Saturday, April 23, 2011

wOKe uP oLD

It's been a long time since I have actually enjoyed my birthday.  Don't get me wrong...I've had some great parties and have spent many of them with people that I love.  It's just that when you turn thirteen you become a teenager, sixteen is your drivers license, voting at eighteen, drinking at nineteen, legal in the US at 21....from then on it's kinda down hill.  Twenty five is closer to thirty than twenty...and it seems to move faster from there. 
I woke up the other day and realized I was no longer a teenager.  I'm assuming that most people figure that out in their twenties...I'm not sure how I missed it.  I am one of those annoying people who thinks she understands teens because she just was one...way over a decade ago.  I'm old.
I woke up and realized I have the body of someone who has had a baby...the wrinkles of a past lifeguard...and that I no longer wash my hair or shave my legs near as often as I used to.  I guess it's because it all doesn't matter that much anymore.  Or does it?  Do I really want to be that person that blends in with the wall paper or would I rather command some attention when I walk into a room.  I don't need to be the prettiest girl in the room, I just want to be relevant. I guess my personality often keeps me from getting completely ignored....but is that enough? 
Nope...I want to be sexy.  Not that freaky sexy that some older women try to achieve...you know, married cougar with kids.  Not exactly what I am looking for.  I just don't want to be a frumpy mommy. So I need to find that new me...the sexiest middle-aged (said with a frown) woman that I can be. 
I have no idea where to start...but here's to me! Wish me luck....

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Humanity Insanity

How can there possibly be this huge spectrum of personalities?  Today this adorable older gentleman bought roses for all the girls in my pharmacy.  We hadn't done anything special for him.  He just wanted to show his appreciation for everyhing we had previously done.  Today this other less than adorable older gentleman called me autocratic (which I honestly thought was a made up word until later) when I wouldn't give him more medication than the doctor had allowed.  After much badgering back and forth, I explained that our conversation was over.  He could choose to leave or he could keep trying to convince me to break the law to save him money.  However, I did explain that if he did continue to loudly and rudely express his distaste for my decision, he would be asked to leave and not return.  His answer to that was, "Screw You" which I didn't take kindly to and banned him from the pharmacy.  In the ROYGBIV of rainbows (you know....red orange yellow green blue indigo violet) one of them was definitely red and the other my favorite color; violet.  I was assured by the staff that he had caused them grief in the past and had actually made a few of the staff members cry.  But even so...is it possible that he is just mean?  He has a wife...why did she choose him if he is always so crabby?  Is there more to him that for some reason we have been unable to see?  Are some people just less nice?
So I guess my goal is to be the violet kind of person...and try to avoid being in the presence of (and actually just being) a red.  Perhaps we can all learn from my adorable older gentleman and send out some random acts of kindness so when others look back on their day, they can see the shades of purple that are hiding those shades of red.
And on another random tangent....when it looks like life has handed you the impossible, remember this.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

In Memory of Lisa Marie Rendall

This was taken from the C95 website this morning.  I needed to share this.    If ever you think you can not go on, remember this amazing woman.  In her deepest darkest days, she found incredible strength and made a huge difference in so many lives.  Rest in peace.

In Memory of Lisa Marie Rendall

Lisa Marie Rendall was born and raised in small town Saskatchewan. Her career as a radio personality started at CJSL in Estevan in February of 1984 shortly after she graduated from Western Academy of Broadcasting in Saskatoon. In May she joined the staff at CKIT and CKCK radio in Regina where she spent over 7 years of her career playing easy listening music on CKIT. The next career move came in 1990 when she joined the staff at CJWW in Saskatoon and was happy to return to playing country music. In 1992 she moved to Toronto and helped sign-on a brand new country FM station, CISS FM. She stayed there for over 4 years until the pull of the prairies became too strong. Lisa returned to Regina in 1996 where she worked at Z99, and then moved to Saskatoon and the morning show at C95 in November of 1997.
Rob, Lisa and Rambling Dave were the number one radio morning show in Saskatoon when Lisa was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer after a vertebra in her neck collapsed. The cancer had spread to many areas of her body including the vertebra in her neck, as well as throughout her spine, ribs and liver.
Lisa Rendall lived with incurable Stage 4 (metastatic) breast cancer for eleven years. This is an incredible feat given the median survival rate is 2.5 years. During these eleven years, Lisa was a motivational speaker who took the audience through her journey in a way that not only entertained, but educated and inspired. Lisa shared her story many times through radio and television interviews, magazine articles, newspaper interviews, and as a motivational speaker.
Lisa made it her mission to raise as much money as possible for breast cancer research in Saskatchewan. To date, over 2.5 million dollars has been raised for breast cancer research at the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency through events such as the C95 Radio Marathon for Breast Cancer Research and the Lisa Rendall Golf Classic. Named as one of the Top 40 Women Over 40 in Canada by More magazine, Lisa was a dedicated warrior in the fight against breast cancer and an engaging speaker who brought audiences to laughter and tears as she told her compelling story of diagnosis, living with incurable cancer, and fighting back when it progressed.
On New Year's Eve 2010, CTV Saskatoon named Lisa as the 2010 CTV Saskatoon Citizen of the Year! Though Lisa’s condition remained stable until February 2010, when tests revealed the disease was progressing. Lisa underwent many sets of chemotherapy to attack the disease. Sadly, Lisa passed away this Wednesday, April 13, 2011.
Lisa will be sorely missed, not just by the C95 team and the Rawlco family, but by the whole community and the people whose lives she touched.

Official Site of Lisa Rendall 

Monday, April 11, 2011

Sometimes you have to reach for the mystery dessert.

My favorite dessert of all time is Baklava.  I remember the first time I ever had a bite of that gooey dessert.  My life was forever changed.  And given the opportunity to reach for Baklava, I'm sure I would pick it almost every time.  But what if there was a piece of the Right Slice Lime Pie behind door #1?  I could eat a whole Lime Pie but one piece of Baklava is so sweet that it's all I can handle.  How do you decide?
That pretty much sums up my life since Saturday.  I love my job.  I have the opportunity to work with wonderful people.  We have great rapport and I feel like a part of a fantastic team.  I am incredibly lucky to say that I enjoy going to work.  I have been with the same company since my second year of pharmacy; first as a student, then pharmacist, then manager.  They have provided me with amazing experiences.  They are my Baklava.
But on Saturday I was offered the mystery dessert.  It sounds absolutely amazing.  I will still get to wear my management hat, but I will get to learn so many new things, I will be in an incredible environment, and I will have better hours which will allow me to spend more time with my family.  I think that the mystery dessert is going to be Lime Pie, but only time will tell.  Honestly, all dessert is good, but hopefully I have picked the best one.
And so today I shared my news with my colleagues...who were incredibly supportive.  I hope that I have not disappointed them too much with my decision and I hope that they will see this as a fantastic opportunity for me.  I am at a crossroads and I have decided which way to head but only time will tell if it is the right way.
It's not fair that I am lucky enough to love one job and be offered another that I think I will love just as much.  Farewell friends, colleagues, managers, bosses, patients, Starbucks....I will miss you!!
Today is the first day of the rest of my life!!

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Douche bag. Dill Hole.

And all the other random inappropriate names I can think of.  A little bit of kindness goes a long way.   Last night on my way home from work I was very surprised to find the site of an airplane crash right beside the road that I commute to work on every single day.  Traffic was diverted to one lane, but it was still possible to drive by it.  I want to take a moment and say how incredible it is that more people weren't killed.  The pilot made the best of an impossible situation and saved lives in the process.  Wow! But back to the name calling.  Today after work I went the same way home...okay, I'll admit it.  I wanted to see it again as it seems totally crazy to see that sort of thing right in the city.  But today the road was closed as transport Canada was investigating and cleaning up the site.  Traffic was a mess of confusion.  This poor man ended up beside me with his signal light on and looked sadly at the fact that traffic was totally backed up and he needed to get into my lane.  Lately it seems like as our city grows, less and less people are willing to let you in or help you out.  You could tell that he assumed he was going to be stuck there for a long time.  I tried to get his attention to let him know that I was going to let him in but he didn't look my way so I honked my horn and pointed in front of me to let him know.  Unfortunately the car in front of me assumed I was honking at him....for absolutely no reason as the light was still red and we were just waiting...so he opened his window and gave me the finger.  Ugh. 
So I am now on my detour and headed down a road that I usually do not take home.  There is lots of traffic because everyone is getting diverted this way.  I am trying to cross over into the right lane so I can exit onto my highway and go home.  But of course....no one wants to let me in.  I am signalling right...you know the universal language for car wants to move over...but I am repeatedly ignored.  I finally get across and the truck in front of me wants into my lane too.  He is also using the universal sign....you know, the signal light.  But he is familiar to me.  He's my friendly driver from the finger incident minutes earlier.  And  I let him in....because that's what we're supposed to do. 
I hate those people who zoom in and out of traffic, putting lives in danger only to end up beside me at the next traffic light.  Are you sure you are saving time? To those of you who don't signal because you don't think it's necessary...think again.  You're not doing it for you anyway....it's so I know what you're planning.  It tells me I can turn left because you're doing the same.  It tells me that you are going into the same lane that I want and that I should be careful.  It gives me an idea that you are about to cut me off because you want into my lane....and it gives me the opportunity to just let you in the easy way.  And to those of you who rush to the front of the closed lane even though you have had tons of notice that your lane is closed up ahead....why should I let you in after I patiently waited my turn?  Why is your time more important than mine?  And to the cars that won't let me into the line up at Tim Hortons....too bad for you because when I have to wait a long time to get in, I often pay for the coffee of the car behind me to say thanks.  You other jerks can buy your own coffee.  Did you know that when the lane is ending and the traffic has to merge, it is actually the cars in the lane that is ending that have the right of way?  So just let them in...do you really want them to run into the wall?  And just so you know...those merging cars aren't always in the clear either....would it kill you to speed up and try to get into the flow of traffic?  Oh yeah...and that thing on the side of your steering wheel is that signal light thing I was talking about earlier. 
We have all been stuck in a situation where we could use some kindness...so why not offer it to those around you?  Drive smart...considerate and safe. We all have somewhere we need to be.  Instead of being a dumb ass.....Drive With Aloha!