So, yesterday one of the reasons i went with (e:Uncutsaniflush) to Lockport is that i needed a distraction.

Sure, i could have occupied myself around the house, but i had already done most of the tasks that would take up the time i had.

Mostly, it was because i was a bit nervous.

See, i got myself a real job. Sure, i could have kept on with the occasional odd jobs i have been getting, but it doesn't fit in with my grand plan.

Today, i worked 4 hours. Next week, i also work 4 hours. The following week, i will work the amount of hours i was hired to work -- 20. A nice way to ease back into working, after over 7 years being a housewife.

Plus, the manager was supercool about me needing time off (yeah, already!) next month when (e:Uncutsaniflush) and i will be heading to Knoxville to visit his mother's grave on the anniversary of her death.

So far, all i have really done is fill out papers and start training... watching dvd's, reading manuals and answering questions in a work book. So no sore feet on the first day... woo hoo.

I think i will like this job. So far, i can't see why i wouldn't... but like all jobs, ya never know until you get in there and get dirty.

I saved a 13" beagle bitch from getting run over today.

She was wandering along the sidewalk, in downtown Lockport on the sidewalk of N Transit in front of Walgreens. Almost as soon as i notice her, she plops herself onto the road in front of an oncoming pickup truck. I dropped my bag and ran into the street, waving my arms, hoping the truck would stop. It squealed to a stop, and the driver began cursing at me. I picked up the dog and showed him. He looked shocked, then started to give me a huge lecture about putting my dog on a leash. I told him it wasn't my dog, she was just wandering... but he was already driving away.

I carried her to the grassy area in front of the store and looked for a collar or tags. Nothing. She had big dangly nipples, so i assume she had puppies recently. She was sweet and licked my face. She wasn't interested in the Cool Ranch Doritos that were my lunch, but she did drink the majority of the bottle of water i had in my purse/backpack.

I took the string from my yoga pants out as a make shift collar and leash, but she was having none of it. Seems she thought it was a game.. she dodged it and licked my face when i got close enough. Then, all of a sudden, she decided she had enough of me, and ran away, across W Genessee (thank godness no cars were coming!) and into some bushes.

I hope she made it home ok. And i hope her humans won't let her escape again... she doesn't have a lot of road smarts.

Now, why i was wandering the streets of downtown Lockport by myself is another story.

(e:Uncutsaniflush) was asked, at the very last minute, to help with an inventory of the Hallmark cards at the Walgreens. His boss told him it would only take 2 hours, and promised if i let him go do the inventory, a couple of boxes of Boca Burgers would head my way. I told him to make them Morningstar Frams Grillers and he had a deal.

So, i went with, thinking i could kill 2 hours in Lockport then (e:Uncutsaniflush) and i would continue on with the plans we had for the afternoon.

The 2 hours turned into nearly 5.... so, at 6pm, we thought it wouldn't be wise to head into Niagara Falls. We both have to work in the morning.

Instead, we had dinner and went to Walmart... i don't really *need* the new clothes for work, but now i don't have to make do.

As i have mentioned before, (e:LeeTee,25699) i make my mom a specialized calendar every year for xmas.

I used to do it all by hand -- measuring every calendar grid, writing in every number.

Then, i did it partially by hand, doing the calendar grid with a word processor, copying them out and then drawing in every day.

Then, i began to do it all with CorelDraw. I did that for many many years. I am so familiar with the program. Plus, i just alter the previous year. Which means i did all the hard stuff a long time ago, and the rest is just creative fun. We've had a dual boot thingmaggie (linux and windows) so i can have my CorelDraw to do my the boss mom calendar.

Well, for so many years, i say i need to start early so i can redo it from scratch on something open source, since we don't really use Windows anymore (except for the dual boot so i can use CorelDraw).

So, tonight, i have been trying. And trying and trying and trying. Shit, i am frustrated. None of the 3 programs we have right now has everything i need. Is it so hard to have something that will make a table or grid that is more than a word processor?

Open Office Draw seems to have a lot of things i could use... but... once i started, it doesn't. Or maybe i'm just to focused on the way i know things to be able to find them. I'm stupid, in other words.

I could not get a table from it, unless i draw every line and/or box by hand. And it doesn't have PMS colours or any way to ensure i am always selecting the same colour for different objects (i think it would be wise to always have, say, the exact same colour of blue on every number in the same calendar month). I can't seem to edit objects to a path.

• sigh* I think starting in September might have been too late...

For those of you with dogs and wheels that don't know yet, the dog park in Lasalle Park rocks. Kirsten and i went there last night with her 3 pug brood (yep, not just Ava and Nolan, she kept one of their puppies and named him Taj).

It was so cool to watch the dogs zipping around the place. And extra cool to watch Ava try to keep up with an Italian Greyhound. Sure, he was smaller than the standard Greyhound, but... well... he's a Greyhound.

Although i went with her and her dogs, i felt like a bit of a dog stalker... a wannabe dog person.

No, (e:Uncutsaniflush), it's not a hint... ok... maybe it is, just a little.