Bonus Room View in May

May 31, 2009 – Day 151

I want to take a picture of this view out our bonus room window once a month during the year for Project 365. I haven’t taken one since April 8th so this is it for May.

Icepresso

May 30, 2009 – Day 150

Adam is on call this weekend and had to go in to work for a few hours today (he didn’t mind though because he’ll get paid double time). On his way home this afternoon, he stopped by for a short visit, bringing with him this delicious Icepresso from Second Cup for me!

Yard Work

May 29, 2009 – Day 149

We have some unattractive bare patches on our lawn in the backyard. Ken dug up the top few inches of a couple of the worst of the bare patches and filled them in with topsoil this afternoon. He’ll prepare more of the patches and then plant grass seed. I’m looking forward to our lawn looking better once the new grass grows in.

A Little R & R

May 28, 2009 – Day 148

I spent most of my evening catching some zzz’s and reading my current book. I borrowed this one from the small library we started at work a few months ago; it’s well written and hard to put down.

A Thing of Beauty

May 27, 2009 – Day 147

On my walk to the new temporary bus stop I pass by these beautiful vibrant flowers planted in a flowerbed on the lawn in front of someone’s house. In this case, I thought it would be too weird for me to “stop and smell the flowers” - but I did slow down to admire them and take this shot for my picture of the day.

Road Construction Continues

May 26, 2009 – Day 146

Getting right down to business today, the road construction crew tore up the main intersection that leads out of our residential area. We can detour three blocks south but I hope they work as fast and furious throughout the upcoming weeks as they appeared to be working today - and have our intersection reopened as soon as possible.

This CAT looks like it’s going to tip over, but of course it didn’t. It’s amazing what they can put these big machines through.

Bus Stop Closed

May 25, 2009 – Day 145

The road construction on 127th Street is going full-steam ahead; they’re due to tear up the end of 161st Avenue to put in sewer pipes and widen the road. The new traffic lights at the intersection of 127th and 161st have already been installed.

Beginning tomorrow and for approximately four weeks, my bus stop will be closed. My regular stop is only about 3 minutes walk from home but I’m going to have to walk three blocks to catch my bus (and get off after work) until 161 Avenue reopens. I know the walk will do me good but I’m not looking forward to it. I don’t have much of a choice other than to get used to it though. And I would much rather walk those three blocks than drive and park downtown.

Flowers Are Planted!

May 24, 2009 – Day 144

Before I planted my flowers yesterday, I decided to add another 7” to the depth of this little flower garden. I’ve never turned sod (I think that’s what it’s called) before and I thought it was going to be an easy thing – just a little 7” strip (along a length of maybe 10’). I’ll think twice about ever doing that job myself again - it wasn’t an easy thing at all!

I could not get the shovel to cut into the grass so I “sliced” into the grass and dirt below with an old butcher knife and that made it easier, although still far from “easy”. I got the job done but I have aching muscles today that I didn't even know I had! It hurts to go up and down the stairs or bend over. The heels of the palms of my hands are sore AND I got a little too much sun on my arms and legs so my skin is tender and itchy!

It feels rewarding to have the job complete though! Gardening is an experimental learning experience for me so I can’t wait to see how the flowerbed looks once the flowers grow.

(I'm not really happy with this picture. I think I could have got a better photo if I'd have taken the shot low and from the side - but it's late, it's dark out, I'm tired - and hurting, so this is going to be "it" for today.)

A Busy Day

May 23, 2009 – Day 143

Today was one of those days when it was hard to choose only one picture for Project 365.

I planted my flowers, Ken put the top on the gazebo, and we had our first backyard fire of the season – all indications that winter must surely (finally?) be over and summer is right around the corner!

I can take a picture of my flowers another day and we’ll have more fires, so I chose one of the pictures of Ken putting the top on the gazebo.

Delton Sausage House

May 22, 2009 – Day 142

I had several errands to run today and one of my stops was Delton Sausage House, where I bought ham garlic sausage, pepperoni and smokies. Delton Sausage House is a small Polish deli located at 12906 82 Street in Edmonton - and their sausage is the best I have ever tasted.

Adam and Michael discovered Delton Sausage House in the mid 90s. We lived in the Delton townhomes nearby and (unbeknownst to me) the boys were hanging out at the loading dock in back of the store waiting for the delivery truck to arrive. Their friend Chris told them they could get free sausage if they asked the driver.

When the truck arrived, Adam and Michael asked the driver and sure enough, he gave them free sausage! They boys brought the sausage home to share with me and I’ve been a faithful customer of the store since that day.

Synthroid

May 21, 2009 – Day 141

In November 2007, my doctor discovered that I had a thyroid problem which would require medication. On November 21st, my 48th birthday, I started taking synthroid and my doctor said I will have to be on it for the rest of my life. I don't know if there are any other members of my family that have thyroid problems which require medication - maybe I'm the only one?

(I photoshopped some of personal information out for this web version)

Tears and More Tears

May 20, 2009 – Day 140

A box of Kleenex seems to have found a permanent home on the table in our team's small boardroom. Its presence is indicative of the events we've experienced at work thus far this year.

Our most recent sadness is dealing with the news that Holly, one of our lawyers (and one of my favourite), was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. Holly's cancer was detected through a mammogram a couple weeks ago. She goes for an MRI next week and surgery on June 9th. Chemo and radiation will follow and she'll be away for most of the remainder of the year. As hard as it will be for Holly to go through the steps ahead, she has the reassurance that the cancer was detected early and trusts that she will make a full recovery. Our team at work is close knit and we are really going to miss her while she's away.

Holly has been encouraging her female family members, friends and co-workers to go for their mammograms and I in turn am encouraging all of you (women) to go for yours as well - they are very important!

(I am using Holly's name and experience with her permission in my journalling today)

Jen and Fifa

May 19, 2009 – Day 139

My friend Jen is my new neighbour! She bought a condo less than five minutes away – in her old neighbourhood. Jen has greatly missed living on the north side since she moved to the west end of the city almost three years ago and she told me many times over the last three years that she’d be back. Her dream came true when she moved in to her new place on May 9th. Today was Jen’s first time (since almost three years ago) riding the same bus I take. After work I got off the bus with to see her new place and she drove me the rest of the way home. Jen’s condo looks great, she had homemade cookies that were delicious – and her cute little dog’s name is Fifa.

I brought some of Jen’s empty moving boxes home to continue the big job of packing up the basement.

Dressed For The Weather

May 18, 2009 – Day 138

We’ve had a few nice days since spring arrived but I’m sure I could count them on one hand. The weather once again took a turn for the worse yesterday; we even had a few snow flurries through the night and again this afternoon. I have two clematis plants that are coming up nicely but I didn’t want them to catch their death of cold so last night I dressed them for the weather in nice warm flannel sheets! The weather forecast for tonight is -1C.

EZcube

May 17, 2009 – Day 137

On Monday, May 11th, I ordered this EZcube light tent from an online company located in California. It arrived impressively fast – the parcel card was in my mailbox on Wednesday, May 13th. I picked it up on Friday and was excited to open everything up and check it out when I got home. It’s 30” square but folds up and fits back into the small round pouch (clipped to the top right of the EZcube in my picture) but I’m going to have to watch the DVD that came with it to learn how to fold it back up because I can’t figure it out!

Light tents are for product photography; I bought it for those times I take pictures of objects to extract for my designing business. Perhaps I can also get into selling stock (product) photographs as well.

Cool Old Junk

May 16, 2009 – Day 136

Ken and I went out galavanting this morning. We started off at Vistek but neither of us found anything to buy. Our second stop was McBain’s where I bought a small camera bag that will just fit my camera and lens. I wanted a small one because it’s a chore to have to lug around my large camera bag every time I want to take my digital SLR out with me.

Then we went to Garden Bakery - the Chinese bakery my friend Jen introduced me to in January. We bought fresh BBQ pork buns, mini ham and cheese buns, curry beef buns and a twist filled with bacon and onions. After eating a couple of the delicious buns, we had energy to continue our adventure.

Our next stop was London Drugs; I bought a large round reflector/diffuser there. We also bought some new phones and a couple other little things.

On our way home we had to pass by the “Super Flea Market”. As we neared the building, Ken asked if I wanted to go inside. “Yes!”, I practically shouted. We haven’t been to a flea market in many years and it was fun to wander through the aisles looking at the dusty old junk – and that’s literally what most of it is. I did find some old costume jewellery and a small chalkboard to use in my designs though. My picture today is one of the booths at the flea market.

That was enough adventure for us and we returned home after the flea market. Adam is visiting in Grande Prairie but Michael and Kristy came over for coffee once we got back home.

Ken and I have steaks marinating for a barbeque we’re going to have this evening and then we have a movie to watch – all my idea of a perfect way to spend a day!

May 15, 2009 – Day 135

Ken drove me to Hole’s Greenhouse in St. Albert tonight to pick out my flowers for the season! I don’t drive the truck but I always need lots of room for my flowers; Ken is a good sport and lets me drag him along every year – even though I know he’d much rather be shopping at Home Depot or Canadian Tire. :-) It didn’t take me long to choose because I already had particular flowers in mind (only picked a couple extra) and I love them all!I bought my usual 5 hanging baskets (and if summer ever comes to Edmonton, I’ll take pictures of each basket in its place). Some of the flowers have to be planted and I’ll also take pictures of them once they are.

Tomorrow morning we’re going shopping at Vistek – a photography kind of shop. I forget what Ken wants, something for his video camera I think, but he thinks I should go with him – doesn’t he know already that that’s a “dangerous” kind of place to take me?!

Before

May 14, 2009 – Day 134

This is one side (my half) of our unfinished basement. It’s not a pretty sight today, but it will be pretty one day! Ken and I have begun the task of packing and moving things out to the garage (I’ll be giving a lot of it away) so he can finish the basement. I know this is going to be a long-term project because he will be learning as he goes. Ken does a nice job of the things he does though (he built our deck and the shed in the backyard). He's been buying books and studying drywalling, taping, etc. online and I know he’ll do a good job.

We’re just going to keep it one large open room so we have a place for the grandkids to play and some extra sleeping room for those times my out-of-town kids and their families visit.

Three-Vehicle Pile Up

May 13, 2009 – Day 133

On the way home from work today, our bus passed this unbelievable three-vehicle pile up on 97th Street and about 130 Avenue! It was scary to see; I hope nobody was seriously hurt.

Road Construction Begins

May 12, 2009 – Day 132

127th Street is two streets over from our cul de sac and it’s the main vein out of our residential area. It’s a busy road and too narrow for the amount of traffic that flows in and out of the city on it on a daily basis. Construction has begun to widen the two lanes to four.

It's A Dog's Life!

May 11, 2009 – Day 131

Little Bear spent a lot of time in the backyard today – just relaxing, sleeping and enjoying the warmth of the sun.

mmmMother's Day!

May 10, 2009 – Day 130

Adam and Michael wanted to treat me to a dinner for Mother’s Day; it was for me to choose whether to go out or stay in and order out. I chose to stay in and order Smilie’s – my favourite Chinese food in the city. The dinner alone would have been plenty but when the boys showed up at the door, they had this gorgeous full bouquet of flowers for me as well! And my two out-of-town kids (Christine and Travis) phoned with all-the-best Mother’s Day wishes.

I have wonderful, thoughtful kids and I love them all so much!

Adam

May 9, 2009 – Day 129

Adam brought me coffee (Caramel Corretto) and breakfast this morning; it was all so delicious. Thanks again Adam! I took this picture of him with my new camera while he was here.

I Rock! :-)

May 8, 2009 – Day 128

There was a nice surprise waiting for me in my mailbox today! Christine makes these awesome cards and she made one for me for Mother’s Day. As soon as I opened it, I knew it had to be my picture of the day but I had to cheat a little so I could show both the front and the inside of the card. I had to take two pictures and I got a little – just a little – scrap-happy (I love digital scrapbooking and could easily have gotten carried away) creating this picture of the day. I extracted and combined the two photos in Photoshop and added a background. I LOVE the card Christine, Ian, Ashley, Hope and Austin – thank you so much!

Good Things

May 7, 2009 – Day 127

I couldn’t decide whether I wanted to take a picture of the bonus cheque I received today; after deductions, my $4,000.00 was $2,588.80, or of the new flash I bought with the money left over after buying my new camera (even though I’ll have to pitch in $92.69 in addition to my bonus cheque to cover the cost of my camera and flash) - or of my PREA assessment.

Considering the negative, disheartening experience I’ve recently gone through at work because of my February 5th Project 365 photo, I decided to focus my journalling on my PREA because it was so uplifting and encouraging.

I don’t remember exactly what the acronym stands for but it’s a performance review. Once a year we (assistants) have a PREA meeting with the lawyers we work for. I had my PREA meeting today and it was absolutely positive and made my day extra special. The highest rating you can get is a “4” and that’s the score I was given.

There was also other news at work today. Remember Angela, the Acting Director I’ve mentioned previously in my journalling? Well she is not(!) going to be our Director. “Frank” was appointed to the position, effective May 25th. That was great news to me. I worked for Frank for about two years when I started working at Justice – before he started climbing the ranks of management; and in my estimation, he’s perfect for the job. He’s not a micromanager, doesn’t waver on his decisions, he has a great sense of humor and he’s an all-around good person.

*******

All three lawyers I work for had input into the written assessment (which I was given a copy of) and this is what they had to say about my performance over the past year [I removed the lawyers’ surnames]:

Julie Jorgenson – Narrative Assessment PREA 2008-09

The nature of the work with which Julie has been involved over the past fiscal year is described in her work summary (a copy of which is attached).Julie worked as legal assistant for Holly, Shaun and James with the ALS Advisory Team. All of the lawyers have had the opportunity to provide comments on Julie’s work.

Over the years Julie has become known for producing consistent and high quality work. This year’s performance was once again very good. She has many outstanding qualities and it is becoming more difficult to accurately describe the breadth and variety of the contributions she makes. This year, we wish to specifically highlight a few of those qualities that make Julie such a valued member of the Advisory Team.

First, despite her heavy workload as a legal assistant assigned to three counsel, including as administrative assistant, to the Team Leader, she is always willing to help – whether that is assisting other counsel or legal assistants as needed. Julie is able to provide such assistance and still complete her own work within the timeframes assigned - this is truly noteworthy because Julie works part time. There is no doubt that Julie maintains effective systems for managing her workload and prioritizes very well. Julie also consistently exhibits considerable initiative and routinely identifies what needs to be done and simply does it.

Second, Julie works extremely well under pressure, pays attention to details and is highly conscientious about the quality of her work product. Julie is routinely asked to take on the tedious but important task of reviewing the draft documents (agreements, correspondence, memorandum) for errors and often under fairly tight timeframes. She possesses the ability to quickly and accurately identify areas which may have been overlooked and is meticulous in completing this task in a very timely manner.

Third, Julie’s very pleasant demeanor translates into an ability to work effectively with her colleagues. She willingly answers questions and provides assistance to other legal assistants and new employees. It is a testament to her warm personality that she makes them quickly feel like a welcomed member of our office. Julie is also instrumental in initiating and organizing team functions (such as team lunches) that assist with team building and increasing the overall team morale.

Overall, Julie is very respected, a pleasure to work with, and a valuable asset to our office. Simply stated, Julie has had another terrific year with the Advisory Team. She consistently exceeds the requirements of her position and the objectives set for her.

Afternoon Showers

May 6, 2009 – Day 126

I had some fun playing with my new camera on this rainy afternoon after work. This is one of our bonus room windows.

Oh Happy Day!!

May 5, 2009 – Day 125

When we signed our new contract in January, one of the things we “got” from the deal was a $4,000 signing bonus. It’s not officially being called a signing bonus but I don’t know what else to call it because it’s exactly like a signing bonus. I wasn’t sure if I would qualify for the entire $4,000 or only a portion of it since I work part time.

We received an e-mail at work last week to let us know that part-time employees will receive the full amount (the full amount won’t be $4,000 for any of us though because taxes will be skimmed off the top). We were also told that we will have the cheques on May 7th.

The digital SLR Ken bought me in 2003 is outdated and I knew that I wanted to buy the new Canon 50D camera when I received the bonus money.

Once I knew I qualified for the full amount and that I will receive the cheque on May 7th, I decided to go ahead and buy the camera. I called McBains downtown store yesterday to see if they had one in stock; they didn’t, but they brought one in for me from one of their other stores and had it waiting there for me before the day was over. I took a coffee break and picked up my spectacular new toy at 10:00 this morning. It’s been a long wait since January but I’m thrilled to finally have my new camera!

I bought a 4 GB camera card and a couple filters for the camera as well and depending how much money is left after I pay the VISA bill, I may buy a new flash as well.

The Last Supper

May 4, 2009 – Day 124

When Ken and I were married (June 24, 1995) we received this old picture of The Last Supper from one of Ken’s uncles for a wedding gift. It’s one of my favourite things.

Spring = New Life

May 3, 2009 – Day 123

These are the brand new shoots of one of my clematis plants! This will be their third summer. I didn’t think to cut down the dead branches from last year before I took the picture, but I did that this afternoon.

Bar-B-Q

May 2, 2009 – Day 122

A little later in the year than usual, but Ken and I had our first bar-b-que of the season today! We had baked potatoes, fried onions/mushrooms/garlic, and garlic bread with the steaks.

Super

May 1, 2009 – Day 121

Superstore got a brand new super-huge sign! It must have been sometime during the week because I didn’t notice it there when I went last Friday.