Mental Apples

Writers Block

2011-08-08T00:15:00.000-02:30

I have been writing in one form or another for almost all my life - my Nanny Gillam gave me my first journal, a puffy plastic covered white one with a pink flamingo on the front with a lock you could pick with a bobby pin, when I was just in the 4th grade. And I wrote the shit out of it! And then got another, and another, and another - when I didnt have a fancy one - I used a scribbler (<- one of my favorite words in the english language BTW) - or just blank paper and put them in a box. I wrote about my day, my feelings, my crushes, my parents, my pets - I wrote poetry, copied down the lyrics to my fave songs, drew pictures, and stuck in magazine pictures that I loved - I did it all. And I have kept all of these things to remind me of how my priorities and view of things have changed and how incredibly silly (and sometimes clever) I was, even as a kid.
But, as of late - the thoughts haven't been coming together for me as clearly - writers block in the truest form. And not just writers block - almost complete creativity shut down. Unfinished canvas litter the sun room upstairs, a journal with only a few pages filled out in it, boxes of pictures and envelopes filled with travel stuff dying to be organized stacked in the spare room, no new recipes have been tried, and a blog with fewer entries in it than ever.
What is happening to me? Is this what comes with age? Complete lack of imagination and creative drive? I can only hope not. This entry is purely an attempt at getting the juices flowing again - waking up the right side of my brain.
Here is hoping.

My Love vs. My Health

2011-06-08T07:36:00.001-02:30

Hey Everyone! Its been a while! I have been married since August, and while I like to elk David that he is the love of my life, anyone that knows me knows that he's only edging out my love for Muai Thai Kickboxing and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

by a small sliver. Lately my health hasn't been there, I've been having a hard time with my heart rate lately, and it's keeping me out of the gym. I miss my gym family so much, I miss the sport, the dedication and the push it takes.

I can't in right mind go to the gym and push myself like I want to, so I just haven't been going. And since I haven't been going there i've had to preoccupy myself with something else. So I started "stampin". Basically, I make my own cards haha. Here are some of my faves;

Where does the time go?!?

2011-01-21T08:11:00.000-03:30

So I have been pretty much a failure with this 365 day photo Challenge.....

It is not for lack of taking pictures - because I have been!!! I have some great snow shots, and friend shots, and some at bowling - but getting the chance to upload them has been hectic.....

I don't know where the time is going - as I am waiting for the paint to dry on my nails - I realize how little time I have had lately. The bottle of nail polish has been sitting on the coffee table for about 2 weeks!!!!!

Even though my life SEEMS less stressful since the job chance and living arrangement change..... it is becoming abundantly clear that time is not something that I have a lot of with me new schedule and my guys sleep schedule. So between social activities (bowling, movies, etc), relationship, and chores - time to blog has been almost non-existent!

As if I need any more proof - it is January 21st and the Christmas Tree is still up....... not for lack of wanting to take it down......

Anyway, I think I may take another crack at the photo challenge. But - I always start things with the best of intentions.

What a day, what a day

2011-01-07T21:50:00.000-03:30

It is just one of those days where my body was telling me not to bother to get up - and I should have listened to it.
Although there were some bright spots throughout the day (a hairbrained conversation with my dear friend Brad, working with Chad and Angela, making some headway with marketing, and going on a crazy grocery run with my guy) - there was an overhanging feeling of negativity - that was qualified by an odd situation at work - being over tired, etc etc.
But now all is well, getting to poke around playing games on my Pink Perfection all while enjoying a perfectly mixed Caesar (rim salt and all) and chilling on the couch.
The picture for today is a tribute to that -

Continuing with the photo blog

2011-01-07T00:42:00.000-03:30

So - this is harder than I thought - but I am sure that I will get used to it.

It certainly is serving its purpose to make me look at things in a different way. For Example -

The January 4th Pictures were taken in the dead of night, I was making lunch and taking up some coffee at about 4:30 a.m. and besides the faint buzz of the radio - there was not a sound. And then it dawned on me, that everything on our house was in sync. How did it dawn on me? The Birds.....they were silent. Not a stir - Ringo in his Popplesque format and the finches in their nest (Cheshire woke up to look at me just to see what I was doing - he is by far the most hyper and alert of the bunch). It makes me happy that at last they are relaxed enough not to go into a squawking, chirping, jumping, frenzy whenever we enter the kitchen after dark. Just the idea that everything was operating in peace and unity under our roof made me happy - so My pictures for January 4th were these:

Ringo as a Popple

Cheshire looking at me and protecting Alice in the back of the nest.

On January 5th, I had the day off and was cleaning up in the kitchen - of course like most kitchen tables, it had mail, receipts, coupons, etc etc laid on top of it. Out of that pile of rubble came a little gem that brought a smile to my face - I am not sure why I love it - but I love it. It is a post card from a local Chinese Restaurant where I like to go eat (they have great and fresh sushi) - my name was put in a box with my birthday on it, and they sent this in the mail :) I love it.

And for January 6th -

A candid shot of my typical garb for writing these blogs. In my beloved Skull Candy Lime Green Headphones - bought as a treat to myself for travel and long walks - hair slicked back and my inside out hoodie. Life is good :)

New Years, New Years!

2011-01-03T21:47:00.000-03:30

So to cover off my resolutions check list from last year:
Learn Spanish - um, unfortunately a classic fail on this one, I had no idea how much committment it will take to learn a new language - we have gone to Cuba AGAIN since I wrote my New Years Resolutions last year -and I was no further ahead of the game than I was last year. So - This is a carry over resolution.

Remain Debt Free - Done. And Double done. I am above board on all things and that makes me happy.

Back to my Original Downhome weight - Meh - who gives a shit about anything that has to do with Downhome? Since not working there anymore - I have been happier, and happier means healthier, and healthier means more active - hence I have been losing weight without all of the effort it would have took in that Vortex that Eats Joy.

Go to the Gym 3 times a week - Nope, decided to jog and use my Wii, cancelled my Gym membership and pocketed the money :)

Cut of Junk Food - done :)

Correct my Posture - Done. Bought a Dr. Ho Back machine.

Finally get my license - Done.

All the other little things - done as well - the level of negativity is nil, and when it does resurface - I remove myself from it. Drama has no part in my life anymore, and I am better for it.

So, for this year.

Minor stuff:
My carry over to learn Spanish.
Take a picture of something I find interesting, funny, special, each and every day of the year 2011.\

So since it is January 3rd here are my pictures and their explanations:

Our New Solid Silver Bottle Stopper in our NYE Champagne

A Snowflake from a Winter Wedding, January 2nd.

Our Fully Lit Christmas Tree - I figured we should get a picture before it is time to come down.

Holy Hurricane Batman!

2010-09-29T08:00:00.000-02:30

Cheers to Change

2010-09-29T07:28:00.000-02:30

Sounds like someone from the Obama camp, right?

Well - it is the only way to sum up what has been going on in my home camp lately.
Sissy getting married, travel to new places, rekindling of old friendships, being made a godmother, leaving one job, starting another, moving and moving on - it is a lot of swirling and whirling going on in one person's life.

But. It is all for the better.

Even though my work ethic was strong and I have a strong passion for print - I chose to leave my old job as an account manager for a regional magazine and take a break from it all. The work environment was poisonous and there was no where left to grow - hence - time to move on. In less than 24 hours, I had another sales job - this time in high end retail. Which I am super happy about - and I was able to take a little over a month off before my start time. That gave me the opportunity to clean myself of all of the negativity and frustration built up about my old position and get ready for the new. It also gave me time to move into a new residence with the man I love, go and spend and entire week with my beloved sister in Fort McMurray in order to get ready for her wedding and the beginning of a new chapter in her life. For all of this I am grateful.

The down time left me with time to think, time to prioritize, time to heal spiritually, and for that I feel as though I have grown and become all the better for it.

I was able to figure out who is important in my life, weed out the people that were cluttering up my emotions;time;and energy, figure out what is valuable in a sense of both material and non-material things, and become ambitious and happy with the life I lead and what I have chosen to surround me.

You only live once - that is often said in reference to doing something crazy or taking a chance. But it should also apply to just our every day decisions. Each and every day should be as happy and fulfilling as you would like for them to be in a sense of what you have control over. One should not stay in a place they are not happy - for no reason. One should not surround themselves with people who bring drama and anxiety into their lives whether it be a significant other or someone who you are in a "friendship" with.

I know it all seems ideal and easier said than done - but having done it. And experiencing the feeling that comes with it. The feeling of release and almost weightlessness - it is more attainable than most would think. We don't HAVE to spend 80% of our lives in a job/workplace that makes us unhappy. We don't HAVE to invite that person who you know will ruin the experience/day for you. We don't HAVE to give up any of our very valuable time that we have in life to deal with unpleasant things that we have control over.

And when I keep saying "control over" - of course I mean I am not delusional - there will always be that bad day, that fender bender, death, and spats with your significant other - I am not saying to avoid EVERYTHING - but before you do take it on - ask yourself how much it means to you. Weigh the Happiness vrs Unhappiness that it brings you - and then judge accordingly.

Wedding Bells

2010-09-29T07:05:00.000-02:30

So she finally did it! SistA - my blood sister and fellow blogger tied the knot in the industrious Fort McMurray this summer and what a great time we had! It was amazing.

Having gone up there a week early to help out - there was plenty of time to do stuff non-wedding related. Like Skeet Shooting, Kick-Boxing, checking out the Natural Museum for Oil Sands, eat sunshine bread, etc. etc.

And of course wedding related would be, folding flowers, checking on cake status, Bachelorette party, hair, nails, folding flowers, rehersal, rehersal party, folding flowers, picking out music, folding flowers, picking up family at the airport, oh and did I mention - folding flowers.

The flowers were worth it - 100% - as you can plainly see.

Potted flowers for tables.

Hedges for head table.

With family and friends all around, it made for a great time :)

More to follow when the professinal pictures are available.

Cheers!

Magazines sell beautiful things.

2010-06-28T21:55:00.001-02:30

There is no doubt that I am biased when it comes to advertising, the art of it, and the media it is used in. I have been working in Magazine Ad sales for 5 years and it is a constant learning experience. Ever growing, ever changing, ever morphing to meet the needs of todays reader and consumer alike.

The company that I currently work for is a juggernaut that has a publication for just about everything that could be profitable in our province. A lifestyle magazine, motorcycle magazine, construction business magazine, workers magazine, adventure guide, cooking supplement, and of course web elements to all of these individual properties. If nothing else, this diversity of publications has taught me how to create a fit for just about every business accessible to me and even some who were considered to be inaccessible.

But the point of this little write up is this...

Magazine ads Sell Beautiful Things

When was the last time you saw someone RECORD a t.v. ad because of the coat that was in it? Or print off a web ad because of the computer that was in it? Or RECORD a radio commerical and play it back to themselves to as to drive them towards the goal of a purchase?

NEVER

How often do you see magazine ads torn out. Scrap booked. Stuck to bullitin boards, walls, mirrors, fridges, dashboards, visors, kept in wallets?

All the time.

The shine and the gloss of the paper. The colorful display. The artistic vision of the photographer. All of it ads to the magic of advertising.
It drives us to want and desire.
We cut out the images and place them in places to look at them again and again. Driving ourselves.
Our perfect ring, the greatest dress, the sexiest car, the geekiest computer, the sleekest phone - we all do it.
The same things can be TALKED about in radio. Have gimmicky flash ads on web pages. Blast our eyes and ears for 30 seconds on a television.
But they don't last - they are all fleeting and forgotten.
Magazine ads last. We can look at them for as long as we wish. Keep them. Collect them. Refer to them. Use them to create a dream.
They are beautiful.
Therefore...

Magazine Ads Sell Beautiful Things.

Texts From Last Night/ FailBook

2010-05-29T04:59:00.003-02:30

This is the best $0.99 ever spent on an iPhone app, and free on BlackBerry.

The sight is based on random text messages sent to and from people, and they are Hi-Larious! if you remember my review on tucker max, its alot like that, just up to the minute updates, and really really funny. for the site click HERE

Failbook is all the stupid, moronic things said on facebook. May it be from status, or comments, they are all funny, and sometimes people need more funny. FAILBOOK

Titles Mean Nothing!

2010-05-17T06:35:00.003-02:30

It doesnt matter if you are dating, engaged, married, married for 20 years - if you meet someone you like better than the one you are with - you should be with them and do what you can to be with them.

Titles mean nothing. People cheat, have affairs, get divorced. What you are calling the person you are with does not change how they feel or their actions in the future.

And, on the surface, that sounds like a jerk thing to say to someone up front.

But - Honest.
There is logic in honesty.

I was young the first time that I heard it - when going steady was a big deal and meant you were off limits. Some of us even had "promise rings". Promise rings? How many people decided that they were not going to take action upon the feelings of their heart because of a cold peice of metal around your finger that was bought by someone else?

There is stength in a couple that stays together because each and every day - they WANT to be together. Not because the church or the state say they HAVE to be together.

Wise Words Spoken

2010-05-17T06:09:00.001-02:30

I would think that at some point in every person's life - they receive one good piece of advice that sticks with them throughout.

Mine happened to have been given to me by my Godmother.

I was going through a time where I was stressed, upset, dramatic, unrelenting, and nomadic. I was bouncing from job to job - no real direction to speak of. I had decided to stop pursuing Childhood Education in school due to a recent dislike for kids (one that still stays with me to this day), I was on job number 4 in less than a year, and living with her due to not being able to pay my rent at my last apartment.

Finally - she could take it no more - and in the stage I was in - I have no idea how she managed to sit me down to have this talk with me. But she did. And here it is.

She said to me; "After your name? What is the very next question that people ask you?"

My reply; "I don't know - here in Newfoundland, it's where are your parents from". (Obviously still not sure where she was going with the conversation).

Her response; "Yes - that may be true - but outside of here, and even after that question is asked here - what is the next question that a person asks you? To get to know you? To decide if they want to be associated with you? If they want to get to know you more?"

Again, I respond; "I don't know, Mary."

Finally the answer - "What do you do?"

And there it was, the beginning of a conversation that has lead to the work ethic that I have today.

"The next question that people ask you after they ask your name is - what do you do? They want to know, how educated you are, how responsible you are, where you are going and where you want to be in your life and in your future. You need to ask yourself if you are going to be happy with the answer that you have to give them when that question is asked - will you be proud of yourself with the explanation that you have for what you are doing with your time and what your plans for the future are."

Now, a person's first response to this conversation may be - Who Cares what others think of you as long as you are happy!?!. But that person would be missing the key part of the conversation.

The key part of that that advice/conversation/statement/question is - "Will you be proud of yourself?"

And my answer at that time - at that moment - was no.

No one aspires to be doing nothing with their lives. There is not a single person who doesn't have hopes and dreams to be something great when they find themselves in the career that is earning their living. No ones goal in life is to be financially insecure, living with the assistance of others.

So, almost immediately after that, I got my job at Downhome. Starting off as a retail sales clerk - went back to school to do Architectural Engineering Technology - and then came back to Downhome as a Advertising Account Manager. A job that I love. Each day I am proud of what I do. 7 years later. And, should that job ever change, or should I want to leave - I have something equally exciting and fulfilling to do as a career.

So - Thank You to my Godmother.

And, I guess my message is that when you hear a good piece of advice - listen to it. Think about it. Make it yours. And, it could be the key to making things a little brighter in your life.

The only thing to do with good advice is pass it on. It is never any use to oneself. - Oscar Wilde

Thank God we are a "Have" Province

2010-04-28T18:01:00.000-02:30

I wrote this a couple of weeks ago - so forgive the tense - but I had full intentions on posting it as soon as possible.

Sitting here in the emergency room at St. Clare's Hospital, I am taking time to ponder our health care system. I am sure many others have sat where I am, pondering what I am pondering.

I look around at my fellow wait-ers. No one bleeding, no one screaming, no one throwing up, no noticeable distress.

Just a group of people, sitting around calmly, listening to a low volume news cast, reading a thick book, sneaking a look at their mobile, etc., etc. A sniffle here and there is heard - but no proff of ailment since it is freezing outside.

Firstly - I should say why I am here. In short, while preparing supper tonight, I sliced halfway through my finger with a corrugated bread knife. After cleaning and dressing it myself - and waiting a couple of hours, I decided I should pop up to talk to people who know this sort of thing when I started getting sharp, shooting, nerve pain to the centre of my palm.

That was 6:30 p.m.

It is now 10:30 p.m. exactly. I was triaged right away. Told I needed a few stitches - and that it would take 2+ hours. I left - went home - talked on the phone to my dad - went to a Gordon Lightfoot concert (with encore) - and then got dropped back to the emerg. room.......

My name still hasn't been called. Good news is - when I went to check on where I was too on the waiting list, I happened to be next - whenever that will be.

Good thing we are a 'have' province and Michael Moore thinks Canada has this awesome health care service. The media are kicking the crap out of our Premiere, Danny Williams, for flying to the U.S.A and paying for heart surgery so he could have it right away rather than waiting on a waiting list for god-knows-how-long.

As I look around this "emergency" room - I can see why he did it! And when it comes to your health, and life or death choices - everyone and anyone would choose immediacy over waiting.

Before assuming I am contributing to the problem, remember I am here for a flesh wound - not something that could wait to be dealt with by my family doctor. Although, as the hours creep by, I have to wonder if I an early a.m. appointment with him might be faster.

I would be nice to know, what the process is in a room like this one - obviously there are different levels of emergency - but what are they?

Am I, bleeding through another dressing, on the same level as the teenager with the cough banging away on her blackberry between little "ahems"?

After 5 hours gone by - one would assume I am being categorized on the low end of emergency. But what does that mean? or entail? one can only wonder - and wait.

At 12:25 a.m. - I was called in by a nurse to stitch my finger back together with three stitches.

funny monkey quote

2010-04-12T21:39:00.001-02:30

funny monkey quote

Birds birds everywhere!

2010-03-23T06:23:00.000-02:30

I am sure when my significant other bought me my first canary about 5 years ago that he had no idea that it was going to spur a love of bird keeping that is still going to this day.

That first canary, Bert, was adoped from a home with two bully parrotlett's in it that were terrorising the poor guy. He was a male German Roller Frosted Canary - which means that he was like tweety bird with frosted tips and had a helluva song box on him. A few years later, he died, and both myself and my guy were so attached to him he was creamated. (yup that is true).

But the empty cage and the empty feeling were not to be ignored and after a respectable amount of time (maybe about a year) I went and found Ringo.

Ringo, is a Glouchester Crested Corona Canary, a breed which is known for sporting a pretty hip bang across their eyes making them look like a Beatle band member.

He is from Montreal and in perfect show form (meaning his legs, feathers, coloration, bangs, crest, and song are in perfect form. We love him.

He has been mentioned in my guys Biography for work and I talk about him all the time. His personality never ceases to make me happy. He sings to rock music at the top of his lungs, spashes around in his little bath, picks at his food, "talks" to anyone who talks to him (canaries are bred for singing which means they are not able to squack or vocalize like some other birds can - so speech is not something that we expect from him).

When my my guys work schedule changed and we were both out of the house, I thought perhaps a mate or friend would be a good solution for him.

Introducing Paris. I called her Paris for two reasons. 1) She is a blonde. lol. 2) I was watching the John Stewart on the Daily Show, he was talking to Michael Moore about his health car Documentary, Sicko. Michael tried to make light of the health care situation in the states by saying that is Paris Hilton is doing ok - then we should all be doing ok - like she is our Proxy. John Stewart stepped in and said "There you have it, Paris Hilton is our canary in the coal mine!". This was the day after I adopted the lil girl canary and it seemed to perfect not to name her Paris.

She was a wild, red factor, german roller mix. Yes I said was, I only had her for a very short period of time before she fell ill and passed away. The sad thing about keep exotics, especially birds, it that once they fall ill there is almost no going back from there. Although I am getting much better at bird keeping and have a keen eye for problems, so I have been able to prevent more than save lately. R.I.P Paris.

The next pair came from a conversation at work. After a trip to Ottawa, which lead to me bringing in my star player, Ringo, to work so that a co worker could look after him for a week and a little bit - a co-worker liked him so much she suggested that I keep him at work. That was never going to happen. Ringo was a member of my family. But I liked the concept.

Bird watching can lower stress levels significantly. There constant chirping, song, movement, and otherwise relaxed and peaceful demeanor have long been in the same catagory as fish for being work place friendly pets. Off in search of other birds I went. Why I was so hell bent I have no idea.

Enter my Zebra Finch Pair, Scarlette and Rhett.

I bought them from a local breeder whose aviary was so cute and quaint, I am pretty sure I will be building on of my own as soon as I can. Rhett is the male, he is the tradition Austrailian coloring for a Zebra finch with his bright orange cheeks, zebra stripes on the neck and upper body, black chest, orange feet and the striped tail feathers that even in the washed out colors stand out. Scarlette is a female Tear Drop Chestnut finch - of the same genre of Zebra but a different color mutation.

They never made it to work. The no pets policy covered even them and I was denied permission. At first, my boyfriend didn't like them, the honked and beeped their way throughout the day and in comparison to the elegant and musical Ringo - they were quite different. But what can I say, they grew on him.

Their chatter, swinging, playing, cuddling, bathing, unison greetings to anyone walking in the room, grooming each other, and just what I came to realise as typical Zebra Finch behaviour charmed us beyond belief and they became members of the family. Little did I know that they were not done surprising us yet.

On our trip to Cuba in November - I left the pair with my mom and her mother to be looked after. When we came back we got them, Ringo, and 5 eggs.

!!!!!!!!

We were shocked! NOw I am not so surprised - after reading that finches live to mate, cuddle, eat, sleep, and play - not necessarily in that order.

The first five never made it :(.

But we didn't have time to feel bad about it before there were 9 more!

The other 9 resulted in what was to take up most of my time and my boyfriends facination for the next couple of months.

Typically, a finch needs to be about a 1/2 a year to a year old in order to successfully reproduce and raise young. Not my pair, at the impressionable age of just three months old they started trying for a family and didn't quit until they were successful (almost to the detriment of Scarlette's health). The second batch resulted in 4 live chicks. Louder and louder they got - and one day when Scarlette was out getting food for their begging I snapped this shot. There are four little almost open pair of eyes staring back in curiosity from that little basket - with their little tuffs of gray hair poking out all over the place.

This is the progress of about a week or two - they are more aware, and squished, and loud, and I still have no idea how their mother and father managed to get in there and feed them each and every time their yells rang throughout the kitchen. Ringo, had no idea what to think of it all - but I wonder if he did know he was about to be an Uncle soon. They were getting more curious, poking their heads over the edge of the nest peering around, watching their parents, all in a little row.

The row thing didn't stop there. They still do everything together.

Over the period of a few days they had all gotten the courage to jump out of the nest and look about their cages. Needless to say this was an awesome thing to witness and they were downright adorable little grey fluff balls that I just wanted to pet. But refrained.

Here are the chicks. They have none of their coloring here - but you can begin to tell who is who.

And here they are grown. They grew up to be three boys and one girl. Two with the markings of their father, one with gorgeous black cheeks and lines, and the sister is a fawn.

They have been a pleasure and are being adopted by my parents. We will miss them - but something tells me it won't be long before the cycle starts all over again. This time I have my real camera, so I will try and document it a little better.

Ok - done gushing now.

Wiccan's and Health Care

2010-03-22T22:24:00.000-02:30

Slowly but surely the people who are closest to me have come to accept my choice of belief system. Mom has been reading and buying books on the subject, people see beautiful pentagrams and buy them for me as gifts, I am constantly getting curious and less judgemental questions about the Wiccan way of life and I am happy to hear them :)

So, I was pleased to see an email in my Facebook Inbox with the subject header "Give me your Pagan/Wiccan knowledge!" from a dear friend of mine. The body of the email was a query about how Wiccan's would react to being in a long term hospitalization situation, what would make us most comfortable, what our culture would have us do differently from the health care program, etc etc.

So - since it is a very interesting question and there is not much information out there about Wiccan's and modern health care I thought I would share my answer with you folks as well.

It was as follows:

Pagan's/Wiccan's/neo-Pagans are not a very demanding religion and have a large number of solitary practitioners so I would be inclined to say that a pagan may be more worried about having a positive influence on you rather than making individual demands to make your job more difficult than it already is.

The first thing that DOES come to mind is that we use sacred circles. On our altars they can be actually defined from colored chalk or ash or granulated minerals - but if we travel and need to feel safe a lot of us will cast a "Circle Casting Spell" in the area we wish to feel peace. Now - that circle can have people moving in and out of it at will - so again, that would not pose a huge issue with you and your job techniques.

Sometimes we wear talismans to help focus on what we want to achieve - so a healing stone would probably be worn on the body somewhere.

We have no special diet - some of us are vegans some like meat.

We do use herbs - so the brewing of a special tea would go a very long way.

Some don't mind being visited by clergy - some will not welcome the visit. Even though Wiccan's are overall a positive group of people - there are others who choose a "darker" path - they would be the type to hold a grudge on the prosecution of our religion by Christians in the past.

Another "challenge" you may find with a Neo-Pagan/Wiccan/Pagan is that since there is still a huge misunderstanding of our practices -we may never even tell you to begin with what our belief structure is. If someone was open about it - they may set up an altar - depending on their choice of altar items (for all pagans altar items are individualized and unique) it may pose a sanitary problem - but as previously mentioned if we thought it would cause your body undue stress - we are not likely to do that. As your body being stressed in our area brings negative energy with it - and negative energy is counterproductive to healing.

The practice of The Craft (which covers all "witchy" practices the way Christianity does for RC and Anglican etc.) is more about life than death so it is unlikely that there will be special requests upon dying.

If a Wiccan is not a solitary practitioner - they would have a coven - and covens can cast spells and send positive intentions to anyone anywhere without having to be around them - so large groups of visitors are not a huge issue either.

That is the best I can do with researching it myself some more - but that would be counter productive to you actually asking me as a person. Sorry it is so all over the place - but I typed what I could about what I actually know about.

Since Wicca is such an individual practice it is hard to predict how someone may act as a Wiccan. We have very few rules - and those walking the "darker" path often break them - but are still considered to be members of the religion.

We have our own healing spells - but we are not delusional and will seek professional medical attention if that is needed. There is no chanting and waving over serious disease or wounds. The basis of our religion is to be one with nature - and dying is only seen as the final step of our gift of life and the act of becoming physically one with mother earth as opposed to spiritually one like we are in life.

I would love to see your piece when it is finished - I am especially curious to see what your other resources provide since as a solitary practitioner I am always curious and interested to hear what others think and feel in our religion.

I was pretty pleased with my answer. I later discovered that my friend scored excellent on her paper - so I guess it sufficed. :)

Alice! Alice! who the flip is Alice?!

2010-03-21T16:42:00.001-02:30

Well – I think I can say without much argument that Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland is a theatrical force to be reckoned with.

The record smashing interpretation of the classic children’s tale was filled with color, drama, action, fun and fear is a trip to be made by adults and children alike.

Biggest opening weekend for a non-sequel, biggest opening weekend for a 3-d movie, 6th biggest opening weekend in history - all of these honors go to Alice, and the movie is far from finished with its run.

The only thing about the whole scenario that ruffles my feathers is the “non-sequel” comment.

I have been watching Disney and fairy tale movies since I could sit still on the couch – and in my opinion, Tim Burton’s Alice is indeed a sequel – or something of that sort.

Alice is full grown, the characters keep making reference to her having been around before, the caterpillar talks to her about her last experience in what she referred to as “Wonderland”, she keeps having a reoccurring dream about a rabbit, the official synopsis of the film is reviewed on the Internet Movie Database as Alice's RETURN to Wonderland. (There are lots of other interesting facts about Alice in the database HERE). All of the evidence points to a seqeulesque performance. Am I alone in these observations? Is it being mistaken as what the movie industry call a "Re-Imagining"? Whatever it is, Joe Average watching this film that is aware of the original film would certainly feel as though this is a follow up to the original story.

Now - moving on.

Johnny Depp is an excellent Mad Hatter. He is mad as they come yet completely endearing and sweet.
Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen with her gigantic head was repulsive, interesting, and maybe madder than the Hatter. She works well with her long term fiance, Tim Burton, and brings interest and untraditional beauty with every performance she casts.

The Cheshire Cat was my favorite character that was non-human - that may have been a bit of nostalgia on my behalf. The rest of the cast, Mia Wasikowska, Anne Hathaway, Matt Lucas, Stephen Fry, Alan Rickman, and many others came together to create a masterpeice.

Go see it and enjoy being a kid again!

Music Music

2010-03-15T06:52:00.001-02:30

So, ladies and gentlemen - for Christmas this year I was given my first record.

Yes, you heard/read me right.....a record. A vinyl.

This year, while we are surrounded by piracy, digital downloads, P2P sharing, iTunes, download album cards, and last but not least - I found wrapped under the tree looking suspiciously like a wall calendar - a record.

It was the new Dave Matthews Band album - Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King.

I am estatic!

The quality and life of music is becoming shorter and shorter.

People of this file sharing generation have no "Collection" of music - they have their most recent playlist and as many singles as they can possibly download onto their harddrive, whether it be legitimate paid for singles or not.

I was so pleased to see an actual tangible piece of music sitting there :) And I have a feeling this is the beginning of my very own love affair with vinyl and the sound that it offers. Hmmmmmm - now where to find a record player.

*dashes off*.

Happy New Year!

2009-12-31T06:01:00.003-03:30

New Year's Resolutions, and other promises we are not likely to keep.

2009-12-30T14:57:00.003-03:30

Hey All,

It is that time of year where we all make promises to ourselves for changes - most often to better our lives.
Some of us keep them - most of us don't. Some of us don't even bother to think them up, knowing that they will not be fullfilled - most of us do make them with the best of intentions in the first month of so of our new endeavours.

Here is my list of promises to self:

- Learn Spanish. After two trips to Cuba, I have become curious enough about the native language and the conversations that were happening around me to want to know what they are saying. Plus, it is always fun to learn new things.

- Remain debt-free. I am officially debt free at the moment (the fine print to this resolution is the purchase of a house or a car). But, the point is paying bills on time, staying on top of credit cards, etc etc.

- Get back to my original Downhome weight. With the help of my new Wii Fit Plus - this should not be too hard. Also, with the other two following resolutions.

- Go to the gym at least 3 times a week. 3 is the LEAST - I have been paying for a gym membership for 3 years now I am too embarrassed to tell you how many of those days it has not been used. :S.

- Cut out junk food. Junk food includes all things that are not made under my own roof. To maintain control of the ingredients going into my body at all times.

- Correct my posture. Something that has gotten progressively worse since the car accident.

- Finally get my license. This is something that I have been putting off, and have started to do several times, includeing completeing the first 1/2 of driving school. Now is time to get it done.

Now, that may seem like a long list - but I see it as much being a realistic set of goals. All with a common theme to better myself and make my body feel better.

I am just striving to make myself and my life better. There are minor adjustments as well - cut out negativity, get less caught up in drama, make changes to my life to create less stress, be happy, show those I love that I love them, get better at making decisions (especially when those decisions may be of a selfish nature).

I think every person wishes to make themselves just a little bit better, make life a little bit easier, enjoy things just a little bit more. We are our own worse critics - and our ambitions are our own. The challenge is to have the mind set and dedication to successfully make changes, big and small. And hence RESOLVE our current set backs and go into the New Year with a sense of motivation and ambition.

Happy New Year - and I wish you all the best of luck in all of your endeavours.

Drunk Driving and the Holidays.

2009-12-27T13:10:00.001-03:30

***inspired by CBC POV***

Public Service Announcements, radio commercials, tv commercials, and art imitating life are not tools that will prevent a person from drinking and driving.

This blog is coming at an appropriate time of a hightened number of drunk drivers on the road, ruining all the fun and making the roads dangerous for the average celebrator who would like to be able to drive home from an evening meal at Grandma's house - without being clipped and killed by Johnny Bing Drinker.

At 2 pm this afternoon we drove past 2 so-slow-they-must-be-drunk drivers and 1 guy peeing in the middle of a two lane street, on a hill, in broad daylight, with cars zipping by. Want to know how many cop cars we drove past from St. John's to Spainyards Bay? ZERO. A big fat zero.

Also, driving from the movie theatre and around the outskirts of the city, looking at Christmas lights, straight through the Downtown on a Saturday night - ZERO cop cars (with the exception of the Paddy Wagon sitting on Duckworth which is always there).

THE ONLY WAY to make drunk drivers stop driving drunk - is to patrol.

To put them straight in jail.

None of this, suspended license (they can just get a cab).
No revoked licenses (again - cab or bus)

THREE times you can drive drunk before you are put in jail! Just think of the ratio of people who are out there driving around on strike one! Or driving without a licenses!!! (because if you are driving drunk - you are surely stupid enough to drive without a license - I mean - they are both breaking the law).

You can't threaten these people with stories of injuries of others (they are too self-absorbed and selfish for that). You can't threaten these people with stories of committing their own death (they don't feel as though they are in any harm - or wouldn't be doing it in the first place - proven by the self absorption that was mentioned above).

You need to threaten their living life - you need to patrol like mad and put them straight in jail. Hence, losing their job, their girlfriend or boyfriend, friends (if they are against drunk driving), home (if they are renting - due to missed payement from being in jail - and lack of payment because of lost job). Punish them in a way that matters.

Threaten their very life as they know it. Then - when they are considering saving the money of getting a cab home there will be no contest.

And do it like wildfire - get out there and arrest dozens of them in a weekend and broadcast their names and the number of catches all over the local news.

Because, lets face it. There will always be people out there pushing the limits, acting irresponsibly. But the goal of the police force ought to be to limit the number of people who are inflicting their lack of responsibility onto us.

The innocent.
The smart.
The fed-up.

When a normal person's holiday plans include making procautions for drunk drivers - things need to change.

Converse Is/Are Awesome! ♥

2009-12-18T21:10:00.001-03:30

So this post has been long coming - my love affair with Converse and anything that have to do with Converse needs to be fully disclosed. (Although anyone who knows me well is already privvy to this information).

It all started with my significant other. He has been a die hard fan of the Converse brand his whole life (there are WAAAYYY dated pictures to prove it). One Star suede low-cuts were the standard, as well as the classic black high top Chucks. It is his defining fashion staple - he is known for it - and probably will be his whole life.

I jumped on board WAAAYYYYY later. For a few reasons. 1) I am still not a huge fan of the One Star low cuts - and due to the selection of Converse that were available in this province up until recently - they were the only things available for a long time (pre-Ebay of course). Which brings me directly to my next reason for being late on the fashion freight train 2) the utter lack of exposure and selection of the Converse brand here in NL. The shops out in Burin were filled to the hilt for Diadora, Umbro, Adidas, Nike.....but Converse were not an option. So I missed the earlier marketing flood of the Chucks. 3) I didn't want to seem like a poser. I fought with myself for a really long time about if I liked the sneakers because they were a part of the skate/punk culture I am a part of. I wore Vans religiously, of all styles for the longest time because I had myself convinced that The Con was my boyfriends show choice, not mine, and I was being swayed.

Then.....In the 20 year cycle of fashion started to kick in. And when I travelled I started stumbling on girl Cons. With skulls, and birds, and broken hearts. In purple, pink, aqua, rainbow, houndstooth, pinstripes. As it got closer to the resuragence mark of that era of fashion - the more options there were.

Now - I am in love with them! Converse sandals, dresses, shirts, hoodies, and most importantly....Chucks.

These are my most recent addition:

Misinformation in an age of information.

2009-12-17T10:40:00.002-03:30

It is not until you are in an environment that has a controlled information source, like Cuba, that you realise that opinions are still,very often, formed by mouth to mouth conversation.

Hearty debates and conversation are all well and good in an atmosphere where you can fact check if you feel as though what you are told may be incorrect or twisted for effect by the teller. But, when you are in a place where internet access is nil, television content is monitored, and books are controlled for content, you have to be aware that the information you are giving is quite realistically the "be all and end all" of the awareness that the person you are talking to has on the subject.

Why am I babbling about this?

While I was in Cuba - time and time again I heard my fellow Canadians tell tales and give information that was in all senses of the word - incorrect and even to some extent, ignorant.

I am of the opinion that if you don't know what you are talking about - shut up. If you don't have the information or the facts to give a source of information to a person who doesn't know the difference than you should not be talking about the given subject.

Being schooled and forever interested in Architecture, I feel as though I know a thing or two about it - so when I approached our lobby bar one morning and heard someone (judging by their accent, from Ontario somewhere) tell the bartender who was listening with their mouth hanging open, that they were facinated by Havana because Canada has NO OLD BUILDINGS IN IT, I was appalled.

First of all - the bartender obviously thought that we were living in a new age enviornment, stark of history or culture, and then was of the opinion that Canada has only new facades and skyscrapers dotting its landscape in the way that someone from North America would picture New York. Which is completely incorrect.

Quebec is filled with old buildings! Ontario's neighbour. With a dozen or more, still standing structures that were built is the 1600's.

The oldest church in North America is rumoured to be right here in Newfoundland - located in Carbonear.

Anyway, before I get too carried away with the subject - I guess I am airing another pet peeve. It happens all the time, all around us, and it is probably the cause of origin for the saying:

"Believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see"

Blackberry Blog

2009-12-13T01:28:00.002-03:30

So, being part of the Blackberry nation - I do completely understand how it changes behaviour. When you have the capability to take pictures, send emails, chat, blog, tweet, facebook stalk, surf and play games all at the tip of your finger tips - it is very easy to fall into a habit of using it all the time no matter what is going on around you.

My personal tool of social offense - Blackberry Storm

However, the week I spent in Toronto at one of the most massive Expos I have ever laid eyes on, I witnessed first hand that there downfalls to that Blackberry oblivion - where we feel as though it is perfectly acceptable to be standing with your head down and your fingers flying a mile a minute while surrounded by thousands of ACTUAL people - most of which ACTUALLY want to talk to you about what you are ACTUALLY standing next to.

Maybe it is the sales person in me - or maybe it is the ex-manager in me - but.....if I were a business owner who had paid what it took to get into this one particular expo, and the salary of the person in it - I would be SUPER peeved to have them standing on my sqaure of carpet with their head down in Blackberry land.

Time and time again at this event I passed booth after booth with people in it who were not willing to pay attention to anything that is going on around them. Business opportunities were passing them by over and over again and patrons walked in and around their products, waited a second or two, and then when they felt ignored and no engagement of any sort had happened - they picked up a business card and a free pen and walked away. Time and time again people gave the impression that you were intruding upon their busy lives with your questions.

Now, Blackberry's are not all bad - after all their entire marketing personality is that they are supposed to the ultimate tool for the busy business person. Making available multiple email accounts, and contact book that provides extra lines for position and company in your files, Microsoft office, and many tools geared towards business to start and countless apps for news, stocks, banking, accounting, and keeping sales contacts organized. Which makes it kinda of ironic to see it being the tool of detriment to some of these businesses when in the hands of someone with a less than stellar work ethic.

It is not ENTIRELY the works fault, the progress of society is to make allowance for Blackberry Behavior. We walk around those walking into our paths while reading or writing in motion, we turn our heads from loud conversations at the table next to us in a nice restaurant, we share our information so that we can participate in the rapid fire information and gaming that goes on all around us that used to be restricted to our homes.

Times - they are a changing - it is just hard to figure out sometimes if it is for better or worse.

eek

2009-12-09T15:17:00.000-03:30

I could not help noticing the stricking resemblance - which is why I had to take a picture of this while I was in Cuba.

After looking at the evidence - I can only conclude - that Roly Poly has drifted through the ages - only to land in my Significant Others house as his beloved childhood toy.

:S

Viva Cuba!

2009-12-08T23:43:00.002-03:30

So - as you all may know, I took a trip to Cuba with my Significant Other exactly this time last year - and made the mistake of booking through Air Canada Vacations (update to that saga later). What you may NOT know, is that we decided to do it again this year.

This time we commuted to Ottawa to spend time with friends and family, and started our week of relaxation and romance with Sunwing Vacations our of Ottawa.

It. Was. Great!

The flight started with swing music and champagne. Followed by a movie, small wrapped hot towels, great food and drinks all included in the flight.

We flew into Cuba without incident, smooth landing, nice airport, and a bus awaited us, expecting our arrival (key difference from our last landing).

We started a beautiful ride from Varadero to Jibacoa on a comfortable bus.

Crossing bridges, driving by couples holding hands, filled busstops, goats, chickens, bulls, horses, gorgeous flowers, palm trees, people selling thier wares to passing vehicles, eagles, turkey vultures, cows, billboards yelling about revolution, street signs, sculptures, and a breathtaking landscape. Bliss.

We drove to the base of a mountain and turned into what was to be our home for the next 7 days. Breezes Jibocoa. A pastel oasis. With its own mountain, coral reef, little villas, huge swimming pool, white sand beach, 4 restaurants, and a chalet that would put a ski resort to shame. It was stunning.

The view from the mountain lookout.

The chalet from the Piano Bar Level.

Our room was in a little villa right next to the beautiful pool. It had a giant king size bed with lots of pillows, satellite t.v., complimentary cigars and chocolate, and huge double glass doors making you feel like one with the beautiful scenery outdoors even when you were inside.

We had great neighbours who we shared good stories, tasty drinks, smokey cigars and a few meals with. They were from BC and a refreshing change from the "Lost in Translation" experience we had last year at our resort.

There were lots of great places to eat; a cuban restaurant, and italian restaurant that you needed to make reservations for and last (but not least) a buffett restaurant with ever changing themes from cuban, to mexican, to seafood night, and french - it was consistantly delicious and the waitstaff were always on the ball with fresh squeezed orange juice in the moring and delectable red and white wine in the evening. There was a beach restaurant as well that had the best fresh cut french fried we had ever tasted. Yum.

There were random creatures hanging around the resort adding to its charm and beauty.

The foliage was colorful and stunning.

And awe inspiring sunsets.

Even though it was unnessary in every way, shape, and form - we left the resort to go on a dat trip to Havana. It was interesting, informational, and fun. It put everything into perspective as to why the people of Cuba live the way they do and are perfectly happy doing so.

Here are some of the shots from the Colonial Tour we took:

The drinks were always great, the people were always friendly, and we would love to go back there again as soon as possible.

We finished off our last day there with an Irish Specialty Coffee and an unexpected visitor.

Geek is the New Chic.

2009-12-03T03:16:00.005-03:30

Lately I have been obessed with the site http://www.thinkgeek.com/. I love it. It brings out the inner nerd in all of us, even if we are not willing to admit it.

It has interesting things such as, astronaut ice cream,

The Rock, Paper, Sissors, Lizard, Spock T-Shirt,

and even a Space Invaders cutting board. check it all out.

A Halloween Success!

2009-11-02T09:48:00.005-03:30

We have all been there – racking our brains thinking of the perfect costume – then running around trying to get the parts and elements to make it just right. The makeup, the hair, the wardrobe, the mannerisms – all of it to make a perfect replication of the person (or thing) you aspire to be on All Hallows Eve.

If you were a true perfectionist this could get costly. Going out and hiring a professional to man the sewing machine is the most pricey – down to those generic, 3 piece costumes you can buy just about anywhere that you know every other person bought at the last minute so they would not feel stupid about going to a costume party in t-shirt and jeans.

Thrift stores are to the rescue for the costumer that wishes to be original and accurate in their persona of choice. Another person’s junk is the ultimate costume treasure. Hats, scarves, ties, shoes, pants, shirts, underpants, suspenders, belts, coats, furs, monocles, glasses – all that look as though there is no way on God’s green earth that they were ever a day to day part of someone’s wardrobe. But they are perfect for you.

My costume of choice this year was for my guy. He aspired to be the ever horrendous new rendition of the Joker, played by the late Heath Ledger this year in The Dark Knight. Checklist goes as follows; a green patterned dress shirt, a green tie, a green suit vest, a purple suit jacket with red lining, a purple pair of pants, a purple trench coat with a red lining, a pair of plain black dress shoes, and a pair of patterned socks.

To my delight, all regular clothing items. So off searching I went to our local thrift stores. First was the tie $1.99, next was the vest $2.99, then the perfect purple trench coat at $6.50. Off to the next thrift hunting ground. The shirt showed itself for an even $2.00, and then as if it was just waiting for me a purple pants suit – both pieces $8.00. The whole ensemble cost less than 20 bucks.

Being crafty – I went and bought a couple of meters of red fabric from the bargain section of a fabric store and glued it to the insides of both of the coats, dug out a pair of socks that I owned and a pair of his oldest dress shoes. For the face, black eyeliner, red lipstick, and cold cream. For the hair I took green food coloring and mixed it with water and sprayed it in his gelled back hair. He was the movie picture of perfection, and all for under 25 dollars.

Standing there, shoulders hunched, licking his lips, asking me “Why so serious?”, I couldn’t help but smile my own twisted smile at the perfectly gruesome creation that cost almost nothing and gave me a great deal of joy making.

Update to Air Canada Fiasco

2009-09-29T13:21:00.006-02:30

So - After sending the letter carefully written with Terms and Conditions quotes and all in the body on September 17th, 2009 outlined in the original post Air Canada Vacations Fiasco- I recieved this reply in return from Air Canada Vacations on the same day from Vivianne Angers:

Ms. ******,
You have reached Air Canada Vacations. This confirms that we have received your correspondence.

Air Canada Vacations’ commitment is to respond to all customers’ concerns within a timely manner following receipt of a letter. Your file will be assigned to a designated representative at Customer Relations. Our current processing time may take up to 8 weeks. You will receive a written response once their investigation is completed. It is not necessary to contact us again. We will do our utmost to respond at the earliest.

We thank you for your understanding while waiting for a subsequent response.

We thought - ok - they are going to look into it....lets be patient and wait and see what is done in response to our concerns.

The NEXT day (September 18th) we get a letter back from Vivianne saying the following:

Mrs. ******,
We have reviewed your correspondence. We can certainly appreciate the inconveniences you may have experienced with respect to the overbooking of flight AC1820 leaving Montreal en route to Varadero on November 22nd, 2008. Allow us to explain that as a tour operator, flight operations (delays, cancellations, rerouting, overbookings, etc.) remain beyond Air Canada Vacations’ jurisdiction. We are unable to provide you with any explanation and/or information regarding that situation as we do not have access to Air Canada’s records. We have therefore forwarded your letter to Air Canada’s Customer Relations for their response. A representative from their service will respond to you directly.

Should you wish to contact Air Canada directly, their email address is: www.aircanada.com/customerrelations.

Thank you, Mrs. ******, for taking the time to write. We hope that your next travel experience will be pleasant and carefree.

Relations Clients - Customer Relations

They obviously didn't even take the time to read the whole letter which went on to explain that our problem was not with service interruption of flights....but all of the problems that we had afterwards! We even quoted their terms and conditions line where they say they will do whatever they can to make a situation right even if it is not their fault.....and that they are responsible for transportation directly to the resort!!!

So I wrote back that same day:

Mrs. Angers,

Overbookings may very well be beyond your control as a tour operator; however, our problem lies in the blatant, continued disregard for the level of service required thereafter and our over all well being.

I quoted several of Air Canada Vacations terms and conditions stating Air Canada Vacations will take measures to correct the issue even if it in their error, and in your response you are saying the exact opposite.

I hope to hear back from you soon with a response that is relevant to the several complaints and concerns that I had NOT with Air Canada flights – but with Air Canada Vacations and its customer service, or lack thereof.

Only to get back SEVERAL days later (September 24th) a carbon copy reply of the first response:

Madam,
We regret to read that our response was unsatisfactory. As per the procedures, we have reopened your clients' file for further review.
Your file will be assigned to a designated representative at Customer Relations. Our current processing time may take up to 8 weeks. You will receive a written response once their investigation is completed. It is not necessary to contact us again. We will do our utmost to respond at the earliest.

We thank you for your understanding while waiting for a subsequent response.

What is going on over there!!!!! First they say they are going to investigate, then they pass blame, then they reply back with the same response that they are going to investigate...again!

Maybe I am being harsh, but I sincerely feel as though this is simply not good enough for a national travel agency and I feel as though I am going to take it a step further.

Wish me luck - comments and story sharing are welcome - my goal is to prevent more people from having to pay good money to be neglected and treated like garbage.

A rekindling of faith in good customer service!

2009-09-23T14:56:00.004-02:30

So - I feel like a switch from the Air Canada story - and I wanted to write about the great service that our group got today at Jungle Jims on Topsail Road.

I have been finding lately that good customer service is EXCEPTIONALLY hard to come by these days - as most people will find from following the Blog ishopandtell or tweeting on ShopandTellNL..

So you can imagine my stress with the anticipation of similar events happening to our carefully planned going away lunch for a long employed co-worker.

Due to an extra heavy workload - we had to be sure that we could get out to celebrate during the scheduled lunch hour and we have 11 people going with 10 different orders and alterations to order.

Firstly, we faxed off the menu before hand after looking at their online menu options. Secondly, we made them aware that we were showing up at noon and needed for our food to be ready when we got there. Lastly, we are all paying separately so the bills needed to be kept track of.

There was lots of potential to go wrong. I cannot remember the last time I faxed a menu and got my order back correct. The timing on their part had to be spot on to assure that all of our meals, of different mediums and sizes, were ready at noon and none of them cold. Lastly, to keep all of our orders straight as we adjusted them with drinks, coffees, refills, desserts, sides, etc.

Not A Problem.

Upon receiving the fax I barely had time to get back to my desk from the fax machine when my cell was ringing from Shawn - and his only questions were ones of detail that were my own mistake for leaving out of the order information. His phone manner was very pleasant, upbeat, cheerful and quirky and it made me feel less stressed about the whole thing and I started to consider this may be a good choice.

Not only were all of our orders correct with changes - but Shawn (Sean, Shaun) somehow figured out who had ordered what by the process of elimination and our food was out in front of us in no time flat without incident. Not to mention that as each member of our party showed up they were met with their drink order....also correct.

His demeanor was cool and collected (which surprised me since I made a point of saying how time sensitive and important the lunch was)he was the same cheerful, humorous, complimentary self that I had heard on the phone and this attitude kept up the entire meal and throughout billing.

Our drinks were always refilled, our table promptly cleaned, and we were checked upon just the right amount of time. Everyone was having fun and continuously commenting on how professional and efficient our server was.

Time for the dessert orders. There were split orders, split plates, side plates, extra whip cream, no whip cream....the list goes on. And again - everything provided at the right temperature, the right speed, the same smile and the great service.

All of our tabs were kept straight. He remembered the names of the Credit Card payers and thanked them each by name. He was funny about Interact and tactful about cash.

Above and Beyond is how I would describe it.

All 11 people left full, cheerful, and completely appreciative of the great experience we had.

And to top it all off......HE called ME on my work line to thank me for making his day with the positivity and comments that he received from all of us and to welcome us back again.

So - I guess the moral of the story is that a little bit of professionalism, good service and positivity can go a long long long way in the service industry. In the end it brightened 12 peoples day and we will be saying nice things for weeks to come. It is a lesson to be learned for all businesses. Especially those that allow for low standards of service.

Word of mouth is a powerful thing.

Good or Bad.

Air Canada Vacations Fiasco

2009-09-21T12:49:00.003-02:30

Hello Ladies and Gents,

After trying relentless to get some satisfaction from Air Canada Vacations for their behavior - I wrote a "One-Last-Attempt" formal letter and sent it to all relevant parties.

Because I am still getting no reponse or claim of responsibility I have decided to share my experience with the Web World so as to, in some small way, prevent this from happening again.

It goes as follows:

As I begin planning another trip to Cuba for my boyfriend and I, going out of my way to ensure none of our travel plans this time involve Air Canada, I figured now was as good a time as any to inform you of how detrimental our last Air Canada customer service experience was. Please note that the following story is my own. The italicized portion of the following is copied directly from the terms and conditions stated on the Air Canada Vacations Web site (http://www.aircanadavacations.com/en/contact_us/terms_and_conditions).

This time last year, I booked an all-inclusive Air Canada Vacation to Breezes Bella Costa in Varadero, Cuba through Sell Off Vacations. It was a gift for my boyfriend and our first time making such a trip. Instead of being able to relax and enjoy it, it quickly turned into a nightmare.

We had a connecting flight in Montreal, and upon arriving (on time) to the Montreal airport, we immediately realized that the one and only flight going to Varadero had taken off early, leaving without us. We later found out from an Air Canada Vacations representative in Toronto that this was due to the flight having been overbooked. Upon finding out that the flight had taken off without us, we found our way to the Air Canada Vacations representative in the Montreal airport to find a solution. We were bluntly told that there was nothing they could do for us. Not getting any satisfaction there, we next went to the ticket counter to try to correct the problem and save our vacation. First, we were told that the flight could not be rebooked for another full week. Then, thankfully, we ran into a travel agent (who was also left behind by the same flight) who informed us that we could fly into Cuba that weekend, but only if we flew into Havana and not Varadero. The Air Canada ticket agent said that could be arranged, and that it would be a next day flight. We immediately informed the aforementioned Air Canada Vacations representative of our new plans to successfully fly to Cuba the next day and were unbelievably met with the same, unhelpful, and quite frankly rude reception we had received mere minutes earlier. The unbelievable part had to have been the fact that after we had finally found our own way from a city we had never before been in to a country we had never before been in, we were basically told “that’s great, good luck when you get there.”

Reporting of Incidents
Regardless of Air Canada Vacations liability, any incidents including injuries, service cancellation or problem, or dissatisfaction must be reported to an Air Canada Vacations’ destination representative or Customer Care during the event to allow Air Canada Vacations an opportunity to provide assistance in rectifying the situation.

Since Air Canada Vacations offered us no place to stay besides the Montreal airport (an actual suggestion), we cabbed (costing us $44.00), bussed (another $88.74), and then stood in the freezing cold to stay at a relative’s house in Ottawa. We had earlier arranged to get our connecting flight to Toronto from Ottawa.
In all three airports, I went to the Air Canada Vacations service desks and asked for help in figuring out how we were going to get from Havana to Varadero. One representative told me that it was only 15 minutes away and we could get a bus. Another said that there would be an Air Canada representative waiting for us in Havana, but didn’t know the number to call to let them know that we were coming. Yet another said that it was so close we could walk and then when I asked them to call to let them know that we were arriving a day late, she gave ME the number to Cuba to call on my cell phone. To top it all off, the number turned out to be incorrect!

The travel agent who was stuck in the same situation as us informed us that we needed to talk to someone about our late arrival, in case the hotel gave our room away. We spoke to Air Canada representatives in person and on the phone (hours on the phone) over the course of two days. Yet, when we finally arrived in Havana, Cuba, the travel representative for Air Canada had no idea we were coming, had made no travel arrangements for us to get to our hotel, and in the end just flagged us an unmarked van which he claimed to be a cab and sent us on our way. At a cost of 120 Convertible Pesos (approximately $210 Canadian!), and several hours later, we arrived by “cab” at our hotel only to find out that no one had called to let them know we had been delayed and they charged us for the previous night anyway. After all that had happened, we were at least lucky to still have a room waiting for us.

Prices DO Include
Selected combination of flights, accommodation, airport-hotel transfers at destination and/or car rental, and any other inclusions as specified for product selected as confirmed at time of booking.

So, without any reimbursement, we lost a full day and night in Cuba (including orientation). We had to find our own transportation to our resort, which was also supposed to be included in the vacation package. We had to find our own accommodations in Montreal / Ottawa due to the plane taking off early without us. Our safety was in jeopardy because Air Canada Vacations, after having flown us into Havana and not our original destination of Varadero, left us to our own devices to get to where we needed to go without us knowing a word of Spanish.

It is simply not acceptable.

And now, trying to plan another getaway has the added stress of our last experience and of the complete disregard shown by Air Canada Vacations for its customers and its customers’ safety. I feel as though this mistake is very serious and I would like to think it can somehow be corrected. It should also never happen to anyone else ever again. For more information, I can be reached by phone at *** *** **** or by email at *********@hotmail.com. I do hope to hear from you soon.

Sincerely,

Mental Apple

Please consider this circumstance while booking with Air Canada Vacations as they are adamant that none of what happened had anything to do with them and are sticking by the fact that their service was of exceptional value!

Thanks for reading.

UPDATE ON PAUL(ette)

2009-08-10T19:13:00.004-02:30

So - scrap what I said in the last paragraph of my last entry.
After only having Paul(ette) for 24 hours - my co-worker wrote me a facebook message saying that she couldn't take on the challenge and wanted to give Paul back. This was AFTER speaking to her that morning of the 24 hours and hearing that the previous afternoon and night had gone smoothly and without incident.
So, I am unsure what went so terribly wrong in that window of time - but she is living with me again.
I am beginning to wonder if my judgement is clouded.
But as I watched her regain her health and cattiness before my eyes, I thought maybe people are not seeing what I am seeing - and not giving her the chance.
I mean, this little cat was on deaths doorstep the night my beau spotter her - with a cut on her face, asp on her tounge, loss of her voice, loss of her bowels, starving, wounded, dehydrated, injured back legs and a collar barely seen because it was matter so far into her fur it needed to be cut out.
Now she is eating fine, drinking fine, her fur has come into a beautiful soft fluffy coat. She is incredibly loving, learning how to clean herself and getting back the strength she has in her back legs.
Now, granted - she is still having trouble using the litter box all of the time and her back leg will never be at its best - but with a little love and attention most of that can be overcome.
What upsets me most about this whole situation - is that for a month that it was pending for her adoption by someone else, she could have been getting more attention that she was getting. As a precaution to getting to attached to her, I kept in mind that she was someone elses and did only what was neccessary for her to stay comfortable and clean until she was taken. Or I could have been looking for a new home for Paulette for that month instead of having her live in my apartment with limited contact.

Now after about 4 months of doing what I can and having limited time with her - she has been given to humane services here in St. John's. :( This makes me incredibly unhappy - but I was never able to have a pet. I have a canary who is free flying and active and an apartment with no pets permitted. My apartment has had to be professionally cleaned twice.

The solitude that I have taken from this is that the last few months of that cats life were of good quality and comfort with love, food, clean sheets, and warmth of all that I could provide given the circumstances.

IN keeping with the animal updates...

2009-08-05T11:48:00.007-02:30

...meet Paul. Well, technically, now that we have more information about her she is Paul(ette). Paul was named in part from a random family guy skit and in part from a Beatle.

She was found on the front step, soaked, dirty, starving and mute. We took her in and looked after her, took her to the vet and cleaned her up. She is doing much better now and has a home that I am sure she will be happy in. She is putting on weight, using the litter box, cleaning herself and sleeping without nightmares :) Still mute though (Hence the Ninja Stealth).

Everyone who has met Paul has fallen for her loving demeanor and steady good nature. She has defied the circumstances and come around a great deal in her health and growth as a cat in general.

I have been given some grief about the whole concept of keeping a cat that has so many set-backs; the weight loss, voice loss, problems toilet training, and the obvious dislocation of her back leg. But I can honestly say I can't see their point of view. Paul has just as much right to love and care as a new kitten. And, just because she is not as convenient as a new kitten right at this very moment doesn't mean that she is never going to be that way. I want her to have a chance, so I have ignored all of the "suggestions" to give her to human services or to have her put down, and I can also say that the people who provided that as a suggestion I don't quite feel the same about. A person, in my opinion, can't claim to be an animal lover if they only love animals that are perfect - it is the ones who are down and out that need the most love.

When she is adopted by my co-worker I will miss her terribly, but I will also be happy that she has a home that is willing to take in a "busted" cat rather than taking the easy route of getting a new kitten.

OMFG!!! IHTSBIH!!!

2009-08-04T18:43:00.002-02:30

That's right. For those who read one of my first posts ( book review on I hope they serve BEER in hell) this will be great news. THERE'S A MOVIE!! and it looks good! I just watched the trailer, and I cannot wait for this to come out.

WATCH IT HERE!

New Addition to the Family.

2009-07-30T17:58:00.002-02:30

This is Clover, shes my new girl. She is 16 months old and we get her August 6th, I am super excited and i hope her and Remington get along :D

First Post, Across the Universe.

2009-06-18T12:10:00.003-02:30

I have to share this story because it really touched me. In early fall of 2008 I was walking home from class for my lunch break. And as fate may have it, my timing lead me to meet this man in a wheelchair. As our paths began to cross I could see the trouble he was having moving along. Afraid to offer help incase it was an insult, I chose to say hello, and we stopped to talk.

A short while ago he took a stroke. Dr's said he wouldn't have movement in his right side again. That his face would drop and that he would be confined to a wheel chair. He threw a radio at them and said "Don't dare tell me what I cant do!" With that he took it upon himself to research everything he could on strokes. He started chewing gum and finally gained proper muscle control in his face again. He is able to sit up and has movement in his left leg. He said "By the Jesus next spring I'll be taking my wife to the dance and we'll boogie all night."

His spirit and inner fight reminded me that even when others do not believe you can get better, or when you're body is limiting you from living the daily life you were once accustom too, does not mean you can't prevail. We promised each other that in a few months he'll be walking down the street and that's how we will meet again.

The strange part about this story that still gives me the chills is that this man lives in an apartment complex that I can see from my bedroom window. I since started walking the exact same route in case we meet again. I have yet to see him. Have yet to be able to thank him for the words of inspiration he shared with me that day.

So thank you universe. Thank you kind random man. I believe in you. And I believe in me.
Until we meet again, may the fight continue!

So there you have it my basket of mental apples. My first post. It may sound similar to that of aerosol cheese spray, but too bad. The warm fuzzy feeling is almost as tasty as the cheese factor.

You're first look into the tangled thoughts of Sadie2B

~Namaste~

Celebrity Crushes.

2009-06-18T04:43:00.002-02:30

SO. i know you all have your celebrity crushes, Brad Bitt, George Clooney, Angelina Jolie, and especially Robert Pattinson. But for some reason i find myself absolutely adoring possibly the worst person on tv.

Gordon Ramsay. He is rude, mean, and swears with the worst of them, but when you watch him when he is not in the kitchen you can do nothing but like him! He is old, I know, but there are such things as good looking old guys. He doesn't have a great body, but if i could cook like that i wouldn't either. He makes grown men cry, and womens knees buckle.

I have been watches his shows for a while now, and i am slowly picking up all the horrible things he is saying, like calling people "donkeys" and " doughnuts", wayyy too much swearing. my mom's ears would be bleeding.

If i had a chance to star on his show i would do it just because a compliment from him would make me feel like a million bucks.

so, yeah, celebrity crushes, mine might be weird but at least i am not ashamed to admit it.

Here are some quotes, and if you watch you will know the type of people chef has to deal with, certainly not the smartest people on the planet.

"If you saute scallops in a non-stick pan, they won't stick. Thats why its called F**KING NON-STIIIIICK!!!!! I don't know what non-stick means in Texas sweetheart but... f**kkkk me!"

I will not scream, I will not swear. Oh, come on. Who am I trying to kid here?

CUSTOMER: "Mr. Chef, you hurt my friend's feelings.."
GORDON: "Really, did I? Well can you tell her I meant it? Jean Phillipe, can you please escort these ladies back to plastic surgery"

like i said, strangely good-looking, right?!

An Irish Wedding

2009-06-13T20:58:00.005-02:30

My other half and I have decided to tie-the-knot. And sense the term "tie-the-knot" comes from Ireland, as do my family, we have decided to have the wedding there.

First, people ask "why?", and i have to bite my tongue so I don't say a response like "because i am not getting married in Port-Aux-Basque". No offense to P.A.B but there must be something in the water there that makes people think it is the center of the world and the best place on earth, while I do not agree. Since we live in Alberta, and travelling to Newfoundland is a pretty penny, it costs the exact amount to go to Ireland. So instead of getting my family to fly here, we decided that everyone should fly to Ireland. Another thing I hear too much is "Ireland looks just like Newfoundland"... These people are those who have been smoking those Newfoundland drugs wayyy too long.

Can you find something like that in Newfoundland? No. Didn't think so. The closest thing to a castle there is Signal Hill, and while it may look pretty, I don't want to get married in wind and fog with a bunch of tourists around.

Second question is usually when, and its 13 months away, plenty of time to give people notice, but apparently is "come home year" in P.A.B, and its suppose to be some big deal i think, even though everyone goes home every year, and A-1 liquidation still has t-shirts left over from 2 years ago. So now I am going to have to listen to people complain about it, first they were pissed because we didn't invite them, now they're pissed because of the date. Someone shoot me.

This is going to be beautiful, and those who want to be there will be, those I want there, will be. If some town, and fog, and a boat on land is more important, than so be it.

Sketchy Sista

2009-06-11T17:37:00.003-02:30

So - Sis and I have always been a creative duo - musical, paint, poetry, creative writing, sketching, jewelery making, sculptures etc etc.

Sis, is a master with a stick of charcole - I mean - give her a burnt peice of wood and a flat surface and she can make it into a masterpiece Across the Universe Style.

I have posted this widget for you to see for yourselves :)

I am so proud of her - at least she has the sense to make money from her talent - unlike my less intelligent romantic way of giving the stuff away :p.

Sound and Awe

2009-06-08T21:22:00.004-02:30

So - as I am listening to U2's "Original of the Species", I find myself completely astounded with the talent of songwriters.

I mean - really, it is a talent that is to be reckoned with.
The ability to think up and create music - and not only that - but to find the perfect words to accompany said music. And not only have them be perfect for you - but for thousands/millions of people who adopt your words as a description of themselves and their feelings.
To think and feel in notes! I mean - what must that be like?
To combine sounds and rhythms that are unique and identify you and what you want to express to the world!
Simply awe inspiring.
I am sure I am not the first - nor will be the last to be inspired by the sounds of U2....but I do think it is harder to find music that impacts and impresses theses days.
Especially since every second song on the radio is a remake/remix/sloppy sample of songs from our past. Africa, Sha-na-na-na, Blue da-ba-de, Spin Me Right Round, the one by Phil Collins, David Bowie's Space Oddity, and Major Tom - the list goes on and on. Britney Spears can't sing a single song with out saying Oh Baby Baby - which, correct me if I am wrong, is the muttering that launched her onto the tarmac 10 years ago (someone should tell HER about the 20 year rule).
I mean - I know in fashion they say that trends and items rotate around every 20 years - but that should not apply for music.
I am all about vintage - but when you are struggling to hear one unique sound - one unique lyric - one unique presence - it is saddening.
But - back to the positives - bands like Newfoundlands own Hey Rosetta! are still doing their own thing - and we still have artists like Dave Matthews Band and Neil Young releasing new albums for us to enjoy.
And I am still holding out hope for this generation of radio listeners that something worthwhile comes their way!

My Horizontal Life; A Collection of One-Night Stands

2009-06-02T06:20:00.004-02:30

No, I am not talking about myself - sorry to disappoint you.
I am talking about Chelsea Handler's book of the "one nighter" type experiences.
The first book I have read in under 2 days in a long time, it caught my attention mostly because it was not what I thought it was going to be.
In a writing of accounts that reminded me of Tucker Max, I was regaled with experiences of stained panties (a word Chelsea hates because it sounds like a word a pedophile would say), midgets (as she likes to call nuggets), people of different origin and race, and every profession imaginable. Chelsea painted the hilarity of a situation that a chick can get herself into with a healthy sex drive and some beverages.
Being fueled by alcohol, admitted shallowness and an odd gaggle of friends of the same lifestyle, Chelsea finds herself time and time again in a situation that lowers the bar of "hit-bottom" and surprises even herself each and every time.
But, there is no remorse, felt by her OR anyone reading this book. All that can be done is to laugh.
This is definitely a book that I would recommend to any chick just looking for a light-hearted read about Girls Behaving Badly (the name of one of the shows Chelsea was a star on). If nothing else it will make you feel a little better about some of your own life choice - depending of course - and if it doesn't maybe you should write a book of your own :oS.

Jumping into the Summer Movie Pool

2009-05-25T13:02:00.006-02:30

You know summer has arrived when Hollywood starts pumping out its big money makers for the year. Not the dramas that are expected to get Oooo'd and ahhhh'd over during the Oscar picks - but the ones that the average person is going to go out and watch, and love, and talk about to all of their friends until everyone they know had gone to see it.
Some of the movies that I speak of are the ones that I have seen (expected to be in the noted money makers for the season)

1.X-Men Origins - Wolverine: Greatly done movie. Keeping true to the story line while filling us in on the mysterious past of the fanboy favorite, Wolverine. Hugh Jackman is awesome to look at for the ladies and the fight scenes and graphics are awesome for the men. What most average movie goers didn't realise is that in order to create a buzz, movie makers put different ending spots after the credits. Different cuts of the same movie. So if you get the chance to watch the last few mins after the credits of a movie besides the one you saw - go for it - it is worth it. These guys Matt and Nat make me look normal in their speel. They also touch on the leaked print of Wolverine - which did impact its box office recordings.

2. Star Trek: I am unsure where to begin about this movie. I had never seen a single episode of Star Trek all the years it was on t.v., not one of the monster hit movies that was released in it's name, or been to any of the conferences, or watched any of the documentary's - and folks - I loved it. I barely knew what a Vulcan was, or a Kilgon (which doesn't make an appearance by the way), and I still get the generations of captains mixed up when I am talking about the story line - and I loved it. It was a new beginning, to a new generation of Trekkies and self-pronounced Trekkers.
There is an interesting take on this newbie-friendly format on The Onion HERE
3. Angels and Demons: Read the book. Period. Dan Brown's writing (once again) was not given justice by this movie. The attempts to tell the movie goer all of the links and mystery and heritage of what they were doing without making it too obvious was insulting to both a movie-goer and a reader.

4. Terminator - Salvation: Simple Awesome. Even with all of the controversy of
Christian Bale bawling off some lighting guy - that never crosses your mind as you are watching this dark portrayal of a delicate future of the Skynet/Cyberdyme era.

The other view from here...

2009-05-25T12:49:00.005-02:30

....kinda an RE: to sista's post.

I am not all about family. I never have been.
I am not one who thinks that blood in thicker than water - and that being related to someone gives you a free pass to do and say whatever rude and dispicable things you want and be forgiven for them.
I have tried to be family oriented - if for no other reason than to try and simulate the atmospheres that I have seen and been engulfed by in other situations in my life. It just doesn't work for me.
I will tell you one thing that I do know for certain - that I love my IMMEADIATE family - with all of my heart - and those that love them, I love, and those that hurt them, I hate. No matter what tie someone has to them on the branch of a family tree - everyone is subject to the same claus.
I think I am lucky as one girl can get with a sister that I have so much in common with - but is independant enough to give me a different veiw when I need one.
I am happy to have a brother who wears his heart on his sleeve and is careing and kind in every aspect of the word - even when he tries not to be.
A father - who is my hero hands down - who has shown me strength in silence and a level of admiration for change and will power.
And last but not least - a mother - who is a role model of strength, self sacrifice, drive, ambition, creativity and intelligence.
All four of these have flaws - they are human - and everyone does.
But I love them unconditionally through thick and thin and I will be there for them no matter how much time passes between us talking or hanging out.

A Little Late for a New Years Resolution..

2009-05-21T03:47:00.003-02:30

I come from a very HUGE family, 14 on my mom side, 10 on my dads, all married with children. This past weekend meghan, one of my cousins, got married on my moms side. There was maybe 12 of us not including the family of the bride. and there was close to 100 or more for the grooms family. We are not use to being out numbered, ever.

During the wedding Meghans brother, Sheamus, was crying his eyes out, which my uncle said "if you treated his sister like he did you would be crying too". but the biggest eye opener was when Sheamus came up before the wedding and said "Hey, I'm Meghans brother, Sheamus", and my response was "Hi, I'm your cousin, Maryanne". This shows that, while my family loves each other, we are not close, and this sort of hurt me.

My uncle joe welcomed me with open arms, and I sort of teared up, the other 9 people only reconized me because i was standing with my mom.

At the ceremony, we all cried, alot. Weddings are like family reunions for us, and my new resolution is to stay close to my family, I know that no news is good news, and if I were to get a call from any of my family I would drop everything to help. But E-Mails, are amazing things.

Shortchange Meat and Cheese

2009-05-06T02:46:00.003-02:30

So now that Remington is alive, well, and still very full of energy I think its time to write a new blog. I am going to tell you a story, one that still has me in stitches while I re-read it.

You know, sometimes I can be a nice person.. really, just ask some of the people that know me. Sure I can be a bitch, and say some pretty fucked up stuff, but seriously.. I am a nice person. Then there are those other times; the times that make people think "how has this person not been shot down with a lightning bolt, or burned in the flames of the dark? because I am pretty sure that somewhere out there, there is a hand basket with my name on it, and some of the people reading this will be carrying it while someone else is driving the bus straight down to the depts of H-E-double hockey stick.

For the sake and humanity of others I will all give you some pretty screwed up nicknames. I have no stories behind these names, or even a reason.. but lets just go with it.

This is a just a few stories that I hope will make you laugh, or smile. And if neither of those occur... than I am sure you will just hate me a little bit more.

Shortchange Meat and Cheese:

A couple of weeks ago I met up a couple of friends to go out and "celebrate" shortchange, while this may be a regular occurrence for most people in Fort McMurray, it was all new to me. I, the designated driver even when drinking occurs at my own house, was not prepared for the night ahead.

Around 8 o'clock I went to a friends house, lets call her "Logic", and since half the streets near her house didn't have signs or names, and I got lost a couple times on the way there, I was pretty damn happy when I pulled in the driveway. Tonight was not the night for myself to be the DD, no sir, so I cracked open the hard liquor, a.k.a Bacardi breezers, and drank myself a stiff one. Safe to say I am pretty much the cheapest drunk in history, because after the first one I was feeling the warmth and loving it.

Now you might all be thinking "what kind of fruit basket gets drunk off one old breezer?", and I will let you know that once upon a time, in a magnificent town called "George street" I use to be able to drink like I fish, I was illegal and loving it, then I got legal age and old and now I just can't do it anymore.. Fort Mac has ruined me.

I am on my second hard one when the other friend that we were waiting on shows up, lets call her Q, and then Logic gets this bright idea to give us the house tour. The house, as beautiful as it is, was my worst enemy. All those stairs and ups and downs and walking. I just wanted to sit and smile. Logic finishes up the tour, I compliment her, in what I am sure was in incoherent sentence, and then us being cool and working for an oil company decide to call the "special line" to get us a cab a.s.a.p.

With the cab called, and the jackets on, there is only one thing left to tackle... the boots. Now these boots did not have a heal, or laces, or anything to make them complicated, but they did NOT want to go on my feet! I don't' know if I was putting them on wrong, or if my feet grew a couple inches. About 5 minutes later I was standing on two feet (in boots), plastered, and on my way out the door.

10 minutes later we are in Paddy McSwiggins and we meet the fire guys there. There is nothing really all that interesting that happens for the rest of the pub, besides the fact that when we went to leave we practically had to put Mr. EMT on a lease to keep him from wandering off and to keep focused on the exit sign. Outside its cold, and even the amount that I drank in the pub can't keep me warm, who ever says drunk people can't get cold is a liar mcfibberson, because there was snow on the ground and frost bite on my ears and nose.

The group of us then decide to walk to Whiskey, which is about 10 minutes away from the nice warm pub that we are now standing outside of with taxis all around us. On the way there I am pretty sure the alcohol and cold has put me into anxiety because I got a killer pain in my chest, and what does Logic, Mr.EMT, and the rest of the crew (who are also trained in emergency) do? nothing. Finally after what seemed about 5 heart attacks and a couple lifetimes later we get to whiskey, its crowded and smelly inside and I start thinking "man... I left paddys for this? they better have good drinks here".

After about my 3rd or 4th drink the DJ gives notice at last call. Q then disappears like the end of the world is coming. Next thing I know she has 6 drinks with her and in her eyes the night is nowhere near over. at this point I am practically ready to pass out but I am afraid to touch the table with my face or fall on the floor.

Then... it was like the epiphany, everything around us was quiet and the next thing said was like words from god himself:

Q: We need a pizza... *arms forming a circle in front of her* this big!

From that point everything was dropped and the next thing I know Mr.EMT is trying to find himself in a fight and we are all nomading to the nearest pizza place. So we start walking and realize that it is too freaking cold out to be at that shit and hail a cab.

Us: We are going to Joma's. (which we could see from where the cab picked us up)

Cabbie: You must mean Cosmo's (which is a really shitty pizza place about 10 minutes away)

Mr.EMT: NO WE MEAN JOMA'S!

30 seconds later we are piling out of the cab, I am sure one of us or all of us chucked him some money, even though I don't even think the bastard turned on his meter, and into joma's we go.

Logic is the first to order, and things go way to smoothly for our drunk liking. next up is Mr. EMT, and now if you think I was plastered, this guy was me x 10.

Mr. EMT: I want a donair

Pizza Guy: What kind?

Mr. EMT: Yes

Pizza Guy: I said what kind.

Mr. EMT: Oh.. Cheese.

Pizza Guy: What kind of sauce?

Mr. EMT: Yes

Pizza Guy: What kind of sauce do you want?

Mr. EMT: Oh... Both.

And then he walks away, don't' pay for it, don't order a drink, not another word. Next is my turn, I try to make it as easy on the Pizza Guy as possible, after the fiasco with Mr. EMT i think he deserves at least one sane person to place an order, and I decide that sane person is going to be me. To make it simple I order the same thing as the guy before me, add two waters to it and pay for it. Then... then the best thing of the night occurs.

See Q is from fuck knows no where in the middle of a rock (that we all love) called Newfoundland. Donairs are a specialty not well known in this neck of the woods, so she didn't really know what she was getting herself into

Pizza Guy: what would you like?

Q: What do you got?

Pizza Guy: Anything you want, what do you want?

Maryanne: She will have the same thing as Mr. EMT and I

Q: NO I WON'T, what do you got?

Pizza Guy: we got donairs

Q: okay I will take one of those

Pizza Guy: What kind?

Q: I don't know? I want meat and cheese

Pizza Guy: so a donair

Q: meat and cheese

Pizza Guy: you want sauce

Q: meat. and. cheese.

So after Pizza guy took a hint, made up an order for her, and we all got our food, went over and sat down. Mr. EMT doesn't even have one bite taken out of his food and he is already trying to start a fight with some random guy across the seating area. Logic takes this as a time to use her good looks, femininity, and smarts to good use and goes over to talk to the guy that Mr. EMT was acting like a douche bag to, because seriously.. this guy was humungo. So Logic saves the day. After this, its all pretty black to me, I am sure I was happy, but I was drunk and I don't really remember anything. next thing I know I am at my house, walking up my stairs and passing out in my bed. The next day alot came into focus, like somehow Logic had lost her cell phone, and realized that she was going around all night with her price tag hanging off her jacket, Q had abandoned her car outside Logics house and I had a revelation that said "Maryanne you have a huge headache and a pain in your chest, don't drink ever again".

2009-04-17T16:39:00.003-02:30

This is Remington now :) He loves to walk

Behaving in the bath

As a young puppy.

My 6 month old dog Remington has just been diagnosed with the Parvo virus. I am doing this as an Informatory blog, so all of you with dogs or puppies can know about it.

Parvo is the shortened term for the canine parvovirus, a viral disease that affects dogs. The parvovirus most commonly affects puppies as the virus attacks the rapidly developing cells in a young dog’s body, but dogs of all ages can become infected.Parvo generally affects the intestines causing diarrhea that is often bloody, but parvocan also affect the heart causing it to fail. Parvo is the most common lethal virus known to affect dogs, but is preventable with the parvo vaccine.

Parvo is an extremely contagious virus that is transmitted through fecal matter. The virus can live for weeks or months in areas where feces from infected dogs have been deposited. Parvo is highly resistant to surface disinfectants, but many veterinarian offices and kennels use bleach as surface disinfectants because it is the most effective. An unvaccinated dog is highly susceptible to the parvovirus.

An infected dog will display symptoms of diarrhea, vomiting and lethargy. A loss of appetite is another significant symptom along with fever. Complications of parvoinclude dehydration, shock and death. Vaccinated dogs can be carriers of parvowithout being infected and may not display any symptoms of the virus at all.

Because of the parvovirus’s highly contagious nature, it is important to vaccinate dogs against the virus. The parvo vaccine is part of routine veterinary vaccinations recommended for all puppies and dogs. The parvo vaccine is generally administered around six weeks and is re-administered three to four additional times before the dog is a year old and annually after that.

There is no cure for parvo, however veterinarian treatment for the disease, which includes intravenous fluids and medications, can sustain a dog’s body systems during the course of the disease. Unlike many human viruses, the contraction of canine parvovirus does not cause the dog’s body to develop immunity or resistance and the dog can contract parvoagain.

To prevent parvo, veterinarians recommend having every puppy properly vaccinated during the first 20 weeks of life and annually each year after. With the proper vaccination your dog will be protected from the virus, but if you believe your unprotected dog has contracted the virus or know he has been exposed, you should consult a veterinarian. If you have a dog without vaccination records or are unsure of their medical history, you should take them to a veterinarian for examination.

Remington had his vaccination but still contracted the virus, so please make sure to get your dog boostered and checked up on. It is a very fast acting virus, and it is given abou 5 days from time of infection to time of death. Our vet has high hopes or our dog, lucky for us we caught it within 12 hours into the 5 days. He is currently staying at the pet hospital, and We all hope he will be better and home with us wrecking havoc again.

For Drivers Everywhere

2009-04-17T01:11:00.002-02:30

To everyone out there.. this sign means MERGE LEFT.

To everyone except those that have no clue what they are doing. It seems to be a general consensus in Fort Mac to stop at the intersection before this sign, and wait for someone to let you into traffic. That is not how the sign works. You are given 400 meters of pavement after the intersection to get to the speed of traffic and then MERGE into it. Not sit there like a duck, with 400 meters of asphalt in front of you wondering what to do. I got stuck behind someone earlier who did this, and I have the patience of a saint, but this is my pet peeve I think. The line up behind me was longer than the one for Tim Hortons (which is usually 10-15 cars long) and the person in front kept looking in her mirror like it was MY fault. I was behind you my love, and you needed to go FORWARD. No wonder there are so many accidents on Highway 63.

On the Eve of Good Friday...let me say....

2009-04-09T05:35:00.009-02:30

... it pains me that a Catholic turned Wiccan needs to be the one reminded people of what the whole purpose of Good Friday actually is.

Listen up Cafeteria Catholics and your innate sense of guilt - Good Friday was meant to be a DAY OF FASTING.

Fasting, abstention from food, and often also from drink, for a longer than usual period. Fasting has been practiced for centuries in connection with religious ceremonies. MSN Encarta

Following is stated in the Code of Canon Law of the Catholic Church.

Can. 1250 The penitential days and times in the universal Church are every Friday of the whole year and the season of Lent.

Can. 1251 Abstinence from meat, or from some other food as determined by the Episcopal Conference, is to be observed on all Fridays, unless a solemnity should fall on a Friday. Abstinence and fasting are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

That in NO WAY means that you should line up at your local fish shoppe and stuff your face with Fish, Chips, Dressing, Onion Rings and Gravy.

Which brings me to my next point. Even if you consider yourself religious and are taking today's Good Friday practises as not being able to consume meat - most people obviously need to do a lil more research into that subject.

GRAVY is meat people - it is juices from the cooked flesh OF AN ANIMAL = meat. If you are believer that fish is not meat - there is no such thing as FISH GRAVY.

ALSO - if you are a believer that fish is not meat - ask yourself why? It used to be because fish are not warm blooded animals, not mammals, not considered to be meat. And, since we don't eat many things "not considered to be meat" - fish is the Cafeteria Catholics answer to the day of fasting, fondly known as Good Friday.

Now I can kinda understand the logic behind this lil bending of the actual rules for practising your faith. However, how a grown, supposedly intelligent, person can look you in the eye (while judging you and your hell-bound lifestyle)and say that they are a devout Catholic (hence a better person than you)while shoveling Seal Flipper Pie in their mouth smothered in gravy - that is something I cannot understand.

Seal = warm blooded = live born babies = mammal = animal = MEAT PEOPLE. Don't try and tell me that because it comes out of the ocean it is not meat. You are just making your chosen religion look bad and insulting the intelligence of others.

Anyway, that is my first rant about organized religion and the types of masses that follow it. Stay tuned for further blasphemous pieces.

Dammit - I was supposed to give up religion for lent :(

***NOTE*** by the way - before you go blasting me about the Catholic religion and my lack of knowledge about it. I was raised in a strict Catholic household in early childhood (my grandmothers house) and when I moved in with my parents I often got up and went to church by myself (or with a neighbour) when my parents chose not to go. I also was a Eucharistic minister as well as a Confirmation counsellor AND went to a Catholic school until amalgamation.

Green is my Favorite Colour

2009-04-05T22:20:00.002-02:30

I know there is a lot of praise going around about "being green" and "we are killing the earth" but i just thought i would put this out there, earth was killing people long before fossil fuels came around, ex: drowning, avalances, frost bite, etc. etc. etc. BUT thats not my point, the point is, we can all do a small amount that can do so much.

My better half and I are making plans to build a cabin down towards the Alberta/US boarder (pretty scenery) and since i do not want to ruin the scene by bringing in bulldozers and power lines galore, a huge TV etc. instead i decided to build a small but very tall cabin, takes up the smallest amount of ground space, and can still give us a large footage.

Thats a small part from me, and if you would like to do all you need is a reuseable water bottle, a water filter, and some washable hand towels in place of paper towels. It doesn't take much, even just hanging your clothes out to dry can do a big thing.

I will give more updates on the cabin soon, i can't wait to get it started :)

The New and Improved DiVinci Code

2009-04-02T15:54:00.002-02:30

People of the Book: One of the earliest Jewish religious volumes to be illuminated with images, the Sarajevo Haggadah survived centuries of purges and wars thanks to people of all faiths who risked their lives to safeguard it. Geraldine Brooks, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author, has turned to intriguing but sparely detailed history of this precious volume into an emotionally rich, thrilling fictionalization that retraces its turbulent journey. In the hands of Hanna, a rare book expect who is restoring the manuscript, it yields clues to its guardians an

d whereabouts: an insect wing, a wine stain, salt crystals, and a white hair. While readers experience crucial moments in the books history through a series of short stories within the story itself. A love story, thrilling mystery, vivid history lesson, and the power of ideas is why this novel was hailed one of the best of 2008.

Are we getting smarter? Or just think we are?

2009-03-31T06:27:00.004-02:30

I am inclined to think that SOME of us are getting smarter. And those smarter people are thinking up ways to make us dumber.
Cars that do the watching for us, mobile devices that give us answers before we have to think of them, smart toilets, smart lights, smart ovens and toasters. Seems as though everything but the general public is getting smarter.
The brain is a muscle which we must excercise, test, use on a regular basis. And, people, we are not.
Despite all of this technology to help us get through life in a smooth and easy way - most of it is not helping us GET smarter, learn new things, apply new sciences. Most of it is training us - little by little - not to think at all.
If you asked someone I would be willing to bet that what I am saying is not the general opinion. That because we have become a technology based society that we are, therefore, smarter. Not when the technology has no other applicable features other than to help us communicate without speaking, know without learning, do without training - it is downright scary when you really think about it.
We have all of the information we need at our finger tips - learn how to build a birdhouse, fix a toilet, write a paper in a certain formatt - but what is the quality of this knowledge? Certainly we don't think that someone who has installed a fuacet by watching a YouTube video has the expertise and the knowledge of someone who has actually learned about and recieved training on the subject extensively.
Now - I am not saying that I am against DIY and instant knowledge - I myself love being able to find the answer to a question just by going to the ever faithful Google. But I am concerned that even my ability to think of the answers that I do know will soon fade and that everything will be questionable and of second hand learning. That soon the masses will be relying on a small population of still thinkers to provide all of the answers to general trivia, as well as life's problems. Real or percieved.

BIG BANG THEORY

2009-03-27T02:37:00.004-02:30

WATCH VIDEO HERE

Hey Everyone,

Sorry sis and I have been slack as of lately, I don't really know what her excuse is, but mine is bad. And therefore I am going to tell you the truth. I don't have an excuse at all. Just can't think of anything to write about.

And then today I sat down and started looking through my PVR, got caught up on some really old episodes of shows that i love, and i have established that you all need to watch this show. The Big Bang Theory is by far the best thing ever. It makes the nerds funny, and big technical words HI-LARIOUS! with insults like "a homohabisilis that doesn't know what his apposable thumbs are say 'what'" and "its like finding in the middle of every black hole is a little man with a flash light looking for a switchboard". I am by far not the smartest person around, but it is so funny i don't care.

The other day i phoned my father and told him i found this awesome show to watch, and when i told him what it was he said to me "where the hell have you been, i've been watching that for two years"... TWO YEARS! the only other show my father has committed to for longer than that is tsn sportscast and NCIS.

The show itself is about 2 nerds that live together, and a beautiful blond moves across the hall from them which they befriend. they have two friends and the 5 together are crazy funny. Lenoard has the worst hair, Sheldon wears nothing but comic t-shirts and cannot pick up on sarcasm for the life of him, Penny is not so smart and works at the cheesecake factory, Raj is an east indian that cannot speak to girls, and Howard is a jew that believes he is a womanizer. please, just watch one episode, i swear you will fall in love. www.sidereel.com is a GREAT place to watch. You can also catch is Monday nights, at 930 nfld time

BTW i posted a thing about a kid who was 13 and had a baby, well it ended up that he is not the father after all. yay for him.

Girls can be Bros.

2009-03-18T03:34:00.003-02:30

Code Article 54.

A Bro is required to go out with his Bros on St.Patty's Day, and other official Bro holidays, including Halloween, New Year's Eve, and Desperation Day (Feb.13).

Happy St. P's Day Yo. (and yes i know i am a day late)

RE: To music blog from SistA

2009-03-09T06:02:00.003-02:30

Ok - so - I have to further this discussion that my sis started below simply because she got the gears in my head whirring about the topic at hand.

I have a love/hate relationship with Newfoundland Labradorian relentless support for all things from home.

I LOVE that people at home and away are fiercely proud of themselves for being from "The Rock". Whether I agree with their way of portraying it or not (I hate listening to someone correct a perfectly pronounced word of a mainlander and tell them the way ALL Newfoundlanders say it is some Idiolect* version of the word that only part of the province utters)- there is something to be said about the pride that we portray and our very unique and interesting culture and sense of it.

I HATE that we support things whether they are good or bad simply because they are from here - this seems to happen most in the music industry. Canadian Idol is a perfect example of this - I have been around the music scene long enough to know (whether it is my taste or not) what is considered to be talent/good music - but it seems to be that in order to succeed, even a little bit, on a talent show, all you need is to be from here. People will vote relentlessly for a person based SOLELY on that fact alone. It doesn't matter if you are good or bad at singing, simply say you are from Newfoundland and people will come out in droves to hear the sound of someone torturing a cat in a bag. Simply. Shameful.
What makes it shameful is that you have REAL talent (Hey Rosetta for example) that are really quite good and starting to make a name for themselves through diligence and a unique sound and an alarming amount of people from Newfoundland Labrador don't even know who they are! But say the name Craig Sharpe out loud and BINGO, instant recognition and the opinion that he is the best thing since sliced bread (even if he hasn't done anything since CI and forgot the words to Dreamer on stage with Roger Hodgeson).
****Tara Oram is a bit of an exception to this rule, but she barely had the same support as other NLers on CI and one could argue that was because there was some confusion about where she was REALLY from. Yet without this blind backing she has become something quite significant in the music industry.

A Little closer to the point that sis was making. Listening to Jiggs and Reels simply because you think it is the Newfoundland thing to do is kinda "poser". Not actually listening to the music because you enjoy it and feel it is good (like LLoyd Barlett, Masterless Men, Great Big Sea, Celtic Connection, Irish Descendant's, Buddy Wassisname and the other Fellers) and listening simply because it is from Newfoundland (Gazebo Unit, Crooked Stovepipe, Bernie Sheaves, or UGH Jimmy Flynn ((Who is not ACTUALLY FROM NL but people refuse to remember that as he parodies us relentlessly))), It is an uneducated decision and the same as cultism.

I guess what I am trying to say is that I am all about supporting your own, and having your own taste, but doing something because you feel you HAVE to in order to be a "TRUE" Newfoundlander is bull.....the same as with religion - it is something you feel on a personal level. And you don't need to have it plastered all over your car, body, home, and tape deck for it to be a show of faith. It is possible to choose what you like and dislike about what this province has to offer and it not be sacrilegious.

Believe it.

*Idiolect has no reference to the word idiot - it is a reference to individual dialect that occurs when you are surrounded by various different dialects over a period of time. A hodge-podge of different accents and words from different cultures/dialects.

2009-03-07T19:27:00.004-03:30

I have been trying to avoid this topic, due to different opinions from everyone, but while eating some perfectly cooked bacon today i nearly lost it. Music is a touchy subject for me, and its NOT because I think that if I don't like it nobody should, but I think if you have the knowledge about a certain genre, and you come to the educated conclusion that you don't like it then you should be able to voice it.

I grew up in Newfoundland, small communities were my home, and I loved it. BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT I HAVE TO LOVE THE MUSIC! I woke up everyone Sunday morning to "Jigs n' Reels" blasting from downstairs, and if I had the option I think I would have blown up the radio. Why would I want to listen to a static filled radio station thats playing a song by some drunk in Port-Aux-Basque about women in the lavatory, while he is playing his out of tune guitar, with his out of tune voice, on a mic thats duct taped together with a tape deck as his recording gear. There is no way, that is good music. Newfoundland music is meant to be listened to live, it is great then, and I believe it sounds much better then. Every wednesday night I would go to the O.C.T Building, where the local bands would play.

Now I live in Fort McMurray, where all the Newfies are 50x worse, because they feel like they have to make up the distance away from the rock in stronger accents and as over protective nationalists. And I will be damned if I am going to get up on a Sunday morning, and listen to "From the Banks of Newfoundland" on the radio, and then go down and watch "Newfoundland Sportsman".

Yes, I prefer different music, and if you know about that music and don't like it then thats okay. But for someone to look at me and say that the music I listen to is stupid than they can suck my non-existant knob. I am not going to defend the genre I prefer, because thats not the point. The point is that this person knew NOTHING ABOUT IT. This is my house, my computer, my space and I will listen to whatever the hell I feel like. Thank-You.

P.S. please don't think that I am hating on just Newfie Music, it just so happened that it was the topic of discussion today, sorry if i hurt anyones feelings.

Love.

New Addiction

2009-03-07T04:49:00.003-03:30

Lately I have been having this crazy liking to wallets, especially those made by ESPE.

I have had a couple in my day, but now they are old, and although they have not fallen apart, they are in pretty rough shape.

They are made out of Vegan Leather, you can have it in Long, Folded, and Half wallet sizes.

The bright vibrant colours go with everything, and I hope you love them as much as I do. Sadly for me I have to go to Edmonton to buy Espe (I bought a purse last time)

You all in St.John's can go to the Avalon Mall, That store next to Shoppers Drug Mart, thats where I purchased my first one, and I am forever in their dept...

well not really, because I paid with debit and it didn't come up insufficent funds, so I am guessing it was fully paid for.. but yeah.. those guys.

Safety first??

2009-03-02T07:47:00.003-03:30

So - after:
- buying a pair of snowpants I have barely been able to wear because there is no where to walk let alone stay warm while doing it ( I didn't buy them for mountain climbing)
- watching my BF's car slide half way down the street because the road was covered in ice and hadn't been salted even though it had been raining freezing rain since 7:30 the evening before
- many slips and falls on the sidewalks when they are plowed (which is once every 5 or 6 snowfalls)
- several near misses with vehicles while walking because
a) they are driving by you at lightening speed on a street you have no choice but to walk on because there are no sidewalks to be seen for miles
b) of slipping on the bottle bottom ice on the sidewalks because after they have been plowed no salt is thrown on them and sliding into traffic ( I even watched a guy slide under an idling bus and barely made it out of there in time)
- many near misses with other vehicles while driving because it has been snowing for hours and there has been no street cleaning.
- forking out more money than I care to mention on cabs because unless I had steel spikes on my feet or climbing material to get over the unplowed snowbanks that sit on the sidewalks, all of my winter gear is useless for walking to work.
I have come to one and one only conclusion, the City of St. John's does not give a rats ass about the safety of its citizens....ESPECIALLY pedestrians.
We are living in a city where it snows....EVERY YEAR. Sometimes with record snowfalls. And yet, no matter who is in office, how many budget changes are made, how many complaints are lodged, they never seem to get it right.
Now, before you go thinking I am someone who just likes to bitch and complain about things - you need to realise that I am not alone in this level of disgust about our cities street management. As a matter of fact it go to the point where we were a story on a national new station with the reporter noting how many times they were nearly struck by a car on their way from one point to another. (After this news story was placed it was one of the two times this entire winter that there was sidewalk snowclearing).
Here we are claiming to be a "have" province and what that means to use Newfoundlanders, when we are still waiting as average people to see the implications of that statement.
How about we start by plowing the f'ing roads!!! so that getting to and from where you need to go is not a life threatening decision. Lets start there.

Dirty

2009-02-28T20:25:00.004-03:30

Forgive me, for I do not have the grace with words, nor the topics to keep you interested like my sister does, and I know what I write will not change the world, but dammit it is important!!

What is going on, it seems like everywhere I look I feel this urge to up-chuck my last happy meal. Its the latest fad stretching from Newfoundland, to Alberta, and not just because most people in AB are from NL, but its on t.v. and media outlets everywhere. No, I am not talking about Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus, I am speaking more of her father... and that ugly fuzz growing over his lip.

Why is there so many people with mustaches?! do they realize how nasty looking they are?! Its about 10x worse than the Mullet, instead of Business in the front, Party in the back, all you have is DIRT ON YOUR FACE! and nothing in the back. It is quite the disappointment.

Five o'clock shadow = sexy

Two Day Stubble = prickly

Full out Beard = Fuzzy and Tickly

Goatee = Trying a little too hard

Mustache = Dirty.

Its like you started shaving, and got tired of it halfway through. I am going to start carrying a razor around with me, and next person I see that has a dirty mustache will be the first victim of the "Mustache Mafia", beware you nasty men (and some women).

Thank-You.

Lil acts of kindness

2009-02-24T05:42:00.004-03:30

I happen to be at a charity fundraising event here in the city called "Big Tom Living in the Shed for Daffodil Place".
For those of you who are unaware - Daffodil Place is an accommodation building for people who need to travel to the city for Cancer treatment - so as to eliminate the stress and the cost of finding somewhere to stay for those periods of time. (You can read more about this yourself HERE)
K-Rock's superstar, Big Tom, is living in a shed a few feet by a few feet for 8 days in a charity event to raise money to finish the construction of this much needed building.
To keep us posted on his progress he is writing a daily blog that can be found HERE and there is a 24/7 live cam feed HERE.
So, now that I have told you the circumstances of this event - I will tell you why I am writing this (other than to spread the word of this more than generous offer of Big Tom's time).
The lil acts of kindness that you see from people. People of all shapes and sizes.
I was at the shed checking in on Biggie T - and a car pulls up with a family of three in it and a lil girl climbs out of it and rushes to the shed so she could give Big Tom her 20 dollars to go towards the charity.
And I was just so touched at the moment I told the people I was there with that I thought it was sweet - at which point they unloaded on me the stories that had been going on for the last 2 days. Lil boys dropping of 1/2 of their birthday cake and 1/2 of their birthday money. People of donating 5 dollars because that is all they had to spare but gave it because they felt others needed it more than they did. Families driving from across the city to drop off blankets and donations because they were heart struck about what Tom was doing.
It just warms you up a lil in a cold February to hear that in such a cut throat and backstabbing and stressful world that we all get absorbed in and consumed by so easily - that there is still genuine kindness out there in heart of all sorts of people. And we should find a lil faith in that.

Conan plays 1860's baseball

2009-02-23T21:30:00.001-03:30

Its so awkward its funny

Video Recaps | Full Episodes | Webisodes

Welcome the UFC

2009-02-23T05:33:00.002-03:30

Earlier this week, the UFC had to contact the NSAC with back up plans to move its April UFC 97 from Montreal to Las vegas, due to regulatory issues. There is more than 20,000 people that have purchased tickets to this fight, and it was sold out in less than a week. I think Britney Spears tickets lasted longer than that. Thank-God that someone came to their senses and Montreal and the UFC have worked through to resolve their problems, much to the relief to the fans.

The UFC first venture to Montreal in April 2008 for their organizations Canadian debut. It was UFC 83, and it was amazing. The crowd was wild, it set an attendance record with 21,390 fans, who accounted for over a $5.1 million gate.

UFC had 13,000 tickets sold in a presale to UFC Fight Club members, and the event offically sold out ONE MINUTE after the tickets went on sale to the general public one week later.

UFC 97 will feature : Middleweight champ Anderson "the Spider" Silva vs. Thales Leites

Chuck "the Iceman" Liddell vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua

Ed Herman vs. David Loiseau

Jason McDonald vs. Nate Quarry

Now, for those who have not alot of interest in UFC, I apologize, but I think if I may be in love with it. Let me put it this way, you go to a hockey game, and there's a fight, you enjoy it, thats a given. Its part of the game, it makes it exciting.

These people are that x10. That have grace, and stamina, and amazing abilities. Its not barbaric, or crule. They don't have to fight if they don't want to, its not the only thing they know. Take our hero George St. Pierre for example. He has discipline like no other, he works hard all day long, and he loves what he does. And ladies... when you see a gorgeous man, with respect for others, and really tight shorts on, you do not complain... you drool a little.

The main fight card for UFC 97, will be Anderson vs. Thales and Chuck vs. Mauricio. My picks will be Anderson to win the main event, because he is one really big black man, that has never had anyone go more than 2 rounds with him in a fight (patrick cote made it to round 3 but then blew out his knee, so I tend to not count that), and he has a name like "the Spider" you think they call him that because he has no control over his limbs? This guy could have his foot touching his face and he will still be balanced on the other leg, and kicking your ass with his two hands.

In the Chuck Liddle vs. Mauricio Rua fight, I am not too sure about. Chuck hasn't had such a good run lately, gettin knocked out in 1:30 by Randy Jackson, and again by Rashad Evans, I half hope he wins because I think people are getting sick of making fun of him and though he was once the best in the world, he is now the under dog, and just like Randy Coutour, it will soon be time for retirement.

Remember big guy, its always better to burn out than to fade away, and its starting to get a little dark in here already. So please, for all that is holy, win this fight.

I know its a nice while away, but on the ufc site, its the only one sold out, others on March 7th, and April 11th still have lots of tickets left, and since the crowd going crazy at UFC 83, it made me proud to be a Canadian that supports the UFC.

Today's Rockabilly Bride!

2009-02-22T01:24:00.003-03:30

Man - with a new surge of people I know getting hitched - and of course the typical daydreaming of a chick approaching her 30's I have been poking around on the bridal sites a lil more than usual lately.
And I have never been more impressed.
Site like Offbeatbride.com are my wish come true!
Tux's with converse sneakers, Audrey Hepburn inspired dresses, crayon box inspired colors. It is amazing.
I have recently been introduced to the concept of crinoline overload and button bouquets! Weddings held at Dinner theatres and pictures being taken on old train platforms and rusty fire escape - all after my own heart.
No more - bride-must-wear-white groom-must-wear-tux and get married in a stuffy church and take stuffy garden pictures....anything is game!
Bright Orange Pearls and Aqua polkadot bridesmaids dresses....*drool*
This has revived my desire for a wedding (having been traditionally jaded for the majority of my adult life).
AND it is not just the clothes that has changed - wedding cakes have lil rubber ducks on top of them - or Beatles pictures on them stating "All you need is Love" - ain't it the truth!
Tattoo's and piercings are things to be embraced and complimented .... *sigh* I am in dreamland! (especially since if I ever get married one of my bridesmaids has a significant amount of ink that makes me envious).
No more mints with lil bits of Tool around them! and no more useless engraved key chains....
Girls - welcome to being able to think outside of the traditional box and embrace the individuality and bliss that can come from having YOUR perfect wedding - instead of the TRADITIONAL perfect wedding
*sigh*

Birth and the Right to it...

2009-02-22T00:49:00.003-03:30

I am being spurred to write this after hearing story after story of people with children (or lots of children) who simply do not deserve the right to ever create life.
It is bad enough that with all of the advances with medicine and technology that we have pretty much eliminated the process of natural selection - hence allowing the stupider, ignorant, psychotic population to multiply and inflict themselves on us....now we are in a society that refuses to regulate anything that has to do with parenthood.
We have to be a certain age to drink, vote, drive, smoke. We have to go to school and pass tests to work. We even have to take courses to take care of OTHER PEOPLES children. We are even on waiting lists and probed and interviewed extensively for YEARS to adopt a child - or foster care a child....but nothing about having to pass tests or take courses to legally have a child of our own.
And in an age where we are killing our own children, abusing them, selling them, using them for government money or attention - we ought to implement a system that saves the innocents from being brought into a world that does not have the best intentions for them
NOW WITH THAT SAID....I am not saying a person cannot have a child if they are not of huge financial means or anything like that. I am saying that they should be screened, tested, educated and held responsible for their actions when it comes to having a child.
I am saying - lets get rid of the people who abuse the god given right to child birth.
It kills me to know and witness people who would give their heart and soul to have a child and for whatever reason cannot....and then there are people who have lil children and treat them as a burden and all they had to do was get laid by some duchbag in an alley somewhere.
It is getting to the point in our lifestyles where maybe - for once- the government needs to jump in a force child regulation and not just assume that because someone HAS a child that they are in good care......
The news will tell you that is not true, your own eyes will tell you that is not OK, in an increasingly twisted world - we are at a point where we have interfered with nature and the children of the world are paying for it.

insert drum roll here Book Review Two

2009-02-20T04:39:00.003-03:30

I think is is due time for another freaking-awesome book to be put into the light. While i am reading many that i will be doing future reviews on, this one is more along the lines of something I would never picture myself reading, nor liking... but the cover was pretty cool to look at, so I bought it.

The book opens with a cynic, physically handsom, and very sexually adept man (he was in the porn industry), who dwells in modern life, and has no moral compass. While he is driving along a road he is distracted by what seems to be a flight of arrows coming from the trees. As he tries to advoid them he crashes into the ravine below and suffers horrible burns over much of his body, including the "money maker". While recovering in the burn ward, undergoing the tortures of the damned that he believes himself to be, he waits for the day that he can leave the hospital and commit the carefully planned suicide he has been plotting since his first day in the CCU.

To spoil his plan, a clearly unhinged, but beautiful gargoyle scupltress by the name of Marianne Engel shows up and insists that they were once lovers in medieval Germany. In her tale, he was a badly injured mercenary and she was a nun in the monastery of Engelthal who nursed him back to health. She tells him other stories of deathless love in Japan, Iceland, Italy, and England, and he finds himself having something to look forward to, besides the morphine.

But the pull of his past sins become even more powerful as his perscription becomes addictive, and Marianne receives word that she only has twenty-seven sculptures left to complete-then her time is finished.

The Gargoyle is the Inferno of our time, it will make you think the word "karma" as more of a sentence than a belief. But it will have you hoping and wanting the impossible. Just proves that sometimes, you should judge a book by its cover.

Babies Birthing Babies

2009-02-15T02:12:00.005-03:30

I seem to be followed by the little humans today, I attended a baby shower this afternoon, and when I check my email i get this crazy news letter. in the UK a 13 year old boy has become the father of a little girl. Him and his girl friend, who is 15, gave birth to their child 4 days ago, named Maisie Roxanne.

This boys voice hasn't even dropped yet, he is 4 feet tall, and looks about 8. When I was 12 i thought boys still had Cooties! And at the time my biggest worry in the world really was about not getting the Coots from the Grandy's, or the love of my life at that special time, Isaac Bishop *what was I thinking*. Grade 7... can you imagine, it is hard enough being a young mom at the age of 20, while making your own money and a living, in grade 7 I got money for a movie on a friday night, and I'd be damned if i was giving up that movie for a baby!! (remember I am only saying I owuld not give up a movie for a baby if i was 13, not at the present age)

Now-a-days my opinion may be different, but all the luck in the world goes out to this little boy and his girl, things happen for a reason, and I wish them the best.

Support Local

2009-02-13T18:29:00.003-03:30

When I lived in St.John's, while for a short time, I fell in love with the local music scene. The underground bands that have a following in the cultured city are some of my most loved songs and performances.

The likes of Hey Rosetta! who've been having songs featured on commercials and tv shows such as the CBC series "Wild Roses" on Tuesday nights, have been old news to the town and people of St.John's and while up here in Fort McMurray I cannot go into a music store without hearing them, they could have never gotten that far without the people from home.

A good friend of mine has been getting noticed lately, he has been featured at the George Street Festival, the SOCAN songs and stories stage, MusicNL awards, and is currently in Memphis playing for venues. I feel in love with his music the very first time I ever heard him, and while I have great respect and understanding of jazz & blues, my friends did not. I brought them to a show at the Fat Cat on George and thats when I realized how addictive his music can be. The featured artist/band I am speaking of is Chris Kirby and the Marquee.

Chris has been described as " a young blues songwriter with a sound beyond his years...", his debut CD "Chris Kirby on Rum and Religion" has been unoffically vlassified as "modern pop-blues", and the Marquee with consists of Craig Follett on bass and Mark Marshall on drums, bring the tight arrangements and spontaneous jams to a unique and unforgettable show everytime.

CK&M are coming out with a new album called Vampire Hotel, you can pre-order with free shipping from his myspace, and have access to songs and lyrics on songbids.

P.S. My personal favorites are Crime in F# minor, and Tell Me Something.

Presenting: Remington!

2009-02-12T01:09:00.003-03:30

So we have welcomed a new member to the family, and its in the form of a Nova Scotia Duck Toller. I got him December 15th, and he has been very badly behaved ever since, his name is Remington, and he doesn't answer to anything but. He loves anything that moves, including slippers, fingers, noses, and for god sakes don't let him see you speak, he goes straight for where ever the sound is coming from.

The Gift of Giving

2009-02-11T13:39:00.002-03:30

So - it was my friends birthday yesterday and all day - I - myself- could not wipe the smile off of my face.

I was happy, filled with jokes and compliments, absolutely giddy.

Why? you ask...

Because she loved the gift I gave her, and I loved that she loved it.

Corney right? Maybe - but I think there is something to be said for finding joy in making others happy.

I have always been the type of person who likes to give more than get. It has been something that has defined me among those who know me. I like to give - and expect absolutely nothing except your happiness and a thank you in return.

I create, choose, ponder, give all things with much thought and consideration - and by then I feel as though I am emotionally invested in the whole thing.

So - I got to see my friend open her gift via webcam (A Vintage Art Deco Repo 18kt GF Onyx Pointer Ring like something right off of Maleficients finger with a DVD copy of the now-vaulted Sleepy Beauty to accompany it) and the entire time I was biting my nails and then exploding with happiness and self satisfaction at her reactions to what I had bestowed upon her. Then, knowing that I contributed to a great start to a special day for someone else - I was filled with happiness that seeped out of every oraface - hence making others near me happy as well.

Seemed like a win win situation to me.

The Start of a New Review

2009-02-11T03:38:00.004-03:30

The new year is only into its second month and i am already fighting off new addictions. My addictions may not be the same as others or as bad as some may think, but to me, they can be life altering. I have never touched a cigarette or drugs before, so I have to vise my addictive behaviors out in other ways, such as texting, and google on my phone, and reading.

Reading? that's right. I average about 3000 pages a week, and not in large print either. Twilight books? All 4 read in 3 days?! I don't know what to do with myself. I read when I am bored, angry, tired, don't want to talk to people, anything, anytime, any mood. I am to the point now where it is so compulsive that if i am lying in bed I can't pick up a book, because I won't fall asleep if I start reading it.

So, I figured I could give a review of the books I have read/reading. My sister is more for the movies, so she can be the critique on those, but i call dibs on the hardcover/paperbacks/paper-between-the-covers thing.

One of my favorite books of the past year has been "I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell" by Tucker Max (www.tuckermax.com). This book may be considered one of the most degrading/amazing things to come out in stores, and it will probably keep that title for a long time. Tucker Max can hope all he wants, but when it comes to eternal damnation he doesn't exactly have a choice, unless one can think of another punishment for a man whose more tame offenses include hiding the crutches of a distracted cripple and crashing a car into a donut shop.

This 277 page book about non-stop drinking, debauchery, and fornication, is a collection of stories that track a man from law school to complete indulgence. The analogy intakes the reader with its complete absurity and humor, and Tthe ironic part is that Max might not be the funniest one in it. His colleges in crime can be compared to the crew in Jackass with Ivy League brains, and they provide the foil of the insanity to Tuckers actions.

The standout is member "Slingblade", an undisclosed aged man who has a green lantern bedspred and batman symbol sheets, dolls that he prefers to call "action figures", a very open opinion on old G.I. Joe vs. new G.I. Jo, and has opening lines to a conversations like "I go to the gym, you should try it sometime".

Now don't get me wrong, the message and the idea of this book will certainly not make you want to tell your parents to go out and buy it, and bringing it up in conversation will more than likely step on a few toes, but if you enjoy it and understand what Tucker Max is saying than it should not be a problem. This book is about not "deserving" respect, but demanding it. People will treat you the way you allow them to treat you, and nothing is going to change unless you make it. Its a good moral, wrapped up in a very dirty bedsheet.

Love <3

2009-02-10T11:52:00.002-03:30

The most talked about - written about - sang about - thought about - sought after - ran from thing in existence.

Never has one thing been so strengthening - so weakening - so happy - so painful - so clear - so confusing all at once.

It can lead to a forever Utopic state - or to our own demise.

Our own growth and flourishing - our own discovery completeness. Our own shut down - our own withdrawal.

It is so disturbing, yet comforting that a force can have such a power of us as creatures.

We look and look and look for it - yet we may look past it even when it is sitting right in front of us. We think we know what it is until it hits us. Or we think we have been hit by it - only to discover later we had it confused with something else like obsession and dependance - which are not even close to being love - but trigger the same responses.

We think we can only have it once - but how can that be so with so many great people in the world? How can there be only one? And if that were true - our odds of finding "the one" are slim - I mean - how often to hear about stories where "the one" was continents away living in a war torn country with no way of meeting anyone else but the people next to them in just as much of a disarray as they are?

Love - a high emotion -the only positive one on the list - which is probably why it is not always felt as being positive. Right up there with the high emotions is hate and anger - which could probably explain jealously - but that is a totally other topic altogether.

An emotion that makes us stay in IMPOSSIBLE situations - a situation that any one who WASN'T cursed with love with have been out of long ago with all of their senses in tack. An emotion that can bring us to tears of dismay or happiness in a heart beat (play on words intended there).

An emotion that makes us humble - and different people - good or bad.

One seeking love should seek with caution - and an open heart as well as open eyes. True love could pass you by and you will never know it while you are out looking for your perceived ideas.

New Writer

2009-02-07T16:12:00.002-03:30

So as you may - or may not - have noticed ... there is a new writer for this blog...My Sissy.

Sissy (Tag name SistA) is one of the only people I know who is as honest as I am and freaking hilarious while doing it (no pressure sissy).

I hope you enjoy her writings as much as I do.

Welcome SistA!! :)

♥Valentine's Day♥ a.k.a S.A.D (Single Awareness Day)

2009-02-07T16:11:00.000-03:30

Where Valentines very well may be a "Card company created" occaision, we can't forget what it actually represents - it is a day that reminds us to do something special/nice for those who we care most about.
Not just significant others - but family and friends as well.
In our busy society of today - we NEED a day that reminds us/tells us to do nice things for people. It is shameful - but it is true.
If you truely think (and I am sure you would be right) that it is a "corporate holiday", then don't give in to the pressures to go out a buy dozens of cards and candies and jewelery and gifts....do something sweet, and thoughtful and kind. Make your own card, go out to dinner (or better yet stay in and cook dinner), do something memorable.
....Let's face it flowers and chocolates are not very original anyways and they garner no romance in most people....
But folks - the point is - let's not be too bitter about a day that is essentially just about love. It doens't matter that it is a fabricated day - it's designated meaning is important (or at least should be) to everyone - single or taken.

The extinction of Polaroid

2009-02-06T15:48:00.005-03:30

This is my first post on a blog, ever. There is no doubt in my mind that it may blow the goat, but what the heck. I think its neat that my sister asked me to write on her blog, this will give you readers some perceptions from both sides of the country. I am one of those creative people that decided it would be original and unthought of to move to a far-away-land-of-opportunity named "Fort McMurray".

I don't miss home very much, I miss the culture of St.John's, the home cooked meals of Corner Brook, and the fresh air of Burin... but all in all i can always visit. Here there is Oil, and Cows, and Redneck Politions, kind of sounds like our friends to the South.. aka. Texas, but its cold here, and much better looking people.

Now, for the important stuff. In a few months everything to do with a Polaroid camera will be unavailable to buy, they are discontinuing everything, and this makes me very sad. How will I ever get a picture to look like it came from the early 1990's!! I am sure i am not the only one who misses having their face on a little piece of plastic and watching it develop in front of your eyes! no 10 megapixles that pick up on the small hair out of place of blemish, everyone looks great on a polaroid!

I did a little magic, and typed in "substitute for the polaroid" in google, and it lead me to www.poladroid.net , and my vain, self-obsessed world was changed for the best. (the site will give you all the instuctions you need, and it works on both mac and pc)

Complex Web

2009-02-06T15:31:00.002-03:30

I try to explain where I am coming from in most situations and my reson for doing so - and yet - more times than not I am not met with understanding - or compassion - but conflict, hostility, or misplaced anger.
Me - being the paranoid, self-blaming person that I am, automatically assumes that it is something I have said or done to get this reaction from someone, and that it is my lack of communication or patience that has lead to being treated the way that I am.
But the truth of the matter is that I haven't.
The truth of the matter is that we have no control over anyone else in our lives or around us (unless they WANT to be controlled). We can only hope that they will respect us and treat us as we deserve to be treated. Try to understand, try to be compassionate.But there are no guarantees about that.
There is no physical law that will make that person be kind to you because you were kind to them, or love you because you love them, or (on the other hand) make you treat them poorly because they did to you, or hate them because they feel that way about you (sadly).We just go through life with expectations. Of each other, of ourselves, from our life.But no guarantees. Kind people get treated badly all the time. Mean people can, and will, prosper. You would like to think there is such a things as "come-uppin’s", but there isn't.
So, where do these expectations come from?Well, I would guess that they come from the fact that some, or many, people have them, that they DO act a certain way to get a certain thing in return, and if we all do that then we do, in some way or another, all get what we want.Until we run into someone who is not the norm.
Someone so self absorbed and without consequence that they say what they want, do what they want, whenever they want to whoever they want.
One could think that this is just our personal freedom to do all of the things that we want to do whenever we want to do them- and they would be right.
However, most of us do not do it at others expense.
Most of us are more mindful of what impact our actions will have on the others around us AS WELL AS OURSELVES.
Because we would not wish for anyone to disregard us in the same manner.Such a complex web we cast. I can't compare it to the cliché ripples in the water because it is much messier than that.
Ripples fade away, a web CAN be broken but the little sticky pieces stay stuck with us until we can find a way to cleanse ourselves or rub it off.
Just like actions.
Good or bad, the way a person treats you leaves an impression on you until something is done to change that. Sometimes you may choose to look past it and remember things that person has done in the past, either to hold onto what you love or to hold onto a grudge. But either way, that action sticks with you.
Bunching up in the cobwebs of your mind.I understand that the things that happen to us in our lives, make us who we are. But that doesn't always mean that it has made us better or stronger. And we would be crazy to think that it has.

The 3 C's of being sick

2009-02-05T13:49:00.004-03:30

Why does no one understand the concept of staying home when they are sick anymore?

*it should be noted that I am writing this entry from home, on my couch, with the heat on crank and a soft tissue shoved up my nose to keep the never ending flow of mucus at bay*

I mean - I do understand that it is a little loss of money in a world where there isn't much - however - this worker mentality has started long before our recession.

People coming to work sneezing, snotting, coughing their way through a work day - touching door handles, paper, coffee cups, paper towel dispensers, your desk, and the list goes on depending on the workplace environment.

Now, don't get me wrong, I am not dissing good work ethic and the love of a person's job - I just find that MOST of the people who show up are truly miserable in what they are doing and are unproductive in doing it when they are sick. So the company suffers, they suffer, I simply don't understand it. It seems so simple to decide to stay home for 1 or 2 days and get better rather than go to work and not get rest, take twice as long to heal, and make everyone around you sick while you are at it.

I get that everyone is a cog in the wheel - but most of us are not so important that taking a sick day is going to lead to the end of the company we work for as we know it.

So - Today I am reminding people of the 3 C's of staying or getting healthy while sick.

Cleanliness - always wash your hands while touching things at work, not in a crazy way, just consistently especially if you are handling alot of paper that is being handed to you or are frequenting other peoples work area.
Containment - STAY HOME, when you realise that you are sick it is important to stay home and get better rather than coming to work and spreading germs throughout our workplace and to your coworkers
Care - Take Care of yourself. Before you get sick, drink lots of orange juice, dress warmly, eat healthy, be active - all of these things lead to preventions. AFTER you get sick, keep warm, rest, eat foods that are good for you and will help with a speedy recovery.

It is not rocket science people - just good old fashioned common sense.

Art On Demand

2009-02-04T11:07:00.007-03:30

They say that the best art comes from a tortured sole - and I am inclined to agree.

I am involved in all sorts of creative forms; jewelery making, card making, scrap booking, clothing design, poetry, digital photography, drawing and painting and I LOVE doing all of these things - especially doing them and giving the end result to others.

There is just something really satisfying about seeing the look of surprise and appreciation on another persons face when you hand them something unique and thoughtful.

However - unless I am in the mood to do them - they do not get done. I am terrible at doing things on demand - which is why I have never put myself out there as an artist for hire. Or sold very many of my things for that matter.

My creative juices are flow most when I am in turmoil - and they don't lead to a gloom and doom result either. Well, some of my poetry does, but that is to be expected.

When I am happy - my interest is not in being artistic - it is in doing things that involve travel and friends and my lover.

This, overall, poses some challenges.

I am involved in the start up of a custom lingerie company and have no prototypes.

I am constantly being asked for different type of paintings from family and friends and they have built up into a huge To-Do pile.

I have wanted to give some things as gifts for special occasions to a) Save money and b) show thoughtfulness of my gifts.

I have gone to several different places and have experiences many different things that I want to document in my scrapbooks (which people keep giving me and are laying empty under my bookshelf.

I am trying, now, to find a way to channel my positive energies into a creative form.
I have found happiness in my relationship and life - and therefore haven't created in a very long time.
Is there is a happy medium - a way to have the best of both worlds?

When?

2009-02-03T14:05:00.002-03:30

When did it become a bad thing to be considerate, caring, and compassionate of others?
When did it become a punishment to love someone unconditionally with all of your heart?
When did society decide to walk all over the ones who reach out their hand to help?
When did we stop touching each others lives in a positive way?
Or working to be good friends? or being supportive of each other because we don't have the time - or the selflessness to be there?
When did we start letting old friendships die? Only to pick up semi-sorta-kinda friendships with strangers that are too consumed by themselves and their drama to take a second to listen to what is happening around them.
And in all of this - we are surprised to find ourselves alone - yet surrounded by people.
We are accessible in every way possible - work phone, home phone, cell phone, MSN, AIM, Skype, e-mail, facebook, myspace - we can be accessed every second of every day if we wish - but never when you need it.
People are more content leaving random nothings on each others "Wall" than they are with taking a second to relax, sit back. and enjoy a coffee or a drink with some very close friends.I would trade all of my "half-friends" to keep the close ones I have - I think I am safe in saying that even though my life reeks of drama that is half my own doing and half inflicted on me on a regular basis - I am always there, to lend an ear, a coffee cup, a beer can, a hug (virtual or othewise) to those who I care about.
I am not dissing the privledges that technology has offered us to find each other after years, or to stay in touch in times when you would never be able to. But, I am saying that it has allowed us to be lazy in our social interactions with each other.
Impersonal, brief, mutli-tasked into someone's day if you are lucky, spelling errors, insincere apologies, insincere expressions of love. The art of face-to-face interaction is a dying one.
One that needs to be revived.

Mental Apples

Writers Block

My Love vs. My Health

Where does the time go?!?

What a day, what a day

Continuing with the photo blog

New Years, New Years!

Holy Hurricane Batman!

Cheers to Change

Wedding Bells

Magazines sell beautiful things.

Texts From Last Night/ FailBook

Titles Mean Nothing!

Wise Words Spoken

Thank God we are a "Have" Province

funny monkey quote

Birds birds everywhere!

Wiccan's and Health Care

Alice! Alice! who the flip is Alice?!

Music Music

Happy New Year!

New Year's Resolutions, and other promises we are not likely to keep.

Drunk Driving and the Holidays.

Converse Is/Are Awesome! ♥

Misinformation in an age of information.

Blackberry Blog

*eek*

Viva Cuba!

Geek is the New Chic.

A Halloween Success!

Update to Air Canada Fiasco

A rekindling of faith in good customer service!

Air Canada Vacations Fiasco

UPDATE ON PAUL(ette)

IN keeping with the animal updates...

OMFG!!! IHTSBIH!!!

New Addition to the Family.

First Post, Across the Universe.

Celebrity Crushes.

An Irish Wedding

Sketchy Sista

Sound and Awe

My Horizontal Life; A Collection of One-Night Stands

Jumping into the Summer Movie Pool

The other view from here...

A Little Late for a New Years Resolution..

Shortchange Meat and Cheese

For Drivers Everywhere

On the Eve of Good Friday...let me say....

Green is my Favorite Colour

The New and Improved DiVinci Code

Are we getting smarter? Or just think we are?

BIG BANG THEORY

Girls can be Bros.

RE: To music blog from SistA

New Addiction

Safety first??

Dirty

Lil acts of kindness

Conan plays 1860's baseball

Welcome the UFC

Today's Rockabilly Bride!

Birth and the Right to it...

*insert drum roll here* Book Review Two

Babies Birthing Babies

Support Local

Presenting: Remington!

The Gift of Giving

The Start of a New Review

Love <3

New Writer

♥Valentine's Day♥ a.k.a S.A.D (Single Awareness Day)

The extinction of Polaroid

Complex Web

The 3 C's of being sick

Art On Demand

When?

eek

insert drum roll here Book Review Two