Thursday's This & That

• I finished Gone With the Wind! All 959 pages of it. Although I love the book and would highly recommend it, I was a bit disappointed with the ending. I'm now reading Tina Fey's book, which I started last year, but never finished. 
• It was so cold here last week that our dishwasher, which is on an outside wall, froze! Well, the pipes froze and no water would run through the dishwasher. Thanks to a space heater and warmer weather this weekend, the dishwasher is working again. Now we know to run the dishwasher more often when it's freezing outside so the pipes don't freeze up again.
• I won the online diet bet! There were 10 winners in total (out of 29 people) and I walked away with $4.93. Not too bad for a $2 bet. My bets with Husband and my friend are still pending (we're weighing in tomorrow or Saturday).
• I had a lovely and free facial on Tuesday at Zealous Medi Spa. The spa was offering a free relaxation facial if you subscribed to their mailing list. It was a nice experience, although based on the location (not too close to my house) and the atmosphere, I don't think I would go back unless there was a really good deal. It's a nice enough place, but definitely more of a salon than a spa and if I wanted an easy, cheap salon experience, I would go somewhere closer.
• I'm trying to get my French speaking skills back - I've been reviewing French videos and books over my lunch hours at work and Husband is helping me out at home (he's fluent). My hope is to get the basics under control again and then start classes at level 2 or 3. Once upon a time, I was fairly fluent in French (after taking it all the way through high school and doing advanced placement in the later years). I'd like to get back there or at least close to it! When we went to Quebec in 2011, I was so dependent on Husband to speak for me it was kind of sad. 
• The latest collective agreement at work was accepted, so no strike! I'm not sure if I mentioned it on the blog before, but we had rejected the first offer and if this offer wasn't rejected, a strike was imminent. While I'm all for trying to get the best deal, I have no interest in walking the picket line! I'm glad everything is settled for another few years.