tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31494927933090984902024-02-19T11:27:28.718-05:00A little bit about nothingGeneral tidbits about anything I feel like commenting on.PortalPluginhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10660552953349338020noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3149492793309098490.post-14189344186051491882013-01-14T10:17:00.002-05:002013-01-14T10:17:21.075-05:00Weight Watchers So I decided to try WW on my own. I downloaded Nutrition Menu by
Shroomies from the app store and it's an awesome program. It allows you
to calculate Points Plus, Points (old system), and there's a "Custom"
option as well. What I also like about it is that it allows you to see
and set macronutrients regardless of what system you're using and if
you're using myfitnesspal.com you can set your calorie and macronutrient
limits according to what that site has set for you. You can also switch
between different point systems so that you can see what those
differences are. You can also log your water consumption, track exercise
(Activity Points calculator included), set your weeklies (it will track
how much you've dipped in), add "favorites", view weightloss chart, use
the built-in food calculator and a database of foods (alhtough the
database isn't as good as myfitnesspal). It's quite comprehensive!<br />
<br />
Was
it painful? Not at all! I generally had 7+ points left daily but it
forces me to plan and watch portions which are generally my gotchas. The
only thing that I did knock out is the morning muffin (not worth the
extra points!) which was a bit of a bruise. ;)<br />
<br />
Did I
exercise? No with the exception for 15 minutes on the bike. I've been
battling a nasty cold since the end of December so I'm not looking to
challenge my breathing. <br />
<br />
As for weight loss... Well...<br />
<br />
Jan 3 - 9: +2lbs<br />
<br />
After
seeing that, I started to drink more water and dipped in to 7 of my
weeklies. I snuck in another WI this morning to see if there was any
change... -3lbs!<br />
<br />
One thing that I've learnt from the forums... Always eat your dailies!<br />
<br />PortalPluginhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10660552953349338020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3149492793309098490.post-73705656460717910412012-07-07T08:54:00.001-04:002012-07-07T08:54:36.075-04:00Le Versailles 680 St. Joseph Boulevard, Gatineau QuebecI wrote this a while ago but left it in Draft mode accidentally... <br />
<br />
I'm writing this entry so that if there's anyone else out there considering moving to Le Versailles at 680 St. Joseph Boulevard in Hull, Quebec, you will be aware of the BS of living there.<br />
<br />
I've lived in apartment buildings all my life and this experience disgusts me. I lived at Le Versailles for 3 years as a single professional. My job required much overtime, travel and working off-site. I paid my rent in full and on time every single month. I worked most of the time so I was quiet and I had no complaints against me.<br />
<br />
Problems encountered:<br />
<br />
1. Unauthorized entry on more than one occasion (there might be more that I'm unaware of). <br />
<br />
- I was at home literally "sick in bed" when I heard noise coming from my hallway. I opened my bedroom door and there was the Superintendent removing my stuff from the bathroom cabinet so he could unclog the sink! He said the Landlord, Colette told him he could enter since I already was aware that the sink was getting clogged. I had absolutely NO notice whatsoever!<br />
<br />
- I had received a notice stating that yet again, they had to access my unit to 'test the fire alarm'. I immediately called the Landlord and stated I did not want them entering due to my absence for work obligations. I was told the proper procedure was to write a letter stating that I do not want them entering the unit and that I release Versailles from all obligations. I hand delivered the letter to the Landlord but as a precaution, I locked BOTH deadbolts on my door. When I came home, my door handle was snapped off. I first unlocked the top bolt and it opened! They had entered because the second bolt wasn't locked!<br />
<br />
- 2 weeks prior to the last day of renting there, I was continuously harassed by the Landlord to allow them to do an inspection. I had moved the majority of my items out on the 8th but still had some of my property there (Not to mention 409$ left of my rent that I already paid!). I reminded her that I had until the 31st and the apartment hadn't been cleaned yet and that I would contact her when it was ok to do the inspection. On the 28th, my boyfriend tried to access the unit but the second bolt was locked (I never lock it and only I have the key). I called the Landlord and she said that she called me the day before and left a message stating that if I didn't call her back, she would be entering the unit the next day. This does not constitute as 'my permission' to enter! <br />
<br />
2. Constant interruptions. I have rented in Ontario since 1990 and never have I seen such constant disruptions by the Landlord wanting to access my unit. Being a developer I have a lot of laptops and PC's along with the additional electronics that frankly aren't cheap. Why would I let strangers in to my apartment without my supervision? To this end, I have had to miss work for which my employer started getting irate.<br />
<br />
3. Poor attitude and rudeness. I have experienced and received complaints from my guests in regards to her bitchiness. The best one being her refusal to allow my boyfriend to bring his bike in to my apartment which is something we both always did. In addition, she doesn't take kindly to furniture being moved in or out. <br />
<br />
4. Shower. Be careful! The water turns scalding hot in the blink of an eye if a neighbour decides to take a shower or flush the toilet. I had to replace the shower head with a hand-held to stop being burnt.<br />
<br />
5. Pigeons! The pigeons were out of control! At first they started to blame me stating that they were there because I had a bistro set on the balcony. When they realized that wasn't going to work they dropped it. Seriously, am I not allowed to sit outside in the summer?<br />
<br />
6. Rent increases exponentially! For the first year I paid 750$ At the end of year 1 my rent was $764. At the end of year 2, my rent was 794$! Reason cited was because they had to install fire alarms. When rent goes up 30$ in one shot, they're still going to raise it the next year based on that 'one-time' increment!<br />
<br />
<br />PortalPluginhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10660552953349338020noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3149492793309098490.post-39913987154887485782012-06-21T12:26:00.000-04:002012-06-21T12:26:18.751-04:00Insanity - The 15 Minute Version...If you`ve seen Beachbody's "Insanity" workout promos with Shaun T. and ran in terror at the thought of doing it for 50 minutes a day, I suggest you checkout a short version of it taped on Dr. Oz's show at <a href="http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/shaun-ts-miracle-15-minute-workout">http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/shaun-ts-miracle-15-minute-workout</a><br />
<br />
It's 15 minutes... Still HARD but doable. (Note: Be careful doing this if you haven't worked out in a while...)<br />
<br />
It's still hard as hell but a lot less daunting than this: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmKQEVJdh5s">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmKQEVJdh5s</a><br />
<br />PortalPluginhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10660552953349338020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3149492793309098490.post-46461194473796713932012-06-09T08:04:00.000-04:002012-07-07T08:49:11.306-04:00A month smoke free!Yay!<br />
<br />
I did gain about 7-8lbs. despite still eating right and working-out. I decided to change the work-out and intensity (started Biggest Loser/Biggest Loser Challenge for WII) on June 1 and have come down 4-5lbs.<br />
<br />
If anyone decides to order from epuffer, I got some clarification regarding the Magnum Rev II cartridge equivalencies:<br />
<br />
Mirabella = Marlboro<br />
5x5 = Dumaurier<br />
Premium = Accord/Next<br />
Belgo = Belmont<br />
<br />
I ordered the 5x5 but they had none in stock so they're sending me a Mirabella instead. Next order, we'll try the 5x5.<br />
<br />PortalPluginhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10660552953349338020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3149492793309098490.post-35532773873244312892012-05-26T20:16:00.001-04:002012-07-07T08:49:38.193-04:00E-Cig - Transitioning from AnalogIt's been 18 days since I transferred on to the nicotine e-cig.
<br />
The first e-cig I had, I purchased at Rexalls. It was menthol with 0 nicotine. Both my boyfriend and I were impressed. It was disappointing that there was no nicotine but I tried to substitute it/intersperse it with analogs for the next couple of days at work.
<br />
While waiting for the first nicotine e-cig order to come in, some questions arose. When should I smoke it? Should I still go outside? If I do go out, a traditional cigarette burns away so how will I know when to stop smoking it? Set a timer? I really couldn't answer these questions until I had one in my hands but I talked to my boyfriend to get his input since he intended to give them a go too. He had similar questions and he had decided that he would still treat them like a regular cigarette and observe banned places and continue to smoke outside when he was home as well as not puff in the car.
<br />
For the most part I decided to adopt his policies with the exception of work. I was tired of constantly running out for a smoke.
<br />
When I was going to order my first one (disposable) I got a 1.2mg and 2 0.6mg. I wasn't sure what strength to get. The 0.6 was ok for me but in hind sight, I think it might have been a smidgen low. I got used to it pretty quickly though and when I eventually tried a 0.8, I found it strong.
<br />
At first, I tried sitting at my desk and taking drags but I found that I would get anxious even though I had the nicotine and the only relief I had was to actually go out and smoke there. I guess my brain hadn't fully adopted them.
<br />
So in accordance to our new policies, I went outside with my e-cig at work. I got to say, I felt a bit silly! Standing beside smokers or standing by an ashtray until I thought "What am I doing?" I got used to smoking outside and the silliness wore off.
<br />
As the days went by I found that I was taking drags less often and after 2 weeks I found it pointless to go out anymore and was able to sit at my desk for extended periods and only go out every 2-3 hours. I still like to go out for fresh air and escape the office though!
<br />
I learnt with the disposables, to get a stronger hit, cover the air-flow hole. After some experimenting, I discovered you can also take a slower drag (don't drag so hard like you would with an analog) to get a stronger hit.
<br />
The day that I got the first nicotine e-cig, I was sold! I didn't look back. They were exactly what I was hoping they would be. I had read that some people did have trouble transitioning to them and did it more slowly. For some, it took about 2 weeks of switching between e-cig and analogs to make the switch completely.
<br />
My boyfriend found this route to be better for him. At times when he was especially anxious, he would have an analog but he had very few and within a couple of days he switched completely.
<br />
At first, you may find that you're puffing a lot. Keep in mind this is like a novelty at the beginning. You're getting used to this and it will subside. In addition, you are no longer smoking a cig that will burn away so your tendency to drag on it will wane once you're more used to it.
<br />
Most times I held it like an analog at the beginning and sometimes still do but it's naturally turning more into an instrument which is great to move away from the smoking crutch.
<br />
Keep in mind, that if you were using a patch to quit, you could be starting out with a mega dose of nicotine which you normally wouldn't smoke. Like the patch, after weeks you drop down the dose. If you want to quit with an e-cig I suggest the following:
<br />
Smoke like you normally would but switch to an e-cig.
<br />
After 12 weeks (or however long you're comfortable) drop down to the next lightest for another 12 weeks. When you hit 0mg, stay there for as long as you're comfortable. You will still have the crutch but your system will not be reliant on nicotine anymore. Hold a pen if you want.
<br />
Right now I'm not thinking about quitting. I'm just happy to take it one day at a time and am delighted in tobacco free!
<br />
No more stinkies!
No more dirty ashtrays!
No more rushing out to have a smoke!
<br />
<br />PortalPluginhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10660552953349338020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3149492793309098490.post-89401745020886204182012-05-26T13:57:00.000-04:002012-07-07T08:50:08.951-04:00E-Cigs - The Good and BadIt is now May 26, 2012. I quit smoking May 8th and I thought I would share my thoughts thus far...
<br />
The Good:<br />
- I'm lucky that my health wasn't seriously compromised by smoking but the one thing I didn't want to do was tempt fate. I'm delighted to be tobacco free!
<br />
- Number one reason I hate tobacco: the stink! I ran out of e-cigs while I was at work and had a few drags of an analog cig. How gross! I even held my bf's cig for a minute while he tied his shoe. GROSS! I'm glad to smell like roses. (haha)
<br />
- Being at work and running outside for a smoke is such a pain! Especially when you're stuck in meetings! Then when you do go out, you're lucky if the weather's reasonable and of course, most sheltered areas are no smoking zones so there's a good chance you'll be without shelter. Oh ya, don't forget travelling for extended periods...
<br />
- I've quit cold turkey and I've tried NRT's (Nocotine Replacement Therapy) and I've always had withdrawals like being anxious/hyper, inability to sleep, munching etc... I've had NONE!
<br />
- I think people are fed up of paying taxes through the nose and cigs are atrociously taxed! Last time I bought a pack, I paid 10.30$ (up .30 cents from December!) in 2009, the Canadian government made 20.4 BILLION dollars off the taxes of cigarettes alone (just cigs, not pipe/cigar/tobacco). The last order of 70 packs of e-cigs with taxes and shipping was $170. Traditional smokes would have been $721.00.
<br />
Now the bad:<br />
E-cigs have not been approved for sale by Health Canada therefore, if you run out you can't run to the corner store to get them.
<br />PortalPluginhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10660552953349338020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3149492793309098490.post-44631858616592957072012-05-26T13:18:00.000-04:002012-07-07T08:50:28.947-04:00E-Cig - Magnum Rev IIWe ordered the real e-cig (as opposed to disposables). After getting a couple of quirks straightened out, we are pretty happy and tobacco free! Between us, we bought 70 'packs' (1 cartridge = 1 pack of 20 traditional cigarettes) and with taxes and shipping, it totaled 170$. If we bought 70 packs of traditional cigarettes at 10$ a pop (it's actually more than that for my Vogues) that would be 700$!
<br />
I got mint (my usuals) coffee, chocolate, and vanilla. The chocolate was last year's stock and the cartridge is dried up (I got them in the 'Last Call' section because they were cheaper. Don't buy carts from that section, stay with current stock!)
<br />
I like the choco and vanilla. I then tried my boyfriend's cherry (don't care for it) and his Belgo tobacco. I liked the Belgo especially compared to the Premiums he enjoys. I'm not one for regular tobacco but he found the Premiums were comparable to the Next Gold and Accord Red.
<br />PortalPluginhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10660552953349338020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3149492793309098490.post-2008257296364590352012-05-26T13:10:00.002-04:002012-07-07T08:50:46.173-04:00E-Cig First OrderSo I placed a small order for my first e-cig and got it the very next day! I didn't know what to expect so I got the Magnum UNO Disposable in menthol (2 in 0.6mg and 1 in 1.2mg).
<br />
WOW!
<br />
The taste was way better than a real cigarette and the nicotine was a great strength for me. The 1.2 was way too strong and thankfully my boyfriend was just as curious as me. He preferred the 1.2 so I gave it to him.
<br />PortalPluginhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10660552953349338020noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3149492793309098490.post-14716731460001258212012-05-26T13:03:00.000-04:002012-07-07T08:51:02.212-04:00Discovering E-CigarettesI was a career smoker you could say. Until one day I walked into the pharmacy and saw an e-cigarette. It had 0 nicotine but I decided to try it. Although there was something missing (nicotine), I was impressed. Taking a drag was much the same as a real cigarette. I got menthol and even though the taste was a bit different, I found it comparable (better than the Indian smokes I used to have!) The 'smoke' was quite realistic and I thought the light that glowed orange at the end was a cute detail. It was a bit larger than a king size and about double the weight. I decided to do some research into what this product really was, how it worked and how it came to be.
<br />
In short (there's a lot of info elsewhere on the net), it was created by a pharmacist in China. The ingredients are propylene (or vegetable) glycol, water, nicotine, and flavoring (like cherry, mint etc...)
<br />
The only ingredient I had to do more research on was the PG. It's actually the synthetic version of vegetable glycol and both are used as food and other additives. PG is also used in asthma inhalers. There has been extensive research on PG and it has been deemed as safe since the 50's.
<br />
Next was how it worked. Again, in short, a battery heats a cartridge automatically when you inhale. The cartridge contains the water, PG, nicotine. When you exhale, the "smoke" is actually vapor (thanks to the PG).
<br />
The other tidbit I came across is that Health Canada hasn't "approved" e-cigs for use in Canada WITH nicotine. The reason cited was that there is no process/quality control to discern how much nicotine is in each drag and labeling concerns. Therefore, Health Canada has prohibited the sale, advertisement and importation of e-cigs containing nicotine. This was about 2 years ago and if you do some digging on the net you'll see some forum posts of people complaining that their orders were seized by Customs.
<br />
In contrast, the FDA approved e-cigs however, it is trying to back-track because of concerns that it will encourage children to take up the habit.
<br />
Next, I dug into what people thought of the cigs. There's a site in the UK that created a survey and they posted the extra comments that people had volunteered. Simply amazing! Career smokers, those who smoked 3 packs a day, those with COPD and other smoking related illnesses reported having quit tobacco in its entirety without any effort. Even Dr's have been commenting in surprise.
<br />
This caused some concerns for me since I didn't want the expense and hassle of this happening to me. Lucky for me though, I found a Canadian distributor (it's a large company) with excellent delivery options and great customer service. When you call, someone answers the phone and the wait times are nominal. They also back up their products and customer service is knowledgeable and friendly.
<br />
Epuffer.com
Use the coupon code "FREEDOM" for a 10% discount. Get an even bigger discount when you purchase the VIP card.
<br />
More to come...
<br />PortalPluginhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10660552953349338020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3149492793309098490.post-37409526810484870962012-01-18T12:47:00.004-05:002012-01-18T12:56:02.058-05:00Time flies...I was just looking at my blog and I can't believe it had been so long (and infrequent) that I've posted! <br /><br />I guess moving, working and oh ya, getting a life has kept me busy. I also undertook a quest to lose weight Jan 4, 2011 so fitness has been a big thing for me too. <br /><br />I thought I'd share some links to that end:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.myfitnesspal.com">My Fitness Pal (Also available for iPhone: Track calories, exercise and weight</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.friendfit.com">Friend Fit: Excellent fitness tracker</a><br /><br /><u>iPhone Apps</u><br />MY Weight<br />Track Weight<br />A+Weight<br /><br /><p> </p>PortalPluginhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10660552953349338020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3149492793309098490.post-20946477663310279592012-01-18T12:43:00.003-05:002012-07-07T08:52:19.156-04:0030DSStarted the 30 Day Shred last night. I've seen some great results with it and some that were so-so. It's definitely a challenge to get through it!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Pc-NizMgg8">30 Day Shred - Jillian Michaels</a><br />
<br />
Feel free to leave comments regarding your experiences with it.<br />
<br />PortalPluginhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10660552953349338020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3149492793309098490.post-71651535917582693742011-02-01T12:28:00.002-05:002011-02-01T12:32:00.331-05:00Canal Challenge! - Another StepSo I had an idea yesterday. Rollerblade in the basement and I'm glad I did. At first I took baby steps but then I started gliding a bit and getting used to it. Not an expert but it did bolster my confidence! Chewing bubble gum and holding something in my hand (lip balm) were other tricks I used. Getting up still is a nuisance and man, did my feet hurt but hey, it's progress!<br /><br /><p> </p>PortalPluginhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10660552953349338020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3149492793309098490.post-63378218056125665812011-01-31T11:32:00.002-05:002011-01-31T11:40:20.821-05:00Canal Challenge!Well here it is the very last day of January! Winterlude will be upon us this weekend and we'll be going to the opening ceremonies across the bridge in Hull. In preparation, last week I DID make it on to the ice at a local rink. Unfortunately, I was less than stellar (although I was told I did a good job of at least STANDING UP on the ice!). <br /><br />The last time I was skating was almost 20 years ago. You'd think I should be able to saunter out there wouldn't you? Why isn't it like riding a bike and when did this paranoia creep in? Well skating isn't that easy nowadays but I'm determined! <br /><br />So here's yet another challenge! Will I do it in a week?PortalPluginhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10660552953349338020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3149492793309098490.post-22969831002871712952010-09-14T10:31:00.003-04:002010-09-14T10:33:14.622-04:00Where did the time go?!?I can't believe I haven't written anything all year. I guess time flies when you're having fun! Things have been busy but I'm enjoying every minute of it. Currently I'm packing up and trading in Provinces. I suspect that I may not post again for the rest of the year. We'll see!<br /><br /><j>PortalPluginhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10660552953349338020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3149492793309098490.post-19281097963065212462009-12-05T13:33:00.005-05:002009-12-05T14:36:52.524-05:00The End of One Challenge: The Beginning of the NextAnd so ends my self-imposed 6 week challenge on the stepper. How was it? Well I gained 4 pounds which kind of ticks me off since I was wanting to LOSE weight and I can tell myself "muscle weighs more than fat" but it doesn't cut it. I have noticed a diff in upper body strength especially. On that note, I gotta say, I didn't work out ONCE this week. I was too swamped but I'm still calling it SIX weeks! :P<br /><br />The next challenge will be a 4 weeker of Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2009. It's Wii Board compatible but not mandatory but you do need either 2 remotes or one remote with a nunchuck regardless if you have the board.<br /><br />There are 4 types of 'training':<br /><br />Weight Loss<br />Intervals <br />Strength Training<br />Hill Climb<br /><br />You also have a choice of Light, Medium, or Hard and can set the duration for 5-60 minutes. I did the weight loss at light and set the duration for 30 minutes so I can't comment on the other types. <br /><br />You begin with a run and after every game you run again. Every time you finish a run you can either pick a preselected game (push the right arrow on the remote) or a 'surprise' game (push the left arrow).<br /><br />The games are fun and indicative of what you would find in boot camp like monkey bars, kayaking, log jumping and the book mentions other games like paint grenade toss, cannon attack, handcar pump, tire trail, rowing, boxing, punching bag dodge etc... During each game it also displays how much longer you have. One game I couldn't get the hang of was the jumping through tires. The log balancing seemed kind of pointless since even if you didn't move, there was no way you could fall off the log. The rest were easy to figure out without reading the instructions.<br /><br />It does provide a graph similar to Wii Fit and tracks the calories burnt but not BMI. It also doesn't have the 'attitude' that Fit has and your avatar looks human and isn't based on your weight.<br /><br />The music is pretty decent and I'm just reading now that you can go in to the Music Player by holding the B button during a game to bring up the player and select what genre you want to listen to (I'll have to do that next time). Most of the music was random, some of them I knew... One of them sounded like hillbilly music!<br /><br />By the end I was sweating like a pig which has to be good, right? The running gets boring after doing it for an accumulative 19:05 minutes. My cat thought kayaking was interesting and now I'm done a workout for the day. As a side-note, there's a multiplayer function too which you can't use the board for. It appears you have all the same functionality for choosing the workout type, difficulty, and duration. Looks like that'll be fun to try too!<br /><br />Tip:<br /><br />For the first time trying this, I had a bit of a problem getting my avatar to run. The trick is to hold the remote loosely in your hand near the bottom of the remote. This will basically exagerate your movement if the receiver doesn't pick up your movements that well.<br /><br />Not so good:<br /><br />It doesn't display your ongoing time. I chose a 30 minute workout and I had no clue how much longer I had to go. In an effort to find out, I paused the first game and selected Back to Camp. I had lost all my progress and had to start a new game (I did another 30 minute workout so yes, I completed the whole thing). :(<br /><br /><p> </p>PortalPluginhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10660552953349338020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3149492793309098490.post-3605601050113757522009-11-08T14:11:00.002-05:002012-07-07T08:55:14.601-04:00Finished Week 2 of my Self-Imposed 6 Week Challenge- Two weeks ago, I finished the first week of my challenge at 900 steps. (5 of 7 days)<br />
- Last week I finished at 1700 steps. (4 of 7 days)<br />
- Week 3 will be 2500 steps. Day 1, already done. :)<br />
<br />
Sunday's seem to be the day where I can gauge what the next week's challenge will be. Today I've already done the 2500 and although 'challenging' it's definitely doable.PortalPluginhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10660552953349338020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3149492793309098490.post-9710900142222547062009-10-13T11:31:00.004-04:002009-10-13T11:42:58.734-04:00My AppsI'm putting this here for my own tracking...<br /><br />Standalone Liferay Portlet Apps:<br /><br /><strong>Domain Configuration:</strong> Those matching an IP are automatically logged-in.<br />Front and back ends + Partial Hook<br />Preferences and View<br /><br /><strong>Dormant Accounts:</strong> Lists accounts that have been inactive for 1-3-6-12 months.<br />Front and back ends<br /><br /><strong>Modified Users:</strong> Reports changes that users have made.<br />Front and back ends<br />Originally implemented as a service which was later changed to an Oracle trigger based on 3 tables.<br /><br /><strong>User Communication:</strong> Allows Admin to mail selectable Groups or individuals.<br />Front and back ends<br />Preferences and view<br /><br /><strong>Download Stats:</strong> Provides links to the 3 top downloaded documents + hits.<br />Front and back ends<br /><br /><strong>Document Library:</strong> Displays Document Library files as a selectable tree view. Excludes swf files. Displays non HTML and text files in div and all others in 3rd party viewer (Adeptol). Integrated 'Favourites' functionality (Add and Delete).<br />Front and back ends<br /><br /><strong>My Favourites:</strong> Display 4 documents selected as the 'Favourites'. Has full portlet functionality (minimize, maximize, move, and resize). Also includes management (add and delete) and 'sky scraper' view (view in full screen).<br />Front and back ends<br /><br /><strong>Search by Date Range:</strong> Allows user to search Document Library by keywords and/or date range. Front and back ends<br /><br /><strong>Contact Us/Feedback:</strong> If the user is logged-in, name and email address are automatically populated.<br />Front and back ends<br /><br /><strong>Report Error:</strong> Clicking on a link prepopulates form with the error page. It also allows the user to enter comments. Clicking Send automatically sends the form data to the Admin.<br />Front and back ends<br />Preferences and view<br /><br /><strong>Import Users:</strong> Imports user information from a CSV and from an external database.<br />Front and back ends<br /><br /><strong>Verify Import:</strong> Reports errors or omissions of user information from the Import Users portlet.<br /><br /><strong>Admin Reports:</strong> Schedules reports and generates them.<br />Front and back ends<br />Preferences and view<br /><br /><strong>GeoRSS:</strong> Consumer and Producer using Rome (supports standard protocols)<br /><br />Various Google portlets.<br /><br /><br /><br /><p></p>PortalPluginhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10660552953349338020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3149492793309098490.post-64568792931802538572009-10-11T08:22:00.003-04:002009-10-11T08:29:27.271-04:00Ab Rocket - Ha!I'm sitting here on a Sunday morning and there's an infomercial on for the Ab Rocket. I really hope people don't buy in to this. You can see from the before and after pictures that they're faked. If someone loses weight on their stomach but their ass remains just as big then hello!?! The image was doctored! In addition, you can tell that they're 'letting out' their stomach for the before and 'sucking in' for the after.<br /><br />*shaking head*<br /><br /><p> </p>PortalPluginhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10660552953349338020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3149492793309098490.post-45208481985739439362009-09-17T12:22:00.003-04:002009-09-17T12:24:45.041-04:00DOCUMENT LOCATIONI cannot count how many times I've saved this snippet's bookmark in 3 different browsers, yet when I need it, it's NOT BEEN SAVED! ARGH! So I'm solving the damn problem once and for all!<br /><br /><br /><br />Say you have a location of:<br /><br />http://www.irt.org:8080/some/where/deep/inside/filename.htm?name=martin#anchorname<br /><br />This corresponds to:<br /><br />protocol://hostname:port/pathname?search#hash<br /><br />Then:<br /><br />alert(location.href); // displays 'http://www.irt.org:8080/some/where/deep/inside/filename.htm?name=martin#anchorname'<br /><br />alert(location.protocol); // displays 'http:'<br />alert(location.hostname); // displays 'www.irt.org'<br />alert(location.host); // displays 'www.irt.org:8080'<br />alert(location.port); // displays '8080'<br />alert(location.pathname); // displays '/some/where/deep/inside/filename.htm'<br />alert(location.search); // displays '?name=martin'<br />alert(location.hash); // displays 'anchorname'<br /><br />To get just the directory path, use:<br /><br />alert(location.pathname.substring(0,location.pathname.lastIndexOf('/'))); // displays '/some/where/deep/inside'<br /><br /><p> </p>PortalPluginhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10660552953349338020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3149492793309098490.post-4800887005615149412009-09-07T09:46:00.007-04:002012-07-07T08:56:28.768-04:00Psychic Fair - Nepean SportsplexElaine and I went to the psychic fair at the Sportsplex. (We usually go to 2 a year with the earlier one being in May at Lansdowne as a 'just for fun' type of thing.) I saw two this time (a first). The first was Rene Boucher. I had seen him before a few years ago at a tiny fair they had in a hotel in Kanata. He surprised me at that time because he told me I had almost died 3 times which was correct. So here's the first reading with my comments in green.<br />
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<div id="highlights" style="background-color: navy; color: white;">
Highlights</div>
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1st card represents me: Mother, Sister Theresa. In sync with people.<br />
2nd card: Knowledge, resilience, longetivity.<br />
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At that point he asked me if there was anything specific I wanted to ask so I asked him to checkin with the other side.<br />
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He said: I see a lot of green. You want to do a lot of new activities like badminton or tennis. It will invigorate you to burn off negative energy. You feel like you're runing out of time. <br />
<div class="mycomment">
Right on both points. I'd like to engage in an extracurricular activity to get rid of the day's hectic pace. The running out of time, I constantly have deadlines at work.</div>
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Connecting with a vision of old homes. You used to walk along a country road a lot. As you walk you see old homes. <br />
<div class="mycomment">
Not a clue</div>
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There's going to be an ongoing course and ongoing work. You're a person who loves to talk. You're always ahead of them. You're a visionary. People talk to you and you can see it transform in your head.<br />
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You can change attitudes of people with frustration/fixation.<br />
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Who's "B"? <br />
<div class="mycomment">
Bill was my guess.</div>
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You're working with healing and you want to work more with it.<br />
<div class="mycomment">
I hear this all the time and I don't know why!</div>
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"Walk far man" is my spiritual guide (Indian).<br />
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When you talk you relate to people like you remember.<br />
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Go to South West California as a vacation but it is also a place that will allow you to see the structure/build/plan your life for the future.<br />
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You have been contemplating moving. The home will be a different layout and will be very beneficial. <br />
<div class="mycomment">
I've been seriously considering moving back to Nepean next year.</div>
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You used to work in the mining sector. I see a hose in the ground. Or you used to live in a mining town.<br />
<div class="mycomment">
Not a clue.</div>
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Who's "T"? He has difficulty in upper chest. He's very jovial.<br />
<div class="mycomment">
There was no one beginning with T. The only person I knew was Steve.</div>
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Who's "Mike"?<br />
<div class="mycomment">
I told him at that point that he must be talking about Steve, not a "T" name. He asked the relationship which Mike was Steve's best friend.</div>
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I see a nice lagoon with ships.<br />
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You have a doll that is snow white or something that's very close to you.<br />
<div class="mycomment">
I laughed and said My cat!</div>
She sees him.<br />
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You see things that manifest around you.<br />
<div class="mycomment">
He talked about 'poltergeist' but he said Steve had made the transition.</div>
He's giving proof. What's required is a telepathic wavelength and great intention.<br />
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You know Bob or Robert? Steve visits him. Robert is doing construction work.<br />
<div class="mycomment">
Robert is Steve's step son, for some reason I keep saying son-in-law!</div>
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Who's Joe or John?<br />
<div class="mycomment">
I thought Joe who's on the other side but coming to think of it, I bet Steve might have been saying John</div>
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I'll be taking a course for the betterment of people.<br />
<br />
<div class="mycomment">
Back to cards</div>
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Controlling, managing goals. You're going to have to sign some important docs between now and December. Could be promotion or moving to another job. You'll be greatful. You could also be working not just in the government but what I'm seeing are ships, country that has fuel, containers, big ships. You might end up with someone with a military hat and put on your head.<br />
<div class="mycomment">
I thought this was funny. Now last week I signed papers for high-level security clearance. Ships have been brought up many times and not only by Rene (more later). I never said that I work with the government so it was odd he specifically said that. I'm not quite sure what to make of the last sentence.</div>
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You'll be taking a trip. I'm thinking the Mediteranean area. It will be high class.<br />
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Within 6 months you'll get a promotion which brings more money and you should play the lottery. <br />
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Spear of Fate: You're going to meet someone in a public place. Very Special.<br />
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Ace of Love and Card of Marriage: You'll travel for personal resons with this person. You will marry this person. <br />
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Other money's coming in perhaps by inheritance or lottery.<br />
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7 days, 7 weeks, 7 months <br />
<div class="mycomment">
Interesting, I've been seeing 3 7's a lot lately.</div>
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Here's the cool thing, when he was done he said here's the proof. I had noticed he had a few cards tucked away on the side and he pulled them out. A lot of them corresponded with MY cards. What he had done was pulled 12 cards from another deck before our reading (unknowing to me).<br />
<br />
<hr />
<br />
<br />
While Elaine was waiting to have her reading done with Rene, I went to see the woman Elaine had seen first. Unfortunately she didn't tape anything so I have to go by memory.<br />
<br />
<div id="highlights" style="background-color: navy; color: white;">
Highlights</div>
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<br />
She pegged me pretty well. Ex. analytical etc...<br />
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She said "You have government written all over you." I don't work for the government but I'm tied to it and the military.<br />
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She saw ships.<br />
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She sees me working for an organization like the CIA doing investigations.<br />
<br />PortalPluginhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10660552953349338020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3149492793309098490.post-71943072548613313632009-08-30T18:27:00.002-04:002012-07-07T08:57:55.457-04:00My Little RoombaSo I got an auto-vaccuum on Friday night and I just tested it out. It's not too bad. I would say that it picks up the same as a stick vac. It's not my kick-ass Bissell Pro but it'll do.<br />
<br />PortalPluginhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10660552953349338020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3149492793309098490.post-91740839651807452612009-07-25T07:31:00.005-04:002009-07-25T08:10:16.623-04:00Wii Progress July 20-25July Monday 20 - Saturday 25<br /><br />I have to laugh, I actually gained a pound, stayed with that pound all week then dropped the pound this morning. I'm at the exact same spot I was at on Sunday. I increased my Wii time to 30 minutes a day which consisted of 95-100% aerobics. On Wednesday however, I only worked out 10-15 minutes because I was stiff as a board and my joints weren't happy. Last night I didn't work out as I was exhausted.<br /><br />My diet changed this week. I had my muffin in the morning then ate supper. It's been incredibly stressful this week at work so for the most part, lunches went out the window. I had significant water retention and attributed it to Subway increasing the sodium in their bread and I believe I was right. Seems kind of odd that I didn't have Subway for a week and I went to normal. Then on Wednesday when I did, I puffed up again and my joints got bad. Thursday night I had a burger at A&W then again last night at the BR (yes, intentionally).<br /><br />I took the stairs a bit less and scaled down to 3 times a day instead of 6. I managed to get in a good 15 minute walk on Wed after work and I haven't touched the stepper this week (intentionally). Of course, I still take that extra walk in the morning to work.<br /><br />Game plan for this week is to stay at 30 minutes on the Wii daily but to use the stepper and exercise cords for a weekly total of 20 minutes. Ummm.. Oh ya, and not skip lunch!<br /><br /><p> </p>PortalPluginhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10660552953349338020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3149492793309098490.post-80752710028434876852009-07-19T16:46:00.005-04:002012-07-07T08:56:03.467-04:00Wii Fit Progress July 5-19I lost 5 lbs... Yippee!<br />
Time: 3hrs 23 minutes<br />
<br />
Well I'm pretty happy! Unfortunately I only set a long-term goal so I still don't know what it will do when I meet my goal but I've adjusted it for 4lbs for the next 2 weeks. On average I worked out 20 minutes, 6 days per week. The first week I did mostly the running and yoga with a bit of balance (which I don't really care for). The second week, I discovered the Advanced Step and Free Step which have become my favourites. I will be trying the boxing tonight and I'll be upping the time to 25-30 minute work-outs. My Fit age is now 30 which is pretty good considering I started at 71! LOL <br />
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As for diet, I did change it. Before from M-W it was coffee for breakfast and another for lunch followed by a regular supper (avg 400 cals) and for a snack, a bowl of Special K. Thursday, I have supper out with my family. Friday, supper out with my sister. Sat and/or Sun usually have supper or breakfast out. I now have an apple/cran muffin for breakfast and I make sure to eat lunch. My metabolism has sped up and my stomach empties pretty quickly. On Wednesday, I got some Protein Enriched Boost for those times I want it to shutup.<br />
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As for pre-wii-fit condition, I was already drinking a lot of water so the weight loss was not due to water retention. Even though I have a sedentary job I always make sure to go up 3 flights of stairs at work a day. I always go down the stairs (no patience for elevators) and I get off one stop before the stop I have to when going to work and twice a week I like to take a bus route home that requires me to walk an additional 15 minutes. <br />
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After the loss? Well I don't notice any difference except I can go up the 5 flights to get to my apartment and not feel like I'm going to die!<br />
<br />PortalPluginhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10660552953349338020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3149492793309098490.post-17524090850094508312009-07-18T05:51:00.003-04:002009-07-18T06:02:37.140-04:00Wow! What a Week!It's been so busy! I started working on a new project 'technically' last week but this is the first week I've been able to get into the dev part of it after having to take care of server issues and setup with my partner. It's been challenging balancing the administrative side, technical issues and doing custom portal development. We have a limited team of myself, two other developers, the web master, and one floater. I have the portal under control but Alfresco integration is the one I'm worried about.<br /><br /><p> </p>PortalPluginhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10660552953349338020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3149492793309098490.post-15578505143665698982009-07-14T18:58:00.006-04:002009-07-14T19:12:27.197-04:00Escaping Montreal... BarelyWe tried to leave Montreal (Sunday July 12, 2009) however, a nut had other plans and ran a red light as we were heading down Decarie to leave town. <br /><p> </p><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfeMC-2jW1x61YBwsnTpDBfR0QVNZG3W-uz_qxQoO7ggxAc_Sk-ik4BdPNtEVS-MqGUmKo9BOo63S6-QTAf3dtSTp5vrFejbOHIIkuSfLViBJ18hqDNXZIrn6iPgPAH80YUh6rmc1oLSb8/s1600-h/collision1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 136px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfeMC-2jW1x61YBwsnTpDBfR0QVNZG3W-uz_qxQoO7ggxAc_Sk-ik4BdPNtEVS-MqGUmKo9BOo63S6-QTAf3dtSTp5vrFejbOHIIkuSfLViBJ18hqDNXZIrn6iPgPAH80YUh6rmc1oLSb8/s200/collision1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358456119311880898" /></a>This was my sister's car.<br /><br /><p> </p><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-lkACCCo6CX_kTS4J4g_n0KYxKODepx9XZiqKhcBz3-BmTBp7lwptQdxtst12yqj0oagnR38HTNXWvmvxWWrZpCtyrBTSOAer1Aj2wC-8svhQ2PKjm4Mmcam4xfnxE6EUTB-HQUpadeFy/s1600-h/collision2.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 164px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-lkACCCo6CX_kTS4J4g_n0KYxKODepx9XZiqKhcBz3-BmTBp7lwptQdxtst12yqj0oagnR38HTNXWvmvxWWrZpCtyrBTSOAer1Aj2wC-8svhQ2PKjm4Mmcam4xfnxE6EUTB-HQUpadeFy/s200/collision2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358456342539451938" /></a>The door's structure was compromised so I had a blanket of glass on me.<br /><br /><p> </p><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs9tuXc1OJPurZLHeOmQwZHMG0a5WoyiJOQk8AaMwtv8N_K2OfFIANrFqFAPG-ymb_xN3MtlGOjo3MFDJObcTBgBcIhKBytyRVJpkCf3sXFRpvjypa2AuUgDkITXQg_8n6nfF8-VJx62Ar/s1600-h/collision3.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 147px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs9tuXc1OJPurZLHeOmQwZHMG0a5WoyiJOQk8AaMwtv8N_K2OfFIANrFqFAPG-ymb_xN3MtlGOjo3MFDJObcTBgBcIhKBytyRVJpkCf3sXFRpvjypa2AuUgDkITXQg_8n6nfF8-VJx62Ar/s200/collision3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358456652007753122" /></a>This was the a$$hole's Volvo that plowed in to us.<br /><br /><p> </p><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAj9EwEJ4IG0QTMNuxV7Lz_dSjgy-uniXF8Ekm56FgRWcvJ9J646sqtuCSdTZsC3yW9yePlwqdEUW0_5CrVkgC49UW_YDecIB942JbwXoJE1x3oU5o49RB5GWFnRgEufhGBHwBjchvGPCA/s1600-h/collision4.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 148px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAj9EwEJ4IG0QTMNuxV7Lz_dSjgy-uniXF8Ekm56FgRWcvJ9J646sqtuCSdTZsC3yW9yePlwqdEUW0_5CrVkgC49UW_YDecIB942JbwXoJE1x3oU5o49RB5GWFnRgEufhGBHwBjchvGPCA/s200/collision4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358456892600425122" /></a>May this ba$tard never drive again.<br /><br /><p> </p>PortalPluginhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10660552953349338020noreply@blogger.com0