You Oughta Be In Pictures....

An interesting thing happened yesterday.
The company I work for signed a deal with a movie company to use some of our space for one of the sets for a movie to be made by a well known company..(I'll give you a hint...it's a small world after all....).... tee hee

So for the next few weeks we'll be having the 'creative' crowd on site, which as a Facility Manager, oughta be interesting - to say the least...

...hmmmm, I wonder if they need any extras!!!!....

God Bless Us Everyone...

I have to say that I went to one of the nicest Christmas masses I had been to in a long time.
I consider myself more spiritual than religious, but I believe that it's important for my son to have religion until that time where he is old enough to decide for himself.

That being said, we attended the children's mass at All Saints in the early evening on Christmas Eve along with my husband's parents. Coming from a french catholic background, it was very different than attending midnight mass, but it was so lovely.

First, I have to say there was alot of singing...which I particularily liked since it was more modern than normal, many Christmas carols (of a more holier nature) were sung - What Child is This being one of my favorites. The minister (reverend, priest...) had all the children come up to the front of the church after the gospel. He had decorated the Christmas tree earlier in the day and atop the tree was a sad looking little bow. He had a bag in his hand as he sat down on the riser to chat with the children and asked them some of the things they had on their trees at home. Many answered lights, candy canes (which was Paden's personal favorite), balls, santas...

He asked them for help because he had a few things in the bag that he thought would be better at the top of the tree rather than the sad little bow and implored the children to help decide what would be best...he proceeded to pull the first item out of the bag - a cross country ski boot, which garnered much laughter from the tots. The minister rationalized that the ski boot was a winter item, snow, snow boot (you get the idea)...I think he had a sentimental attachment to it, but since the children wanted to see what else was in the bag, the next item pulled was an empty pepsi bottle - to which he confessed that he had no idea why he thought that might be a good idea for the top of the tree - recycling and being a good person I think was his rationale...
Next item up was a tape dispenser to which the children thought was quite funny - the explanation was that it was tape, and God tapes ourselves to him...LOL, much laughter and groaning ensued...but wait!!! there was one item left, he said, as he pulled out a lovely little angel from the bag....ahhhhhh said the children, that's more like it!!! The minister put it out to a vote, with the ski boot coming in a close second to the angel.

More singing, shaking of hands, communion and blessings followed. On my way out I informed the minister that I thought his sermon was brilliant and that I secretly had been pulling for the ski boot to win...to which he chuckled and agreed.

I Need a Bigger Fridge....

Sigh....there's just not enough room in my fridge, on my fridge...take your pick.

With Christmas season and entertaining, you need to have a Masters degree in interior organizing - which I do not! It irks me that my crisper won't hold the peppers, onions AND celery...hmm, where to stick the celery? (well, I can't think of a few places, but none that I can mention without getting into trouble!!) One can't put vegetables with fruits, it's unheard of...
cheeses with the meats? Yeah, that'll work...egg nog, cream, milk, sour cream...yikes!!! eggs, bacon, chocolate...can't not have room for the chocolate - c'mon ladies, let's get our priorities here!!!

Then there's the OUTSIDE of the fridge...I think, based on the 'stuff' I have magneted (is that a word??) to the fridge, I would most likely need one the size of the full length of one wall...
Concert Tickets
Cut out snowflakes
Magnet alphabet (two types)
Photo frames
Paden's last spelling test (100% + 5 extra points for coming up with other words in the same word group)...big keener beener...
OOOoo, and my personal favorite, my fridge magnet with my cleaning services phone number!!

I thought I'd be a superstar and get one of those fancy calendars that organize you six ways from Sunday, and magnets itself to your fridge...hmmm, where the h-e-double hockey sticks am I going to find room for that???!!!!

What's on your fridge??? (insert the william wallace accent here....)

Christmas Funny....

I'll be the first to admit - I suck at telling jokes, majorly....
I can't remember them, and when I do, I usually screw up the punchline...
I'm thankful that my son is not saddled with this affliction.
He's in the middle of getting his jammies on and out of the blue, hollers

"Hey Mom!! What do you call a girl reindeer with three legs?"....


.....wait for it.......
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"Ilene"....

Then proceeds to giggle and tell me why it's so funny...
LOL

Christmas Day, Is in our grasp, So long as we, Have hands to clasp!

This may sound a little lame, but I can now get into the holiday spirit now that I've watched 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas'....
How the Grinch Stole Christmas

By Dr. Seuss

Every Who Down in Whoville Liked Christmas a lot... But the Grinch,Who lived just north of Whoville, Did NOT!

The Grinch hated Christmas! The whole Christmas season! Now, please don't ask why. No one quite knows the reason.

It could be his head wasn't screwed on just right. It could be, perhaps, that his shoes were too tight. But I think that the most likely reason of all, May have been that his heart was two sizes too small.

Whatever the reason, His heart or his shoes, He stood there on Christmas Eve, hating the Whos, Staring down from his cave with a sour, Grinchy frown, At the warm lighted windows below in their town.

For he knew every Who down in Whoville beneath, Was busy now, hanging a mistletoe wreath. "And they're hanging their stockings!" he snarled with a sneer, "Tomorrow is Christmas! It's practically here!" Then he growled, with his Grinch fingers nervously drumming, "I MUST find some way to stop Christmas from coming!" For Tomorrow, he knew, all the Who girls and boys, Would wake bright and early. They'd rush for their toys! And then! Oh, the noise! Oh, the Noise! Noise! Noise! Noise! That's one thing he hated! The NOISE! NOISE! NOISE! NOISE! Then the Whos, young and old, would sit down to a feast. And they'd feast! And they'd feast! And they'd FEAST! FEAST! FEAST! FEAST! They would feast on Who-pudding, and rare Who-roast beast. Which was something the Grinch couldn't stand in the least! And THEN They'd do something He liked least of all! Every Who down in Whoville, the tall and the small, Would stand close together, with Christmas bells ringing. They'd stand hand-in-hand. And the Whos would start singing! They'd sing! And they'd sing! And they'd SING! SING! SING! SING!

And the more the Grinch thought of this Who ChristmasSing, The more the Grinch thought, "I must stop this whole thing!" "Why, for fifty-three years I've put up with it now!" "I MUST stop this Christmas from coming! But HOW?" Then he got an idea! An awful idea! THE GRINCH GOT A WONDERFUL, AWFUL IDEA!

"I know just what to do!" The Grinch laughed in his throat. And he made a quick Santy Claus hat and a coat. And he chuckled, and clucked, "What a great Grinchy trick!" "With this coat and this hat, I look just like Saint Nick!" "All I need is a reindeer..." The Grinch looked around. But, since reindeer are scarce, there was none to be found. Did that stop the old Grinch? No! The Grinch simply said, "If I can't find a reindeer, I'll make one instead!" So he called his dog, Max. Then he took some red thread, And he tied a big horn on the top of his head. THEN He loaded some bags And some old empty sacks, On a ramshackle sleigh And he hitched up old Max. Then the Grinch said, "Giddap!" And the sleigh started down, Toward the homes where the Whos Lay asnooze in their town.

All their windows were dark. Quiet snow filled the air. All the Whos were all dreaming sweet dreams without care. When he came to the first little house on the square. "This is stop number one," the old Grinchy Claus hissed, And he climbed to the roof, empty bags in his fist. Then he slid down the chimney. A rather tight pinch. But, if Santa could do it, then so could the Grinch. He got stuck only once, for a moment or two. Then he stuck his head out of the fireplace flue. Where the little Who stockings all hung in a row. "These stockings," he grinned, "are the first things to go!" Then he slithered and slunk, with a smile most unpleasant, Around the whole room, and he took every present! Pop guns! And bicycles! Roller skates! Drums! Checkerboards! Tricycles! Popcorn! And plums! And he stuffed them in bags. Then the Grinch, very nimbly, Stuffed all the bags, one by one, up the chimney! Then he slunk to the icebox. He took the Whos' feast! He took the Who-pudding! He took the roast beast! He cleaned out that icebox as quick as a flash. Why, that Grinch even took their last can of Who-hash! Then he stuffed all the food up the chimney with glee. "And NOW!" grinned the Grinch, "I will stuff up the tree!"

And the Grinch grabbed the tree, and he started to shove, When he heard a small sound like the coo of a dove. He turned around fast, and he saw a small Who! Little Cindy-Lou Who, who was not more than two. The Grinch had been caught by this tiny Who daughter, Who'd got out of bed for a cup of cold water. She stared at the Grinch and said, "Santy Claus, why,” "Why are you taking our Christmas tree? WHY?" But, you know, that old Grinch was so smart and so slick, He thought up a lie, and he thought it up quick! "Why, my sweet little tot," the fake Santy Claus lied, "There's a light on this tree that won't light on one side." "So I'm taking it home to my workshop, my dear." "I'll fix it up there. Then I'll bring it back here." And his fib fooled the child. Then he patted her head, And he got her a drink and he sent her to bed. And when CindyLou Who went to bed with her cup, HE went to the chimney and stuffed the tree up!

Then the last thing he took Was the log for their fire! Then he went up the chimney, himself, the old liar. On their walls he left nothing but hooks and some wire. And the one speck of food That he left in the house, Was a crumb that was even too small for a mouse. Then He did the same thing To the other Whos' houses Leaving crumbs Much too small For the other Whos' mouses! It was quarter past dawn... All the Whos, still a-bed, All the Whos, still asnooze When he packed up his sled, Packed it up with their presents! The ribbons! The wrappings! The tags! And the tinsel! The trimmings! The trappings! Three thousand feet up! Up the side of Mt. Crumpit, He rode with his load to the tiptop to dump it!

"PoohPooh to the Whos!" he was grinchishly humming. "They're finding out now that no Christmas is coming!" "They're just waking up! I know just what they'll do!" "Their mouths will hang open a minute or two, Then the Whos down in Whoville will all cry BooHoo!" "That's a noise," grinned the Grinch, "That I simply MUST hear!"

So he paused. And the Grinch put his hand to his ear. And he did hear a sound rising over the snow. It started in low. Then it started to grow. But the sound wasn't sad! Why, this sound sounded merry! It couldn't be so! But it WAS merry! VERY! He stared down at Whoville! The Grinch popped his eyes! Then he shook! What he saw was a shocking surprise! Every Who down in Whoville, the tall and the small, Was singing! Without any presents at all! He HADN'T stopped Christmas from coming! IT CAME! Somehow or other, it came just the same! And the Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow, Stood puzzling and puzzling: "How could it be so?" "It came with out ribbons! It came without tags!" "It came without packages, boxes or bags!" And he puzzled three hours, till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! "Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store." "Maybe Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!" And what happened then? Well...in Whoville they say, That the Grinch's small heart Grew three sizes that day! And the minute his heart didn't feel quite so tight, He whizzed with his load through the bright morning light, And he brought back the toys! And the food for the feast! And he, HE HIMSELF! The Grinch carved the roast beast!
Welcome Christmas Dr. Seuss and Albert Hague
Fah who foraze! Dah who doraze! Welcome Christmas, come this way! Fah who foraze! Dah who doraze! Welcome Christmas, Christmas Day!
Welcome, welcome! Fah who rahmus! Welcome, welcome! Dah who dahmus Christmas Day, Is in our grasp, So long as we, Have hands to clasp!
Fah who foraze! Dah who doraze! Welcome Christmas! Bring your cheer. Fah who foraze! Dah who doraze! Welcome all who's, Far and near
Fah who foraze! Dah who doraze! Welcome, Christmas! Fah who rahmus! Welcome, Christmas! Dah who dahmus Christmas Day, Will always be Just as long, As we have we Welcome all who's, Far and near.

9 Layers of Me - Layer 3

A meme to peel away the layers of me.

-- Your most overused internet acronym on AIM: probably LOL or :)

-- Your first waking thoughts: Geez!!! It's morning already???!!!

-- Your best physical feature: I don't like questions like this..it makes you really have to look in the mirror.... my eyes? my a$$?? (HA! Take THAT JLo)

-- Your most missed memory: If it's missed, wouldn't it be forgotten??

Amen for Email....

Good morning to all my email friends. Love this one.

Where or where would we be without our weird sense of humour.

I just want to thank all of you for your educational e-mails over the past year. I am totally screwed up now and have little chance of recovery.

I no longer open a public bathroom door without using a paper towel or have them put lemon slices in my ice water without worrying about the bacteria on the lemon peel.

I can't use the remote in a hotel room because I don't know what the last person was doing while flipping through the adult movie channels.

I can't sit down on the hotel bedspread because I can only imagine what has happened on it since it was last washed.

I have trouble shaking hands with someone who has been driving because the number one pastime while driving alone is picking ones nose (although cell phone usage may be taking the number one spot).

Eating a little snack sends me on a guilt trip because I can only imagine how many gallons of trans fats I have consumed over the years.

I can't touch any woman's purse for fear she has placed it on the floor of a public bathroom.

I MUST SEND MY SPECIAL THANKS to whoever sent me the one about poop in the glue on envelopes because I now have to use a wet sponge with every envelope that needs sealing.
ALSO, now I have to scrub the top of every can I open for the same reason.
I no longer have any savings because I gave it to a sick girl ( Penny Brown ) who is about to die in the hospital for the 1,387,258th time.

I no longer have any money at all, but that will change once I receive the $15,000 that Bill Gates/Microsoft and AOL are sending me for participating in their special e-mail program.

I no longer worry about my soul because I have 363,214 angels looking out for me, and St. Theresa's Novena has granted my every wish.

I no longer eat KFC because their chickens are actually horrible mutant freaks with no eyes or feathers.

I no longer use cancer-causing deodorants even though I smell like a water buffalo on a hot day.

THANKS TO YOU I have learned that my prayers only get answered if I forward an e-mail to seven of my friends and make a wish within five minutes.

BECAUSE OF YOUR CONCERN, I no longer drink Coca Cola because it can remove toilet stains.

I no longer can buy gasoline without taking someone along to watch the car so a serial killer won't crawl in my back seat when I'm pumping gas.

I no longer drink Pepsi or Dr. Pepper since the people who make these products are atheists who refuse to put 'Under God' on their cans.

I no longer use Saran Wrap in the microwave because it causes cancer.

AND THANKS FOR LETTING ME KNOW I can't boil a cup of water in the microwave anymore because it will blow up in my face... disfiguring me for life.

I no longer check the coin return on pay phones because I could be pricked with a needle infected with AIDS.

I no longer go to shopping malls because someone will drug me with a perfume sample and rob me. I no longer receive packages from UPS or Fed Ex since they are actually Al Qaeda in disguise.

I no longer shop at Target since they are French and don't support our American troops or the Salvation Army.

I no longer answer the phone because someone will ask me to dial a number for which I will get a phone bill with calls to Jamaica , Uganda , Singapore , and Uzbekistan .

I no longer buy expensive cookies from Neiman Marcus since I now have their recipe.

THANKS TO YOU I can't use anyone's toilet but mine because a big brown African spider is lurking under the seat to cause me instant death when it bites my butt.

AND THANKS TO YOUR GREAT ADVICE I can't ever pick up $5.00 dropped in the parking lot because it probably was placed there by a sex molester waiting underneath my car to grab my leg.

I can no longer drive my car because I can't buy gas from certain gas companies!

I can't do any gardening because I'm afraid I'll get bitten by the brown recluse and my hand will fall off.


If you don't send this e-mail to at least 144,000 people in the next 70 minutes, a large dove with diarrhea will land on your head at 5:00 p.m. tomorrow afternoon and the fleas from 12 camels will infest your back, causing you to grow a hairy hump. I know this will occur because it actually happened to a friend of my next door neighbor's ex-mother-in-law's second husband's cousin's beautician . . .

Oh, by the way..... A German scientist from Argentina , after a lengthy study, has discovered that people with insufficient brain activity read their e-mail with their hand on the mouse.

Don't bother taking it off now, it's too late.....

Paden Update

I think in the next few days, my son is going to be practically toothless!


He's lost his bottom middle teeth, and the top two are wigglin...he'll be singing 'all i want for Christmas is my two front teeffff!!'



He was excited when the tooth fairy gave him $20 for the first tooth, but felt like he got gypped on only getting $5 for the second, and most likely all subsequent teeth!!!



He was saying last week how I was special, and how dad is special and that he's special...'i'm so special, i'm the specialist!' yup.



He's a funny guy.

He's growing pretty fast...all I see is legs these days. He's only a foot shorter than the nanna, which will no doubt surprise the heck out of her when she comes to visit in March.



I've been informed that he wants to play hockey next year on a team. That should be interesting with our logistics the way they are, but if there's a way to make it work we will. I secretly hope he decides he'd rather play indoor soccer, but I won't hold my breath...



We got the lights on the tree last nite, to the tune of 'jingle bells, batman smells'...he giggled through the entire song, cheeky monkey - but I can tell he's getting excited about Christmas...this morning he says, 'Mom, I wish Christmas was tomorrow!!!' Sigh, well buddy, you'll just have to wait and be tortured through all the bad Christmas music like the rest of us!!! heh heh.



We'll decorate the tree and the rest of the house throughout the week and bit by bit with new crafts and old ones from last year that I can't wait to put out.



We make our Christmas traditions up as we go, and having a pile of fun while we do it...

9 Layers of Me - Layer 2

A meme to peel away the layers of me.



-- Your heritage: I'm third generation Greek on my father's side. My maternal ancestors were from France.

-- The shoes you wore today: Brown dress shoes.

-- Your weakness: buttered popcorn

-- Your fears: Dying before my son is a teenager.

-- Your perfect pizza: all pizza is perfect...but probably pepperoni mushroom

-- Goal you'd like to achieve: to be independently wealthy? hmmm, the difference between goals and dreams....LOL....finish my designation in the next year.

There Oughta Be A Law....

Bear with me - I'm venting.

I love the holiday season...really and truly...I just don't think it should start until December 1.
Christmas decorations were being nudged in with the Halloween costumes, I mean really, c'mon...
This week, Christmas music on the radio...seriously! I love Bing, don't diss the Bingster, but please, I don't want to hear ' Mellikalikimucka' until December~! That and Elvis singing Blue Christmas, and Johnny Mathis, and Little Eva...yikes!

Call me a Scrooge, but one month of Christmas is about all I can take.

9 Layers of Me - Layer 1

I'll play along with Danie....

A meme to peel away the layers of me.

-- Name: Lisette, Lise to my family
-- Birth date: November 16
-- Birthplace: Canada
-- Current Location: Canada
-- Eye Color: Green
-- Hair Color: Pick a day, pick a color, currently dark brown
-- Height: 5'-7"
-- Righty or Lefty: Lefty (cause only lefthanded people are in their right brain)
-- Zodiac Sign: Scorpio through and through

In Flander's Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead.

Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie,

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

John McCrae

Lest we forget.

My Grandfather will never forget, and neither will anyone in our family forget the sacrifices made by men and women such as my grandfather. We are truly blessed that he was able to return home when so many did not. As a mother, my heart goes out to the women at that time who were left behind waiting for news of loved ones; fathers, brothers, husbands and sons - and for those mothers who with pride and heavy hearts stand at the cenitaphs in the hope that their loved ones did not die in vain.

Sleeee-pyyyyy

I'm finishing up my bowl of cereal when I hear, 'you're getting sleeeepyyyy, verrry sleeepppyyy....'
Hmmm, I think to myself - what is going on?

I come around the corner to Paden holding a pen light, swinging it back in forth in front of our cat Comet... 'whatcha doin bud?' I ask...

'I'm trying to hippnatize the cat!' like I should have know better than to ask.

The funny thing was that Comet was being totally indulgent with him, as the pen swung, so did the cat's head... back and forth back and forth....

Yikes, now I'm the one getting sleeee-ppppy..... LOL

Are You My Conscience?

Mark told me the funniest thing today...
This week, while I was in a store getting somethingorother, Mark and Paden were sitting in the truck.

Paden turns to Mark and asks him, 'Are you my conscience?'
Mark, not quite knowing what to say, says 'No, but that's an interesting question...why do you ask?'

To which Paden replies,'Well, I was about to do something the other day, and all of a sudden in my head I heard you and Mom say "Don't even think about it!" so I didn't do it.'

Yep. That's your conscience alright~

Just Call Me Lawrence....

Just call me Lawrence - Lawrence Elk....

Yep, I'm a real hit with the ladies....they can't resist all this studly elkiness...

Hey Lawrence!!!....nice rack!

Cute Giselk...realllll cute......
LOL

Studies in Green

I always seem to come away from the cottage with alot of pictures that I like.

Howlin at the Moon

I took this picture at about 5 o'clock in the morning while at the cottage the Thanksgiving weekend.

It was very quiet....quiet and very cold out on the balcony~


..and this one was taken a day later as we were driving back to Calgary through the Icefield's Parkway at about 9 in the evening. The moon had just come up over the mountains and it was so bright I had to put down my visor to block the glare.

It's great to be away from the City for being able to see the moon and the stars so clearly.

How to Chew Like a Camel....by Paden

Oh the fun you can have at the cottage....

Dino-mite Saturday

It was a pretty interesting weekend - saurusly speaking....

The company I work for had their Family Day at the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller.

I highly recommend it to anyone - it's a fabulously fascinating place and has something for everyone of every age.

We arrived, received our badges for entry and went to see a short movie on the curators and staff of the museum, all of whom are world reknown in their chosen field - paleontology, orinthology, archeology...and all the other applicable 'ologies' ... my apologies.... *LOL*

We took part in a few of the sessions offered by the ATCO Learning Centre at the Museum:

we got to be detectives in the 'Secrets of the Lost Valley', where we got to be dino CSIs trying to figure out where previous archeological digs were... there were boxes of rocks/fossils/shells that gave us clues as to where the previous digs had been - Way cool!

We also got to make a plaster cast of an actual dinosaur fossil. The educator was very patient with all the kids (it was a large class), they got to touch real fossils of hadrasaurs, trillobites, a t-rex arm and 'coprolite'... I find it quite interesting that there's not much difference between 'copro' and 'corpro'... heh heh.

You could definitely make a day of it - they also had outdoor excavations and fossil hunting in the 'badlands'.

It was a great day and both the boys fell asleep on the drive back home.

Can't wait to go back again.

What do you get when you cross a dinosaur with a pig?

...Jurrasic Pork! * ba dahn dahn*

Fat Lips & Toothfairies

First I really must apologize for not keeping up with my 'blahg' of late - I had forgotten how long it had been since my last post...my excuse is that I've been pretty busy between work, studying for my FMA, my family, and trying to get the most out of what little good weather we had of summer.

September's been a pretty 'big' month for Paden. Starting grade one! My little bear has no more 'cub' in him...wwwwaaaaaaaahhh...all of his pants were up around his ankles...wwwaaaahhhhh....he went from a size 13 toddler to a size 2 youth in shoes....wwwaaaahhh...and he has 3 (count'em) 3!!!! wiggly teeth.....*insert blubbering here*
He's reading at a level I don't think I hit til at least grade three(no 'see dick run' in this curriculum), he's reading like a little sponge - cereal boxes, tv commercials, road signs, juice boxes... the other day he comes up to me and says 'Mom, what's fat lips?'...huh? ' see right here on the bottle of gatorade...fat lips!!' He showed me the bottle. (we've taken to reading the labels on a lot of items since my husband needs to watch his sugars)...I started to laugh - not fat lips buddy, fats/lipides.... hahahahaha....crack me up!

With his wiggly teeth going into hyperdrive, he wanted to know how much he would be getting from the toothfairy for giving up the first one to go (you think that's bad, you should see him play monopoly...wipe me clean out the little bugger!) So we went and found out all about the toothfairy.

I did alot of his fall clothing shopping at LandsEnd...thanks Alissa for the tip, it was hassle free.
Paden was a 'bit' upset because some of the sizes were 'toddler', 'little boys' and boys... 'I'm NOT a little boy Mom'.....*sigh*...I know buddy...

Lovin' the Lake

My in-laws have a great cottage at a lake up past Prince George, BC.
It's a lovely little spot, and we always have such a great time there.
We toodled up there for the August Long Weekend (yes, I know, I'm behind in my blogs) through the Park, fabulous drive at this time of the year.
Paden helped direct the chopping of the wood. This time he got to help build the floating dock for the boat (very big boy stuff). It was also very nice to laze back and listen to the loons, roast marshmallows, go on a nature hike (in which many a miniature strawberry lost their lives), and just kick back in front of the fire.

I'm already looking forward to our next visit.

Muir Woods

I THINK that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the sweet earth's flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

...Joyce Kilmer

I'm not quite sure why, but I seem to have this affinity for trees. I was very happy we had the opportunity to travel up the coast past Sausalito to Muir Woods.

Muir Woods is a magical place - despite all the noisy people.

It amazed me how enclosed the feeling was, how majestic the trees.

It was a very good day indeed.

Golden Gate?

I'm not quite sure why they called it the 'Golden Gate'...I guess it sounded better than 'Terracotta'....

Between The Rock and a Hard Case

...so says Sean Connery in the motion picture movie 'The Rock' (which, by the way, is a fun movie to watch - you've still got it Sean!)

We did the kitchy tourist thing and took the ferry over to Alcatraz. Leave it to the Americans to turn something dark and sinister into a tourist attraction...that being said, of course, I purchased many an 'appropo' Alcatraz tin cup for myself and my coworkers (nothing like 'stickin' it to the Man'!)

Alcatraz is an incredible place. The audio tour was fantastic, and I highly recommend this tour - especially for any parents trying to scare a little straight into their kids!

United We Fly....

Wednesday saw us heading out to San Fransisco with Danie and Connor for a few glorious days in 'Caleefornnniya'. Wow, could I live there. Seriously. I would happily live out my days in Santa Cruz feeding the seagulls and listening to the sealions happily bark their way under the pier.

I didn't realize how much I was missing the ocean (any ocean) living in Alberta. I mean, sure, I will readily admit how spoiled I am getting to see the glorious Rockies every day, but boy it did my soul something to see the ocean and step into it (no matter how damn cold it was)!!

We grabbed a car and toodled down highway one down the coast and our first stop was Pacifica...a lovely little seaside town with quaint houses along the slopes, beautiful tanned surfers (right Danie??) milling about under the outdoor shower spigots...my my, yes it certainly did the heart good!!! heehee, I digress....

So after dipping out toes, we continued along down the coast past artichoke fields as far as the eye can see until we came upon Santa Cruz. *Insert big sigh here* I instantly fell in love with a gorgeous white hip roofed house along the shore road. Just down from there was the Pier, where the boys found their own little treasure by way of geocache (Paden is SO hooked, it's funny and fun all at the same time). We grabbed the prescribed salt air, salted fries and watched the salty dogs and seagulls. I just loved looking out over the water at all the boats, and licking my lips and tasting the salt air on them.

We were treated to a rogue sea lion who happily looked up to watch us watching him, then he moved off to grab a snack of his own, no doubt.

Across from the pier was a carnival, and I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that it's the same carnival that is in the opening shot of 'The Lost Boys'. With the wind blowing, you could occasionally pick up the sound of laughter and people squealing with delight on the rollercoaster.

We strolled for a bit, then headed further down the coast to Monterey. Great shops, food (highly recommend The Fish Hopper) and geocaching. By the time we started heading back, it was after nine o'clock which didn't get us back to San Fran til almost midnight....but what a great day!

A Day of Rest

It may be that Sunday is a day of rest for most people, but we've been so busy visiting and toodling and doing stuff that we didn't quite get to rest til the Monday!

We were going to load up the trailer and head out to the icefields, but we were all pretty knackered!

So it was a very lazy jammy day...

Just what the doctor ordered - well, that and a good Nora Roberts novel!

We LOVE you James!!!!

Ah, Sweet Baby James - James Taylor....Lordy, Lordy that man surely does have the most amazing voice. He is (of course in my unsolicited opinion) one of a small handfull of artists that can take you right back to a moment with his music.

Mexico
Sweet Baby James
Shower the People
Your Smiling Face
How Sweet it is....


Yes yes yes....how sweet to sit and listen to him sing and play and entertain and charm the crowd at the Saddledome on Sunday July 13th.

It was a treat, a pleasure, and an honor to 'feel the love' of this special person. What a great concert.

I was happy that I was able to score tickets for Danie and I to go.
I'm looking forward to his cover album...he sure does a mean Wilson Pickett!

WE LOVE YOU JOHNNY!!!!

...Now say that while you're hands are way out in front of you like you're at a rock concert making the 'love you' sign and that's what I would have looked like Thursday nite at the Stampede Grand Stand Show.
*Insert bust a gut laugh in here*
It was a really full day - there was ALOT going on and only one day to see it, and see it we did.
Everyone had a ton o' fun, despite the cold (and it WAS cold, even for Calgarian standards).

The highlight for me, besides the bull riding, steer wrastlin' (oh Sean Mulligan you hunk you), and barrel racing - was Johnny Bagpipes....WE LOVE YOU JOHNNY!!!!...

This guy is hilarious and if you ever get the chance to go see him, you will come out with your face and guts sore from laughing so hard! He was going on about how he wanted to be a rock star but the men in his family have always been pipers, and he was sad to say that there are no such things as Johnny groupies....well we fixed that~!!! WE LOVE YOU JOHNNY!!!! We had the people in the stands around us in stitches.

We didn't get home til very late and we needed a Tim's hot chocolate to warm us all up, but it was a great day at the greatest outdoor show on earth!

Can I Get a Yahooooooo!!!!

My sister Danie and her son Connor arrived on Wednesday.
It's always great to have family come visit.
Their flight was on time and when they came through the international gate, there was a country band playing 'rawhide'....get em up get em out round em up ...yeehaw rrrrraaaaaaaaawwwhiiiiiide!!!!....then Connor got lassoed by one of the cowgirls...the look on his face was priceless!!!

This is going to be fun...

Paden was pretty excited to see his cousin...they hadn't seen each other in person in over 2 years...wow how time flies.

The Best Things in Life Are Free!!!!

You all know the saying....

Well - actually there's two of them:

Nothing comes for free

or

The best things in life are free

I prefer to live by the latter.

We were recommended this 'totally sweet' camping spot this past weekend.

Cost of campground - free.

The View??

Priceless!

It took a bit to get there, through some pretty rough gravel roads...actually, it's an old washed out logging road, but it's well worth the trip!

After the boys got the campfire going, marshmallows were in order.

First rate restaurant be damned! My little bear sure knows how to cook 'em up just the way I like 'em :)

First Class hotel??? Bah! Getting to go to sleep to the sounds of the birds (and to be honest, some tunage from the camp a couple hundred yards over) and waking up to the sound of a shower sprinkling on the roof....ahhhhhhh, yup, I could easily leave the City behind.

Another Soccer Season Bites the Dust...

Wow, time sure flies!

This past Saturday, Paden had his final soccer game of the season.

Next year he'll play twice a week instead of every Tuesday.

He had alot of fun this year, and really upped his skill set...he's already talking about playing next year. I think instead of hockey this winter, we may try to find an indoor soccer house for him.
He sure likes his shiny new soccer medal~!

Right now he's getting into swimming at the pool everyday with his dayschool - he's going to grow gills any day now!

Hey Baby...Wanna Hook Up?

So I'm dropping Paden off to his dayschool this morning, and we decided to treat the ladies to a hotcakes & sausage breakfast. Big hit!

We're sitting there eating breakfast and one of the little grade two girls asks Paden if he brought his 'DS' today.
'Yup', says Paden.
'Wanna hook up?' the little girl asks.


I said, 'Pardon???'

'I'm hooking up with Aiden this morning, but maybe later', says Paden.

I think I'm gonna take a 'geek' class.

..As an Addendum

...to my earlier post; 'Can I Get a Do Over'?



-the furnace guy didn't have his regular truck, so he had to wait for a specialized part in order to do the furnace cleaning, which lasted 2 1/2 hours instead of 45 minutes.

-i get back to work to 'it's too hot' only to have someone tell me not 15 minutes later that 'it's too cold'.

-the girls in the adjacent work department were looking pretty weepy. I gave one of them a hug only to find out that one of the girl's husbands lost a battle with cancer. Funeral arrangements are being made.

Having been through many passings myself, my heart goes out to this woman.

I would gladly give my 'do over' to her.



It's raining this afternoon.

People drive like they're driving in snow.

I'm going home and having a glass of wine, a good soak in the tub and a bit of a boo hoo.

Tomorrow is another day.

Can I Get a 'Do Over'?

No, I'm not talking ab0ut my exam...I think, actually, that my exam went quite well - well, either really well or really poorly...you can never tell with multiple choice...

No, I'm talking about my Monday.
Hit the snooze one too many times.
Paden, my divo son, decided on changing his mind as many times as he changed his clothes.
I get to work, and the contractor work that should have been done, did not get done.
Computers weren't set back up.
Power was out to my Sales group.
I get a call from the furnace cleaners telling me they're at my house.
'What do you mean? You're not supposed to be there until tomorrow'...
Leave work to rush home to let the furnace guy in.
Just about lose the cat since the hose is keeping the door open.
Hell! And I'm only at 10 am....

It's going to be a long day...

Lost in Translation

*Sigh*

I really do not like phones. If it was my druthers, I wouldn't have a phone/cell phone. Sad thing, alot of my job deals with phones - either talking on it, dishing out of phones, setting up of phone contracts, answering questions about our phones....you get the idea.

I'm the type of person that would rather have a little 'face time',rather than try to explain or have something explained to me, over the phone.

Case in point: I had to call this one particular service twice today to obtain clarification on something, and twice I linked in to an operator that was very hard to understand (how's that for politically correctedness???). And while I can appreciate the effort made on the part of the customer service agent, it irks me to no end when I cannot comprehend what it is that they are trying to tell me - usually by this time I'm confused enough and the last thing I need is to being saying 'excuse me?' 'Excuse me?' 'I'm sorry, I'm having a hard time to hear you properly'....

Uh. No. It's not my ears...my native tongue is english - unfortunately when it comes to operated assisted services, these days - their native tongue is, well - native.

Deep Observations....by Me on Newness

How long does something stay ‘new’??
New and Improved!
Newer and Longer Lasting Flavor!!
New Hairstyle
New Car
New Restaurant….

I’ve been listening to this ‘NEW’ radio station for about, oh, two months now. Don’t get me wrong, I love the station! But when does it stop becoming ‘new’ and just – well, become?

I mean, c’mon, this post will only be ‘new’ until I post the next one!!!

Out of the Mouths of Babes...

So we’re sitting on the couch watching the nomination race between Clinton and Obama. We have the station tuned to CNN (the cat is going wacko for the little light that scrolls through the CNN logo at the bottom left of the tele – what can I say??? Cheap entertainment!)
The show has Anderson Cooper talking with all these political pundits – is the race over for Hilary? Does Obama have what it takes??? Talk about flogging a dead horse already!!! I don’t know how Americans can stay SO involved in politics for that long in one stretch…but I digress….
So we’re watching Anderson – he’s lookin’ smart, he’s lookin’ good, he’s asking the tough questions when out of the blue, my five year old son asks,
“Mom – is this a game show?”

How do I answer that with a straight face???
You don’t know how close you are buddy!!!

May Long...

AH - the May Long Weekend...it's never quite 'long' enough.

The weekend flew by - we putted around, I had a massage at my favorite spa (thanks Krystal, I needed that after my last exam!), did the obligitory visit to Canadian Tire and picked up some patio chairs, we saw 'Prince Caspian' (pretty good movie), we attempted to get through the boxes in the garage...on the upside, we made it through 6...not bad.

Sunday, after picking up Paden, we took the long way home through Sundre, stopped for a bucket of balls at a driving range, and booked our spot at Tall Timber for some camping in June. Later that evening we met up with my brother-in-law and his family and friends (they were camping in Cochrane), by the time we made it home it was quite late!

Monday, we had a bitof a lazy morning, topped up the fridge and pantry, then toodled off to the mountains....(along with thousands of other people who had the same idea!)

I have to say, I think this is the best part about living in Calgary, being so close to the mountains. A quick 45 minute drive and you're there.

The weather was great! We packed a picnic lunch and headed out to Elbow Falls. Just in the Kananaskis Country, they have picnic sites with fire pits all along the river....definitely a popular spot as you can see by all the people in the picture!

After that we drove to my favorite place on the planet - Forget-Me-Not Pond. It's so beautiful there, the water is a gorgeous emerald green and most times it's quite quiet. I was surprised to see that there was still ice on the pond. It was a lovely warm day as you can see by Paden in his shorts and tee.
The boys spent the majority of the time by the river seeing who could make the biggest splash!

The local wildlife was out and about this afternoon, and seemed more than accomodating to pose for pictures.


The afternoon went by too quickly, finishing off at home with a barbeque and a book read to me by Paden. *Sigh* I wish every weekend was a long one! Looking back through what I just blahged, we got quite a bit in!

In Ancient Times When Men Were Men And......

Paden brought home a lovely brochure from his kindergarten class all about the birds that lived in our area.

There were house sparrows, blue jays, magpies, chickadees, partridges, nuthatches and merlins. We had seen all the birds at one point and Paden was quite excited to go back and let his teacher know that he was able to check off all the examples.

So we get on to the topic of the merlin. Mark says to him, ‘Isn't that a cool name for a bird? Do you know that the most powerful magician was named Merlin?’…The eyes go wide…’Cool’, he says.
‘Did you know he lived during the time of King Arthur?’…You could see the wheels are turning in the brain – he says, ‘Oh!! I know!!! I know King Arthur!!! He was in Shrek!!!!’

*insert hand slap to the forehead here*

Hindsight's 20/20

It's funny to see, even if in a commercial, what people perceived to have missed in their lives...

SAS!!!

SAS stands for 'Super Awesome Shots'...my son Paden's soccer team this year. Leave it to them to pick something way out there!

Soccer had been canceled last week on account of too much snow (ugh) - so we were happy to get out and see some of his buddies from last year.

Paden and his buddy Graham - 'We've got serious wheels, Mom!!!'

Last night we decided (well mostly I decided) to walk from our house to the soccer pitches since we had plenty of time...it is, of course, much quicker to drive, but I'm trying to get more physical activity into my daily routine. The perk of walking is that we walk RIGHT BY the 7-11, and what's better to cool your thirst than a big ole slurpy!!! (which I did not have I might mention!) I settled for a green tea gingerale, which was really delish. Paden bartered for the Gatorade cause 'I need lots of energy to play Mom!' (blue tongue and all).

Coach Steve was happy to see Paden. Kudos to Coach Steve on all the respect he gets from the kids. They practiced for a half an hour and then it was 'Game On!'

It was great to see how Paden had improved (and had grown) over the past year with his soccer skills. 'I got wheels, huh Mom??!!' You sure do buddy! (It's all about the 'wheels').

Well, wheels - and snacks!!!

By Paden's account we won the game 5-1. AND - he got his first goal of the season. It was a bit of a walk home, but I don't think he let up smiling the whole way.



When we went to wake him up this morning, I don't think he moved the whole night!!! Nothing like a good match of soccer to sleep soundly... I just wish I had his energy!!!

Modern Day Abbott & Costello

I love Abbott & Costello. Their 'Who's on First?' routine is, in my opinion, one of the most clever skits ever.



Thanks to Swancourt for the great clip.

My husband sent the 'modern day version' to me this morning, and it reminded me how little 'true' comedy there is out there anymore - what Abbott & Costello did is a lost art. I'm not sure who came up with this particular written version, but thank you for giving me a chuckle this morning.

This is what would most likely transpire should Costello ever had decided to buy a computer (if they had been around way back when....)

ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help you?
COSTELLO: Thanks. I'm setting up an office in my den and I'm thinking about buying a computer.
ABBOTT: Mac?
COSTELLO: No, the name's Lou.
ABBOTT: Your computer?
COSTELLO: I don't own a computer. I want to buy one.
ABBOTT: Mac?
COSTELLO: I told you, my name's Lou.
ABBOTT: What about Windows?
COSTELLO: Why? Will it get stuffy in here?
ABBOTT: Do you want a computer with Windows?
COSTELLO: I don't know. What will I see when I look at the windows?
ABBOTT: Wallpaper.
COSTELLO: Never mind the windows. I need a computer and software.
ABBOTT: Software for Windows?
COSTELLO: No. On the computer! I need something I can use to write proposals, track expenses and run my business. What do you have?
ABBOTT: Office.
COSTELLO: Yeah, for my office. Can you recommend anything?
ABBOTT: I just did.
COSTELLO: You just did what?
ABBOTT: Recommend something.
COSTELLO: You recommended something?
ABBOTT: Yes.
COSTELLO: For my office?
ABBOTT: Yes.
COSTELLO: OK, what did you recommend for my office?
ABBOTT: Office.
COSTELLO: Yes! for my office!
ABBOTT: I recommend Office with Windows.
COSTELLO: I already have an office with windows! OK, let's just say I'm sitting at my computer and I want to type a proposal. What do I need?
ABBOTT: Word.
COSTELLO: What word?
ABBOTT: Word in Office.
COSTELLO: The only word in office is office.
ABBOTT: The Word in Office for Windows.
COSTELLO: Which word in office for windows?
ABBOTT: The Word you get when you click the blue 'W'.
COSTELLO: I'm going to click your blue 'w' if you don't start with some straight answers. What about financial bookkeeping? You have anything I can track my money with?
ABBOTT: Money.
COSTELLO: That's right. What do you have?
ABBOTT: Money.
COSTELLO: I need money to track my money?
ABBOTT: It comes bundled with your computer.
COSTELLO: What's bundled with my computer?
ABBOTT: Money.
COSTELLO: Money comes with my computer?
ABBOTT: Yes. No extra charge.
COSTELLO: I get a bundle of money with my computer? How much?
ABBOTT: One copy.
COSTELLO: Isn't it illegal to copy money?
ABBOTT: Microsoft gave us a license to copy Money.
COSTELLO: They can give you a license to copy money?
ABBOTT: Why not? THEY OWN IT!

(A few days later)
ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help you?
COSTELLO: How do I turn my computer off?
ABBOTT: Click on 'START'.............

The Most Ridiculous Commercial on TV

Commercials, let's face it, are part of our everday lives. So much so, that I'm sure you can think of at least one phrase you use that has come from a commercial ad (cause after all, this is part of the way the make their money - through repition and brainwashing!!)



Just a few days ago, I told someone I was 'taking a Benylin day'.

How many times have you smacked your head and said 'I could have had a V8' or 'I can't believe it's not butter!!'...j-e-l-l-o!!! I'm sure a few come to mind.



Ranking right up there is the 'good morning, good morning, we talked the whole night through, good morning, good morning to you'...which led me to believe that every curler on the planet couldn't 'get it up' for all the viagra ads played during the Brier! Gene Kelly and Judy Garland are, no doubt, rolling in their graves over that one - out of sheer laughter.



The other evening, during late nite TV (thank heavens!) this commercial comes on the tube. And at first I'm thinking, am I on the Comedy channel? Seriously, I'm waiting for someone to say 'LIVE from New York - it's Saturday Nite!!!!'.... but it was Monday, so that couldn't be it.



I would love to see the 'disclaimer' on this ad - I couldn't find one on their website, so that just goes to show you, because with other ads they extol the virtue of their product on one hand, and then tell you all the terrible things that 'might' occur if you actually take their product.



This particularly bad advertisement is actually willing to send you, free except for the cost of postage, a one week's supply of their product to test. 'Now if we didn't believe in our product, could we do this????'



Here's the link. Judge for yourself. Maybe it should be on 'Ripley's Believe it or Not'....not.

See Dick Run...

Do you remember the very first words you ever read out loud?
'See Dick. See Dick run.' Yeah, good times....

Well yesterday was a proud mama moment. Paden read his very first book out loud. Very exciting, and very big boy...
His little book was called 'The House'. It's called a pattern book, 'this is a....this is a....'

Paden was quite anxious to show us his stuff!


We've always enjoyed reading - bedtime stories are always the best.

From now until the end of the school year, Paden will take home two books to read per week...it's nice to have someone read since I'm still stuck with laryngitis.

I wish my garden looked like that...alas, I am not a greenthumb, but it was most excellent to see his joy (and pride..he's such a Leo) in being able to read to us.

I can't wait to see what the next book will be!!! :)

Smile & Nod....Smile & Nod....

'Hi! How are you today??'
...smile and nod...
'Not feeling well??'
...smile and nod...
'Sore throat??'
...smile and nod...
'Wow, must be pretty bad, huh??'
...smile and nod...
'Strep??'
...smile and shake... (gotta change it up a bit, right)
So then I let this little squeak out, which is more like a whisper, 'laryngitis'...
'Oh', they whisper back as they try not to look obvious as they take a step back.
'Not contagious', I hiss (well, it sounds like a hiss)
'Hope you're feelin' better soon', they whisper... that's the part I find funny, there's no need for them to whisper, they're not sick...
Then there's the flip side where because you smile and nod, and not say anything, they repeat themselves, but only louder! 'YOU SAY YOU'RE NOT FEELING WELL???!!!!'
...I didn't say anything- really.

The Battle Continues...um, Not Really...

Round two went on Tuesday in Edmonton...Oilers vs. Flames.
The Oilers needed a win to stay in the playoff hunt. They. Did. Not. Win.

There'll be no living with my husband.

The Battle of Alberta

When it comes to hockey, it's always very competitive in our household - especially when the Oilers are playing the Flames (Paden calls them the Flamers, so you kind of get the idea!!!) The race for playoffs in the West is pretty tight - three teams are in the hunt for the last spot... it's not looking good for the Oilers - which pleases one third of the family... and with only 82 games in the regular season, I imagine alot of the players will be in church praying for x team to beat y, which then would actually mean they didn't win to get in, someone else lost (I guess if it gets the Oilers to the playoffs, they won't be splitting hairs...

The social club at my place of work did a great job organizing the event for us...we had a bus to take us to a great little chinese place for dinner, then they took us from there to the game (which was great - saved the stress of trying to try a place to park). Then after the game they dropped us back off where our vehicles were.

Mark is in Dallas so he didn't come to the game, which he was probably thankful for since there would have been a WHOLE lot of talkin' smack. The crowd was rowdy, and after the first bunch got tossed for fighting (the fans, not the players), things settled down.

It was a long walk up to where we were sitting...you know you're up high when you can't even see the jumbo tron! So I didn't feel the least bit guilty about scarfin' down on some popcorn. Paden was very much a gentleman and treated for the snacks - I think the server was quite taken by his chivalry and manners.

It didn't take long for the trash talking/shouting to start. The chants were fast and furious with "Let's go Oilers!!" countered by 'Oilers suck!'...my boss was quite torn, he cheered for Edmonton in the first period, Calgary in the second, and wasn't sure who to cheer for in the third...LOL

I'm not sure whether this guy made it out of the parking lot or not, but I really thought his sign was quite clever.

It was a very late night, almost midnight before we got home, but it was alot of fun and Paden was quite happy with the end result. Needless to say, we weren't moving to quick this morning. Man, I love jammie days!

Oh! I almost forgot! The Oilers did win the game - 2 to 1.

S*!t Happens

First, let me apologize for my 'potty' mouth - trust me, it's only going to get worse.

Yesterday was a pretty 's*!tty' day for me - let me explain....

Being a Facilities Administrator leaves something to be desired somedays. Mind you, I'd still take it over accounting! We took the initiative to change out the existing plumbing to go from a 10L flush to a more 'green friendly' 1.6L flush, saving over 600,000l per year. Yay!
However, if you've been in a mall, you've noticed those suckers flush pretty loudly - I think ours are even louder...perhaps I should have let people know sooner, but apparently for me, I was lucky that there was nothing for anyone to bump their heads on because they were all so startled after flushing! I even had one guy come up to me and suggest that if we were to shrink both the stalls and the sinks, we could pretend that we were on an airplane!! (I had a good laugh over that one). I've also been asked to have a decibel reading taken to make sure no one's eardrums will suffer the consequences of a good flush. Gotta have the canals in good working order.

Secondly, I get a call saying that the water is not running in one of the stalls...I guess not many people think to check the tap at the toilet to see if the water is actually on...to be fair, I probably wouldn't have thought to look for that either a few months ago (ha! who's kidding who - it's only common sense - which doesn't seem to be all that common these days). However - if I walk into a stall that hasn't been flushed, I flush it before I go (call me anal)... if it's not flushing, then use another stall!!! Don't attempt to 'compound' the situation! See!! You can learn something new every day! Wow, I felt like I was getting alot done... toilet working?? check! Bathroom Freshners working?? CHECK!!!

Thirdly, I had my cleaner come to me rather upset. One of my buildings has quite a few foreign workers (and before you insinuate that I am being discriminatory, I do not have this problem in any of my other buildings). For most people that have been overseas to places like India or Malaysia - you'll know where I'm headed with this sanitary little gem ... let me tell you, it gives the saying 'cop a squat' a whole new meaning. Instead of sitting on the toilet, they stand on the toilet... and of course this will no doubt sound sexist, but man! MEN! If you can't get good aim on both ends/either ends, then bloody well sit down to use the facilities!!! It seems all rather logical to me, but then again, I'm a woman - we always pee sitting down! (and thanks Dan for the post!!!)

*Sigh* Yes folks, just another day in the life I tell ya.

Most people plug their noses going to the washroom, my peers (hahahahaha) plug their ears.

Hoppy Easter

I love long weekends...and this go round I decided to take the Thursday off so it was a super long holiday weekend.

We went to a hockey game on Thursday, Paden was sad the Avs lost to the Flames, but they got a little pay back on Monday, so it's a level playing field in our house at the moment!

I agree with my sister Danie on the Good Friday thing. I know in my heart that in the Christian world it is cause for celebration, but I've always found it a bit of a downer.

On Saturday, we went out to The Broken Plate for dinner. It's one of my favorite restaurants in Calgary for at least two reasons: First, they have superb food (and excellent service) and secondly, they take reservations on a weekend. I love that I don't have to (a) wait in line (b) sit at the bar (c) get told it will be an hour before I can get a seat. If you're reading my blahg, and live in Calgary, I would highly recommend a visit to the Broken Plate!

On Sunday we picked up our Little Bear and went over to my wonderful friend Alissa's house. She really made Paden's day. When we got there, there were brightly colored plastic eggs scattered all over her acreage, and we went on an Easter egg hunt. Paden was SO excited and had an 'eggscellent' time collecting all the chocolate stuffed eggs. Talk about a sugar high! We had a lovely dinner - I can't wait for them to come visit us so I can return the hospitality.

Monday saw us drop Mark to the airport. Paden was a bit upset, but was pleased to be told he would be 'the man of the house' for the next two weeks. We headed home and watched Bugs Bunny do his thing to Daffy Duck....what better way to spend the Easter weekend??!!!

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend!

Traveling at the Speed of Light

Well, we weren't really traveling at the speed of light, but we were hauling it down the highway at about 120km/hr...


We had given Paden a great camera for Christmas, he loves to take pictures - definitely a Goyette trait.


I thought I would try out the image stabilization and was quite pleased with the outcome...so much so that I think I'll have to make a concerted effort to take a few more while standing still!


Feel free to grab a copy - big sky country to be sure.

iPod Randomization

Okay, here's another one of my sister Danie's 'things'...it's always interesting to see what comes up because our tastes in music is pretty different....here goes....


I'm not tagging just one person on this one, I'm tagging everyone. If you're reading this and you have a blog...TAG! You're it. Instructions: Go to your music player of choice and put it on shuffle. Say the following questions aloud, and press play. Use the song title as the answer to the question. NO CHEATING.


How does the world see you?
Situation Critical (Platinum Blonde)

Will I have a happy life?
OHOHOHOHOH (Zombie Nation)

What do my friends really think of me?
How Do You Like Me Now (Toby Keith)

What do people secretly think of me?
Hung Up (Madonna)

How can I be happy?
Another Place to Fall (KT Tunstall)

What should I do with my life?
Sunrise (Simply Red vs. Hall & Oates)

Will I ever have children?
Walking on Broken Glass (Annie Lennox)

What is some good advice for me?
Four Seasons (Vivaldi)

How will I be remembered?
If You Don't Know Me By Now (Simply Red)

What is my signature dancing song?
Leave The Pieces (The Wreckers)

What do I think my current theme song is?
The Rhythym of the Night (Gloria Estafan & The Miami Sound Machine)

What does everyone else think my current theme song is?
Drift Away (Doobie Brothers)

What song will play at my funeral?
Landslide (Dixie Chicks)

What type of men/women do you like?
Sweet Dreams (Annie Lennox)

What is my day going to be like?
Sundown (Gordon Lightfoot)



Well - that wasn't actually how I would have chosen, but I guess that is why it's called Random.

I Am Not An Abused Woman...Seriously!

You know the jokes....

'Well, what did you do to deserve that??' nudge nudge wink wink

Huh?

I'm back to work after being off a few days but now the bruising from my 'extraction' is really causing people to do a double take.

My face looks as if someone grabbed me about the head and shook/pressed really hard.... my bruising is a lovely shade of yellow today mixed in with the purple, and no amount of concealer will conceal.

Besides, most people who know me realize that there would be no way I would let myself be physically abused and not be in jail because of it!!!! What can I say, I give as good as I get.... The dentist was lucky to escape with nary a scratch!!!

It Only Hurts When I Laugh

'Come on, wake up - you have to wake up'.

That was the voice of the little nurse I heard yesterday coming out of my anaesthetic. Talk about getting knocked for a loop! That was some pretty good knock out drugs. From what she said, they had to double me out to get me knocked out - imagine that.

Needless to say, Mark was concerned that it was taking me so long to come out of surgery.
I don't remember the drive home. I slept most of the day away.

Today I'm much more cognizant, however, in alot more pain now that all the freezing has worn off. I feel like I've gone a few rounds with Mike Tyson without the benefit of the boxing gloves.

I'm hoping that I'll eventually have enough of an appetite to try a bit to eat this evening. So far, it's been a liquid feast....how delish -ugh.

Pearls of Wisdom...

*sigh*


Today I lose my wisdom (what little I have).

Actually it's my wisdom teeth...they are getting extracted today.



Extracted. It sounds like such a benign little word. I, on the other hand, have the bugs bunny version playing in my head where they yank your mouth open as wide as the river Jordan and come at you with a circular saw. It always seems funnier in the cartoons.



Well, at least I can take comfort in the knowledge that although I might lose my wisdom, I'll still most likely be considered a smart mouth.

You Know What They Say About Simple Things...

Just try this................It's from an orthopedic surgeon......

This will boggle your mind and you will keep trying over and over again to see if you can outsmart your foot, but you can't. It's pre-programmed in your brain!

1. WITHOUT anyone watching you (they will think you are GOOFY) andwhile sitting where you are at your desk in front of your computer, lift your right foot off the floor and make clockwise circles.

2. Now, while doing this, draw the number "6" in the air with your right hand. Your foot will change direction.

I told you so!

And there's nothing you can do about it! You and I both know how stupid it is, but before the day is done you are going to try it again, if you've not already done so....AHA! I knew it!!!

BUSTED!!!!

Deep Observations...by Me on Human Nature

You've no doubt experienced this situation first hand:

You're telling someone about something, and they 'one up you'.
It's human nature - they just can't help themselves. I'll come clean and admit I've done it myself, although I really try to bite my tongue.

'Bite your tongue??? Well I remember the time when somthing WAY worse happened to me let me tell you'.....and then they proceed to tell you.

'Twisted your ankle you say??? Well, I remember once when I broke my leg'....

You get the idea.

'Traffic??? Ha, you don't know traffic'....hmm, apparently not.

Next week I am getting my wisdom teeth out - my impacted wisdom teeth that is.
'Wisdom teeth you say???? Weeeelllll, I remember the time when I got MY wisdom teeth out'....and then they proceed to go into the horror of it in phenomenal detail. Seriously. Graphically.

So now my preoccupation is with whether I'm going to have something called 'drysockets', or 'excessive whatever' and 'adequate anaesthesia'....

Ignorance is bliss - I can now say that I am not ignorant!!!

'Doc, make sure you have enough knock out drugs okay?'
'Knock out drugs???? WEEeeeellll, I can tell you about the time when I didn't have enough for the patient I was working on.....'

Oy.

Lunar Loony

• Fly me to the moon and let me sing amongst the stars

• Au Clair de la Lune, mon ami Pierot....
  


• Say it's only a paper moon, sailing over a cardboard sea, but it wouldn't be make believe if you believed in me...
  


• Blue Moon (blue moon blue moon) I saw you standing alone (blue moon blue moon)
  


• It don't matter to the moon, if you walk out my life - Cause the moon will keep hangin round, hangin round - to shine down on another nite...

...I'm sure you could probably think of one or two songs that are about the moon - The lunar eclipse on Wednesday, February 20th, 2008 was really quite spectacular. I wish I knew how to operate my camera a little better to get night shots - that and perhaps a tripod. I believe the speck on the left is Saturn and the spec at the top is Regulus...

What can I say?....I'm a lunar lover.