I'm still here!!!

11:13 p.m.=|||=2003-09-19

AT LAST!!! An update�..

8 days, sorry, sorry, sorry�.. You�ve guessed it � I�ve been busy!

Well, where do I start? Last Friday seems a good place.. The day my parents landed for their visit.

They were supposed to be here at 9.15pm, but their flight did not arrive until 11.15 � so that made it a rather late night for me! What also made it worse was I knew I had to get up at 4.30 the next day, as I was due at the track.. Of course when I got home they wanted a cup of tea, and then started to talk � I had to send them to bed about 1am, and then of course I could not sleep.

It was hard to pick them up � I have not seen them for almost 3 years and they have got very old. More than anything, my Mum has turned into my Grandma � now walks the same, with a cane, got the same Arthritis etc etc etc � I feel very selfish saying it, but I�m finding it rather hard to cope with.

The girls love it that their grandparents are here � they are getting spoiled for the second time in a month and a half. On the other hand, I�m getting driven up the wall. I just don�t� think I�m cut out to be a host � at least not to people who won�t seem to just get on and do things. My mum has developed a couple of annoying habits � firstly every time I get on the computer, she comes and stands behind me and looks to see what I am doing. Now, I have always hated this, and now it is really irritating � I don�t� want her reading my Diary over my shoulder, or chat sessions and stuff like that. But I cannot be rude and tell her to bugger off.

She also has a hovering habit � If I go into the kitchen to get supper, she comes in and just hovers � and always managed to just get in the way. Now if she was going to do all of the supper that would be fine, but just standing there and stopping me moving around is not what I want.

I�m a big whiny bastard I know�it is probably just because I had only come off another visit, and my Ex was here, and now they are here � I�ve lost my louse, my sanctuary, and my ME time.

All in all, that is one of the reasons I have not updated this week � they don�t go to bed until 10-11pm, so that does not leave much time for this � especially if I�m tired, and not motivated to write. Now it is Friday night, and here I ma, in full whiny flight.

OK, back to the story of my week � Saturday, I went to the track for a Grand Am Cup race, and looky here::: A photographer took this of me and my buddy Bill :

Told you I look good in white!!

All in all there were about 5-6 pictures with me in it that day � Guess I was working the interesting corner! The crew I was working with was great, and I had a very long, tiring but awfully good fun day!

Got home late and tired Sat�then got up Sunday for my girls 7th Birthday. 7 � they are 7�.. Their mother had talked them and their friends to a pottery painting party on the Sat, while I was out, and she dropped them home on Sat afternoon.

Grandma made them a cake, they got lots of presents, and it was a thoroughly lovely day. Later on in the day my ex came round, and I drove her to the airport, as she was going back to see her Mother for a couple of weeks (and avoid my parents). Good thing is also I get to borrow her minivan while my house is full, and more importantly, I get to go to Future Shop in her van to get my new TV.

Did I mention my new TV? The company I work for gave us all a bonus gift of $300, to either spend in Canadian Tire or Future Shop. Now, I was going to buy myself a new TV for Xmas, so I got it a little early, and it only cost me $75 of my own money!

The visit to the store was irritating as hell though. I had been in a few days before, and reserved the TV I wanted. So I go in to pick it up � and find out they have none left. The guy who reserved them did it in the computer, but did not write it on the box, so someone else sold it. Guess that is what happens when the salespeople are commissioned. I was not the only person that happened to. So once I calmed down, I found another 27� TV that was the same specs, and in the case color I prefer (dark gray � the original one was silver�). So I got one of them, and it ended up $75 cheaper than the one I was going to get. All in all I ended up happy.

There was the line up from hell to check out � about 150 people in the store, and 2 cash registers open. But I won again � spotted a new lien opening up, went there and got out before people who has got to the store before me! Then home, to wire up my new TV.

I now have this HUGE screen (my old TV was 20�) that is taking some getting used to � but looks great from this end of the room!! And my DVD looks really good � component video inputs you see. Everything has it�s own input � no more daisy-chained video connections any more. And the picture is sooo coool. No more annoying bends in building at certain point in my favorite movies!! Now I cannot wait until my Mum and Dad go so I can try out some large screen Porn.. he he he.

This week I�ve been tired most of the time � started off a bit short of sleep, but have also spent most night up late chatting to a lady from the track. I�ve not said anything about this so far, but, well�. Guess there may be something going on there.. Or at least I thought there was, until tonight when I got a �Sorry, another time� instant message from her. But she has a lot of strife in her life right now, like she is on the point of leaving her second husband, who sounds like an alcoholic bum. I was thinking it was a friends thing, but then, we are very good friends�and I kind of think there is something else happening.

I�ll know more next weekend, she persuaded me to work a weekend I was not going to work, and has promised me long chats by the campfire� I am now scared that I am mis-reading this� but I am going to make sure I find out this time. I was trying to convince myself she was just being friendly � but when you get email at work just to say good morning, notes all day and then she stays up until 1am chatting every night, and is planning road trips with me for next summer, I think there is some interest there. I�ll be sure to let you all know!

Guess I have also decided another thing. I, for sure, want my ex to move out when she gets back from the UK. I realized this week, that I don�t really miss her being here. It is nice to have an extra pair of hands, but I have really liked getting some of my routine back. I know my parents are here in the evenings, but they leave everything to me, so it is almost like normal. She needs the space to herself, and I think that will be best. Also, the girls adjusted to her not being here in about � a day! I take that as a very good sign that they are not too confused at her being here. You know the best thing? She is a real woman, who I met in the flesh�. I�ve had too many online things that have not worked out, but I was worrying I would never meet anyone in the real world�Even if it does not work out, it gives me hope.

OK, that is my updates. Tomorrow is the fall fair, Sunday the girls have a Birthday party, and Sunday night my B gets back from the track, and I get to talk to her again.

My Dad was bugging me tonight � he had the TV remote and just kept on changing channels� even when he found something good, he�d change as soon as an advert came on. And they cannot make their minds up what to get as a Birthday present for the girls � they were going to get Bikes, but their bikes are the right size and in good condition, so that would be a waste � now they cannot make their minds up. I�ll guide them tho!

Oh ya, I bought a new printer � it was only $50, but does superb color pictures!!

OK that�s it � hope you all kept up.

Till later, Jump

(Comments welcome�..)