Modern day tragedy

CALL IN THE TROOPS!! Our internet was down yesterday. ALL MORNING. Then, around noon they (they being our IT provider) switched us over to Shaw from MTS because the problem originated from our MTS line, not (thank goodness) our oh so expensive new servers (recommended by said IT provider). So now we have internet, but still no external Outlook, by which I mean we could communicate via Outlook internally, but are not sending or receiving anything externally. I can check weather, news etc, but can't send or receive instructions from the outside world. At 2:30pm I thought - it must be time for an update. So I proceeded to email help desk. Wait a minute! Help desk of course would not be answering - remember??? We're not sending externally. **sigh** Old fashioned communication then, I had to phone. Yes, its true. I actually had to speak to our IT person who informed me "they've escalated the problem". Now not only are MTS tech personnel not doing anything about our problem, but neither are their managers. So good. Our operations are at a virtual standstill, but I can still check the weather.

Learning to Drive

That's what my almost 16 year old is doing. Learning to Drive - perhaps I should call it "Adrenaline in a Bottle". The way my heart is racing sometimes - I could practically call it an aerobic work out. Really, she's doing pretty good. But WOW.

You know we started off pretty easy. DH took her the first time. Let her go 40 down a gravel road at first, then up to 60. Took her round Headingley a bit getting her used to cornering. I've taken her out a few more times. You'd think given our personalities (DH & I) that I'd be the one to hold back, take it easy and let her off the leash very gradually. NOPE, I've had her do speed limit up to 80, let her back into the garage, go down gravel roads in the rain, drive with her sister in the car and Tuesday night (in the dark) drove home from super store, out the parkade, merging on Portage Avenue and home down the #1. BUT - I hear drivers ed coaches pull no punches. They just take you and go full on, right from the get go. SO - my theory is lots of practice. She starts in-car with drivers ed next week. I wonder how many bad habits I've already let her develop?? Probably not that many - I've told her that with driving she must do as I say - not as I do. Who better to teach than one who has been in as many accidents as I LOL. Don't get me wrong. I've taken her through very forgiving neighborhoods with wide streets, parking lots with only 2 cars, and a street where she had the ability to go through a stop sign with no ill effects aside from the mortification of having blown through it. An hour is about as much as I can do in one shot, then I'm ready to take that Novice Driver sign out of the window and take control again!!

I've only had to almost grab the wheel from her once and DH dearly wishes we had a drivers ed car with the extra brake, but I think she's going to do just fine. One step at a time. She will be a better driver than both of us one day. With driving, the true teacher is experience. If you have the luxury of making mistakes that don't kill you, you learn.

4:30 AM on a Saturday

Yup, that's what time I got up. DH needed a ride to the airport, he's off to Phoenix with the guys from work. They're going to rent motorcycles, tour around and generally have fun (but not too much). My biggest question was - since he drove to the airport, who's going to drive me home? I mean I was SOOOOO tired. Oh well, I can always crash (in bed) when I get home. NOT - by the time I got home, I was wide awake, so big question now is do I start cleaning - nah too early, go for run outside? - nah, way too dark and they haven't caught the escaped inmate from Headingley jail yet (I know its paranoid to think he is still anywhere near here, but you never know...). How about run on my treadmill and catch up on all my night soaps - yes!

So now its 7:30, I'm done my run, ready to clean and the day is young. I hope I can make it through the marathon of chick flicks me and the girls are going to watch tonight!!

Get this ultimate line up (if I can find them all at the video store):

Dirty Dancing
Breakfast Club
Terminator 1, 2 and 3
Moulin Rouge
Ghost
She's having a baby
Back to the Future 3 (saw 1/2 last year)

you thought I was throwing Terminator in there just to see if you were paying attention?? No way - those are must sees!

How many hours is DH gone again?? We might have to hold some for another day, but there are just some movies kids of today need to see. I think I'll save Aliens till they're a little older (or maybe its not as scary as i remember??)