Ceiling Watch 2008

I first mentioned the leak in our ceiling in my blog entry on May 1st. Well it still hasn't been fixed. Quite the opposite actually. It's been festering and molding since then. This is what the ceiling above our dining room table looks like:

It's beautiful isn't it?

I decided that I would rant about the ceiling here most of all so I would have a record of how long it took our darling owners to fix the problem.

I've been sending the owner e-mail updates on the ceiling for months now. It started out with just a little blister, and now there is most definitely mold growing on our ceiling. Looking at it this morning I think it's a good possibility that I will come home one night to part of the ceiling sitting our table.

Tuesday morning I had the morning off work. I'm sitting at my computer in my pj's minding my own business surfing the net when there's a knock on the back door. It's the owner with her son-in-law. Yeah they came to check the ceiling. Yes, I was still sitting in my pj's. She never calls first. Her excuse? "I thought you would be at work." Apparently it would kill her to call first. The first words out of her mouth when she sees the ceiling, you ask? "Yeah, that's going to need to be fixed." Well no shit Sherlock!! It's been needing to be fixed for months now! *insert rolling of the eyes here* I'm surrounded by morons.

So to make a long story short the owner and her son in law decide on a plan of action, and she leaves with the promise that she will be calling "this guy that she knows that does a little plumbing" (kill me now!). Fast forward to an hour or so later. I go to get the mail and she meets me on the stairs. She smiles and says "oh I should probably go and call that guy today shouldn't I?" Ha Ha. I'm not smiling.

The Buttery in Niagara-on-the-Lake

One of Andre's friends lives in Hong Kong. He is getting married on July 5 back in Hong Kong, but he wanted to plan an outing for all of his friends while he is here visiting before the big day. Here is my review

He planned an evening at "The Buttery". This a restaurant and dinner theatre in Niagara on the Lake. The idea behind the dinner theatre is that you are a member of King Henry Vlll and Lady Jane Seymour's court at Windsor Castle. There was a ton of food, but you have to eat everything with your hands. Now, I'm not a germaphobe or anything, but it was a little difficult navigating back to my seat after going to the ladies room to wash up before dinner without touching anything with my hands. This I think would turn some more phobic people off right away.

There is a lot of alcohol that is served through the evening partially I think to loosen the guests up so that the "King and Queen" can basically do whatever they want to you for the entire evening. Almost everyone was hauled up on stage once to be part of the entertainment. I think you have to be comfortable with being the centre of attention to have fun at this sort of event. During one part of the evening one of the wives was asked to participate and she flat out told them no. Definitely not her kind of evening.

It was $55/person plus taxes and gratuity. You pay up front (smart because half of our group was drunk by the end) but then at the end of the night they bring out a basket for tips for the performers. This was not good since I just had some loose change. Not even a loonie or toonie since we don't really carry cash.

In the end we laughed a lot, drank a lot, and had fun. Would I go back? Probably not, but it was fun going in a group, although we really didn't have a chance to talk with the other members of the group since they keep you busy through the night.

Here are some pictures from our night at The Buttery:

Andre and I:

Me on stage during the singing and impersonation part of the night. I was a sheep.

Andre and two of his friends during the "Knobby Knees Contest". Andre got second place. His friend in the khaki's got first place.

The group of us.

And now back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Thankfully things have calmed down a little lately since the last time that I posted. L still cannot be bothered to acknowledge that C and I actually exist, but it's definitely been quieter only having to worry about one sister! I know it sounds horrible, but I just have to surrender to the fact that L has cut us out of her life, and hope that maybe one day she will decide to be a regular member of our family, and take some responsibility in all that has happened. Maybe one day.

My parents are still completely oblivious to all that has happened. Well, to be fair I haven't actually talked to my father about it all, but to quote my mother she was "shocked that C gave me the silent treatment for three days. I didn't think she would be that angry with me." Well what the hell did she think was going to happen? Yes, let the emotionally unstable, manipulative toxic daughter back in the house, please! We don't have nearly enough drama in our lives without having to play this charade of happy family for everyone. Thank goodness I don't live in that home anymore and can live in the reality that our family is screwed up.

The latest update is that our family pet Magic was put down this morning. He was very old, 21 years to be exact. The vet was very surprised that he lived as long as he did, and said that for every cat year it's about 6-7 human years. That means he lived to be over 140 years old! He was partially blind, and was deaf, but he was a part of our family and he will be missed. I try and remember when he was still his old self when I lived at home and he would weave himself around my ankles when I would get up first in the mornings when I was in college. RIP Magic.
(I'm going to try and go through some of our old pictures and see if I can find one that I can share.)

"No heaven will not ever Heaven be. Unless my cats are there to welcome me."
(Anonymous)

A life update

Surprise, surprise L is back home. She lasted until Thursday when she came home along with all of her bags. She won't talk to C and I at all. C and I had been planning a movie night with my friend Pam for awhile and L talked to Pam a little bit, but didn't say one word to me at all. She just locked herself in her bedroom for most of the night not talking to anyone.

My mother and I talked a little bit about it on Saturday when we went out. Didn't go into too much detail since we were out and I didn't want her to burst into tears or anything. I think that my mother understands that L crossed a line with what she did and that C and I are done with her. We just cannot do it anymore. My mother still feels guilt though, and in her words: cant just put her out on the street. (Even though I personally think that would be a good learning experience for her.)

Otherwise there isn't too much going on here, thank goodness. Same stuff, different day. The air conditioning is broken at home so its incredibly warm. The owners have said that they have someone coming in today to take a look at it, so hopefully by the time I get home later today it will be nice and cool!

Book Review

Well I have another book review for those of you that read this. My best friend Pam was given this book for Valentine's Day by her husband and told me that I had to read it. The Book is "Forget about it" by Caprice Crane.

The story centres around a character who is unhappy at her job, unhappy with her family, unhappy with her boyfriend, basically unhappy with life. As fate would have it she is in a car accident and receives a head injury. She decides what is the best way to have a life makeover? Fake amnesia!

It turned out to be a pretty good book. Very much of the "Chick Lit" variety, so it's a quick read. I would definitely recommend this for a good beach book. I think all of us at one time or another can relate to the character.