spoiled chinese girl

I'm sure Jana does too!

Alright so I’ve heard what everyone’s heard. There is a 9 year old girl in New Zealand who was unfortunately bestowed the name of “Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii”.  Her parents are currently separated, both trying to gain custody of sai child, where instead of granting EITHER parent their kid, the court instead made the kid a ward of the state.  Why you ask?  Well… did you read her name? Just a little bit closer?

This 9 year old apparently has been going to school for the last… 3 or 4 years, seemingly been able to get away with not having any of her friends finding out her real name, and instead calling her “K”.  Shockingly enough it seems the kids let that be that.

I must say that the courts did the right thing.  While it’s fashionable to name your kids something “unorthodox” and be “original” and “unique” (all which are perfectly acceptable in my books) THAT is not a name.  It’s a sentence.  Not just a “prison sentence” although I agree with that as well, seeing as how she was stuck with such a silly name.  But a literal English-language sentence.  Even “Talula Hawaii (Last name)” would have been better.

Well, this girl has a new name now.  And I hope she’s happy with it!

(At the same time, I know people both named Rooraaah Mew Crumbs, and Rev. Grenade Bee of Death… but both of those people changed their names in adult hood.  And to that I say “If you want an extremely different sounding name, go ahead.)

Jananas! Happy Birthday! I mean… Merry Christmas in July!  Craigslist can be pretty awesome at times.  I know Jananas is always on the lookout for the “old school” cassette tapes, as she’s got a bit of an artsy business going where she turns cassette tapes into functional belt-buckles.  And I found someone on Craigslist in Toronto wanting to be rid of “many cassette tapes from AC/DC to Zepplan”  Sent him a message, told him I wanted them because I would listen to them everywhere, and any that were unfortunate enough to not work from whatever reason of being in storage, would be turned into art projects.

This man agreed, and we arranged a time for me to pick them up.  Unfortunately Google Maps gave me the wrong location, I spent nearly 40 minutes driving around in the complete wrong neighbourhood, was given proper directions from Rob (as his name turned out to be) and was trying to pick my jaw up off the floor when I found out I had two large boxes full of cassette tapes to pick up off his porch.

The other funny thing was he also mentioned “I hope you like 80’s hair metal” and while personally I am not a fan, I know a whole honking group of people who were.  Many of which… were going to be at Jananas Xmas party in July.

So… we show up at the party, the tapes show up as well, and it becomes a fury of the 20 to 30 somethings all marveling at the sheer volume of nostaligic music in front of them.  I was able to snag me an absoloute GEM (Barenaked Ladies’ Yellow Cassette) as well as some Tom Cochrane & Twisted Sister.  Everything else I left to some very excited music fans.

Rob! Thank you! Jananas thanks you too!

Sometimes I can’t believe people.
This would have been one of those times.

My boss tends to go on vacation a lot, and when she does, during a pay-week, what just happens is that the accountant would write up our pay cheques based on the estimated number of hours we are expected to work, and they will be post dated to the day we are to be paid.  Then signed, and kept in a super-duper secret place that only the accountant knows.  Because… post-dated cheques are SO dangerous before the date they are cashable.

Anyways, my coworker had an issue with the cheque that was first written (and signed) around 10am, and asked for a new one to be written with a different amount, basically asking for some vacation time to be put onto the cheque as well.  And so instead of writing a second cheque for the vacation pay (which is what I would have asked for) they just revised the whole thing, voided & shredded the old cheque and all the still-unsigned cheques were brought to my bosses house to be signed.

Well, when the next week rolled around and it was pay time for everyone.  Everyone got their pay cheques.  Except for my co-worker who needed a revision.  Lord knows it was not in the office, seeing as how myself, my coworker who was not paid even though she should have been, and the accountant basically tore up the office looking for it.  The accountant sent three seperate e-mails to the boss wherever she was vacationing asking where the missing pay cheque could be.  No dice.  We called the Nanny who works out of the boss’s house to see if she knew where it would be, every “work” space is locked.  No dice.  Coworker had to just go to the bank, and get a friendly and very shocked & appaled bank manager to put a freeze on her account, so that it didn’t go into deep over-draft because there are automatic payments that are scheduled to start coming out at midnight that night.

Can you imagine?  A boss who can just FORGET one of their employee’s pay cheques?  So we get paid on Thursdays. Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday this woman had no money, and all the payments that were to go through were late.

Monday comes around and she just simply apologizes.  “Oops.  I forgot it in my breifcase that was locked in my office at home.  Well, here you go!”  A bigger man would have at least offered something extra.  As I keep hearing in “the biz”, a “token of good will” should have been offered.  Lunch?  Maybe a few extra bucks for your troubles?  Nothing.

Nothing.

I was saying take the company to the Labour Board.  Because one of the employee’s protected rights is to have their pay on time every time.  Maybe next time.

I work at the Moksha Yoga studio every (other) Monday night doing their evening clean-up, and exchange I get one free class for every clean-up I do. Well for the past 3 months I'd basically been going in, cleaning and leaving but never felt well enough actually GO to class beforehand.

Tonight, I was scheduled to clean, I actually feel okay after the last 3 weeks of pure death of this mystery illness. (No, I have not seen a doctor. I was self-medicating with Buckley's cough syrup, Advil for Cold & Fever, Advil for Migraines, and a whole lot of Ricola cough drops) so I pack up my yoga gear, and head out the door at 9:10 to go to my 9:30 class.

I get there at 9:20 and notice what looks like a fresh class just getting into their groove.

Apparently in July class was moved to 9:15pm and being that I haven't been going for months, had no idea. POOP!