Well, I managed to reprogram my computer, but it didn't help. By the time I got all the updates and stuff added on, I had used up over 8 Gb of hard drive. I didn't even load all the crap that came with the computer in the first place. BTW, 8 GB is outrageous! As soon as I can go a buy a disk (all of mine are in use), I will be downloading Linux and loading it in hopes of extending the use of this box. I really can not afford to replace it. In the mean time, I have no photoshop - sob! I guess I'll have to make do with the editor that came with the camera.
Except, who wants to go outside and take pictures when it is -26C (-14F) with a windchill of -37C (-35F)? I'm not even walking the 100 yards to the office today, I am checking for messages on the phone from home. (the boss okayed that) I doubt sincerly that we will have anyone drop in to look at suites today. With the slow down we are experienceing in renting...I doubt we would have anyone even if it weren't this cold. The good thing about that, my rent won't be going up!
The manager & her husband took the staff out for Christmas dinner last night - in the cold. I would have taken my camera, but both sets of my batteries were dead...I guess I have been a bit too busy to take any photos lately. Why is it that restaraunts can't seem to grasp the concept of allergies? J & myself are both allergic to shellfish and mushrooms....most dishes are served with one or the other at this place. We both ordered the beef tenderloin, with no sauce and asked that it be cooked on a grill that had not just been used for shellfish or mushrooms. We both had to send it back. They serve the steak on a bed of mashed potatoes and the juices had run into the spuds, so they had to change the entire meal. We could both taste fish and poor J, her tongue started to swell, good thing she had some meds with her. I didn't escape my headache either, but at least I won't die from it. The good thing about it having to be redone, it didn't have to sit under the heater long enough to dry out waiting for one of our party to finish their appetizer and change my steak from med rare to med well. Of course, J's wasn't quite well done, but she ate it anyway. Why do people insist on ruining a good steak by overcooking it?
I still have projects to finish and I seem to have started to ramble, so I will sign off now. I will be back soon, but I still have some stuff to load on this computer so that I am fully functional.
Take care all and stay warm.
Showing posts with label allergies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label allergies. Show all posts
2008-12-14
2008-02-15
I feel good...na na na na na na na
The bed arrived yesterday! The guys set it up and then, well, pulled a two inch pin out of the side of the mattress! Then I noticed that it was dirty, right where the handle is. Well, it was obvious that the dirt was not new, it just came out of the plastic! The delivery guys, while not immaculate didn't appear to have dirty hands. I signed off after he wrote down that there was dirt there and they left.
I let the cat out of the bathroom, he is very afraid of everything and his hiding place is under the bed. Then I went and laid on the bed, just to reassure myself that I was right in that it was comfortable. It is - sigh! I rolled onto my side to see the cat and noticed that there was something fuzzy on the side of the bed. I tugged but it was attached, the fabric on the side of the bed has been horribly snagged. So, I start examining, there are two or three spots where it is pulled, another nasty snag and both of the handles on the other side of the bed are filthy. This is not acceptable, so off the bed, into my office (ooh, that makes my apartment sounds so big - it isn't) and I phone the store. My salesman isn't there, he is by the way the area manager, but will be in on Saturday. I explain to the fellow on the phone what is wrong and that I want a new mattress delivered post-haste! He checked to see that they had one at the warehouse and they did, and they could deliver Sunday or next Wednesday. Well, I work Sunday and need the money, so I opted for Wednesday. I also told him I wanted it examined at the warehouse before delivery and it should be immaculate. For the amount of money I'm paying - damned right it should be!
This has to have come from the manufacturer this way, so I looked at their website and they go on about how quality is their first concern and all this shite. Um, hello? How then did this mattress make it out of your facility? I of course can't examine the box spring, for one thing, I have a sleigh bed, so most of the box is hidden. Secondly, the two guys that moved it had trouble lifting them into place, there is no way, that I will be able to lift the mattress on my own to examine the box. I could barely shift it to dress the bed!
My old bed was high, regular mattress set, but the frame made it quite high, this set makes it a lot higher - 30 inches from floor to top of mattress! Good thing I am tall! The other new thing in mattress these days - they have found a way to eliminate the hard edges so you can "utilize the whole mattress area" - yeah, I can see me falling off the bed, something I have only done once in my life.
The bed is fantastic though! It is infused with the scent of green tea to help you relax. So, far I don't seem to be allergic to it so that is good. I had the door closed while the bed was unmade in order to keep the cat off and every time I opened it, wow, it smelled so good! It is not overpowering either, just a gentle smell.
I had the best nights sleep last night - hence the James Brown title. I will admit that I was very tired though, so we will see how tonight goes. I didn't wake up with pins and needles in my hands and arms or across my back and my neck feels really good too. I will be so much happier when the clean mattress arrives though. And I am the kind of person that will make them exchange it until it meets my satisfaction, I don't care what their policy says - a dirty mattress is not acceptable.
So, how about the rest of you, do you make a noise until it meets your satisfaction?
Good Afternoon All.
I let the cat out of the bathroom, he is very afraid of everything and his hiding place is under the bed. Then I went and laid on the bed, just to reassure myself that I was right in that it was comfortable. It is - sigh! I rolled onto my side to see the cat and noticed that there was something fuzzy on the side of the bed. I tugged but it was attached, the fabric on the side of the bed has been horribly snagged. So, I start examining, there are two or three spots where it is pulled, another nasty snag and both of the handles on the other side of the bed are filthy. This is not acceptable, so off the bed, into my office (ooh, that makes my apartment sounds so big - it isn't) and I phone the store. My salesman isn't there, he is by the way the area manager, but will be in on Saturday. I explain to the fellow on the phone what is wrong and that I want a new mattress delivered post-haste! He checked to see that they had one at the warehouse and they did, and they could deliver Sunday or next Wednesday. Well, I work Sunday and need the money, so I opted for Wednesday. I also told him I wanted it examined at the warehouse before delivery and it should be immaculate. For the amount of money I'm paying - damned right it should be!
This has to have come from the manufacturer this way, so I looked at their website and they go on about how quality is their first concern and all this shite. Um, hello? How then did this mattress make it out of your facility? I of course can't examine the box spring, for one thing, I have a sleigh bed, so most of the box is hidden. Secondly, the two guys that moved it had trouble lifting them into place, there is no way, that I will be able to lift the mattress on my own to examine the box. I could barely shift it to dress the bed!
My old bed was high, regular mattress set, but the frame made it quite high, this set makes it a lot higher - 30 inches from floor to top of mattress! Good thing I am tall! The other new thing in mattress these days - they have found a way to eliminate the hard edges so you can "utilize the whole mattress area" - yeah, I can see me falling off the bed, something I have only done once in my life.
The bed is fantastic though! It is infused with the scent of green tea to help you relax. So, far I don't seem to be allergic to it so that is good. I had the door closed while the bed was unmade in order to keep the cat off and every time I opened it, wow, it smelled so good! It is not overpowering either, just a gentle smell.
I had the best nights sleep last night - hence the James Brown title. I will admit that I was very tired though, so we will see how tonight goes. I didn't wake up with pins and needles in my hands and arms or across my back and my neck feels really good too. I will be so much happier when the clean mattress arrives though. And I am the kind of person that will make them exchange it until it meets my satisfaction, I don't care what their policy says - a dirty mattress is not acceptable.
So, how about the rest of you, do you make a noise until it meets your satisfaction?
Good Afternoon All.
2007-11-08
My food bank experience
My cousin Leah over at The Goats Lunch Pail has been writing about food banks. In my reply yesterday, I realized that I had enough material to make a post of my own.
A couple of years ago, I was going through a hard time and was broke enough that I had to call on the services of the food bank here in Edmonton. I called the food bank and was told where and when I could pick up my food and was told that if I refused anything they gave me, I would not be allowed to access the food bank again for three months. Okay, I get that beggars can't be choosers.
I informed the person on the phone that I had food allergies and what they were and could they not include things I was allergic to. She said they would do their best, but, they were very busy and she couldn't guarantee anything. Fine, I get that. Will there be flour? Well, sometimes we get flour, but, we don't know.
Now, as long as I have flour, powdered milk & oil, I can make bread (well yeast & baking powder & sugar, but you get the idea). I can live on pasta and peanut butter sandwiches - I have done it. All I needed was the flour, to make bread, I had everything else still. It is amazing how much you can do on a bread and water diet, but, that is not the point of this post.
So, I make my way to the pick up point and it's a good thing I had a friend drive me, because they gave me so much food, I would never have been able to carry it on the bus. In fact, it took the two of us to carry it all and he was not a weak man. there was enough food there that it would have lasted me a good three months! I was astounded.
Of course, when we were bagging the food, I did notice that there was a lot there I could not eat. I didn't realize the extent of it until I got home. They had managed to give me everything on my food allergies list! There were four or five huge green peppers, even if I were not allergic to them, they would not have lasted long enough for one person to eat. What a waste. There were cans of foods preserved with MSG, mushroom soup, pasta & sauce packages with MSG - none of which I can eat. Now, remember I said I couldn't give any of this back, or I would not be able to use the food bank. I hate to see food go to waste, so, I gave all the things I was allergic to to the friend that drove me and in turn, they gave me stuff I could eat that were staples and would last longer than a few days.
Included in the stuff from the food bank were boxes of cookies, yeah, great nutritional value there and gum, not just one package, but a whole sleeve, five packages of Juicy Fruit! They had bagged salad that was to expire the next day and a whole head of cauliflower that looked like it was ready to expire as well. The cereal box was damaged outside, but, the bag inside kept it dry. They did have tins of tuna and a jar of no-name peanut butter, but that was the only protein that wasn't loaded with MSG. I think there was some fruit, like grapes, but it was awhile ago, so I don't exactly remember everything they gave me. They did manage to give me two cups each of flour, powdered milk and minute rice. These had all been bagged by their staff from larger bags. It kind of creeps me out, I know in my head that they would have followed proper procedures and been gloved and whatnot, but still, these are volunteers.
Needless to say, I was rather disappointed over all. One would think for a food bank that has been around as long as this one has, that they would have been able to avoid at least one of my allergies. My allergies are thankfully mild, others could have fatal reactions.
The fact that there were no staples is in part due I suppose to not having any donated, but as Leah points out in her post, do people even know what to do with these things anymore. The bean/lentil/chickpea mix I was given was canned (with MSG), but, even so, would most people even consider this to be a meal? I wonder if the bulk staples (like dried beans) that are donated wind up at the many soup kitchens, I certainly hope so, because there maybe someone knows what to do with them.
Good Afternoon all.
A couple of years ago, I was going through a hard time and was broke enough that I had to call on the services of the food bank here in Edmonton. I called the food bank and was told where and when I could pick up my food and was told that if I refused anything they gave me, I would not be allowed to access the food bank again for three months. Okay, I get that beggars can't be choosers.
I informed the person on the phone that I had food allergies and what they were and could they not include things I was allergic to. She said they would do their best, but, they were very busy and she couldn't guarantee anything. Fine, I get that. Will there be flour? Well, sometimes we get flour, but, we don't know.
Now, as long as I have flour, powdered milk & oil, I can make bread (well yeast & baking powder & sugar, but you get the idea). I can live on pasta and peanut butter sandwiches - I have done it. All I needed was the flour, to make bread, I had everything else still. It is amazing how much you can do on a bread and water diet, but, that is not the point of this post.
So, I make my way to the pick up point and it's a good thing I had a friend drive me, because they gave me so much food, I would never have been able to carry it on the bus. In fact, it took the two of us to carry it all and he was not a weak man. there was enough food there that it would have lasted me a good three months! I was astounded.
Of course, when we were bagging the food, I did notice that there was a lot there I could not eat. I didn't realize the extent of it until I got home. They had managed to give me everything on my food allergies list! There were four or five huge green peppers, even if I were not allergic to them, they would not have lasted long enough for one person to eat. What a waste. There were cans of foods preserved with MSG, mushroom soup, pasta & sauce packages with MSG - none of which I can eat. Now, remember I said I couldn't give any of this back, or I would not be able to use the food bank. I hate to see food go to waste, so, I gave all the things I was allergic to to the friend that drove me and in turn, they gave me stuff I could eat that were staples and would last longer than a few days.
Included in the stuff from the food bank were boxes of cookies, yeah, great nutritional value there and gum, not just one package, but a whole sleeve, five packages of Juicy Fruit! They had bagged salad that was to expire the next day and a whole head of cauliflower that looked like it was ready to expire as well. The cereal box was damaged outside, but, the bag inside kept it dry. They did have tins of tuna and a jar of no-name peanut butter, but that was the only protein that wasn't loaded with MSG. I think there was some fruit, like grapes, but it was awhile ago, so I don't exactly remember everything they gave me. They did manage to give me two cups each of flour, powdered milk and minute rice. These had all been bagged by their staff from larger bags. It kind of creeps me out, I know in my head that they would have followed proper procedures and been gloved and whatnot, but still, these are volunteers.
Needless to say, I was rather disappointed over all. One would think for a food bank that has been around as long as this one has, that they would have been able to avoid at least one of my allergies. My allergies are thankfully mild, others could have fatal reactions.
The fact that there were no staples is in part due I suppose to not having any donated, but as Leah points out in her post, do people even know what to do with these things anymore. The bean/lentil/chickpea mix I was given was canned (with MSG), but, even so, would most people even consider this to be a meal? I wonder if the bulk staples (like dried beans) that are donated wind up at the many soup kitchens, I certainly hope so, because there maybe someone knows what to do with them.
Good Afternoon all.
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