How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.

For the first time in probably 17 years, I put a book on my nightstand last night. You may think that’s no big deal. But for the last 16 years, that is where the kitty’s bed was. Even though I removed her bedding so long ago, last night was the first time I actually used the space. It is still the little things that I notice and that hurt the most. The hardest is still coming home after a long hard day of work and not having her at the door waiting for me. It feels weird being able to be in the bathroom without having company. And just when you think everything is okay, then someone says something and you feel the tears well up. Poor colleague at work has been working in another office for several weeks now and she came to see how the kitty was doing since the last time we had talked was just after the incident. We picked up the imprint of her paws and I was good until we got home and I could just touch them. I remember her pink little feet and how soft and ticklish they were. Monday will be seven weeks. I am ever grateful for her unconditional love for sixteen years and I miss her every day.

Taste of Edmonton just ended and I enjoyed myself quite nicely this year with six lunches being spent there. My scores (out of 5 stars) for this year were:

5 stars
Fantasia Caffe & Catering – Tuscan meatloaf with pesto-truffle aioli
- Gelato – Egg Nog and Limone
Hoang Long Causal Fare – Beef Lemongrass Skewer
4 stars
Korean Village Restaurant – Tempura vegetables
Naanolicious – Cinnamon Naan
Moksha –Beef Samosa
3.5 stars
Mama Lee’s Kitchen – Pork Bulgogi
Quick Meal Mediterranean Food – Donair Poutine
Lingnan Restaurant – Dry Spicy Chicken
Underground Tap & Grill – Mac and Cheese Ball
3 stars
Langano Skies Ethiopian Restaurant – Special Tibs-Beef Stir Fry & Injera
Our Truck is Your Truck – Kactus Chips with Homemade Dip (any other day this probably would have gotten higher, but I had the Tuscan meatloaf first which was utterly outstanding)
Japanese Village – Bean Spout Salad with Ginger Sauce

According to colleagues, their 5 star foods were the Old Spaghetti Factory's Bam Bam Shrimp and Melting Pot's Chocolate Fondue Cup.

The other exciting event in my life has been my Fitbit. I adore my Fitbit – ask anyone and it’s rare that they don’t know I have one or that I adore it. And recently they upgraded the sleep statistic section – ooooh – I am in heaven. To add to that adoration, Fitbit has proven that they have exceptional customer service. Last year, just after my warranty expired, my Fitbit died so I bought another one. I think the Force had just been pulled and the next one was coming out soon, but I refused to wait and bought another Flex. At the end of June this year, it died. No idea why – I charged it before I went to bed, put it on and set it for sleep mode. When I got up in the morning, it just refused to work. I tried resetting it and searched the website for tips. But it was a no go. So I wrote them asking for some help. Within a couple days, they wrote back saying they agreed there was something wrong and offered to send me a replacement since it was still under warranty. They sent me a whole new package – new strap and all. Awesome! And then tragedy struck again… As soon as I received it, I charged it and starting wearing it. Eight days later, I had synced it after work and then we went shopping. When I got home, it was missing. It had just fallen off my wrist. I could not think of when it did or what I might have done to loosen it. I again searched their website for assistance and followed their suggestions – retracing my steps trying to sync my phone, searching the house. No such luck so I sent them another email asking for any assistance. What is cool is that if you actually do some of what they suggest first and let them know you did, they thank you. I like that they acknowledge that you tried. Anyway, they are assisting me again with this lost Fitbit. To me, this is a sign of excellent customer service. They have acknowledged my problem, thanked me for my efforts, and kept me informed along the way. Honestly, I already recommended Fitbit to anyone interested and this just supports why I do. Thank you Fitbit!

Work wise – I am filling in for my manager for the next few weeks. Not sure what sadistic part of me agreed to this. That’s not completely true – I was just a bit shocked with how quickly it happened. I was just thinking later… my boss decided to start with her holidays right away. I am trying to have a positive attitude about the opportunity and use it as a chance to see where I want to go next. No one says I have to go management route and so if this ends up being something I am not interested in, then at least I will have tried.

Anyway, my body has decided it is exhausted and it’s time to bed.