There’s a bit of a battle going on here in town, and it all revolves around some strings of beads. Renegades owner Lonnie Gleiberman thought it would be fun to do a Mardi-gras style ‘gimme your beads’ promotion in the upper deck, with the woman begging/borrowing/stealing the most beads from nearby men winning $1000. Word is that some women are even doffing their tops!! Oh no! The Renegades ‘Mardi gras’ promotion is getting ‘exposure’ all over the country, to the point that the producers of ‘Girls Gone Wild’ were actually in the stands with their video cameras at the last game. This whole thing isn’t sitting well with City Councellor Jan Harder, who has referred to Lonnie Gleiberman as an ‘immature twit’. She wants the plug pulled on all this tom-foolery immediately. JR from ‘the morning after’ on BOB FM came up with a great idea: why don’t the Renegades set up a ‘no holds barred cage match’, center field, half time, Gleiberman versus Harder, one big mat and gallons of Mazola oil. This would garner much more attention than Mardi gras night.
Nothing like people watching on the patio during a late summer evening in the Byward market. Lately I’ve noticed streams of people following someone in a big black hooded cape with a lantern, winding through the market. I’ve learned that this is the ‘Haunted Walk of Ottawa’. People are guided around at night to see things that are scary in the market. Hmmm. Wonder if they stop at the Dominion Tavern.
The Ex is back! I love the Ex, but I have a hard time finding someone to go on rides with me. Last year I went to the Ex as soon as the doors opened, by myself. I went on the Himalaya, the Pirate Ship, the Scrambler, and the Gravitron. All by myself. Then I went on the double ferris wheel. By that time, crowds had developed and they couldn’t afford to let me take up a seat all by myself. Some kid had won a giant Spongebob Squarepants and he started to cry because he wanted it to go on the ferris wheel with him, but there wasn’t room in his seat for him and his Dad and the giant Spongebob Squarepants, so the ride operator compromised and put the giant Spongebob next to me. Needless to say, the ferris wheel stopped or got stuck or something and I was sky high, just me and Spongebob. At least he didn’t throw up on me.
I received an ‘out of the blue’ gift this summer from a friend of mine, Janet Podleski , who puts out those fabulous Looneyspoons cookbooks with her sister Greta. (their newest book ‘Eat Shrink and Be Merry’ is out soon) . Janet bought a book for me, called ‘Pack of Two’ by Caroline Knapp. Janet loves dogs as much as I do, and she wanted me to read this book. I thanked her profusely, then drove home thinking ‘uh oh’…. I haven’t read a book in two years. I started to read ‘Seabiscuit’ in January 2003 and I’m still not finished. Anyway, if a friend goes out and buys you a book, you have to read it, you have no choice, its all you think about, you’re sitting there eating chips and dip or listening to the radio and you see the book on the coffee table and it still has the new book smell. Well, I read it. Cover to cover. Took me two days on the dock at the cottage and one day in the car on the way home from New Brunswick. If you love dogs, read ‘Pack of Two’. This book is about the incredible bond we share with our dogs. Its beautifully written and it may make you cry, especially if you’re the type of person who hugs your dog a hundred times a day. Thanks for making me read a book, Janet! Maybe I should start a Book Club. The ‘One Book Every Two Years’ Club.
Let me know if you’d like to join.
