was paranoid all week about our 3:30 pm flight to Kansas City. I worried about the weather, about the long lines through security, about us getting there on time. So I made sure we left the house early. Check-in and security turned out to be a breeze – maybe 10 minutes total! Wow!

Our flight already had a 45 minute delay when we got there. Then it was 35 minute more. Then an hour. Then another hour. Until it was finally set to leave at 7:15. Then it was canceled and they told us there are no other flights until Monday because of bad weather.

We fought for a refund on our flight (“we don’t give refunds for flights canceled due to weather”). We had to run around the airport to retrieve our check-in luggage (they said it was probably on its way to Kansas City – uh, if we can’t get there, how can our luggage?!). We tried to figure out if we could rent a car and drive there.

We came home, defeated, 11 hours later. Steven had the crappiest birthday ever, and this will probably be the crappiest Christmas ever. We still don’t know what we are going to do. We both feel very sad. We were really looking forward to seeing his family.

Comments (9)

By kilax, December 8, 2007 4:24 pm

Apparently Data has a cross dressing fetish that Steven and I are only now discovering:

I just wish it wasn’t such an expensive hobby! $50 for a wig?

I know we should be supportive, but it is hard when we have to shell out so much cash for each outfit.

Oh well. We are family. Family supports each other, through thick and thin.

(Thanks to Courtney for the link to the wig site!)

Comments (8)

By kilax, November 20, 2007 5:33 am

Data is the only one who is happy to be back home.

Just kidding…

… he’s not happy to be back home either!

Ha ha, that’s a joke. Data is happy to be back home, and the only reason I was happy to come home was to see him.

Have you ever had to leave your pet at the kennel for more than a few days? This was my first time doing so. After I gave him his last hug I tried not to look at him while I walked out to the car. Then I cried a little bit in the car on the way home. I hope Steven didn’t hear me sniffling.

We had to drop him off the night before our flight departure and pick him up the day after our flight arrival. The house felt so empty without him here! I know people who don’t like cats will think that is dumb, but it really did feel lonely with only me and Steven in the house. I suppose we have grown used to Data’s companionship (i.e. constant ruckus and begging for food).

Let’s say it together now – “Awwwwww…” gag gag gag!