That was me disappearing again. Seems to happen with more frequency these days....
It would appear to be a combination of a couple of rough weeks in my personal life (you can thank my cousin who keeps coming here after my asking him not to for the lack of details as to what was going on with me) and I am having trouble maintaining motivation for blogging (hell, I'm not even really reading other blogs either!). I have been wondering if it's something I should let go of or not; if it becomes work one should stop, right? I leave it to you to tell me when it's time to put the lame horse down.

First of all, an update on what's going on with the new kitty (if you are just joining us you may wish to scroll down a few entries to catch up). The newest addition to our family, Dexter has adapted quite well to his new home though he still has a wild streak in him (he was rescued from a cat colony). While he likes to be around people, still he runs when someone first enters a room (he comes out a short time later, but it's an instinct that is slow to leave him) and he is still not good with large open spaces if anyone is around. However, as I said, when you drag him out from under the bed he *does* enjoy a good cuddle and loves to be brushed.

The really remarkable part has been the bonding between new kitty and old kitty, Isaac. Isaac eventually got over his hissing and began to tolerate sharing space. Now it's just a crazy love affair as Dexter looks up to his new big brother with the greatest of admiration and love. When Isaac walks down the hall Dexter is glued to his side. He loves to run his head under Isaac's chin and as soon as Isaac sits down Dexter curls up with him. It is the most heart warming sight to behold and Isaac has really helped Dexter come out of his shell. They sleep and play together and it has been truly wonderful to see Dexter find a friend and for Isaac to be young again (he's 11 yrs old).

Let's see... what else? work has been crazy busy and has kept me on the move, as usual. I'm happy because we are finally hiring another person, so part of my territory will be split off. *whew* This will mean a little less driving for me, which will allow me to focus on a smaller territory. I'm excited. I also had my first review as I cleared the 1 year anniversary on the job and it was a glowing review. They like me, they really like me! *wink* Sounds like my boss has plans for me which is nice.. helps keep me motivated.

We finally got some snow here in Toronto which makes me happy. I love big crazy snow storms and we got a good one today. The snow has been received with mixed reviews... some people in the city were content with a brown, muddy, rainy winter while others were looking for a snowy winter. Count me in on the snow! The bigger the flakes the better, as far as I'm concerned! Though I have to say, my desires conflicts with the job and snow isn't exactly the ideal condition in which to be driving.

What else?

Ah yes, my latest obsession..... my mini-trampoline. Oh how I love you sweet, sweet rebounder! I bought it a couple of days ago and I'm so excited about it because I have finally found a form of exercise that I like! Who knew such a thing existed?? Hey, if it's good enough for getting NASA astronauts in shape it's good enough for me!

I have it set up in front of the tv so that every time there's a commercial I get up and do some jumpin' jacks, jogging or twists until my show comes back on. Actually, that's the theory but I gotta tell ya, it's HARD WORK, folks!! 3 minutes is my max at this point before I'm fully prepared to curl up on the floor and die. However, it's great because I can go and jump around for a few minutes tons of times throughout the day (and I do!). It's easy on the joints and I don't find my muscles are stiff and sore the next day (though I don't know why not, the burning in my thighs makes me want to beg for mercy after a few minutes of jogging rigorously on the spot). All going well I'm going to work up to longer and longer rounds on it... I shall get to ten minutes if it kills me!

Anyway, I guess we'll see if I stick with it, but as it stands this is the most optimistic I've felt about any attempt to get into shape. Them crazy experts are right... it's all about finding the activity you like. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for something new. It's an amazing cardiovascular and calorie burning workout and it's easy on the joints, since it's low impact. The one I bought was only $36 so it's well worth a try!

I also invested in an unspeakable amount of money on groceries. I have been eating like a (healthy!) queen for the last few days and I'm feeling good. I gotta get this bod in shape for Feb 15th! I am heading down to California for a week; last year it was San Antonio for sales meetings, this year it's Costa Mesa. A co-worker and I are going down a couple of days early in order to have a mini vacation and explore the area since they really don't let us see the light of day much at these sales meetings. While I appreciate that they pick somewhere warm to hold them every year, what's the point if we don't ever get to take a side tour?

Right, so, the plan is to lose a little of this "buddha belly" in time to sport a bathing suit in California. Just a few little pounds, is that so much to ask?? Winter pudge along with my pastey white skin will have me standing out as a Canadian in a big way, so anything I can do to blend in a little better is good. Perhaps I need to bleach my hair blonde?
Shyeah, right.

P.S.
Can anyone explain to me why it is on my Firefox browser I can't see my title banner for my blog? Or my comments? Or my Haloscan and Site Meter buttons? those four items have all disappeared for reasons unknown.... and only when I look at it on Firefox, not IE!