I do not believe in Karma

I really wish I did.  I mean it would be wonderful to believe there was an ultimate evening out in the world.  It would be wonderful to know that bad people meet bad ends, but we all know it just does not happen.  I think that is the true attraction of religion.  Some belief that bad people cannot flourish and good people do.  I think there is a comfort in Karma that if we do everything right then bad things won't happen to us.
I somehow don't think I will be buying this:

At our campus there is a "How not to get raped" instructions going around.  It has raised a lot of very angry voices on both sides.  Some people insist that it makes women aware of the dangers surrounding them, I disagree.  I think women know the dangers that surround them.  I think it gives young boys a check list for when it is okay to rape.  It sends the wrong message.  It says that it is the responsibility of the woman not to be raped, NOT the responsibility of a man not to rape.

Not long ago one of my friends was a victim of date rape.  She did not go to the police.  She did not go to the doctor.  She hid in her room for days, and only a couple of us know what happened.  One of my friends told her at the very least she should tell her mother, maybe get some counselling.  The first words out of her mother's mouth : "What were you wearing?"  Now I would like to think that this is just a horrible example of parenting, but I think it shows the way society is convincing even women that rape victims are responsible (at least in some part) for their own attacks.

I have heard it argued many times that if a women points to the man and yells raped that he is assumed guilty.  Only 3% of rapists ever serve a day in jail.  Does that sound like innocent men are being railroaded?  I am not saying an innocent man being blamed for rape has never happened.  But look around at the women you know and know have been raped, and then look around at the men you know  and how many have been accused of rape.  Is it anywhere close to the same?  I'm guessing probably not.  In short, if you think innocent men are the true victims when a woman is raped, I'm thinking you are a misogynistic douche.

I really hope no one is offended here, and I thought long and hard whether to publish this or not, but fuck it all, it is my blog after all

Second thoughts

   Okay, so we put in a bid, to be accepted by the end of the month if they do not get a better bid.  (Yeah, we low balled them because we knew they were desperate to sell).  The problem is our upstairs neighbours. Or as I call them, the neighbours from hell.  The daughter is about 15ish, and is.... how to put this delicately... a wanna-be gang whore.  The little gang bangers that come around are in and out, busting through the front door twice, fighting, threats of shooting.... blah, blah, blah.... Sometimes at these boys are fighting over this chick like she is the last woman on Earth...REALLY?  Meh, maybe she is the only one in the school who puts out.... anyway, I digress, because really, her sluttiness is really not the issue, just the problem it brings to our door.  On the particular issue of sluttiness, I am NOT going to throw stones from my glasshouse;)  Her mother is a bit of a trip, as she asked C at one time to keep an eye on her daughter.... uh... fuck no!  And she has drunkenly hit on both of us, individually of course.  I think I see who her daughter's role model is.

So last night we hear the mother and her boyfriend arguing, stuff being thrown about and thumping, nothing unusual.  It got louder, then we heard the daughter screaming "Stop it!  You're hurting her!"  Now, we mind our own business.  But I will be fucking damned if I let some dick beat up a women and just sit back.  Nope, sorry, no way.  We pounded on the door, and it suddenly went quiet.  C yelled through the door if she was all right, and no reply.  Well, we are not fucking buying that they are not home.  So finally I yell that we have to phone the cops if she doesn't say something.  Again, no reply, so we called the cops.  Now again, this is not my way.  I do not believe in calling the cops on noisy neighbours, but neighbours getting the shit kicked out of them.... yeppers.  Cops came and no answer on the door.  C let the cops in with his key, and they started.... sweet holy fuck, yelling and screaming at C.  Saying he had no business calling the cops.  C told them what we heard, and the mother yelled "You know Jen's a drama queen.  No one was getting hurt"  Then the cop asked a very obvious question: Why did she not come to the door when being checked on.  Then she replied "I don't have to answer the door if I don't feel like it."

   So today I am on a fact finding mission... Can we get rid of our upstairs neighbour if we buy the building, or are we going to e stuck with the tenants from hell?

Buying our home

Our landlords have put our building up for sale. After much talk we made a bid, and got married.  Yeah, just like that.  Most common law has made marriage redundant, but in Ontario the laws for property are different, so we did it.  I texted my mom, " got married"  she texted back "if you are kidding I'll kill you, if you are serious I will kill you, then bring you back to kill you again".  Not sure how to reply to that.  Frankly with my mother never having been married I did not think it would be a big deal to her.  I mean, start to finish.... 25 minutes.  

Deep thoughts of Saturday morning

As I sit here watching the Littlest Hobo (yep, I'm so Canadian I got maple syrup running through my veins) in my Sponge Bob sleep pants, eating a bowl of Capt'n Crunch it occurs to me that being a grown up is not so very different than being a kid.  Just me?  I don't know, when C is not here on the weekend I feel like a kid with a snow day, when the parents go off to work and leave you all alone:)

C is working another crappy weekend.  Three days in fucking Nunavut.  Who the fuck goes to Nunavut in January?  Seriously!  Right now, where he is working it is -39 degrees, which is close to where celcius and farenheit are the fucking same.  I don't know why that really makes it colder in my mind, but hey, work with me.

I get that you gotta work where you gotta work, but C VOLUNTEERED for this.  He actually wanted to go.  Why the fuck would you want to work outside in a place where there is no sun for 24 hours a day?  WHY?  Bragging rights, so he can say he did it.  I am sleeping with an idiot.

To give the coordinator at his job credit she tried to talk sense into him.  She actually said "you know it is really cold there."  "Yeah, I know."  "No like REALLY cold."  "Yes, I own a globe."  So the insane man packed all his warm gear, which I think will not be as effective as it is here, and off he went.  Tomorrow night (hopefully) he will be back, and know a new meaning to the word COLD!

Tassimo

I forgot about the big purchase of a tassimo coffee machine. C and I are on weird schedules, so generally brewing a pot of coffee is just a waste, so he got this brilliant idea of the single use Tassimo brewers. They are quick, and ours was on for cheap, but the coffee things are really fucking expensive and IMHO, a huge waste of money.... Until I had the Chai Latte! Better then Starbucks or second cup. My problem is they taste like another cup.

So, my first product review, two thumbs up to tassimo, their lattes are delicious, and though expensive ($10.00 for 8 cups) still cheaper than Starbucks.

Shopping in hell, Err ,Walmart

I admit to a Walmart snobbery. And it is not like I never shop there, but when I do I tend to feel really crappy about it. But at Christmas time c and I were given $500.00 worth of Walmart gift cards. I guess the thought is you can buy anything there. So we finally we went to the pits to spend, because, lets face it, $500.00 is a lot of money.
I had specifics. C is on a health food kick and it has nothing to do with the 15 pounds he packed on over his Christmas vacation; except it has everything to do with it. So I grabbed some wok type frying pans, and an electric wok, and a ricer. I also grabbed a deep fryer and completely fucked the health kick by making my famous deep fried pepperettes, if you have never tried them DO! They are fucking awesome with mustard, or better yet Dijon mustard, because I am all super-fucking-sophisticated;).
After we finished at hades we went to a few markets. I love markets, but they are funny around here because each market has a very defined purpose. Downtown is a farmers market, so foods, and some knit clothing, and homemade baked goods by one of my Nonna's old neighbor. I really love to see her but it is tres awkward as she seems to want to fatten me up in the 15 minutes I stand there, and won't take my money or no for an answer. She shovels cookies and cakes and tarts at me. I got around a strawberry and rhubarb pie (yuck), by pleading C's "diet".... Ummm , yeah, he is not, I repeat NOT on a diet, just a resolution to eat healthier.... Uh huh.
Another market is.... Well, lets just say frm the parking lot you can get singed, because 90% of the shit is hot. Like panel Tvs with no bases, because they were stolen off the walls. Knock off fashions, yeah, real D&G sunglasses for $5.00, I might have been born at night, but it wasn't last night. Oh,and of course the table of pirated movies, for those too lazy to pirate them yourselves.
A couple blocks over is the flea flea market. One that is likely to give you fleas. Old, gross, disgusting kids toys from 20 years ago, not washed, and clothes that make you think "damn, a mullet would make that outfit look better".
Finally we have, okay, technically no longer in my city, but this old barn antiques market. It is about 5 buildings (mostly old barns), and lots of outdoor tables. Mostly junk, but some actual antiques, by far my fave this side of Brantford. I picked up a cedar chest there a few weeks ago. It looks like shit, but for a few fairy tale moments I thought : I'm good with tools, I can strip it down and stain and varnish the wood. Yeah, not so much. C has threatened to throw it out if I don't do something with it, and it actually smells a bit. Smells like a bad decision to buy that is:P
For home and found out that my television actor crush (damn the things I would like to do to that man) was over at one of our malls. *Le sigh*. I missed him:'(

Just a bitch

   There is nothing quite like the holidays and an upcoming new year to really make a couple look at each other and want to choke the ever loving shit out of your partner communicate the improvements you are both going to make mostly him for the continued good of the relationship.  Now most people can probably do this calmly and maturely.... most people are not me.  And hell yeah, I can go queen.
Let me take you too the scene.  I worked Christmas day, after leaving my parents' home, we stopped home, I started the dishwasher, before going to work, Leaving C to his day.  I get home after a 12 hour shift.  The counter has literally his breakfast lunch and dinner dishes on it, and several glasses and mugs.  Did I bitch?  No, I did not.  I calmly (yet loudly) emptied the dishwasher.  Then rinsed his plates and calmly put them in the dishwasher.  Poor C, he really does not have any survival instincts that day as I was closing the dishwasher and said "I could have done that...."
Now let me say, I do the Kitchen shit, because I do all the cooking.  So most of the time it is easier for me to do it.  BUT when I work a 12 hour shift and you've been sitting on your fucking ass all day, when your realize that the dishwasher needs emptying, but instead you put your dishes on the counter.....

But you get the point.  This was not a one off.  He actually called me working one day and asked if I made him anything for supper.  So, the feeling underapreciated and taken for granted had been building.  And I did mention that it would be nice to come home to a meal I didn't have to make, he suggested ordering pizza.

Me?  I'm going to let him live, that was my improvement.