Thank you thank you thank you!
Because one ‘thank you’ just doesn’t seem like enough. Bam Bam, quite possibly the most loved deer of all time (at least in the Ottawa valley!) is going home! Retired Greely couple Bruce and Christina Straby raised Bam Bam after finding her abandoned as a newborn fawn two years ago. Bam Bam had an idyllic life amongst other farm animals and became a beloved pet. Three weeks ago the Ministry of Natural Resources captured Bam Bam and brought her to a zoo. The Strabys were extremely distraught – they contacted the media – word got out and a petition was set up to bring Bam Bam home. 12,000 people signed it. On Friday December 22nd, Premier Dalton McGuinty arrived on the Strabys’ doorstep to deliver the news in person: Bam Bam was indeed going to be re-united with her ‘family’. It was an honest-to-goodness-feel-good Christmas story with a happy ending. Lots of hugs, tears of joy, complete strangers were brought together that afternoon with one common bond: never under-estimate the power of compassion. Thank you to Mr McGuinty for doing the right thing. Behind the scenes, there was a team of people who never gave up: thank you to the Ottawa Sun’s Nelly Elayoubi, Kelly Egan from the Citizen, Nepean Carleton MPP Lisa McLeod for her persistence at Queen’s Park (and for hand delivering the petition to the Premier’s Ottawa office!), lawyer Vicki Eatrides who hopped on board on ‘day 1’ and gave so much of her time and expertise to this story (and getting everyone she knew to write a letter… Vicki is my new best friend that I’ve never met), Lawrence Greenspon for his take-charge guidance, Tim Tierney for creating the petition website, and of course, thank you to the 12000 PEOPLE WHO SIGNED THE PETITION! Happy New Year, Bruce and Christina, and your little doe Bam Bam.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Sunday, December 17, 2006
White, Green or Blue Christmas?
So nice to hear from another ‘Sharkey’ across the pond! As a kid growing up in Ottawa, there were only three Sharkey families in Ottawa. My immediate family, my grandparents, and one other Sharkey family that we did not know. Now there are more Sharkeys in Ottawa, but I still don’t know any other than my immediate family. I got an email recently from Stephen Sharkey, who found my blog by accident, and he’s a blogger too! http://opoorrobinsoncrusoe.blogspot.com
Stephen Sharkey lives in London England, he’s a playwright and he blogs about theatre. Check out his blog! He has a lovely writing style, but if I may offer some advice to Stephen, I don’t think he uses the ‘exclamation mark’ often enough.
I still think there should be a ‘Christmas card’ Awards. (there are awards for everything else!) Thank you to Debbie Smith, who wrote to me about a card that she received last year from Pete and Sue Dippel. She loved the card so much, she saved it! The front of the card shows a log house in the mountains, smoke rising from the chimney. The card reads:
‘X’mas a comin
Purt near broke
But while we’re puttin’ the beans to soak
We send you this card
Instead of a letter
And hope you’re doin’ as good or better!
I love that card.
But, I was wondering….hmmmm… Debbie said that she loved the card so much, she SAVED it. Like that was something she never ever does. I save all my Christmas cards. I have for years. I have hundreds and hundreds of Christmas cards in shoe boxes. Why? I don’t know, exactly. I think its mostly because I feel too guilty about throwing them away. Same thing with birthday cards, any greeting cards. I have them all! If I throw them away, does this make me a bad person??? I need to know.
As I write this, its December 17, 2006, and up at my cottage, there is a motorboat going from one end of the lake to the other. The weather has been so mild that I half expect my tulips to start shooting up through the ground. It’s the question on everyone’s mind: will there be snow for Christmas Day? Even people who dislike snow, want snow for Christmas Day. But, why is it so important? I’m fine with either a White Christmas or a green Christmas. Because usually my Christmas Day is spent reading some kind of instruction manual to figure out how to turn on that electronic gift, reading my new Rolling Stone magazine that Santa put in my stocking, getting my husband to try on all his new sweaters to make sure they fit, giving my dogs some kind of dog-friendly chocolate, then driving over to this year’s family dinner, where family members are also pouring over manuals and trying on sweaters. Whether or not there is snow on the ground doesn’t seem to be much of a factor for me. I even think it would be kinda cool to go for a Christmas Day walk in the woods wearing only my new Christmas sweater. As long as it fits.
Thank you to all the people who are supporting the efforts to have the deer named ‘Bam Bam’ returned to her owners, Bruce and Christina Straby. If you are not familiar with the story, there is a link on this website, www.939bobfm.com just click on ‘save Bam Bam’. This will direct you to some Ottawa Sun articles about the story and a petition you can sign (www.savebambam.ca) . We very much want this story to have a happy ending in time for Christmas. I welcome all emails about this subject!!
Stephen Sharkey lives in London England, he’s a playwright and he blogs about theatre. Check out his blog! He has a lovely writing style, but if I may offer some advice to Stephen, I don’t think he uses the ‘exclamation mark’ often enough.
I still think there should be a ‘Christmas card’ Awards. (there are awards for everything else!) Thank you to Debbie Smith, who wrote to me about a card that she received last year from Pete and Sue Dippel. She loved the card so much, she saved it! The front of the card shows a log house in the mountains, smoke rising from the chimney. The card reads:
‘X’mas a comin
Purt near broke
But while we’re puttin’ the beans to soak
We send you this card
Instead of a letter
And hope you’re doin’ as good or better!
I love that card.
But, I was wondering….hmmmm… Debbie said that she loved the card so much, she SAVED it. Like that was something she never ever does. I save all my Christmas cards. I have for years. I have hundreds and hundreds of Christmas cards in shoe boxes. Why? I don’t know, exactly. I think its mostly because I feel too guilty about throwing them away. Same thing with birthday cards, any greeting cards. I have them all! If I throw them away, does this make me a bad person??? I need to know.
As I write this, its December 17, 2006, and up at my cottage, there is a motorboat going from one end of the lake to the other. The weather has been so mild that I half expect my tulips to start shooting up through the ground. It’s the question on everyone’s mind: will there be snow for Christmas Day? Even people who dislike snow, want snow for Christmas Day. But, why is it so important? I’m fine with either a White Christmas or a green Christmas. Because usually my Christmas Day is spent reading some kind of instruction manual to figure out how to turn on that electronic gift, reading my new Rolling Stone magazine that Santa put in my stocking, getting my husband to try on all his new sweaters to make sure they fit, giving my dogs some kind of dog-friendly chocolate, then driving over to this year’s family dinner, where family members are also pouring over manuals and trying on sweaters. Whether or not there is snow on the ground doesn’t seem to be much of a factor for me. I even think it would be kinda cool to go for a Christmas Day walk in the woods wearing only my new Christmas sweater. As long as it fits.
Thank you to all the people who are supporting the efforts to have the deer named ‘Bam Bam’ returned to her owners, Bruce and Christina Straby. If you are not familiar with the story, there is a link on this website, www.939bobfm.com just click on ‘save Bam Bam’. This will direct you to some Ottawa Sun articles about the story and a petition you can sign (www.savebambam.ca) . We very much want this story to have a happy ending in time for Christmas. I welcome all emails about this subject!!
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Hark! I'm Up on the Hoist!
Congratulations to Leslie Edwardson, winner of our ‘Deck the Walls’ contest! The grand prize: a mural painted by local muralist Patrick Killen (www.miragemurals.com)
Leslie has a photo of her son Mitchell playing goalie with the Leitrim Hawks, with none other than Wade Redden taking a slapshot at him. The photo was taken at a special Senators skate with minor hockey players. As our ‘Deck the Walls’ winner, Leslie is going to have that photo come to ‘life’ as a full sized mural on Mitchell’s bedroom wall! A fabulous Christmas gift. Thank you so much to all the wonderful BOB listeners who entered this contest!! And thank you to artist Patrick Killen for making a kid’s (and his Mom’s) dream come true!
The Christmas tv classics are back!! I think my favourite of all time is Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. I still need Kleenex to watch it. For years and years, I looked most forward to ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’…but now I look at it much differently. I can’t get past how mean the Grinch is to his dog, Max. And he probably should be wearing underwear. He has the same problem as Britney Spears.
I learned something new this week. Apparently, when you go for an oil change, most oil change places don’t let you stay in the car when the car is lifted up onto the hoist. My oil change place has always let me stay in the car. For me, it’s the only amusing part about getting an oil change. I get elevated quite high and I can see a bird’s eye view of everything. There’s a lot of shouting that takes place at these oil garages. And when I’m up on the hoist, I can barely hear it. There’s another advantage. I can read the newspaper in peace, talk on my cell phone, its fun to be on the hoist. Unless of course, the power goes out. I’d hate to miss dinner because I was stuck on a pole.
I got my first Christmas card. It has to be one of the best Christmas cards I have ever seen in my life, its from my friend Chris Knight at Knight Enterprises. Chris and his staff produce many tv shows right here in Ottawa, including ‘The Great Canadian Food Show’ and ‘License to Grill’. I can’t describe the Christmas card, because it ‘pushes the envelope’ a bit, but I really wish there was such a thing as the ‘Christmas Card Awards’. If you’ve received a Christmas card worth honourable mention, e-mail me back and let me know!
Leslie has a photo of her son Mitchell playing goalie with the Leitrim Hawks, with none other than Wade Redden taking a slapshot at him. The photo was taken at a special Senators skate with minor hockey players. As our ‘Deck the Walls’ winner, Leslie is going to have that photo come to ‘life’ as a full sized mural on Mitchell’s bedroom wall! A fabulous Christmas gift. Thank you so much to all the wonderful BOB listeners who entered this contest!! And thank you to artist Patrick Killen for making a kid’s (and his Mom’s) dream come true!
The Christmas tv classics are back!! I think my favourite of all time is Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. I still need Kleenex to watch it. For years and years, I looked most forward to ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’…but now I look at it much differently. I can’t get past how mean the Grinch is to his dog, Max. And he probably should be wearing underwear. He has the same problem as Britney Spears.
I learned something new this week. Apparently, when you go for an oil change, most oil change places don’t let you stay in the car when the car is lifted up onto the hoist. My oil change place has always let me stay in the car. For me, it’s the only amusing part about getting an oil change. I get elevated quite high and I can see a bird’s eye view of everything. There’s a lot of shouting that takes place at these oil garages. And when I’m up on the hoist, I can barely hear it. There’s another advantage. I can read the newspaper in peace, talk on my cell phone, its fun to be on the hoist. Unless of course, the power goes out. I’d hate to miss dinner because I was stuck on a pole.
I got my first Christmas card. It has to be one of the best Christmas cards I have ever seen in my life, its from my friend Chris Knight at Knight Enterprises. Chris and his staff produce many tv shows right here in Ottawa, including ‘The Great Canadian Food Show’ and ‘License to Grill’. I can’t describe the Christmas card, because it ‘pushes the envelope’ a bit, but I really wish there was such a thing as the ‘Christmas Card Awards’. If you’ve received a Christmas card worth honourable mention, e-mail me back and let me know!
Friday, December 01, 2006
Hockey Night in Barbados!!!!!
Are you the biggest Senators fan on the face of the earth?! Here’s your chance to prove it – ALL THE WAY TO BARBADOS!!! We all know that Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk is passionate about hockey, and passionate about Barbados! And what’s in Barbados? ‘BERT’S BAR!!’ The Ottawa Senators present: ‘Hockey Night in Barbados’!! Send a 60 second video showing off why you are the Sens NUMBER ONE FAN!!! Sing, dance, paint your face, paint everything around you, add a little touch of Barbados, and send your video to www.ottawasenators.com (there’s also a link on this website)! The prize? You’re not going to believe it!!! The Sens NUMBER ONE FAN (plus guest) heads to Barbados in March, for 4 nights at the spectacular Accra Beach Hotel and Resort!! And here’s the clincher: you will get VIP treatment as you watch the Senators play the Leafs via satellite at Berts Bar in Barbados, WITH Eugene Melnyk, AND Bert himself!! (and I just found out I’ll be there too, I’ll behave, I promise) Get those videos in right now, the deadline for entries is December 22nd!!! GO SENS GO!!! Hockey, Barbados, the beach, and banana daquiris!! Best. Idea. Ever.
Last week, the unthinkable happened for thousands of people who were all buying stuff. For about 90 minutes, there was a technical problem and we couldn’t use our debit cards, or our Visa cards. We could only use CASH. Cash. What the heck is that. I never have cash. I use my debit card for everything. Yep. I’m one of those annoying people who uses my debit card to buy a newspaper and a pack of gum. I use my credit card to pay a $3.00 fee at the parking garage. At restaurants, the server has to bring that little machine to my table so I can use my debit card for an $8.00 lunch. Then there’s that uncomfortable moment where the server has to show me how to give him or her a tip using my debit card. Because I have no cash for a tip. Thank goodness the computers were back up in no time, and once again I could whip out my credit card or my debit card, and continue making purchases that I desperately need. Like a big fake tongue for my dog!! Who doesn’t need one of those?
Toby Rand is coming to town!! Jason from the Thirsty Toad, Bank at Riverside, continues his reign of Rockstar!! While ‘the Toad’ has hosted many stars from the Rockstar series, this one will take place at Centrepointe Theatre, Tuesday December 5th. Toby’s bringing his full band from Australia, Juke Kartel. Don’t know if he’s going to take his shirt off. He did that a lot on the tv show, displaying the message ‘EVS’. Finally Dave Navarro asked Toby what ‘EVS’ means, and he said it means ‘everything’s great’!!! Ah yes….once again, I ask…who has more fun than people. Tickets still available, check www.thirstytoad.com (or win them on BOB, of course)
I have now seen the movie ‘Open Water’, or parts thereof, about 10 or 11 times. Since getting the super duper 900 channel satellite television, I think I ten of those channels are movie channels. And, on 2 or 3 of those channels, on any given day, the movie ‘Open Water’ is on. It’s a pretty good movie. Its about a man and wife who go on a touristy scuba diving boat for an afternoon. They jump out of the boat, swim around underwater, have fun, look at fish, then the boat leaves without them. Yep. Due to a mis-count of passengers by the boat captain, they are just left there in the middle of the ocean. Husband and wife, bobbing away, waiting for the boat to come back. There are sharks in the ocean. I won’t give any more away, in case you haven’t seen the movie. But, if you have satellite tv, chances are you’ve seen Open Water. Quite a few times. Maybe we should have an Open Water club. Take a drink every time you see the sharks circle.
Last week, the unthinkable happened for thousands of people who were all buying stuff. For about 90 minutes, there was a technical problem and we couldn’t use our debit cards, or our Visa cards. We could only use CASH. Cash. What the heck is that. I never have cash. I use my debit card for everything. Yep. I’m one of those annoying people who uses my debit card to buy a newspaper and a pack of gum. I use my credit card to pay a $3.00 fee at the parking garage. At restaurants, the server has to bring that little machine to my table so I can use my debit card for an $8.00 lunch. Then there’s that uncomfortable moment where the server has to show me how to give him or her a tip using my debit card. Because I have no cash for a tip. Thank goodness the computers were back up in no time, and once again I could whip out my credit card or my debit card, and continue making purchases that I desperately need. Like a big fake tongue for my dog!! Who doesn’t need one of those?
Toby Rand is coming to town!! Jason from the Thirsty Toad, Bank at Riverside, continues his reign of Rockstar!! While ‘the Toad’ has hosted many stars from the Rockstar series, this one will take place at Centrepointe Theatre, Tuesday December 5th. Toby’s bringing his full band from Australia, Juke Kartel. Don’t know if he’s going to take his shirt off. He did that a lot on the tv show, displaying the message ‘EVS’. Finally Dave Navarro asked Toby what ‘EVS’ means, and he said it means ‘everything’s great’!!! Ah yes….once again, I ask…who has more fun than people. Tickets still available, check www.thirstytoad.com (or win them on BOB, of course)
I have now seen the movie ‘Open Water’, or parts thereof, about 10 or 11 times. Since getting the super duper 900 channel satellite television, I think I ten of those channels are movie channels. And, on 2 or 3 of those channels, on any given day, the movie ‘Open Water’ is on. It’s a pretty good movie. Its about a man and wife who go on a touristy scuba diving boat for an afternoon. They jump out of the boat, swim around underwater, have fun, look at fish, then the boat leaves without them. Yep. Due to a mis-count of passengers by the boat captain, they are just left there in the middle of the ocean. Husband and wife, bobbing away, waiting for the boat to come back. There are sharks in the ocean. I won’t give any more away, in case you haven’t seen the movie. But, if you have satellite tv, chances are you’ve seen Open Water. Quite a few times. Maybe we should have an Open Water club. Take a drink every time you see the sharks circle.
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