I got the new issue of Entertainment Weekly Magazine, which is one of those ‘collectors’ issues. Its kinda cool, it features six different James Bond covers. I could get into a debate about which Bond is best….I could rate them (in my opinion)…blah blah George Lazenby was the worst, Sean Connery was the best…all the other Bonds are somewhere in the middle….but really, hasn’t this debate raged on for decades? I’m not interested in that debate. What I wanna know, is this: do you KEEP magazines that call themselves ‘collectors issues’? See, I always have. As soon as a magazine calls itself a ‘collectors’ issue’, it goes into a cardboard box in my basement, with all the other ‘collectors’ issues. Like the ‘definitive Seinfeld’ issue of Entertainment Weekly. Or the ‘Artist of the Decade’ (U2) issue of Rolling Stone. Or the collectors edition of People Magazine’s sexiest men alive. Or the collectors edition of The Ottawa Citizen, featuring the complete history of The Rideau Canal. What the heck, may as well save that too. Everything goes into the box in the basement. Why? Hmm. I’m not sure, exactly. Can’t throw them out, they’re collectors issues!
One day I’m going to free myself from those boxes of magazines that call themselves collectors issues. I think I can get by without keeping the collectors edition of Time Magazine’s 1987 Man of the Year.
I’ve never been very good at flying kites, as a matter of fact I gave up kite flying when I was about 9. But while on holidays, my husband bought a kite and it was actually quite nice, sitting on a big old rock in Georgian Bay, watching my husband fly this beautiful kite in the breeze…..and then…kaboom. Nose-dive. The kite smashed right into a rock. Exactly the way all kite flying experiences come to an end. Does a kite ever live to fly another day?
I got a new pair of binoculars. Serious binoculars for bird watching. I didn’t know much about binoculars, but I went to this great store on Merivale Road across from the CTV building, and I figured they knew what they were talking about because they also sell telescopes that are so powerful, you can see a Starbucks on the planet Mars. Anyway, I tried a lot of different pairs of binoculars, but I was absolutely sold on one particular pair. The big selling feature? When I looked through them, I could see the keys in the ignition of my car, through the locked car door.
Thank you so much to one of our fantastic Bob FM listeners, Paula, who delivered a life size cardboard cut-out of Ottawa Senators Mike Fisher to the radio station. He’s in the studio right now but eventually I plan to take him on a couple of outings. Thanks Paula. Let me know how I can return the favour. How about a life size cardboard cut-out of JR?
Monday, August 21, 2006
Monday, August 14, 2006
Help!! I've burnt my eyeballs!! But I can get up
Ouch! Just got back from vacation and I learned something the hard way. You can get a sunburn on your eyeballs. I was on a five mile kayak paddle directly into the sun in Georgian Bay, totally greased up with sunscreen from head to toe. But no sunglasses. Nope. Don’t own a pair. Later that day, it arrived. The sunburn. On my eyeballs. After careful thought, putting calamine lotion directly onto my eyeballs was ruled out. That would more or less be a ‘catch 22’. So, by passing along this story, if I could just save one of you from ever getting a sunburn on your eyeballs, then my suffering has been worth it. For goodness sake, wear sunglasses. Who would’ve thought they serve another purpose besides making you look cool!
My husband and I spent a few days in Quebec City, taking in all the history in the old city, complete with a day-long walk around the Plains of Abraham. I try not to use my holidays to ‘learn’ things, but you can’t help it when you’re in Quebec City. There are statues and memorials and plaques about every 10 feet, each a reminder of the year 1759, when the biggest war on Canadian soil took place…………..and it was all over in about 40 minutes. How Canadian is that.
While we were in Quebec City, there was a huge festival taking place, with hundreds of people walking around in period costume to celebrate New France back in the 1700’s. The women wore long dresses, the men had wigs and frills. The only thing that gave them away was their shoes. I doubt the men in 1700’s New France wore Reeboks.
Go, Steffi D, go Eva!! Canadian Idol is getting down to the wire and as I write this, we have TWO, yes TWO idol finalists from the national capital area!!! Eva is from Gatineau, Steffi is from right here in Ottawa and they are both really strong contenders. It sure would be cool if they ended up as number one and number two for the Canadian Idol final. If that happens, I think they should stage the final competition right in the middle of the MacDonald Cartier Bridge.
As always, Bob FM has your ‘last chance ticket grab’ for the city’s biggest concerts, including tickets for this Friday’s Steve Earle show at the Ottawa Folk Festival. Listen for Steve Earle songs all day Friday and be the 9th caller! I can’t wait for the show. I’m a huge Steve Earle fan. In the late 80’s, one day I decided I wanted to be a songwriter. So I wrote a song. (I think the next day I decided I wanted to be a dolphin trainer, but that’s another story). Anyway, I wrote a song called ‘I Can’t Break Out’. It was about a prisoner. It was one cliché after the other. But I managed to get it into Steve Earle’s hands. I told him that the song was written to sound like a cross between ‘I’m Eighteen’ by Alice Cooper and ‘Wanted Dead or Alive’ by Bon Jovi. All I remember is that Steve Earle was kind enough to sign my song and hand it back to me, without actually reading it. Which, in hindsight, makes this a much happier story.
My ‘Morning After’ partner JR is a huge Philadelphia Eagles fan. His three young daughters know all the words to the ‘Philadelphia Eagles fight song’. When I was in Vegas last year, he asked me to place a bet for him on the Eagles winning the Superbowl. (I don’t think they won) Anyhow, I recently saw a trailer for a movie called ‘Invincible’, which opens on August 25th. The movie is based on the true story of a Philadelphia Eagles fan, Vince Papale. Vince lost his wife and his teaching job. Needless to say, things are not going well for Vince. Then one day he decides to go to an open tryout for the Philadelphia Eagles NFL club. Judging from the trailer, he makes the team. Sheesh. For all the JR’s out there, sounds like the best movie ever made. Maybe for once, men will need Kleenex at the theatre. Or they can just pretend that they have something in their eye.
I’m still mourning the loss of Wiarton Willie, our national groundhog day mascot. He passed away recently, but he did live a good long pampered life. He was one of a kind. And not only because he was white. I’m not sure if Wiarton has found a replacement for Willie yet, but I have a suggestion. I think the Bell beavers, Frank and Gordon, should apply for the job. They’re not groundhogs, they’re beavers, but they are also actors so they could act like groundhogs. Just throwing it out there. I’ve been thinking a lot about this. It takes my mind off my sunburnt eyeballs.
My husband and I spent a few days in Quebec City, taking in all the history in the old city, complete with a day-long walk around the Plains of Abraham. I try not to use my holidays to ‘learn’ things, but you can’t help it when you’re in Quebec City. There are statues and memorials and plaques about every 10 feet, each a reminder of the year 1759, when the biggest war on Canadian soil took place…………..and it was all over in about 40 minutes. How Canadian is that.
While we were in Quebec City, there was a huge festival taking place, with hundreds of people walking around in period costume to celebrate New France back in the 1700’s. The women wore long dresses, the men had wigs and frills. The only thing that gave them away was their shoes. I doubt the men in 1700’s New France wore Reeboks.
Go, Steffi D, go Eva!! Canadian Idol is getting down to the wire and as I write this, we have TWO, yes TWO idol finalists from the national capital area!!! Eva is from Gatineau, Steffi is from right here in Ottawa and they are both really strong contenders. It sure would be cool if they ended up as number one and number two for the Canadian Idol final. If that happens, I think they should stage the final competition right in the middle of the MacDonald Cartier Bridge.
As always, Bob FM has your ‘last chance ticket grab’ for the city’s biggest concerts, including tickets for this Friday’s Steve Earle show at the Ottawa Folk Festival. Listen for Steve Earle songs all day Friday and be the 9th caller! I can’t wait for the show. I’m a huge Steve Earle fan. In the late 80’s, one day I decided I wanted to be a songwriter. So I wrote a song. (I think the next day I decided I wanted to be a dolphin trainer, but that’s another story). Anyway, I wrote a song called ‘I Can’t Break Out’. It was about a prisoner. It was one cliché after the other. But I managed to get it into Steve Earle’s hands. I told him that the song was written to sound like a cross between ‘I’m Eighteen’ by Alice Cooper and ‘Wanted Dead or Alive’ by Bon Jovi. All I remember is that Steve Earle was kind enough to sign my song and hand it back to me, without actually reading it. Which, in hindsight, makes this a much happier story.
My ‘Morning After’ partner JR is a huge Philadelphia Eagles fan. His three young daughters know all the words to the ‘Philadelphia Eagles fight song’. When I was in Vegas last year, he asked me to place a bet for him on the Eagles winning the Superbowl. (I don’t think they won) Anyhow, I recently saw a trailer for a movie called ‘Invincible’, which opens on August 25th. The movie is based on the true story of a Philadelphia Eagles fan, Vince Papale. Vince lost his wife and his teaching job. Needless to say, things are not going well for Vince. Then one day he decides to go to an open tryout for the Philadelphia Eagles NFL club. Judging from the trailer, he makes the team. Sheesh. For all the JR’s out there, sounds like the best movie ever made. Maybe for once, men will need Kleenex at the theatre. Or they can just pretend that they have something in their eye.
I’m still mourning the loss of Wiarton Willie, our national groundhog day mascot. He passed away recently, but he did live a good long pampered life. He was one of a kind. And not only because he was white. I’m not sure if Wiarton has found a replacement for Willie yet, but I have a suggestion. I think the Bell beavers, Frank and Gordon, should apply for the job. They’re not groundhogs, they’re beavers, but they are also actors so they could act like groundhogs. Just throwing it out there. I’ve been thinking a lot about this. It takes my mind off my sunburnt eyeballs.
Monday, July 24, 2006
Friday, July 14, 2006
The Why, the What and the 'WHO'!!!
These are the dog days of summer! I don’t know where the term ‘dog days’ comes from, maybe it’s a description of the lazy dog just lying on the porch on a hot summer day……not much else to do….
At my house, dog days of summer means….’drinking out of the toilet’!!!!! Can anyone tell me why my dogs by-pass a perfectly cold fresh bowl of water, to lap it up out of the toilet bowl? Anyone?
The ‘WHO is coming to Ottawa!!! Wow, is that ever cool. It only happens once every 35 years. Of course, some may argue that its not ‘really’ The Who, given that there are only two original surviving members. And some may say that, well, at the age of 60-something, Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey are past their prime. And some may say that the top ticket price of $204.50 is w-a-a-y too much to pay to see The Who. Oh well. Fair enough. All I know is that I saw The Who once, and it was just a few years ago in Toronto, and it was an absolutely fantastic show. One of the best concerts I’ve ever seen. I still have the ticket stub. I paid a paltry $115 for the ticket back then. Wow….it seems so long ago….remember the days when a concert ticket was just $115…….?
I love Bluesfest this year. I can’t get enough of it. I think they finally got it right, the configuration of the main stage, the bands are great, the beer is cold, everything works. Besides seeing the bigger acts, I highly recommend going to one of the smaller stages and catching some band that you’ve never heard of, but is always a pleasant surprise. I saw the Roadhammers the other night. Who? Exactly. Bluesfest exposes us to stuff we may never other-wise see. But one of the real success stories at this year’s Bluesfest, has to be, the ‘cupsuckers’ everywhere!!! Everywhere you look, there’s a cupsucker. A cupsucker is a long tube that attachs to every garbage can. You finish a beer, walk over to the cupsucker, slide your empty beer cup into it and bob’s your uncle. The recycle people love it, the grass is free of beer cups, and the people at Bluesfest have a new word that they love to say any chance they get. ‘cupsucker’! How fun is that.
My hairdresser is becoming famous. His name is Joseph and he owns Byblos on Bank Street in the Glebe. I called to make an appointment the other day, only to be told that Joseph was on the ‘set’ of a movie. As it turns out, Joseph is doing Tori Spelling’s hair for the next couple of weeks. If its true that people tell their hairdresser everything, I can’t wait to hear the stories. Tori Spelling must have lots of stuff to talk about.
At my house, dog days of summer means….’drinking out of the toilet’!!!!! Can anyone tell me why my dogs by-pass a perfectly cold fresh bowl of water, to lap it up out of the toilet bowl? Anyone?
The ‘WHO is coming to Ottawa!!! Wow, is that ever cool. It only happens once every 35 years. Of course, some may argue that its not ‘really’ The Who, given that there are only two original surviving members. And some may say that, well, at the age of 60-something, Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey are past their prime. And some may say that the top ticket price of $204.50 is w-a-a-y too much to pay to see The Who. Oh well. Fair enough. All I know is that I saw The Who once, and it was just a few years ago in Toronto, and it was an absolutely fantastic show. One of the best concerts I’ve ever seen. I still have the ticket stub. I paid a paltry $115 for the ticket back then. Wow….it seems so long ago….remember the days when a concert ticket was just $115…….?
I love Bluesfest this year. I can’t get enough of it. I think they finally got it right, the configuration of the main stage, the bands are great, the beer is cold, everything works. Besides seeing the bigger acts, I highly recommend going to one of the smaller stages and catching some band that you’ve never heard of, but is always a pleasant surprise. I saw the Roadhammers the other night. Who? Exactly. Bluesfest exposes us to stuff we may never other-wise see. But one of the real success stories at this year’s Bluesfest, has to be, the ‘cupsuckers’ everywhere!!! Everywhere you look, there’s a cupsucker. A cupsucker is a long tube that attachs to every garbage can. You finish a beer, walk over to the cupsucker, slide your empty beer cup into it and bob’s your uncle. The recycle people love it, the grass is free of beer cups, and the people at Bluesfest have a new word that they love to say any chance they get. ‘cupsucker’! How fun is that.
My hairdresser is becoming famous. His name is Joseph and he owns Byblos on Bank Street in the Glebe. I called to make an appointment the other day, only to be told that Joseph was on the ‘set’ of a movie. As it turns out, Joseph is doing Tori Spelling’s hair for the next couple of weeks. If its true that people tell their hairdresser everything, I can’t wait to hear the stories. Tori Spelling must have lots of stuff to talk about.
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Big Fun at Big Sky!!!
I first went to visit the Big Sky Animal Sanctuary in Kemptville this past spring, and I immediately wanted to be involved in a very special fundraiser, called ‘Woofstock’. Big Sky Animal Sanctuary is home to over 170 unwanted and abused animals, from dogs and cats to horses and donkeys. Please join us this Saturday, for a big ol’ field of fun – a fundraiser for the animals – with hay rides, pony rides, laser show, live bands including Austin Fire and The Bushpilots, crafts, games, dog agility shows, live professional wrestlers, truck pulls, food, prizes, and a raffle to win a pair of tickets to Eric Clapton. All this, and of course a chance to romp with all kinds of animals, including ‘Arnold’ the pig (I think he’s seven feet long!) Woofstock!!! Saturday July 8th, 11 am to 7 pm. For directions, click on the link on this website!
I thought of a joke today. Its not often that I think up a joke. But all jokes have to start somewhere. Ok, now that I’ve covered my butt, here goes. Why is World Cup Soccer just like being at a Star Trek convention?
Because no one ever scores.
(you’re groaning, right? I think I can hear groaning….)
I’ve now watched a few soccer, er, ‘football’ World Cup matches, and I have a better understanding of the game. Wow. It has to be the most emotional sport ever. The players seem to weep openly rather often. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that, in fact I find it rather refreshing. I think men should always be in touch with their sensitive side. I think it was Tom Hanks who once said, ‘there’s no crying in baseball’. But there sure is a lot of crying in World Cup soccer.
The 4th of July Coney Island hot dog eating contest results are in. The winner was a 130 pound Japanese fellow who ate 51 hot dogs in 12 minutes. Buns included. How’d you like to be the person who has to drive him home after the contest. I’d make sure he sat in the back seat with all the windows open.
So, the kids are outta school…..and the day camps are starting up! Its incredible how many camps kids have these days. Science camp, horseback camp, tennis camp, wood carving camp, clown camp, X-Box camp, Superhero camp. Ok I made up those last two. There actually is a clown camp. One of our young listeners called in to the radio show last week to tell us that he couldn’t wait for the start of ‘clown camp’. He’s going to learn how to be a clown. Hmm. I wonder if there’s also a ‘mime’ camp. You can bring an imaginary friend but they have to register at the same time that you do.
‘Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest’ opens this weekend and I gotta see it! I absolutely loved the first movie. Johnny Depp has admitted that he modeled his character, captain Jack Sparrow, after both Keith Richards and Pepe le Pew (did I spell that right?) the stinky skunk. The director of Pirates of the Caribbean wanted desperately to nab Keith Richards for the sequel, to play the part of Jack Sparrow’s father. But word is, that Keith couldn’t fit it into his schedule, but HAS promised a cameo for the ‘third’ installment of the Pirates franchise. I’m going to make a prediction: I’ll bet that Keith Richards IS going to be in the 2nd movie opening this Friday, and that right now its Hollywood’s best-kept secret. He’ll appear right at the end of the movie. If I’m wrong, so what. No harm done. I’m used to it.
I’ve seen it once before, but I just saw it again today, and its still amusing. For whatever reason, this sight always makes me chuckle: a ‘Smart Car’, at a red light, with a 24 of beer strapped to the roof. Now that’s Canadian!
I thought of a joke today. Its not often that I think up a joke. But all jokes have to start somewhere. Ok, now that I’ve covered my butt, here goes. Why is World Cup Soccer just like being at a Star Trek convention?
Because no one ever scores.
(you’re groaning, right? I think I can hear groaning….)
I’ve now watched a few soccer, er, ‘football’ World Cup matches, and I have a better understanding of the game. Wow. It has to be the most emotional sport ever. The players seem to weep openly rather often. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that, in fact I find it rather refreshing. I think men should always be in touch with their sensitive side. I think it was Tom Hanks who once said, ‘there’s no crying in baseball’. But there sure is a lot of crying in World Cup soccer.
The 4th of July Coney Island hot dog eating contest results are in. The winner was a 130 pound Japanese fellow who ate 51 hot dogs in 12 minutes. Buns included. How’d you like to be the person who has to drive him home after the contest. I’d make sure he sat in the back seat with all the windows open.
So, the kids are outta school…..and the day camps are starting up! Its incredible how many camps kids have these days. Science camp, horseback camp, tennis camp, wood carving camp, clown camp, X-Box camp, Superhero camp. Ok I made up those last two. There actually is a clown camp. One of our young listeners called in to the radio show last week to tell us that he couldn’t wait for the start of ‘clown camp’. He’s going to learn how to be a clown. Hmm. I wonder if there’s also a ‘mime’ camp. You can bring an imaginary friend but they have to register at the same time that you do.
‘Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest’ opens this weekend and I gotta see it! I absolutely loved the first movie. Johnny Depp has admitted that he modeled his character, captain Jack Sparrow, after both Keith Richards and Pepe le Pew (did I spell that right?) the stinky skunk. The director of Pirates of the Caribbean wanted desperately to nab Keith Richards for the sequel, to play the part of Jack Sparrow’s father. But word is, that Keith couldn’t fit it into his schedule, but HAS promised a cameo for the ‘third’ installment of the Pirates franchise. I’m going to make a prediction: I’ll bet that Keith Richards IS going to be in the 2nd movie opening this Friday, and that right now its Hollywood’s best-kept secret. He’ll appear right at the end of the movie. If I’m wrong, so what. No harm done. I’m used to it.
I’ve seen it once before, but I just saw it again today, and its still amusing. For whatever reason, this sight always makes me chuckle: a ‘Smart Car’, at a red light, with a 24 of beer strapped to the roof. Now that’s Canadian!
Monday, June 26, 2006
Another Snapping Turtle Summer
I’m back from my vacation, which can only be described as a typically Canadian way to spend a week off. Stayed at the cottage, sat on the end of the dock, listened to the loons, took in beautiful sunsets, woke up to raccoons ripping through my garbage, and shook my fist at the jet skis. Aaahhhh….nothing like it.
My mama snapping turtle returned to lay eggs in my lawn once again. Exactly the same spot as last year. How did she know how to find the exact same spot? Last year I watched her lay the eggs, bury them with dirt, then use our stairs to get back to the water. Then I stared at the ground for the next two months hoping to see the baby turtles emerge from the ground. Of course, the one day that I wasn’t watching, they were born and escaped to the lake. This year, I will not spend my summer staring at a patch of dirt. I wish the turtles well, but I have to move on with my life.
Ok maybe I’ll stare at the ground once in a while.
Also while on holiday, I went to Toronto to audition for a new Canadian game show, called ‘Inside the Box’. There were 8 of us scheduled for the 4:15 audition. We were all asked tv trivia questions in rapid-fire fashion, and I did not answer one correctly. All other contestants answered their questions with conviction. I knew some of the answers for other contestants’ questions, but none that were directed at me. Like, ‘name all 3 kids on Home Improvement’. Yikes. Don’t know. ‘What show was a spin-off from Knots Landing’. Yikes. No idea. I got so desperate to answer a question correctly, that I shouted out the answer to someone else’s question. ‘What was the name of the dog on ‘Mad About You’? ‘MURRAY’ I shouted, not caring that it wasn’t my turn. Anyway, lo and behold, all 8 of us were told that we made the cut!!! I guess they didn’t have the heart to tell me that I was the only one being eliminated. Barring unforeseen circumstances, like, they do change their mind about me, I will be heading back to Toronto to shoot an episode of ‘Inside the Box’ for the Tvtropolis network. I hope I get lots of questions about ‘Cheers’ and ‘The Weather Network’.
Canada Day is just a few days away and there’s no better place to celebrate than right here in Ottawa. This year I’m hoping to do the same thing as thousands and thousands of Canadians: walk up and down Wellington Street. I usually try to get a good spot on Parliament Hill, where the big show takes place, but I’m usually too late so I park 20 blocks away then wander up and down Wellington Street with the other wave of people who also arrived too late. Then I buy a bottle of water from a street vendor for six dollars. This year, Colin James is playing the Hill on Canada Day, so it would be a good idea to get there early. And bring your own bottle of water!
My mama snapping turtle returned to lay eggs in my lawn once again. Exactly the same spot as last year. How did she know how to find the exact same spot? Last year I watched her lay the eggs, bury them with dirt, then use our stairs to get back to the water. Then I stared at the ground for the next two months hoping to see the baby turtles emerge from the ground. Of course, the one day that I wasn’t watching, they were born and escaped to the lake. This year, I will not spend my summer staring at a patch of dirt. I wish the turtles well, but I have to move on with my life.
Ok maybe I’ll stare at the ground once in a while.
Also while on holiday, I went to Toronto to audition for a new Canadian game show, called ‘Inside the Box’. There were 8 of us scheduled for the 4:15 audition. We were all asked tv trivia questions in rapid-fire fashion, and I did not answer one correctly. All other contestants answered their questions with conviction. I knew some of the answers for other contestants’ questions, but none that were directed at me. Like, ‘name all 3 kids on Home Improvement’. Yikes. Don’t know. ‘What show was a spin-off from Knots Landing’. Yikes. No idea. I got so desperate to answer a question correctly, that I shouted out the answer to someone else’s question. ‘What was the name of the dog on ‘Mad About You’? ‘MURRAY’ I shouted, not caring that it wasn’t my turn. Anyway, lo and behold, all 8 of us were told that we made the cut!!! I guess they didn’t have the heart to tell me that I was the only one being eliminated. Barring unforeseen circumstances, like, they do change their mind about me, I will be heading back to Toronto to shoot an episode of ‘Inside the Box’ for the Tvtropolis network. I hope I get lots of questions about ‘Cheers’ and ‘The Weather Network’.
Canada Day is just a few days away and there’s no better place to celebrate than right here in Ottawa. This year I’m hoping to do the same thing as thousands and thousands of Canadians: walk up and down Wellington Street. I usually try to get a good spot on Parliament Hill, where the big show takes place, but I’m usually too late so I park 20 blocks away then wander up and down Wellington Street with the other wave of people who also arrived too late. Then I buy a bottle of water from a street vendor for six dollars. This year, Colin James is playing the Hill on Canada Day, so it would be a good idea to get there early. And bring your own bottle of water!
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Last of the Big Black Dial Phones
I’m looking forward to this weekend, not only for Saturday’s ‘Pressure Washer Trials’ at the Canadian Tire Bells Corners, but also, it’s the return of the Ottawa air show at the Carp Airport! Don’t you just get a chill down your spine (in a good way) when the ‘Snowbirds’ fly overhead? A few years ago, I was lucky enough to go for a spin in a Snowbird. There were 6 of us ‘media types’ who met at the airport….5 men, and me. We had a pre-flight briefing with instruction that highly emphasized ‘how to use the eject button’. The second biggest piece of info was where to find the ‘barf bag’. When I got into the Snowbird with my pilot, I was instantly at ease because the pilot had a great personality and a wicked sense of humour. He asked me what my ‘comfort level’ was, and I asked him to do anything and everything. We spun upside down, sideways, did a couple of nose-dives, it was incredible. And for the grand finale, with a media member tucked into each Snowbird jet, we flew in formation down the Gatineau River. It was so cool to see people running out of their houses and cottages to catch a glimpse of what has to be one of Canada’s finest symbols. When we got back to terra firma, I was so exhilarated I wanted to do it all over again. I heard later that, yes, out of the six of us, 4 members of Ottawa’s astute media community did need to use the little brown bag. For info about this year’s show, check out www.airshowottawa.com
Have you been watching ‘the World Cup’? I have honestly tried to watch the game of soccer. I can’t seem to get past the size of the playing field, it seems to be about a half mile long. I get tired just watching those guys run around like that. I do like the fashions though. The other day, I was at Winners, looking for some shirts for my husband to wear to work. They had these slick Nike soccer shirts, and the official shirt for Brazil caught my eye. From the other side of the store. I think it was made of Lycra and it was such a bright neon color, I’m sure it glowed in the dark. But it was so cool, I thought I’d buy it. Then I spotted a big ceramic garden frog. In the cart it went, followed by a giant bottle of Jim Beam’s barbeque sauce. That’s what I love about Winners. IN my shopping cart, I had a neon soccer shirt, a garden frog and a bottle of barbeque sauce. None of which my husband could wear to work.
Expensive concert ticket season has once again officially kicked in. Last week, I got a pair of tickets for the Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young concert coming to Scotiabank Place July 8th. Price for the pair: $450. Yikes. Can’t wait for the show, mostly because rumour has it that Neil Young will be doing a lot of his solo stuff. I love Neil Young. IF you’re a Neil fan too, you want to pick up the DVD that just came out, called ‘A Prairie Wind’. This is a stunning concert film directed by Jonathon Demme, with footage from two consecutive nights of shows at a tiny Nashville auditorium.
I give it more than two thumbs up. 10 stars out of five.
Congratulations to Chris Labelle of Ottawa, who impressed the Canadian Idol judges to make it to the Toronto round of the audition process. Chris works at Lieutenants Pump on Elgin Street. Next time you go in for a Guinness and some fish and chips, ask Chris to sing you a tune.
Uh oh. 10 digit dialing is here. We need to start including an area code everytime we call someone across the street. There’s a big marketing campaign to get us all used to the idea. TEN DIGIT DIALING!! But, when you think about it, when was the last time you ‘dialed’ a phone number?
I’m the only one I know who actually has a phone that has a dial. It came with our house when we bought it. It hangs in the laundry room. Works great, until I get an automated operator asking me to ‘press one’. I can’t press, I can only dial. Other than my phone, who actually owns a ‘dial’ phone. But they still call it ‘ten digit DIALING’. It does start to make more sense once you consider the alternatives. ‘Ten digit pressing’ or ‘ten digit pounding’ just doesn’t have the same ring to it.
Have you been watching ‘the World Cup’? I have honestly tried to watch the game of soccer. I can’t seem to get past the size of the playing field, it seems to be about a half mile long. I get tired just watching those guys run around like that. I do like the fashions though. The other day, I was at Winners, looking for some shirts for my husband to wear to work. They had these slick Nike soccer shirts, and the official shirt for Brazil caught my eye. From the other side of the store. I think it was made of Lycra and it was such a bright neon color, I’m sure it glowed in the dark. But it was so cool, I thought I’d buy it. Then I spotted a big ceramic garden frog. In the cart it went, followed by a giant bottle of Jim Beam’s barbeque sauce. That’s what I love about Winners. IN my shopping cart, I had a neon soccer shirt, a garden frog and a bottle of barbeque sauce. None of which my husband could wear to work.
Expensive concert ticket season has once again officially kicked in. Last week, I got a pair of tickets for the Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young concert coming to Scotiabank Place July 8th. Price for the pair: $450. Yikes. Can’t wait for the show, mostly because rumour has it that Neil Young will be doing a lot of his solo stuff. I love Neil Young. IF you’re a Neil fan too, you want to pick up the DVD that just came out, called ‘A Prairie Wind’. This is a stunning concert film directed by Jonathon Demme, with footage from two consecutive nights of shows at a tiny Nashville auditorium.
I give it more than two thumbs up. 10 stars out of five.
Congratulations to Chris Labelle of Ottawa, who impressed the Canadian Idol judges to make it to the Toronto round of the audition process. Chris works at Lieutenants Pump on Elgin Street. Next time you go in for a Guinness and some fish and chips, ask Chris to sing you a tune.
Uh oh. 10 digit dialing is here. We need to start including an area code everytime we call someone across the street. There’s a big marketing campaign to get us all used to the idea. TEN DIGIT DIALING!! But, when you think about it, when was the last time you ‘dialed’ a phone number?
I’m the only one I know who actually has a phone that has a dial. It came with our house when we bought it. It hangs in the laundry room. Works great, until I get an automated operator asking me to ‘press one’. I can’t press, I can only dial. Other than my phone, who actually owns a ‘dial’ phone. But they still call it ‘ten digit DIALING’. It does start to make more sense once you consider the alternatives. ‘Ten digit pressing’ or ‘ten digit pounding’ just doesn’t have the same ring to it.
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Golfing Gave me Poison Ivy
The Humane Society Golf Tournament is on Thursday, June 15th at Pakenham Highlands, details as always on our ‘pet friendly’ section of this website. I thoroughly enjoy my role each year at this tournament, which is, showing up around 6 pm to give away the prizes. I know that golf is a very popular thing, but I have never figured it out. I did spend one summer desperately trying to play the game. I was part of a foursome once playing at an Ottawa valley golf course, I can’t quite recall the name. I tee’d off and my ball curved left and hit a cow in the butt. The cow was just on the other side of a fence and I clearly saw my golf ball bounce off her back-side. I ran over to see if the cow was ok, and she was munching down on some golf course flowers so I guess she was fine.
Being a novice at the game of golf, I wasn’t aware that there are porta-potties along the course. One time, somewhere between the 11th and 12th hole, I excused myself and disappeared into the bushes. My little washroom in the woods turned out to be a giant patch of poison ivy. I couldn’t sit down for days. A friend told me to put vinegar on my rash. God knows why I believed him. Fyi…NEVER put vinegar on a poison ivy rash. Besides, you end up smelling like a chip truck.
I absolutely love this time of year. Because for a few short weeks, at this time of year, there is actually some ‘light’ in the sky when I drive to work in the morning. Its so cool to head out to work, around 4:20 am, and actually see stuff in my neighbourhood. Like this morning, when I noticed that the guy up the road still has Santa Claus waving from his roof.
One of my favourite shows, ‘The Sopranos’ is over for another season and we have to wait and wait and wait for the next one, which is supposed to be the grand finale for the series. I enjoyed the Sopranos this season, but it did come dangerously close to ‘jumping the shark’. That episode where Christopher mugs actress Lauren Bacall for her ‘awards swag bag’ was a bit over-the-top. And…one more small complaint. The season finale. It had a Christmas setting, everyone sitting around the Christmas tree, gifts, turkey, the whole deal. This is June. Why is the Sopranos having their ‘very special Christmas’ episode in June? Oh well, on to the summer reality shows!!!! When does ‘Dancing with the Stars’ return?
Nice to see that rocker Joan Jett is back on the road!! I saw some reviews of her shows in New York City, and she’s playing better than ever. One of the show highlights? Believe it or not, Joan Jett is playing a searing live version of the theme from the Mary Tyler Moore Show. You know the one…’who can turn the world on with her smile…….’That’s worth the price of admission . I wonder if Joan Jett also throws her hat in the air.
Being a novice at the game of golf, I wasn’t aware that there are porta-potties along the course. One time, somewhere between the 11th and 12th hole, I excused myself and disappeared into the bushes. My little washroom in the woods turned out to be a giant patch of poison ivy. I couldn’t sit down for days. A friend told me to put vinegar on my rash. God knows why I believed him. Fyi…NEVER put vinegar on a poison ivy rash. Besides, you end up smelling like a chip truck.
I absolutely love this time of year. Because for a few short weeks, at this time of year, there is actually some ‘light’ in the sky when I drive to work in the morning. Its so cool to head out to work, around 4:20 am, and actually see stuff in my neighbourhood. Like this morning, when I noticed that the guy up the road still has Santa Claus waving from his roof.
One of my favourite shows, ‘The Sopranos’ is over for another season and we have to wait and wait and wait for the next one, which is supposed to be the grand finale for the series. I enjoyed the Sopranos this season, but it did come dangerously close to ‘jumping the shark’. That episode where Christopher mugs actress Lauren Bacall for her ‘awards swag bag’ was a bit over-the-top. And…one more small complaint. The season finale. It had a Christmas setting, everyone sitting around the Christmas tree, gifts, turkey, the whole deal. This is June. Why is the Sopranos having their ‘very special Christmas’ episode in June? Oh well, on to the summer reality shows!!!! When does ‘Dancing with the Stars’ return?
Nice to see that rocker Joan Jett is back on the road!! I saw some reviews of her shows in New York City, and she’s playing better than ever. One of the show highlights? Believe it or not, Joan Jett is playing a searing live version of the theme from the Mary Tyler Moore Show. You know the one…’who can turn the world on with her smile…….’That’s worth the price of admission . I wonder if Joan Jett also throws her hat in the air.
Thursday, June 01, 2006
let the games begin
The city is a-buzz. Since receiving word that the International Pressure Washer Games will be held right in here in Ottawa, there has been a lot of activity in laneways, driveways, pathways, on decks and on patios. Pressure washers are being poked, prepped and even pimped in honour of the big day: the Pressure Washer Trials, on Saturday June 17th at the Canadian Tire parking lot in Bells Corners. The motto for the Games: Outwet. Outblast. Outspray. This is your chance to show off your prowess with the pressure washer. Enter on this website. You could win a $750 Canadian Tire gift card, a new pressure washer, and of course, the opportunity to represent the nation’s capital when the world comes to play. Catch phrase of the games: ‘how much PSI you got’?
Keep those pet photos coming! If you click on our pet friendly site on this website, you’ll see photo after photo of beloved pets sent in by listeners. Dogs, cats, there’s a couple of parrots, my frog Tony, and Stewie the hedgehog. I was chatting with Kevin, the owner of Stewie the hedgehog, and I learned that hedgehogs are nocturnal and really like to play all night long. They can go for miles and miles and miles on one hamster wheel in one night. It may be tempting to pet a hedgehog, but its not a good idea. Their backs are covered in sharp pricks. Sheesh. A hedgehog would never know the pleasure of a good massage.
I’ve been walking around these days trying to hide my finger-nails as much as possible. Not only am I a nail biter, I’m also a gardener who refuses to wear gardening gloves. In the shower I do everything I can with a bar of soap, yet my finger tips still look like I just had a mud bath. I once went for a manicure, it was the only time I ever considered a manicure, and the manicurist told me that I didn’t have enough to work with. She wondered if I would like some press-on plastic nails. Not a bad idea. I wonder if they have nails that I can affix with velcro so I can take them off before I stick my hands in the dirt to yank out weeds. They should have those.
We had some fun with our ‘Morning After Spelling Bee’ . Now that spelling bees have hit prime time tv, we thought we’d jump on that band-wagon. We tried to give away fabulous prizes (velour beach towels) for correctly spelling three words, but it was much harder than we anntisipated.
Its asparagus season!! Yay! I love asparagus. I love buying it from our local farmers here in the byward market. But speaking of asparagus, the weirdest thing happened. Right smack dab in the middle of one of my flower beds, are two spears of asparagus growing out of the ground. Using deductive reasoning, I figure that the raccoon that feasted on my garbage last year dragged some leftover asparagus into my flower garden, but couldn’t finish it because he was also dining on chicken bones at the time, so the asparagus went into the ground and sprang up one year later! Thanks to the raccoon, I have fresh local asparagus for dinner tonight.
Ain’t life grand?!
Keep those pet photos coming! If you click on our pet friendly site on this website, you’ll see photo after photo of beloved pets sent in by listeners. Dogs, cats, there’s a couple of parrots, my frog Tony, and Stewie the hedgehog. I was chatting with Kevin, the owner of Stewie the hedgehog, and I learned that hedgehogs are nocturnal and really like to play all night long. They can go for miles and miles and miles on one hamster wheel in one night. It may be tempting to pet a hedgehog, but its not a good idea. Their backs are covered in sharp pricks. Sheesh. A hedgehog would never know the pleasure of a good massage.
I’ve been walking around these days trying to hide my finger-nails as much as possible. Not only am I a nail biter, I’m also a gardener who refuses to wear gardening gloves. In the shower I do everything I can with a bar of soap, yet my finger tips still look like I just had a mud bath. I once went for a manicure, it was the only time I ever considered a manicure, and the manicurist told me that I didn’t have enough to work with. She wondered if I would like some press-on plastic nails. Not a bad idea. I wonder if they have nails that I can affix with velcro so I can take them off before I stick my hands in the dirt to yank out weeds. They should have those.
We had some fun with our ‘Morning After Spelling Bee’ . Now that spelling bees have hit prime time tv, we thought we’d jump on that band-wagon. We tried to give away fabulous prizes (velour beach towels) for correctly spelling three words, but it was much harder than we anntisipated.
Its asparagus season!! Yay! I love asparagus. I love buying it from our local farmers here in the byward market. But speaking of asparagus, the weirdest thing happened. Right smack dab in the middle of one of my flower beds, are two spears of asparagus growing out of the ground. Using deductive reasoning, I figure that the raccoon that feasted on my garbage last year dragged some leftover asparagus into my flower garden, but couldn’t finish it because he was also dining on chicken bones at the time, so the asparagus went into the ground and sprang up one year later! Thanks to the raccoon, I have fresh local asparagus for dinner tonight.
Ain’t life grand?!
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Steve Gregory, Mike Fisher, and a boat
Somehow we just got through what had to be one of the worst May long weekends in the history of man-kind…weather-wise, of course. We had 11 days of rain in a row. Its hard to think positive when its day 11 of steady rain, but here are a few advantages to the soggy weather: no mosquitoes. Mosquitoes like to eat us when the sky is clear. We’ve all saved about ten bucks because we haven’t had to buy a bottle of suntan lotion. And because of the rain, no one has had to paint a fence or a house. That’s it. That’s my list of advantages to 11 days of rain. Yep.
I accidentally discovered something on the weekend that I’d like to pass along to any woman who has trouble getting her husband/boyfriend to cook. On the Food Network, there’s a show called ‘Ready to Grill’. My husband has never seen a show on the Food Network, mostly because, well, its all about cooking. It was actually quite calculated, but I pretended to ‘stumble’ on the show ‘Ready to Grill’ while Rob and I were channel surfing (yep, it was raining outside!) . Well, will wonders never cease. ‘Ready to Grill’ is hosted by this awesome macho guy who grills stuff outside, makes these amazing marinades, always has wine handy, and he has a BACKYARD FRIDGE!!! By the end of the show, my husband had a pad and paper out, and was designing our new backyard kitchen, complete with big kahuna bbq AND backyard fridge!!! So, ladies….its worth a try. See what happens when your husband watches ‘Ready to Grill’. Let me know if it works for you. I wonder if there’s a show called ‘I Want My Wife to Have a Whole New Wardrobe’.
This Saturday night, singer-songwriter (and piano player extraordinaire) Allison Crowe is appearing at a fundraiser for Vision Theatre and Canines With a Cause. (all the info is on this website, just click on the ‘pet friendly’ section) There’s a pre-show reception, followed by Allison Crowe in concert and some great prizes – all for just $20 advance, $25 at the door. You’ll get all the info about the launch of Vision Theatre’s new season, and all funds raised will support Canines with a Cause, a wonderful organization that provides assistance dogs to those in need. I’m happy to MC this wonderful event, this Saturday night at Arts Court, on Daly Avenue!! www.visiontheatre.ca/www.canineswithacause.org
Thank you very much to Bob FM’s very own Steve Gregory, who ran into Ottawa Senators’ very own Mike Fisher at George’s Marine. Not only did Steve send me an ‘audio hello’ from big ‘number 12’ himself, I was just handed a Bayliner boat brochure, signed by none other than Mike Fisher. Not only did I get the incredible joy of having a boat brochure signed by Mike Fisher, I think I’m in love with the Bayliner 175 Runabout with the stereo and extra storage space. Thanks Steve.
I accidentally discovered something on the weekend that I’d like to pass along to any woman who has trouble getting her husband/boyfriend to cook. On the Food Network, there’s a show called ‘Ready to Grill’. My husband has never seen a show on the Food Network, mostly because, well, its all about cooking. It was actually quite calculated, but I pretended to ‘stumble’ on the show ‘Ready to Grill’ while Rob and I were channel surfing (yep, it was raining outside!) . Well, will wonders never cease. ‘Ready to Grill’ is hosted by this awesome macho guy who grills stuff outside, makes these amazing marinades, always has wine handy, and he has a BACKYARD FRIDGE!!! By the end of the show, my husband had a pad and paper out, and was designing our new backyard kitchen, complete with big kahuna bbq AND backyard fridge!!! So, ladies….its worth a try. See what happens when your husband watches ‘Ready to Grill’. Let me know if it works for you. I wonder if there’s a show called ‘I Want My Wife to Have a Whole New Wardrobe’.
This Saturday night, singer-songwriter (and piano player extraordinaire) Allison Crowe is appearing at a fundraiser for Vision Theatre and Canines With a Cause. (all the info is on this website, just click on the ‘pet friendly’ section) There’s a pre-show reception, followed by Allison Crowe in concert and some great prizes – all for just $20 advance, $25 at the door. You’ll get all the info about the launch of Vision Theatre’s new season, and all funds raised will support Canines with a Cause, a wonderful organization that provides assistance dogs to those in need. I’m happy to MC this wonderful event, this Saturday night at Arts Court, on Daly Avenue!! www.visiontheatre.ca/www.canineswithacause.org
Thank you very much to Bob FM’s very own Steve Gregory, who ran into Ottawa Senators’ very own Mike Fisher at George’s Marine. Not only did Steve send me an ‘audio hello’ from big ‘number 12’ himself, I was just handed a Bayliner boat brochure, signed by none other than Mike Fisher. Not only did I get the incredible joy of having a boat brochure signed by Mike Fisher, I think I’m in love with the Bayliner 175 Runabout with the stereo and extra storage space. Thanks Steve.
Sunday, May 14, 2006
I have a frog named Tony
I wore my lucky shirt, and my lucky socks, and I had my lucky rock in my pocket but the Senators were still eliminated. Thank you to the Ottawa Senators for another entertaining year!
Speaking of entertaining, I really enjoyed the INXS show at Scotiabank Place Friday night. I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. I knew the band would be good, being such seasoned pro’s, but I wasn’t sure if the JD Fortune experiment would actually gel. I thought JD Fortune was quite a captivating front man….despite one rookie error. At one point, J.D. actually pleaded with the women in the front to take off their tops. This went over like a lead balloon. I don’t think today’s INXS audience is filled with women who climb on their boyfriend’s shoulders and lift up their shirts. Maybe they did that 20 years ago. But it was a great show, and JD has an amazing voice. And pretty cool when you think about this: here he is, playing for thousands of people, and approximately one year ago he was living under a bridge with his dog. Don’t you just love stories with happy endings!
I met Sabiha Casey recently, the woman who makes my favourite hot sauces in the whole world. Actually, Sabiha and her husband Paul make them, from their home in Dunrobin. They’re called ‘Cooksville’ hot sauces, and they have amazing flavours like ‘Death Valley Inferno’, and ‘Hawaiian Heat’. Add a few drops to a boring burger and suddenly it’s a party in your mouth and everyone’s invited. Check out the website, www.cooksvillehotsauce.com. Fantastic stuff!!!!
I’ve always been a big Neil Young fan, and my husband and I immediately rush out and buy every CD he ever puts out, including the newest, ‘Living With War’. Wow, is Neil ever steamed. And when Neil is steamed, it translates into some passionate and powerful music. This is a protest album about the war in Iraq and no matter where you stand on this issue…..you sure have to admit…that Neil Young doesn’t ‘beat around the bush’. No pun intended. Some songwriters create sonic imagery and leave the interpretation up to the listener. On Neil’s album, ‘Living With War’, there’s a song called ‘Lets Impeach the President’. Tell us how you really feel, Neil.
I have a pet frog. I don’t keep him in the house of course, he’s just chosen to live in my yard, therefore I now consider him one of my pets. I have one of those oak rainbarrels that’s filled with water with a spout that pours continuously, and a frog has moved in. He sits on the ledge of the barrel watching me in the garden, or sometimes he just swims around in the barrel . His name is Tony. I have lots of pictures of him which I will send to Andy, our Bob FM webmaster, to see if he will post Tony on our pet-friendly site. We love pictures of pets on our pet friendly site, so send those shots in!!! Right now there are lots of dogs and cats, some birds and a hedge-hog. And, coming soon, my frog named Tony.
Speaking of entertaining, I really enjoyed the INXS show at Scotiabank Place Friday night. I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. I knew the band would be good, being such seasoned pro’s, but I wasn’t sure if the JD Fortune experiment would actually gel. I thought JD Fortune was quite a captivating front man….despite one rookie error. At one point, J.D. actually pleaded with the women in the front to take off their tops. This went over like a lead balloon. I don’t think today’s INXS audience is filled with women who climb on their boyfriend’s shoulders and lift up their shirts. Maybe they did that 20 years ago. But it was a great show, and JD has an amazing voice. And pretty cool when you think about this: here he is, playing for thousands of people, and approximately one year ago he was living under a bridge with his dog. Don’t you just love stories with happy endings!
I met Sabiha Casey recently, the woman who makes my favourite hot sauces in the whole world. Actually, Sabiha and her husband Paul make them, from their home in Dunrobin. They’re called ‘Cooksville’ hot sauces, and they have amazing flavours like ‘Death Valley Inferno’, and ‘Hawaiian Heat’. Add a few drops to a boring burger and suddenly it’s a party in your mouth and everyone’s invited. Check out the website, www.cooksvillehotsauce.com. Fantastic stuff!!!!
I’ve always been a big Neil Young fan, and my husband and I immediately rush out and buy every CD he ever puts out, including the newest, ‘Living With War’. Wow, is Neil ever steamed. And when Neil is steamed, it translates into some passionate and powerful music. This is a protest album about the war in Iraq and no matter where you stand on this issue…..you sure have to admit…that Neil Young doesn’t ‘beat around the bush’. No pun intended. Some songwriters create sonic imagery and leave the interpretation up to the listener. On Neil’s album, ‘Living With War’, there’s a song called ‘Lets Impeach the President’. Tell us how you really feel, Neil.
I have a pet frog. I don’t keep him in the house of course, he’s just chosen to live in my yard, therefore I now consider him one of my pets. I have one of those oak rainbarrels that’s filled with water with a spout that pours continuously, and a frog has moved in. He sits on the ledge of the barrel watching me in the garden, or sometimes he just swims around in the barrel . His name is Tony. I have lots of pictures of him which I will send to Andy, our Bob FM webmaster, to see if he will post Tony on our pet-friendly site. We love pictures of pets on our pet friendly site, so send those shots in!!! Right now there are lots of dogs and cats, some birds and a hedge-hog. And, coming soon, my frog named Tony.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Flower Power and Screw Caps
Its not everyday that you see a pirate ship. I was driving along the canal yesterday when I spotted it, sailing down the canal in the area of the Pretoria Bridge. I didn’t get a good look at any of the pirates, I guess they were ‘down below’ counting loot or whatever it is pirates do. Anyway, word is that the pirate ship is now docked at Dows Lake. No doubt it chose that spot because its close to the ‘aaaarrrrboretum’.
Thank you, I’m here all week.
I love the Tulip Festival! There’s a lot of stuff tied into the tulip festival….food, entertainment…artwork…all that’s great but my favourite thing about the Tulip Festival is….the tulips!! I’m a flower-a-holic and I love being around flowers. So, with the return of the Tulip Festival, comes one of my favourite hobbies: seeing how many tourist photos I can get into. I don’t do it on purpose, but just before someone snaps a photo of his or her family in front of a big beautiful tulip bed, I seem to have a knack for choosing that exact second to wander around in the background. Thank goodness for digital photography, because I think if people ‘crop’ their photos they can cut me out.
The Tulip Festival, Ottawa Senators play-offs, wow!!! What a great time to be an Ottawan. I’m sure our good mayor Bob Chiarelli is somewhat relieved that the Senators eliminated the Tampa Bay Lightning. On the ‘morning after’ on BOB FM, Mayor Chiarelli publicly announced, that should the Senators lose the series to Tampa Bay, he would sit atop one of those “Le Bifteque’ bulls on Pinecrest Road, wearing only a speedo and some chaps. Wonder what he’ll agree to for the Buffalo series?! Would the good mayor sit atop a stack of buffalo wings wearing only a speedo and some chaps?
I still have a huge vole problem. Not only have voles destroyed my lawn, they are now into my flower gardens!!! I finally discovered that help is just a phone call away. ‘The Ottawa Carleton Master Gardeners Hot-Line’ will have the answers I’m looking for. Problem is, the Ottawa Carleton Master Gardeners only answer their phone between 1 pm and 3 pm on Wednesdays. I think about calling the Master Gardeners all the time. Sometimes at 9 am, or noon, or 5. I need to talk to a master gardener. But I just never think about it between 1 and 3 pm on Wednesdays. Why can’t they answer the phone between 9 and noon on Mondays? Or between 3 and 6 on Tuesdays? Why do I have to be a slave to their schedule? The Ottawa Carleton Master Gardeners. Don’t even think about calling them unless its between 1 and 3 on a Wednesday. Oh, and, don’t try leaving a message because they won’t let you. This I know as a fact. But if I could leave a message, I would tell the Ottawa Carleton Master Gardeners to call me back between 2 and 2:15 on the last Friday of the month. That would show them.
How long does a previously opened bottle of red wine last? I opened a bottle two weeks ago and just had one small glass. I don’t know much about red wine, except that I should stop keeping it in the fridge. I must admit, I’m still not crazy about the fact that even really really good wine-makers are now using screw caps instead of corks. I understand its because there is a shortage of cork around the world. But, when you know nothing about wine, like I do, the only way I was ever able to determine whether or not a wine was decent, was by one simple factor: a cap meant it was cheap wine, a cork meant it was a better wine. Now how am I supposed to know the difference, if all wines start using screw caps? Can’t they plant more cork trees? Actually, here’s an idea: you know those wedgie shoes that were in style in the 70’s, and now they’re back in style, and they make you 6 feet tall, because your wedgie shoes are made of 6 inches of cork? How about we all toss our wedgie cork shoes together so we can have enough cork so that people who don’t know anything about wine can still determine whether or not a wine is any good because it has a cork?! Someone should run with this idea. I can help whenever I can, but not between 1 and 3 on Wednesdays.
Thank you, I’m here all week.
I love the Tulip Festival! There’s a lot of stuff tied into the tulip festival….food, entertainment…artwork…all that’s great but my favourite thing about the Tulip Festival is….the tulips!! I’m a flower-a-holic and I love being around flowers. So, with the return of the Tulip Festival, comes one of my favourite hobbies: seeing how many tourist photos I can get into. I don’t do it on purpose, but just before someone snaps a photo of his or her family in front of a big beautiful tulip bed, I seem to have a knack for choosing that exact second to wander around in the background. Thank goodness for digital photography, because I think if people ‘crop’ their photos they can cut me out.
The Tulip Festival, Ottawa Senators play-offs, wow!!! What a great time to be an Ottawan. I’m sure our good mayor Bob Chiarelli is somewhat relieved that the Senators eliminated the Tampa Bay Lightning. On the ‘morning after’ on BOB FM, Mayor Chiarelli publicly announced, that should the Senators lose the series to Tampa Bay, he would sit atop one of those “Le Bifteque’ bulls on Pinecrest Road, wearing only a speedo and some chaps. Wonder what he’ll agree to for the Buffalo series?! Would the good mayor sit atop a stack of buffalo wings wearing only a speedo and some chaps?
I still have a huge vole problem. Not only have voles destroyed my lawn, they are now into my flower gardens!!! I finally discovered that help is just a phone call away. ‘The Ottawa Carleton Master Gardeners Hot-Line’ will have the answers I’m looking for. Problem is, the Ottawa Carleton Master Gardeners only answer their phone between 1 pm and 3 pm on Wednesdays. I think about calling the Master Gardeners all the time. Sometimes at 9 am, or noon, or 5. I need to talk to a master gardener. But I just never think about it between 1 and 3 pm on Wednesdays. Why can’t they answer the phone between 9 and noon on Mondays? Or between 3 and 6 on Tuesdays? Why do I have to be a slave to their schedule? The Ottawa Carleton Master Gardeners. Don’t even think about calling them unless its between 1 and 3 on a Wednesday. Oh, and, don’t try leaving a message because they won’t let you. This I know as a fact. But if I could leave a message, I would tell the Ottawa Carleton Master Gardeners to call me back between 2 and 2:15 on the last Friday of the month. That would show them.
How long does a previously opened bottle of red wine last? I opened a bottle two weeks ago and just had one small glass. I don’t know much about red wine, except that I should stop keeping it in the fridge. I must admit, I’m still not crazy about the fact that even really really good wine-makers are now using screw caps instead of corks. I understand its because there is a shortage of cork around the world. But, when you know nothing about wine, like I do, the only way I was ever able to determine whether or not a wine was decent, was by one simple factor: a cap meant it was cheap wine, a cork meant it was a better wine. Now how am I supposed to know the difference, if all wines start using screw caps? Can’t they plant more cork trees? Actually, here’s an idea: you know those wedgie shoes that were in style in the 70’s, and now they’re back in style, and they make you 6 feet tall, because your wedgie shoes are made of 6 inches of cork? How about we all toss our wedgie cork shoes together so we can have enough cork so that people who don’t know anything about wine can still determine whether or not a wine is any good because it has a cork?! Someone should run with this idea. I can help whenever I can, but not between 1 and 3 on Wednesdays.
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
The Easy Startler
I saw my first toad of the season. While I was on my hands and knees cleaning out my garden, he hopped about an inch from my face. I screamed so loudly that I couldn’t speak for an hour. I am not afraid of toads or frogs or any critters for that matter, but I do tend to startle easily.
As a matter of fact, if the Seinfeld show was still on, I would probably write to the show and ask that they create a character called ‘the easily startled woman’. You know the type, constantly jumping or shrieking at the smallest thing. That’s me. I do that. I probably let out a gasp or a shriek or a scream at least three or four times a week. I could be in an office with 4 or 5 other people, everyone chatting, etc., and I happen to be doing something on the computer, and someone taps me on the shoulder and I let out a blood curdling scream. When my poor husband comes home from work, the first thing he is likely to hear is my startled shriek. The other day he proudly told me that he now had a Senators flag affixed to the window of his car. The next morning, when I went to get into my car and drive to work, I mis-took my husband’s Senators flag for a man. A man, who, for whatever reason, at 4:30 in the morning, was affixed to my husband’s car window. I think my scream woke up everyone within a two mile radius. I have no idea why I’m like this. I’m not really afraid of anything, just easily startled. Oh, wait a minute. I am afraid of clowns. But that’s about it.
Now that I get the Animal Planet TV channel, once I get past all the human-shows-that-maybe-have-an-animal-in-them, what I love the best are all the animal programs filmed in Africa. I am now utterly determined to one day go on an African safari. It must be absolutely amazing seeing lions and elephants and zebras in the wild! If you’re reading this and you went on an African safari , please let me know how it was, and if you would recommend the place you went. I have been doing a bit of research and so far all I’ve found are African safari tours that are about $1000 U.S. a night. Is that what they all cost? Sheeeshh!!! Its probably not a good idea to do a ‘discount’ African safari, but maybe something in the middle? I guess a cheap African safari would involve sightings of grassland poodles.
My American Idol prediction: Elliott is going to win. I thought Elliott had the best voice of anyone on the show right from the start, but I admit that I was a bit hesitant about him. The reason being, the judges all seem to emphasize the ‘whole package’. The looks , the personality, the ‘it’ factor, as well as the singing voice. At first I wasn’t sure that Elliott had all that, but now I really think he is going to win. Besides, why would I care what the American Idol judges are saying. Everyone on that set is so busy arguing with each other, American Idol has become like a night at the Bickersons.
Go Sens Go!!!! Didn’t you get quite a chuckle out of the family that was chastised for ringing their cowbells at one of the Sens-Lightning play-off games at Scotiabank Place? They were actually told by a security guard to stop clanging their bells. They were making too much noise!! Ha! The Senators organization did the right thing, and when they were apprised of the situation, they gave the cowbell-toting family some free tickets to the next game. I would love to take my big iron dinner triangle to the next game…you know the ones….ranchers use them to call people in for dinner! Don’t think there’s anything louder than one of those. I don’t know if they still sell them, but I bought my big iron dinner triangle at Lee Valley Tools. Just an idea for the next home game.
As a matter of fact, if the Seinfeld show was still on, I would probably write to the show and ask that they create a character called ‘the easily startled woman’. You know the type, constantly jumping or shrieking at the smallest thing. That’s me. I do that. I probably let out a gasp or a shriek or a scream at least three or four times a week. I could be in an office with 4 or 5 other people, everyone chatting, etc., and I happen to be doing something on the computer, and someone taps me on the shoulder and I let out a blood curdling scream. When my poor husband comes home from work, the first thing he is likely to hear is my startled shriek. The other day he proudly told me that he now had a Senators flag affixed to the window of his car. The next morning, when I went to get into my car and drive to work, I mis-took my husband’s Senators flag for a man. A man, who, for whatever reason, at 4:30 in the morning, was affixed to my husband’s car window. I think my scream woke up everyone within a two mile radius. I have no idea why I’m like this. I’m not really afraid of anything, just easily startled. Oh, wait a minute. I am afraid of clowns. But that’s about it.
Now that I get the Animal Planet TV channel, once I get past all the human-shows-that-maybe-have-an-animal-in-them, what I love the best are all the animal programs filmed in Africa. I am now utterly determined to one day go on an African safari. It must be absolutely amazing seeing lions and elephants and zebras in the wild! If you’re reading this and you went on an African safari , please let me know how it was, and if you would recommend the place you went. I have been doing a bit of research and so far all I’ve found are African safari tours that are about $1000 U.S. a night. Is that what they all cost? Sheeeshh!!! Its probably not a good idea to do a ‘discount’ African safari, but maybe something in the middle? I guess a cheap African safari would involve sightings of grassland poodles.
My American Idol prediction: Elliott is going to win. I thought Elliott had the best voice of anyone on the show right from the start, but I admit that I was a bit hesitant about him. The reason being, the judges all seem to emphasize the ‘whole package’. The looks , the personality, the ‘it’ factor, as well as the singing voice. At first I wasn’t sure that Elliott had all that, but now I really think he is going to win. Besides, why would I care what the American Idol judges are saying. Everyone on that set is so busy arguing with each other, American Idol has become like a night at the Bickersons.
Go Sens Go!!!! Didn’t you get quite a chuckle out of the family that was chastised for ringing their cowbells at one of the Sens-Lightning play-off games at Scotiabank Place? They were actually told by a security guard to stop clanging their bells. They were making too much noise!! Ha! The Senators organization did the right thing, and when they were apprised of the situation, they gave the cowbell-toting family some free tickets to the next game. I would love to take my big iron dinner triangle to the next game…you know the ones….ranchers use them to call people in for dinner! Don’t think there’s anything louder than one of those. I don’t know if they still sell them, but I bought my big iron dinner triangle at Lee Valley Tools. Just an idea for the next home game.
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
My Dog Loves Watching 'Deal or No Deal'!
Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes had their baby. A girl. Now I can get on with my life.
Actually, no….I can’t move completely on…. Brad and Angelina have yet to bring their child into the world. In order to get away from the paparazzi, Brangelina has holed up in a remote African resort, where they will have their baby. The couple chose this spot so they will be protected by lions, cheetahs, elephants, charging rhinos, and angry ground squirrels. I guess they don’t have an alarm system back home.
Every time I tell someone that my dog Hudson loves to watch tv, I usually get a strange look. But since this is in writing, I will just have to envision the strange look from anyone reading this. Unless, of course, your dog watches tv too. Then you know what its like to be on the receiving end of a strange glare. My dog Hudson especially likes any tv shows that feature Shania Twain. But lately, Hudson has really become quite fond of ‘Deal Or No Deal’. We enjoy sitting together on the couch watching this game show, and when the studio audience shouts ‘NO DEAL!! NO DEAL!!, Hudson’s ears always really perk up for some reason. The only thing I can figure, is that Hudson thinks these people are shouting ‘NO HEEL’!! NO HEEL!!! Which, of course, is a dog’s dream come true.
Unless it pours rain this weekend, I plan to make a visit to the ‘Big Sky Animal Sanctuary’ near Kemptville. Owner Andy Parent takes in unwanted animals and currently has over 170 in his care, from dogs to horses and goats. I’ve mentioned this before, but its worth repeating, its never too early to write something down on your calendar. July 8th, Big Sky Animal Sanctuary, the first ever ‘WOOFSTOCK”, hosted by yours truly. This is going to be a huge ‘Woodstock’’ themed fundraiser out on the farm and a great day for the whole family. Wear your hippie clothes , and join ‘Grateful Dog’, ‘Joe Cocker Spaniel’…’Jefferson Airedale’…and any other hippie themes we can think of. We have a link to the Big Sky Animal Sanctuary on this website’s ‘pet friendly’ section. And of course, anything you can donate to the cause would be fantastic.
At this time of year, I feel so lucky to be working in the Byward Market. Having our radio station right in the midst of all the action is great year-round, but right now, the street vendors are coming back and I can’t resist buying their stuff. It seems that each day, by time I get back to my car, I have bags stuffed with apples, green peppers, bananas, lettuce, berries, I buy it all. Something about buying fruits and vegetables from the street. Then, I bring it all home, put it in the fridge, and completely forget its there. And, a week later, I throw it all out. Aaahhh… I just love the street vendors!
Actually, no….I can’t move completely on…. Brad and Angelina have yet to bring their child into the world. In order to get away from the paparazzi, Brangelina has holed up in a remote African resort, where they will have their baby. The couple chose this spot so they will be protected by lions, cheetahs, elephants, charging rhinos, and angry ground squirrels. I guess they don’t have an alarm system back home.
Every time I tell someone that my dog Hudson loves to watch tv, I usually get a strange look. But since this is in writing, I will just have to envision the strange look from anyone reading this. Unless, of course, your dog watches tv too. Then you know what its like to be on the receiving end of a strange glare. My dog Hudson especially likes any tv shows that feature Shania Twain. But lately, Hudson has really become quite fond of ‘Deal Or No Deal’. We enjoy sitting together on the couch watching this game show, and when the studio audience shouts ‘NO DEAL!! NO DEAL!!, Hudson’s ears always really perk up for some reason. The only thing I can figure, is that Hudson thinks these people are shouting ‘NO HEEL’!! NO HEEL!!! Which, of course, is a dog’s dream come true.
Unless it pours rain this weekend, I plan to make a visit to the ‘Big Sky Animal Sanctuary’ near Kemptville. Owner Andy Parent takes in unwanted animals and currently has over 170 in his care, from dogs to horses and goats. I’ve mentioned this before, but its worth repeating, its never too early to write something down on your calendar. July 8th, Big Sky Animal Sanctuary, the first ever ‘WOOFSTOCK”, hosted by yours truly. This is going to be a huge ‘Woodstock’’ themed fundraiser out on the farm and a great day for the whole family. Wear your hippie clothes , and join ‘Grateful Dog’, ‘Joe Cocker Spaniel’…’Jefferson Airedale’…and any other hippie themes we can think of. We have a link to the Big Sky Animal Sanctuary on this website’s ‘pet friendly’ section. And of course, anything you can donate to the cause would be fantastic.
At this time of year, I feel so lucky to be working in the Byward Market. Having our radio station right in the midst of all the action is great year-round, but right now, the street vendors are coming back and I can’t resist buying their stuff. It seems that each day, by time I get back to my car, I have bags stuffed with apples, green peppers, bananas, lettuce, berries, I buy it all. Something about buying fruits and vegetables from the street. Then, I bring it all home, put it in the fridge, and completely forget its there. And, a week later, I throw it all out. Aaahhh… I just love the street vendors!
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Moths ate my Rolling Stones Shirt
Its about that time of year, when students are looking for summer jobs. I came across a story the other day called ‘First Jobs of the Rich and Famous’. Did you know that Bill Murray used to sell chestnuts outside a grocery store? Robin Williams was a street mime (not too hard to believe), Jerry Seinfeld sold light bulbs over the phone….Madonna worked behind the counter at Dunkin’ Donuts….Jennifer Aniston was a waitress…Demi Moore worked at a debt collection agency…and David Lee Roth emptied bedpans as a hospital orderly. So, there you go! Good luck with that summer job, and remember, David Lee Roth emptied bedpans.
I’m still needing some help with my vole problem. Once the snow melted off my front lawn, I was quite surprised to find little ‘hills of dirt’ scattered everywhere. If you can picture little brown ski hills about six to eight inches high, that’s what I have all over my lawn. I did some research and it looks like I have an entire vole network under my lawn, but I don’t know how to get rid of them. Naturally I don’t want the voles to be hurt in any way. I just want them to find somewhere else to built their transit system. Maybe if I blast Michael Bolton’s new CD across the yard, that’ll do it.
I wish Manhatten was only a short drive away! Because I would definitely get down there this week, for the Elton John clothing sale! Elton John has set up shop at Rockefeller Centre and he’s selling 10,000 pieces of his own clothing to raise money for his Aids Foundation. There’s everything from bright orange blazers to Adidas track suits and ball caps, prices are anywhere from $10.00 to $10,000! I think it would be super cool to walk around in a lime green sweater with matching boa that once belonged to Elton John.
Crocuses? Croci? Which one is correct? Those little purple flowers that are coming up right now. It seems I get into this debate every year at this time. What’s the plural of crocus? Usually, before I get the right answer, the crocuses, or croci, are gone.
Bob’s ‘Deal or No Deal’ has started, with the chance for someone to win $10,000 each morning on Bob FM. I can’t believe how nervous I get when we play this game, not only because there’s big money on the line, but you never know how far someone is willing to go. On the tv show, Deal or No Deal, the audience is always shouting ‘NO DEAL”! Of course they’re going to shout “NO DEAL”, they have nothing to lose! On our radio version, the contestant has to decide for themselves whether they want to accept the banker’s deal or chance it all for $10,000. Anyone can play, but you have to register first on this website. Its crazy fun, but I have to warn you, a really good anti-perspirant is very much required.
In the department of ‘things that make you shake your head’… About a month ago, I bought a 50 pound bag of sunflower seed for my birdfeeder. When I opened the bag, a bunch of small moths flew out into my living room, my bedroom, some landed on the bathroom mirror, others headed for the tv room in the basement. I recognized these moths as clothes-eating moths. So, here we are, a month later, and the moths seem to have finally disappeared. The other day, I was going to a party and I thought I’d wear my favourite shirt. A green shirt that I was given to wear by the wardrobe lady at last summer’s Rolling Stones video shoot (another story altogether). I pulled it out of the closet and ….’lo and behold’….now I knew what happened to all those moths!! They had gorged themselves on my Rolling Stones shirt. I checked every other piece of clothing I own, and nothing. No holes, no damage. The moths had just eaten one shirt. My favourite shirt. How did they know?! Why couldn’t the moths have eaten my shiny pink shirt with the big lapel?
I’m still needing some help with my vole problem. Once the snow melted off my front lawn, I was quite surprised to find little ‘hills of dirt’ scattered everywhere. If you can picture little brown ski hills about six to eight inches high, that’s what I have all over my lawn. I did some research and it looks like I have an entire vole network under my lawn, but I don’t know how to get rid of them. Naturally I don’t want the voles to be hurt in any way. I just want them to find somewhere else to built their transit system. Maybe if I blast Michael Bolton’s new CD across the yard, that’ll do it.
I wish Manhatten was only a short drive away! Because I would definitely get down there this week, for the Elton John clothing sale! Elton John has set up shop at Rockefeller Centre and he’s selling 10,000 pieces of his own clothing to raise money for his Aids Foundation. There’s everything from bright orange blazers to Adidas track suits and ball caps, prices are anywhere from $10.00 to $10,000! I think it would be super cool to walk around in a lime green sweater with matching boa that once belonged to Elton John.
Crocuses? Croci? Which one is correct? Those little purple flowers that are coming up right now. It seems I get into this debate every year at this time. What’s the plural of crocus? Usually, before I get the right answer, the crocuses, or croci, are gone.
Bob’s ‘Deal or No Deal’ has started, with the chance for someone to win $10,000 each morning on Bob FM. I can’t believe how nervous I get when we play this game, not only because there’s big money on the line, but you never know how far someone is willing to go. On the tv show, Deal or No Deal, the audience is always shouting ‘NO DEAL”! Of course they’re going to shout “NO DEAL”, they have nothing to lose! On our radio version, the contestant has to decide for themselves whether they want to accept the banker’s deal or chance it all for $10,000. Anyone can play, but you have to register first on this website. Its crazy fun, but I have to warn you, a really good anti-perspirant is very much required.
In the department of ‘things that make you shake your head’… About a month ago, I bought a 50 pound bag of sunflower seed for my birdfeeder. When I opened the bag, a bunch of small moths flew out into my living room, my bedroom, some landed on the bathroom mirror, others headed for the tv room in the basement. I recognized these moths as clothes-eating moths. So, here we are, a month later, and the moths seem to have finally disappeared. The other day, I was going to a party and I thought I’d wear my favourite shirt. A green shirt that I was given to wear by the wardrobe lady at last summer’s Rolling Stones video shoot (another story altogether). I pulled it out of the closet and ….’lo and behold’….now I knew what happened to all those moths!! They had gorged themselves on my Rolling Stones shirt. I checked every other piece of clothing I own, and nothing. No holes, no damage. The moths had just eaten one shirt. My favourite shirt. How did they know?! Why couldn’t the moths have eaten my shiny pink shirt with the big lapel?
Monday, April 03, 2006
I Will Get Fooled Again
I let out a ‘GASP’ unlike any gasp I’ve ever released before!! Why the gargantuan ‘gasp’?! I was checking my favourite Bruce Springsteen website, www.backstreets.com, for no reason in particular, when I saw the headline on the website: Its Bruce Springsteen week on American Idol! There was a photo of Bruce arm-in-arm with Paula Abdul, next to a smiling Randy and Simon….and another photo of Bruce playing guitar next to Idol finalist Chris Daughtry. Horrified, I continued reading the story….. Bruce Springsteen songs would be featured on this Wednesday’s ‘American Idol’, and there was a list of which Bruce songs the contestants would sing. My heart was in my throat!!! How could The Boss do this? Why would he do it!!!! He doesn’t need to do it!!! Uuughhhh…. Not since the Rolling Stones premiered their video for ‘Streets of Love’ on a daytime soap opera have I been so incensed at ‘marketing gone wrong’. Bruce Springsteen week on American Idol. It was enough to make me bawl like a baby. But then I saw the date on the top of the story. April 1st, 2006. April Fools Day. Sheesh. Fished in by my own fan site! Nice to know I can turn beet red even when I’m the only one home.
Speaking of April Fools Day, check out the website www.museumofhoaxes.com. They list the top 100 April Fools jokes of all time. Some of my favourites include ‘Smell-o-vision’, when the BBC tv network convinced tv viewers that new technology meant you could actually smell what you were watching on tv. There was also Burger King’s ‘left-handed Whopper’ commercial, causing left-handed people to rush to the fast food restaurant for a burger especially for them. And of course, what April Fools Day should pass without some mention of ‘killer bees’. They should arrive here any day now.
I love the month of April, the change of seasons, all that stuff, but wow….is it ever muddy at my place! I keep a Swiffer right by the door because every time my three dogs return from the yard, I have 12 paws dipped in mud, which translates into about 120 mud prints on my floor. Yes, I know I can ask all my dogs to ‘sit’ and ‘stay’ on the welcome mat, then I can take a rag and wipe all of their paws before they enter the house. The problem is, my dogs have no training in them whatsoever. I prefer to let them learn things on their own. For example, my dog Hudson has learned that if he pulls back the bedspread on the spare room bed, its much more comfortable to sleep under the covers. He taught himself that one.
Thank you to Luc Lemay, owner of John’s Street Sweepers, for giving JR the dream experience of a lifetime. A ride in a street sweeper. It really is all about the simple things in life, isn’t it?
I plan to get my bike out of the shed this week. It’s a tough bike, I know that because I have ridden it straight into a wooden fence at full speed, and its also survived a summersault into a roadway ditch. I can really see why helmets are now mandatory.
Speaking of April Fools Day, check out the website www.museumofhoaxes.com. They list the top 100 April Fools jokes of all time. Some of my favourites include ‘Smell-o-vision’, when the BBC tv network convinced tv viewers that new technology meant you could actually smell what you were watching on tv. There was also Burger King’s ‘left-handed Whopper’ commercial, causing left-handed people to rush to the fast food restaurant for a burger especially for them. And of course, what April Fools Day should pass without some mention of ‘killer bees’. They should arrive here any day now.
I love the month of April, the change of seasons, all that stuff, but wow….is it ever muddy at my place! I keep a Swiffer right by the door because every time my three dogs return from the yard, I have 12 paws dipped in mud, which translates into about 120 mud prints on my floor. Yes, I know I can ask all my dogs to ‘sit’ and ‘stay’ on the welcome mat, then I can take a rag and wipe all of their paws before they enter the house. The problem is, my dogs have no training in them whatsoever. I prefer to let them learn things on their own. For example, my dog Hudson has learned that if he pulls back the bedspread on the spare room bed, its much more comfortable to sleep under the covers. He taught himself that one.
Thank you to Luc Lemay, owner of John’s Street Sweepers, for giving JR the dream experience of a lifetime. A ride in a street sweeper. It really is all about the simple things in life, isn’t it?
I plan to get my bike out of the shed this week. It’s a tough bike, I know that because I have ridden it straight into a wooden fence at full speed, and its also survived a summersault into a roadway ditch. I can really see why helmets are now mandatory.
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Which came first - the Muskoka Chair or the Adirondack Chair?
What a furr-tastic success! Ok, furr-tastic is not a word and I promise you will never see it here again. But, the Humane Society Fur Ball was a night to remember and best of all - $70,000 was raised for the animals!!! A sincere thank you to everyone involved, (if I had a tail, it would be wagging right now) and to all who attended and helped to raise much-needed funds for the Humane Society emergency services program. Thank you to Jefferson Sukhoo, ‘designers on Dalhousie’, for dressing me for the evening.
We better not get one of those weird spring snowfalls. All my patio furniture is out. Dining table, lawn chairs, Adirondack chairs…oooops, I mean ‘muskoka’ chairs. Who invented these chairs? The Adirondack people or the Muskoka people? One has clearly stolen from the other.. but WHO? These are things I like to ponder. I even have a muskoka/Adirondack chair that reclines like a Lazy-Boy chair. Hope it doesn’t snow.
The new line-up of teachers has been announced for the upcoming ‘Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp’. This summer, it takes place in August in New York City. If you’ve always wanted to be a rock star, check out the website www.rockandrollfantasycamp.com ! For the reasonable price of $8500 U.S., meals included, you will learn how to ROCK!!!! Teachers include: Jon Anderson from ‘Yes’, Levon Helm from ‘The Band’, George Thorogood, Dee Snider from ‘Twisted Sister’ and Max Weinberg from ‘the E Street Band’! And, if you want to bring your spouse, that only costs an extra $500. Wow! I’d love to go to this camp just to make s’mores around the campfire with Dee Snider.
When my husband and I decided to get digital satellite tv, I wanted it for one reason only. To get the channel ‘Animal Planet’. So far on Animal Planet, it seems that there are just three shows. ‘Crocodile Hunter’, which is not about animals, its about a man who has lost his mind. Then there’s ‘Animal Cops’, which is just like the show ‘Cops’, except this time they are arresting people who have animals. And the other show is about meerkats.
At least the show about meerkats is an animal show. Its just that, after having ‘Animal Planet’ for two weeks now, I know enough about meerkats. I would like to move on to some other animal now. Even a show about ants would be fine.
If you and your dog have some spare time on Sunday, April 9th, come on out to the K-9 Spring Fling! It takes place from 10 to 4 pm at ‘Forever Friends Dog Training School’, for details check www.nccpd.org.
Crafts, dog treats, get your dog’s photo taken for just $5.00, all proceeds to support dog rescue in Ottawa!
Speaking of dogs, its time to stock up on this year’s supply of ‘Skunk Off’! It gets rid of the stink right away! Vets sell the stuff in the bottle, and keeping it on hand is a whole lot better than dealing with your freshly-skunk-sprayed dog at 3 in the morning. 5 out of 5 dog owners agree…’Skunk Off is the best product ever invented!!! Dogs don’t seem to mind the smell, though. Then again, dogs love rolling in cow poo.
We better not get one of those weird spring snowfalls. All my patio furniture is out. Dining table, lawn chairs, Adirondack chairs…oooops, I mean ‘muskoka’ chairs. Who invented these chairs? The Adirondack people or the Muskoka people? One has clearly stolen from the other.. but WHO? These are things I like to ponder. I even have a muskoka/Adirondack chair that reclines like a Lazy-Boy chair. Hope it doesn’t snow.
The new line-up of teachers has been announced for the upcoming ‘Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp’. This summer, it takes place in August in New York City. If you’ve always wanted to be a rock star, check out the website www.rockandrollfantasycamp.com ! For the reasonable price of $8500 U.S., meals included, you will learn how to ROCK!!!! Teachers include: Jon Anderson from ‘Yes’, Levon Helm from ‘The Band’, George Thorogood, Dee Snider from ‘Twisted Sister’ and Max Weinberg from ‘the E Street Band’! And, if you want to bring your spouse, that only costs an extra $500. Wow! I’d love to go to this camp just to make s’mores around the campfire with Dee Snider.
When my husband and I decided to get digital satellite tv, I wanted it for one reason only. To get the channel ‘Animal Planet’. So far on Animal Planet, it seems that there are just three shows. ‘Crocodile Hunter’, which is not about animals, its about a man who has lost his mind. Then there’s ‘Animal Cops’, which is just like the show ‘Cops’, except this time they are arresting people who have animals. And the other show is about meerkats.
At least the show about meerkats is an animal show. Its just that, after having ‘Animal Planet’ for two weeks now, I know enough about meerkats. I would like to move on to some other animal now. Even a show about ants would be fine.
If you and your dog have some spare time on Sunday, April 9th, come on out to the K-9 Spring Fling! It takes place from 10 to 4 pm at ‘Forever Friends Dog Training School’, for details check www.nccpd.org.
Crafts, dog treats, get your dog’s photo taken for just $5.00, all proceeds to support dog rescue in Ottawa!
Speaking of dogs, its time to stock up on this year’s supply of ‘Skunk Off’! It gets rid of the stink right away! Vets sell the stuff in the bottle, and keeping it on hand is a whole lot better than dealing with your freshly-skunk-sprayed dog at 3 in the morning. 5 out of 5 dog owners agree…’Skunk Off is the best product ever invented!!! Dogs don’t seem to mind the smell, though. Then again, dogs love rolling in cow poo.
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Blues Lady to the Rescue!!! (www.blueslady.com)
‘The Morning After’ on BOB FM welcomed Ottawa’s blues lady, Maria Hawkins, to give some much-needed singing tips to anyone planning to attend the Canadian Idol auditions, this weekend at St Laurent Centre. As a public service, we repeat them here:
1. Drink 6 – 8 glasses of water a day
2. Get plenty of sleep. Fatigue lowers your voice
3. Avoid yelling or screaming or talking, laughing, or singing louder than is necessary
4. DO NOT WHISPER, especially when you have a sore throat, this increases muscular tension and dries out vocal chords
5. eliminate habitual throat clearing and excessive coughing
6. DON”T SMOKE!
7. try to reduce your caffeine/alcohol intake
8. use an easy and gentle approach to voice production
9. have your hearing checked
10. when you have laryngitis or a sore throat, give your voice a rest. Take time to let your voice recover!
These suggestions all come from one of Ottawa’s best singers, blues lady Maria Hawkins!!! Maria says that ANYONE can learn to sing, anyone! Although, she did say that ‘before’ she tried to teach JR and me how to sing the lovely duet ‘You Don’t Bring Me Flowers’.
Please help!!! Maria Hawkins is currently teaching the kids at Manor Park Public School to sing… and right now, there is a serious shortage for this school’s breakfast program. Manor Park Public School desperately needs donations of breakfast foods, cereals, cereal bars, etc, and of course cash donations to support the breakfast program are certainly welcome too. Please drop donations off at Manor Park Public School, 100 Braemar St, which is in the St Laurent/Hemlock area. The phone number for the school is 746-8131!! Thank you so much!
1. Drink 6 – 8 glasses of water a day
2. Get plenty of sleep. Fatigue lowers your voice
3. Avoid yelling or screaming or talking, laughing, or singing louder than is necessary
4. DO NOT WHISPER, especially when you have a sore throat, this increases muscular tension and dries out vocal chords
5. eliminate habitual throat clearing and excessive coughing
6. DON”T SMOKE!
7. try to reduce your caffeine/alcohol intake
8. use an easy and gentle approach to voice production
9. have your hearing checked
10. when you have laryngitis or a sore throat, give your voice a rest. Take time to let your voice recover!
These suggestions all come from one of Ottawa’s best singers, blues lady Maria Hawkins!!! Maria says that ANYONE can learn to sing, anyone! Although, she did say that ‘before’ she tried to teach JR and me how to sing the lovely duet ‘You Don’t Bring Me Flowers’.
Please help!!! Maria Hawkins is currently teaching the kids at Manor Park Public School to sing… and right now, there is a serious shortage for this school’s breakfast program. Manor Park Public School desperately needs donations of breakfast foods, cereals, cereal bars, etc, and of course cash donations to support the breakfast program are certainly welcome too. Please drop donations off at Manor Park Public School, 100 Braemar St, which is in the St Laurent/Hemlock area. The phone number for the school is 746-8131!! Thank you so much!
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Can't Get Enough of those Beer Nuts
The Home and Garden show is on this weekend at Lansdowne Park. I love going to this show, for 2 reasons. I get tons of ideas that inevitably lead to hard labour for my husband. And the second reason I love the Home and Garden Show is: the beer nuts. The aroma of the beer nuts fills the air as you descend the stairs of the Civic Centre, and before you know it, your hand is deep into a bag of warm sticky nuts, which then means that you can’t touch any of the exhibits. But its worth it. At the home and garden show last year, I learned a very important tip to make my gardening easier. Buy the biggest wheel barrow you can find. Even if it looks ridiculously huge, buy it anyway. With a monster wheel barrow, you can haul everything you need in one trip. Rocks, soil, the dog, plants, hose, shovels, fence, plywood, cordless tools, drink cooler, your bike helmet, Miracle Gro, lawn furniture, tomato cages, it all goes into one wheel barrow. And you can push all that quite easily if your lawn is fairly level. Just watch out if you’re going downhill, a fully packed giant wheel barrow can sometimes get away on you when you’re going downhill. Defeats the whole purpose.
As we await the birth of Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin’s second child, mostly just because we want to know what the heck they’re going to name this kid, with the first one getting the moniker ‘Apple’, this week, we learn that Donald Trump and his wife Melania have named their newborn son ‘Barron’. They’ve built the wealth right into the kid’s name. Why didn’t they just call him ‘Richie Rich’? ‘Barron Trump’ Wow. Quite a name. When I was a kid, a popular name for a rich kid was ‘Millhouse’. Somehow doesn’t fit anymore, ever since the Simpsons.
My husband and I finally got satellite tv. I think we get over 400 channels now. So far, this is what I’ve been watching over and over. The Price is Right, with Bob Barker in ‘high definition’, ‘Animal Cops’, and the educational show on the Discovery Channel, ‘How Its Made’. Last week, we learned how baseboard heaters are manufactured. When Bruce Springsteen sang about ’57 Channels and Nothing On’, maybe we shoulda believed him.
Good luck to everyone who is auditioning for Canadian Idol this weekend in Ottawa. It must be pretty nerve-wracking. I think this show has been on long enough, that the judges are probably hearing the same songs over and over again at the auditions. I think that a contestant would really stand out if they did a song that was a bit of an oddity, a bit of a surprise. I wonder if anyone has the courage to enter the Canadian Idol audition process with a rousing rendition of: ‘Love Removal Machine’ by the Cult.
Or the theme from the Mary Tyler Moore Show.
Go Sens go!! As we near the play-offs, the excitement is reaching a feverish pitch. I gotta get some of those Senators car flags that you clamp onto your car window. Then just hope it stays cold outside. Because as soon as you open the car window, there goes the flag. On a good day, with a play-off game taking place at Scotiabank Place, there are easily 20 to 30 Sens flags on the Queensway. Its tempting to nab a couple of these flags, but probably not a great idea during rush hour traffic. Funny. I haven’t seen many Leafs flags around this year.
As we await the birth of Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin’s second child, mostly just because we want to know what the heck they’re going to name this kid, with the first one getting the moniker ‘Apple’, this week, we learn that Donald Trump and his wife Melania have named their newborn son ‘Barron’. They’ve built the wealth right into the kid’s name. Why didn’t they just call him ‘Richie Rich’? ‘Barron Trump’ Wow. Quite a name. When I was a kid, a popular name for a rich kid was ‘Millhouse’. Somehow doesn’t fit anymore, ever since the Simpsons.
My husband and I finally got satellite tv. I think we get over 400 channels now. So far, this is what I’ve been watching over and over. The Price is Right, with Bob Barker in ‘high definition’, ‘Animal Cops’, and the educational show on the Discovery Channel, ‘How Its Made’. Last week, we learned how baseboard heaters are manufactured. When Bruce Springsteen sang about ’57 Channels and Nothing On’, maybe we shoulda believed him.
Good luck to everyone who is auditioning for Canadian Idol this weekend in Ottawa. It must be pretty nerve-wracking. I think this show has been on long enough, that the judges are probably hearing the same songs over and over again at the auditions. I think that a contestant would really stand out if they did a song that was a bit of an oddity, a bit of a surprise. I wonder if anyone has the courage to enter the Canadian Idol audition process with a rousing rendition of: ‘Love Removal Machine’ by the Cult.
Or the theme from the Mary Tyler Moore Show.
Go Sens go!! As we near the play-offs, the excitement is reaching a feverish pitch. I gotta get some of those Senators car flags that you clamp onto your car window. Then just hope it stays cold outside. Because as soon as you open the car window, there goes the flag. On a good day, with a play-off game taking place at Scotiabank Place, there are easily 20 to 30 Sens flags on the Queensway. Its tempting to nab a couple of these flags, but probably not a great idea during rush hour traffic. Funny. I haven’t seen many Leafs flags around this year.
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
No Thanks, I'll Roll Up my Own Rim
Its day 77 since I got an ipod for Christmas. I’ve downloaded 2483 songs onto my Ipod. But still haven’t used it. Although, its good to know, if a robber came by and stole my entire CD collection, I’d
still have all my favorite songs tucked safely onto my IPOD. This is definitely one of the reasons to love an Ipod. The other reason, I suppose, is actually ‘using’ it.
Its Irish week! Of course, on St Pattys Day, everyone is Irish. I’m half Irish and half French Canadian, so on St Pattys Day I usually have some green beer and a big plate of poutine. On this Friday’s morning show, we hope to connect with Brian Connelly, who is a radio announcer with a radio show from Dublin. He’ll be joining us by phone to give us the full scoop of St Pattys celebrations straight from Dublin Ireland! Problem is, our interview time is 12:45 pm Dublin time. The pubs will have been open for quite some time by then!!!! Make sure you tune in for some authentic Irish fun at 7:45 am Ottawa time.
Can you believe the controversy over that huge Tim Horton ‘Roll Up to Win’ story? In case you hadn’t heard, in a small town outside of Montreal a 10 year old girl found an empty Tim Horton’s coffee cup in the garbage. When her little fingers were too tiny to ‘roll up the rim’, she asked her 12 year old friend for help. Sure enough, the 12 year old peels back the rim and ‘booom’, it’s a winning coffee cup!!!! The Prize: A Toyota RAV 4 SUV!!!! Here we are, over a week later, and a) the 10 year old’s parents think she should get the truck b) the 12 year old’s parents think that she should be the sole winner of the truck and c) the custodian who threw the coffee cup in the garbage in the first place, has hired a lawyer, and is demanding DNA samples be taken from the cup to prove that it ‘was’ his in the first place, and that HE should be the winner of the truck. So far, Tim Horton’s Donuts has remained silent on the issue. Probably a good idea. I’m sure its just a matter of time before we hear that the school bully is also demanding the truck.
It may only be the month of March, but it won’t be long before our schedules start to fill up quickly for the summer, especially on the weekends. If you’re an animal lover, circle the date ‘July 8th’ 2006 on your calendar. The whole family is invited to a good old fashioned country fair at the Big Sky Ranch Animal
Sanctuary, just outside of Kemptville. Big Sky is a safe haven for unwanted and abused animals. Right now there are 171 animals living here, from horses and donkeys to cats and dogs. Owner Andy Parent and his volunteers do their best to rehabiliate these animals and find them homes, but many are here to live out their days in a comfortable, peaceful setting. Donations are desperately needed! For more info, click on the ‘pet friendly’ section of BOB FM’s website and you’ll find a link to the Big Sky Ranch! And don’t forget to book July 8th, for tons of fun, entertainment, animals and prizes at Big Sky! Bob FM will be there, hope to see you!!!
still have all my favorite songs tucked safely onto my IPOD. This is definitely one of the reasons to love an Ipod. The other reason, I suppose, is actually ‘using’ it.
Its Irish week! Of course, on St Pattys Day, everyone is Irish. I’m half Irish and half French Canadian, so on St Pattys Day I usually have some green beer and a big plate of poutine. On this Friday’s morning show, we hope to connect with Brian Connelly, who is a radio announcer with a radio show from Dublin. He’ll be joining us by phone to give us the full scoop of St Pattys celebrations straight from Dublin Ireland! Problem is, our interview time is 12:45 pm Dublin time. The pubs will have been open for quite some time by then!!!! Make sure you tune in for some authentic Irish fun at 7:45 am Ottawa time.
Can you believe the controversy over that huge Tim Horton ‘Roll Up to Win’ story? In case you hadn’t heard, in a small town outside of Montreal a 10 year old girl found an empty Tim Horton’s coffee cup in the garbage. When her little fingers were too tiny to ‘roll up the rim’, she asked her 12 year old friend for help. Sure enough, the 12 year old peels back the rim and ‘booom’, it’s a winning coffee cup!!!! The Prize: A Toyota RAV 4 SUV!!!! Here we are, over a week later, and a) the 10 year old’s parents think she should get the truck b) the 12 year old’s parents think that she should be the sole winner of the truck and c) the custodian who threw the coffee cup in the garbage in the first place, has hired a lawyer, and is demanding DNA samples be taken from the cup to prove that it ‘was’ his in the first place, and that HE should be the winner of the truck. So far, Tim Horton’s Donuts has remained silent on the issue. Probably a good idea. I’m sure its just a matter of time before we hear that the school bully is also demanding the truck.
It may only be the month of March, but it won’t be long before our schedules start to fill up quickly for the summer, especially on the weekends. If you’re an animal lover, circle the date ‘July 8th’ 2006 on your calendar. The whole family is invited to a good old fashioned country fair at the Big Sky Ranch Animal
Sanctuary, just outside of Kemptville. Big Sky is a safe haven for unwanted and abused animals. Right now there are 171 animals living here, from horses and donkeys to cats and dogs. Owner Andy Parent and his volunteers do their best to rehabiliate these animals and find them homes, but many are here to live out their days in a comfortable, peaceful setting. Donations are desperately needed! For more info, click on the ‘pet friendly’ section of BOB FM’s website and you’ll find a link to the Big Sky Ranch! And don’t forget to book July 8th, for tons of fun, entertainment, animals and prizes at Big Sky! Bob FM will be there, hope to see you!!!
Better Roll Up Your Own Rim
Its day 77 since I got an ipod for Christmas. I’ve downloaded 2483 songs onto my Ipod. But still haven’t used it. Although, its good to know, if a robber came by and stole my entire CD collection, I’d
still have all my favorite songs tucked safely onto my IPOD. This is definitely one of the reasons to love an Ipod. The other reason, I suppose, is actually ‘using’ it.
Its Irish week! Of course, on St Pattys Day, everyone is Irish. I’m half Irish and half French Canadian, so on St Pattys Day I usually have some green beer and a big plate of poutine. On this Friday’s morning show, we hope to connect with Brian Connelly, who is a radio announcer with a radio show from Dublin. He’ll be joining us by phone to give us the full scoop of St Pattys celebrations straight from Dublin Ireland! Problem is, our interview time is 12:45 pm Dublin time. The pubs will have been open for quite some time by then!!!! Make sure you tune in for some authentic Irish fun at 7:45 am Ottawa time.
Can you believe the controversy over that huge Tim Horton ‘Roll Up to Win’ story? In case you hadn’t heard, in a small town outside of Montreal a 10 year old girl found an empty Tim Horton’s coffee cup in the garbage. When her little fingers were too tiny to ‘roll up the rim’, she asked her 12 year old friend for help. Sure enough, the 12 year old peels back the rim and ‘booom’, it’s a winning coffee cup!!!! The Prize: A Toyota RAV 4 SUV!!!! Here we are, over a week later, and a) the 10 year old’s parents think she should get the truck b) the 12 year old’s parents think that she should be the sole winner of the truck and c) the custodian who threw the coffee cup in the garbage in the first place, has hired a lawyer, and is demanding DNA samples be taken from the cup to prove that it ‘was’ his in the first place, and that HE should be the winner of the truck. So far, Tim Horton’s Donuts has remained silent on the issue. Probably a good idea. I’m sure its just a matter of time before we hear that the school bully is also demanding the truck.
It may only be the month of March, but it won’t be long before our schedules start to fill up quickly for the summer, especially on the weekends. If you’re an animal lover, circle the date ‘July 8th’ 2006 on your calendar. The whole family is invited to a good old fashioned country fair at the Big Sky Ranch Animal
Sanctuary, just outside of Kemptville. Big Sky is a safe haven for unwanted and abused animals. Right now there are 171 animals living here, from horses and donkeys to cats and dogs. Owner Andy Parent and his volunteers do their best to rehabiliate these animals and find them homes, but many are here to live out their days in a comfortable, peaceful setting. Donations are desperately needed! For more info, click on the ‘pet friendly’ section of BOB FM’s website and you’ll find a link to the Big Sky Ranch! And don’t forget to book July 8th, for tons of fun, entertainment, animals and prizes at Big Sky! Bob FM will be there, hope to see you!!!
still have all my favorite songs tucked safely onto my IPOD. This is definitely one of the reasons to love an Ipod. The other reason, I suppose, is actually ‘using’ it.
Its Irish week! Of course, on St Pattys Day, everyone is Irish. I’m half Irish and half French Canadian, so on St Pattys Day I usually have some green beer and a big plate of poutine. On this Friday’s morning show, we hope to connect with Brian Connelly, who is a radio announcer with a radio show from Dublin. He’ll be joining us by phone to give us the full scoop of St Pattys celebrations straight from Dublin Ireland! Problem is, our interview time is 12:45 pm Dublin time. The pubs will have been open for quite some time by then!!!! Make sure you tune in for some authentic Irish fun at 7:45 am Ottawa time.
Can you believe the controversy over that huge Tim Horton ‘Roll Up to Win’ story? In case you hadn’t heard, in a small town outside of Montreal a 10 year old girl found an empty Tim Horton’s coffee cup in the garbage. When her little fingers were too tiny to ‘roll up the rim’, she asked her 12 year old friend for help. Sure enough, the 12 year old peels back the rim and ‘booom’, it’s a winning coffee cup!!!! The Prize: A Toyota RAV 4 SUV!!!! Here we are, over a week later, and a) the 10 year old’s parents think she should get the truck b) the 12 year old’s parents think that she should be the sole winner of the truck and c) the custodian who threw the coffee cup in the garbage in the first place, has hired a lawyer, and is demanding DNA samples be taken from the cup to prove that it ‘was’ his in the first place, and that HE should be the winner of the truck. So far, Tim Horton’s Donuts has remained silent on the issue. Probably a good idea. I’m sure its just a matter of time before we hear that the school bully is also demanding the truck.
It may only be the month of March, but it won’t be long before our schedules start to fill up quickly for the summer, especially on the weekends. If you’re an animal lover, circle the date ‘July 8th’ 2006 on your calendar. The whole family is invited to a good old fashioned country fair at the Big Sky Ranch Animal
Sanctuary, just outside of Kemptville. Big Sky is a safe haven for unwanted and abused animals. Right now there are 171 animals living here, from horses and donkeys to cats and dogs. Owner Andy Parent and his volunteers do their best to rehabiliate these animals and find them homes, but many are here to live out their days in a comfortable, peaceful setting. Donations are desperately needed! For more info, click on the ‘pet friendly’ section of BOB FM’s website and you’ll find a link to the Big Sky Ranch! And don’t forget to book July 8th, for tons of fun, entertainment, animals and prizes at Big Sky! Bob FM will be there, hope to see you!!!
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Fashion takes my breath away
Looks like I’ll have to put away my black lipstick and my black nail polish and my white face powder, and save it for another time. The Nine Inch Nails concert has been post-poned. Apparently lead singer Trent Reznor isn’t feeling well, word is its nothing serious, touch of the flu, but he needs some time off to get better. Sources said that Trent Reznor was looking quite pale.
Had a great day of skiing at Edelweiss! I found myself sharing a run with a skiing raccoon. Actually, the raccoon was snow-boarding. Every time I go skiing, I’m inspired by the young children, 4 and 5 years old, that ski circles around me. They don’t know it, but they always encourage me to become as fearless as they are. This time, I was given a shot of courage by a snow-boarding raccoon. If that raccoon could fly down those steep runs, so could I! But of course, I fell flat on my back. The last thing I saw was the raccoon’s striped tail disappearing down the hill. Just as well. The last thing I needed was a raccoon helping me back on my feet. I prefer help from my usual good skiing buddies, the four and five year olds.
A rather embarrassing thing happened to me the other day. James Jefferson and Frank Sukhoo are two fabulous local fashion designers, who have a design boutique called Jefferson Sukhoo on Dalhousie Street. James and Frank kindly offered to loan me a dress for the upcoming Humane Society Fur Ball. They chose a gorgeous black gown for me, and away I went into the change room to try it on. At first I tried to ‘step into’ the gown, but that didn’t work. Too tight. So then I tried to pull the gown over my head. That’s when it happened. I got completely stuck. My arms were pointed straight up into the air, the gown was bunched up around my head and shoulders, my jeans were crumpled down at my ankles and I couldn’t move. Not only was I afraid I might rip the dress, I was having trouble breathing. I wondered if I should allow myself to asphyxiate instead of going through the embarrassment of having to call out for help. With James and Frank busily chatting with customers in the boutique, I lost track of time, feeling like Houdini wrapped in an impossible straight-jacket, the difference being, Houdini made a living as an escape artist, and I, well, I am a radio announcer. Finally, a call from beyond. ‘Sandy’? Is everything ok in there’? ‘I’mmmmmm sssshhhtuck in the dr-e-e-ssss and I caannn’t (gasp!) breathe!
James asked permission to help me. ‘YEESSSS’! I was saved!!! Being the designer of the dress, he knew exactly how the zipper worked – how the sleeves worked – it was incredible!!! With my arms shot straight up, my head swathed in gown, my jeans at my ankles, James freed me from my elegant prison! Ok, maybe I’ve been watching too many spy movies lately. But at least the dress didn’t get ripped. And I am alive to tell the story. Best part of all, James and Frank are gonna make me something that I can put on all by myself!!! p.s. if you have any stories of a similar nature to share, please write to me. I’m sure this happens to people a lot………doesn’t it?
Had a great day of skiing at Edelweiss! I found myself sharing a run with a skiing raccoon. Actually, the raccoon was snow-boarding. Every time I go skiing, I’m inspired by the young children, 4 and 5 years old, that ski circles around me. They don’t know it, but they always encourage me to become as fearless as they are. This time, I was given a shot of courage by a snow-boarding raccoon. If that raccoon could fly down those steep runs, so could I! But of course, I fell flat on my back. The last thing I saw was the raccoon’s striped tail disappearing down the hill. Just as well. The last thing I needed was a raccoon helping me back on my feet. I prefer help from my usual good skiing buddies, the four and five year olds.
A rather embarrassing thing happened to me the other day. James Jefferson and Frank Sukhoo are two fabulous local fashion designers, who have a design boutique called Jefferson Sukhoo on Dalhousie Street. James and Frank kindly offered to loan me a dress for the upcoming Humane Society Fur Ball. They chose a gorgeous black gown for me, and away I went into the change room to try it on. At first I tried to ‘step into’ the gown, but that didn’t work. Too tight. So then I tried to pull the gown over my head. That’s when it happened. I got completely stuck. My arms were pointed straight up into the air, the gown was bunched up around my head and shoulders, my jeans were crumpled down at my ankles and I couldn’t move. Not only was I afraid I might rip the dress, I was having trouble breathing. I wondered if I should allow myself to asphyxiate instead of going through the embarrassment of having to call out for help. With James and Frank busily chatting with customers in the boutique, I lost track of time, feeling like Houdini wrapped in an impossible straight-jacket, the difference being, Houdini made a living as an escape artist, and I, well, I am a radio announcer. Finally, a call from beyond. ‘Sandy’? Is everything ok in there’? ‘I’mmmmmm sssshhhtuck in the dr-e-e-ssss and I caannn’t (gasp!) breathe!
James asked permission to help me. ‘YEESSSS’! I was saved!!! Being the designer of the dress, he knew exactly how the zipper worked – how the sleeves worked – it was incredible!!! With my arms shot straight up, my head swathed in gown, my jeans at my ankles, James freed me from my elegant prison! Ok, maybe I’ve been watching too many spy movies lately. But at least the dress didn’t get ripped. And I am alive to tell the story. Best part of all, James and Frank are gonna make me something that I can put on all by myself!!! p.s. if you have any stories of a similar nature to share, please write to me. I’m sure this happens to people a lot………doesn’t it?
Friday, February 24, 2006
Frank and Gordon rock!!!!!
I can’t get enough of Frank and Gordon. I love them. The Bell Canada beavers are brilliant. I want to meet them, have them over for dinner. I think they eat wood. And sandwiches. I have friends that are tiring of Frank and Gordon. Not me. I just hope they don’t get too big for their britches. But for now, I love seeing them on tv all day. Especially since I got satellite tv, and I have 43 CBC channels. Frank and Gordon appear a lot! Check out www.frankandgordon.ca, for your beaver fix, just in case you’re at work and you can’t watch tv.
How’s this for irony. Since my alarm goes off at 3:30 every morning for my early shift, I tend to have a nap every afternoon. I don’t shut my phone ringer off, because I would probably never remember to turn it back on again. But luckily my friends and family know, I sleep in the afternoon so they don’t call me and wake me up. Oh yeah, finally, here’s the ironic part. The other day, the phone rang in the middle of the afternoon and woke me up. After trying to get back to sleep, but to no avail, I retrieved the message. It was from the ‘sleep disorder’ clinic. They were calling to tell Norm Dupuis that he had an appointment at the sleep disorder clinic at 9 am on June 11th. If anyone knows a Norm Dupuis, please pass that along to him. And I thank the sleep disorder clinic for waking me up.
As we wrap up a fabulous winter Olympics in Torino, all eyes turn to Whistler in 2010. Does anyone know anyone who knows anyone who has a room for rent in Whistler…..say….sometime around February….in the year 2010? If you’ve been to Whistler, you know what an incredibly vibrant and fun place it is. Now that Whistler has been chosen to host the world at the next winter Olympics, just how hard is it going to be to get a hotel room? Hmm….. its hard enough RIGHT NOW! Anyone who lives in Whistler can probably get $5000 a night for their fold-out couch during the Olympics. I had to laugh about a contest that ‘SKI’ magazine had, looking for Whistler’s biggest ski bum. The winner was a guy from Ontario, who went to Whistler to ski everyday for an entire winter, but had no money left for anything else. So he lived in the stairwell of the Marriott Hotel beside the ski hill. He had a sleeping bag, change of underwear, some ski magazines. Lived there all winter long. Skied at Whistler every day. This dude had his priorities!
The premiere of my acting debut is coming up Monday, March 20th. I play the part of a woman who gets her purse stolen in a Crimestoppers video. It will be on the CTV news at 6. Unless of course, I end up on the cutting room floor.
I still haven’t used the Ipod I got for Christmas. My Ipod holds 7500 songs. So far my husband has downloaded only about 850 songs on it. So its kinda pointless to use it, with just 850 songs.
Have you seen the movie ‘Eight Below’? As soon as I heard about the movie, starring 8 huskies in a struggle to survive alone in the Antarctic, I went to see the first showing at 10:40 am. I was by myself. I sobbed uncontrollably at the end of the movie. But so did the other woman and the other man who were there. ‘Eight Below’ is a great movie. And if you go to the theatre early in the morning, no one sees you cry.
How’s this for irony. Since my alarm goes off at 3:30 every morning for my early shift, I tend to have a nap every afternoon. I don’t shut my phone ringer off, because I would probably never remember to turn it back on again. But luckily my friends and family know, I sleep in the afternoon so they don’t call me and wake me up. Oh yeah, finally, here’s the ironic part. The other day, the phone rang in the middle of the afternoon and woke me up. After trying to get back to sleep, but to no avail, I retrieved the message. It was from the ‘sleep disorder’ clinic. They were calling to tell Norm Dupuis that he had an appointment at the sleep disorder clinic at 9 am on June 11th. If anyone knows a Norm Dupuis, please pass that along to him. And I thank the sleep disorder clinic for waking me up.
As we wrap up a fabulous winter Olympics in Torino, all eyes turn to Whistler in 2010. Does anyone know anyone who knows anyone who has a room for rent in Whistler…..say….sometime around February….in the year 2010? If you’ve been to Whistler, you know what an incredibly vibrant and fun place it is. Now that Whistler has been chosen to host the world at the next winter Olympics, just how hard is it going to be to get a hotel room? Hmm….. its hard enough RIGHT NOW! Anyone who lives in Whistler can probably get $5000 a night for their fold-out couch during the Olympics. I had to laugh about a contest that ‘SKI’ magazine had, looking for Whistler’s biggest ski bum. The winner was a guy from Ontario, who went to Whistler to ski everyday for an entire winter, but had no money left for anything else. So he lived in the stairwell of the Marriott Hotel beside the ski hill. He had a sleeping bag, change of underwear, some ski magazines. Lived there all winter long. Skied at Whistler every day. This dude had his priorities!
The premiere of my acting debut is coming up Monday, March 20th. I play the part of a woman who gets her purse stolen in a Crimestoppers video. It will be on the CTV news at 6. Unless of course, I end up on the cutting room floor.
I still haven’t used the Ipod I got for Christmas. My Ipod holds 7500 songs. So far my husband has downloaded only about 850 songs on it. So its kinda pointless to use it, with just 850 songs.
Have you seen the movie ‘Eight Below’? As soon as I heard about the movie, starring 8 huskies in a struggle to survive alone in the Antarctic, I went to see the first showing at 10:40 am. I was by myself. I sobbed uncontrollably at the end of the movie. But so did the other woman and the other man who were there. ‘Eight Below’ is a great movie. And if you go to the theatre early in the morning, no one sees you cry.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
A Helmet is Always a Good Idea
Well, it was a long time coming, but I finally got my first acting part in a film. Ok, it’s a video. OK, it’s a Crimestoppers video. I’m the one getting my purse stolen. Not sure if it’s a speaking part, but I do have to show a wide range of emotions. I may also have to shake my fist at the thief as he runs down the street with my purse, but I’ll let the director decide that. Wow. I can’t believe I landed the role.
My first Crimestoppers video!!!
This Sunday, I can’t wait for the Winterlude media ice carving challenge. It starts at 11 at Confederation Park. I competed in this media challenge two years ago and finished in last place. As this was a ‘media’ challenge, the other teams turned their blocks of ice into carvings of their media logos. CBC carved out a big shiny ‘CBC’, the team from the New RO (now the A-Channel, but it was the New RO back then) carved a beautiful logo of their station name, and the other media competitors did the same. I did an ice carving of a dog. This year, I plan to do something different. I just don’t know what yet. Any suggestions? Maybe I’ll carve out the Parliament Buildings! Or a cat.
I’ve been watching the mens hockey games at the Olympics. This has to be one of the most popular sports at the winter games. At one point Alexi Yashin stepped out onto the ice in Turin, and I heard some fans in the stands booing. Obviously they were long-time Ottawa Sens fans. Wow! Can we ever hold a grudge.
I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I’ve really been enjoying the show ‘Skating with Celebrities’. I have no idea why. These are c-list, maybe even d-list celebrities matched up with professional figure skaters, and the thing is, skating can be dangerous. Last week Bruce Jenner soldiered on after landing face-first on the ice and getting twelve stitches in his head. That’s the spirit! But I think the celebrities should be wearing helmets. It may not compliment their dazzling outfits, but maybe, just maybe the celebrities would be more likely to try the triple toe loops if they wore safety helmets.
Congratulations to ‘Rufus’ the bull terrier who won ‘best in show’ at New York City’s Westminster Dog Show …probably the most prestigious dog show in the world. If you haven’t seen a photo of Rufus, just picture Don Cherry’s dog, except Rufus is a tan colour. I love the fact that ‘Rufus’ did everything right in the competition , edging out hundreds of dogs from all over the world, but not letting it go to his head. Apparently, just after he won this huge event, Rufus went right back to his favourite past-time…jumping up in the air and slamming his butt into the door so someone would let him outside. ‘Show dog’ by day, ‘regular dog’ by night. Gotta love it!
My first Crimestoppers video!!!
This Sunday, I can’t wait for the Winterlude media ice carving challenge. It starts at 11 at Confederation Park. I competed in this media challenge two years ago and finished in last place. As this was a ‘media’ challenge, the other teams turned their blocks of ice into carvings of their media logos. CBC carved out a big shiny ‘CBC’, the team from the New RO (now the A-Channel, but it was the New RO back then) carved a beautiful logo of their station name, and the other media competitors did the same. I did an ice carving of a dog. This year, I plan to do something different. I just don’t know what yet. Any suggestions? Maybe I’ll carve out the Parliament Buildings! Or a cat.
I’ve been watching the mens hockey games at the Olympics. This has to be one of the most popular sports at the winter games. At one point Alexi Yashin stepped out onto the ice in Turin, and I heard some fans in the stands booing. Obviously they were long-time Ottawa Sens fans. Wow! Can we ever hold a grudge.
I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I’ve really been enjoying the show ‘Skating with Celebrities’. I have no idea why. These are c-list, maybe even d-list celebrities matched up with professional figure skaters, and the thing is, skating can be dangerous. Last week Bruce Jenner soldiered on after landing face-first on the ice and getting twelve stitches in his head. That’s the spirit! But I think the celebrities should be wearing helmets. It may not compliment their dazzling outfits, but maybe, just maybe the celebrities would be more likely to try the triple toe loops if they wore safety helmets.
Congratulations to ‘Rufus’ the bull terrier who won ‘best in show’ at New York City’s Westminster Dog Show …probably the most prestigious dog show in the world. If you haven’t seen a photo of Rufus, just picture Don Cherry’s dog, except Rufus is a tan colour. I love the fact that ‘Rufus’ did everything right in the competition , edging out hundreds of dogs from all over the world, but not letting it go to his head. Apparently, just after he won this huge event, Rufus went right back to his favourite past-time…jumping up in the air and slamming his butt into the door so someone would let him outside. ‘Show dog’ by day, ‘regular dog’ by night. Gotta love it!
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Just 24.95 makes you a bigger fan!!!
Hey! Great news!! INXS is coming to Ottawa’s Scotiabank Place on May 12! Not-so-great-news……. INXS is offering pre-sale tickets (as of Feb 14th) to members only! For the low price of $24.95 U.S, you can buy an INXS fan club membership, which entitles you to tickets w-a-a-y before anyone else! I really like the new INXS, but I’m starting to wonder about this ‘pre-sale’ stuff. Maybe its just me. What do you think? Why do we always have to be in a ‘club’? I’ve spent most of my life trying to avoid being in a club. Unless you count the yearbook club. Anyway, see you at the show. No doubt I will soon be a member of the INXS club for 24.95. Hope taxes are included.
I was at my gym today at the University of Ottawa. Sometimes visiting NHL hockey teams go there for a game-day practice. On two separate occasions, I found myself pounding away on a Stairmaster next to Joe Sakic from the Colorado Avalanche. OK, maybe I was reading a People magazine on a Stairmaster, but the Joe Sakic part is absolutely true. Today, as soon as I entered the gym building I could feel the buzz! There were people with cameras everywhere so I went right to the rink and there they were!!! NHL hockey players, having a practice! Problem was, I had no clue which team I was watching. As the players zipped up and down the ice, I tried to identify the logo on their jerseys. After a great deal of time I decided that the logo on their shirts was a ‘bowl of soup’ with a ladle sticking out of it. What NHL team was that, exactly? Too proud to ask anyone at the rink who these famous guys were, I went home and checked my trusty Ottawa Senators magnetized fridge schedule. Aha!! They were Atlanta Thrashers! Can someone tell me why the team logo is a bowl of soup?
Some things in life are just plain funny. Last fall, Hall and Oates came to town for a show at the Civic Centre. To talk about the concert, John Oates joined us for a radio interview on ‘the Morning After’. During the interview, I told him a quick story, about being at a wedding a few years back and the bride and groom’s ‘special song’ at the reception, was Hall and Oates’ “Maneater”. You know the song….’oh-oh here she comes…watch out boys she’ll chew you up….she’s a maneater…..’
John Oates thought that was pretty funny. Now, fast forward, to the month of February, to the next episode of ‘Will and Grace’. In the episode, Hall and Oates guest star as wedding singers. The bride and groom’s song? ‘Maneater’. Coincidence? Yeah, probably.
Got your tickets yet for the Humane Society ‘Fur Ball”? The theme is ‘Venetian Carnivale’ and it’s a very classy evening with food, entertainment, and unbelievable prizes including trips and fabulous jewellery from Jubilee. Join me and CTV’s JJ Clarke at the Chateau Laurier March 25th, and don’t forget to wear a mask! All proceeds to the Ottawa Humane Society!! For ticket info, click on the ‘pet friendly’ section of this website or go to www.ottawahumane.ca!
This coming Tuesday, we welcome a special guest to ‘the Morning After’ on 939 bob fm. Be sure to listen just after 8 am, because the always hysterical Mary Walsh will be joining JR and I for some fun. We loved Mary on ‘This Hour Has 22 Minutes’, and now she’s back with a new comedy, ‘Hatching, Matching and Dispatching’, on CBC Television. We’ll talk to Mary about the new show, and Mary has also agreed to do me a big favour. At 8 pm on February 14th, I will be in a local production of The Vagina Monologues. Mary Walsh has agreed to help me with rehearsing some of my lines. So tune in for that. And if you’d like to catch the Vagina Monologues, there are two showings, Feb 14th and 15th, at the Bronson Centre. For details go to www.ottawavday.ca. This is a fabulous play – and all proceeds go to the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Ottawa. See you there!
I was at my gym today at the University of Ottawa. Sometimes visiting NHL hockey teams go there for a game-day practice. On two separate occasions, I found myself pounding away on a Stairmaster next to Joe Sakic from the Colorado Avalanche. OK, maybe I was reading a People magazine on a Stairmaster, but the Joe Sakic part is absolutely true. Today, as soon as I entered the gym building I could feel the buzz! There were people with cameras everywhere so I went right to the rink and there they were!!! NHL hockey players, having a practice! Problem was, I had no clue which team I was watching. As the players zipped up and down the ice, I tried to identify the logo on their jerseys. After a great deal of time I decided that the logo on their shirts was a ‘bowl of soup’ with a ladle sticking out of it. What NHL team was that, exactly? Too proud to ask anyone at the rink who these famous guys were, I went home and checked my trusty Ottawa Senators magnetized fridge schedule. Aha!! They were Atlanta Thrashers! Can someone tell me why the team logo is a bowl of soup?
Some things in life are just plain funny. Last fall, Hall and Oates came to town for a show at the Civic Centre. To talk about the concert, John Oates joined us for a radio interview on ‘the Morning After’. During the interview, I told him a quick story, about being at a wedding a few years back and the bride and groom’s ‘special song’ at the reception, was Hall and Oates’ “Maneater”. You know the song….’oh-oh here she comes…watch out boys she’ll chew you up….she’s a maneater…..’
John Oates thought that was pretty funny. Now, fast forward, to the month of February, to the next episode of ‘Will and Grace’. In the episode, Hall and Oates guest star as wedding singers. The bride and groom’s song? ‘Maneater’. Coincidence? Yeah, probably.
Got your tickets yet for the Humane Society ‘Fur Ball”? The theme is ‘Venetian Carnivale’ and it’s a very classy evening with food, entertainment, and unbelievable prizes including trips and fabulous jewellery from Jubilee. Join me and CTV’s JJ Clarke at the Chateau Laurier March 25th, and don’t forget to wear a mask! All proceeds to the Ottawa Humane Society!! For ticket info, click on the ‘pet friendly’ section of this website or go to www.ottawahumane.ca!
This coming Tuesday, we welcome a special guest to ‘the Morning After’ on 939 bob fm. Be sure to listen just after 8 am, because the always hysterical Mary Walsh will be joining JR and I for some fun. We loved Mary on ‘This Hour Has 22 Minutes’, and now she’s back with a new comedy, ‘Hatching, Matching and Dispatching’, on CBC Television. We’ll talk to Mary about the new show, and Mary has also agreed to do me a big favour. At 8 pm on February 14th, I will be in a local production of The Vagina Monologues. Mary Walsh has agreed to help me with rehearsing some of my lines. So tune in for that. And if you’d like to catch the Vagina Monologues, there are two showings, Feb 14th and 15th, at the Bronson Centre. For details go to www.ottawavday.ca. This is a fabulous play – and all proceeds go to the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Ottawa. See you there!
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Its a bird! Its a plane! Its a woodpecker!
It all started one morning when I looked out into the yard and saw a chicken fly by and land in a tree. I had just woken up and all of my sensibilities had yet to kick in, so I really did think this was a chicken in my winter-naked maple tree. Then I got a better look. It was the world’s biggest woodpecker. It was the size of a chicken. I felt like I had just seen a UFO or Sasquatch or the Loch Ness Monster. I knew that if I told someone that I had a ten pound woodpecker in my yard, they would roll their eyes and change the subject quickly. It would later be confirmed (by my trusty Audobon bird guide) that sitting in my tree was a pileated woodpecker. And yes, it was the size of a chicken. Giant woodpecker, with a red crest and a moustache. Kinda looked like William H. Macey in the movie ‘Fargo’. Anyway, since I blabbed about my sighting on the radio, I would personally like to thank all of the listeners who have shared their pileated woodpecker stories with me. As it turns out, these giant birds are fairly common. Who knew?
I was sitting on the couch the other day, eating a bowl of Lay’s potato chips. Mostly because I had housework to do. My three dogs don’t usually beg for food, but my dog Hudson really likes chips. So he sat at my knees staring at me and my chips for a while, then disappeared. Moments later, he returned with his rawhide bone, which he promptly dropped into my bowl of chips. This was a new twist. He was offering me a trade. Of course, it worked. He got chips. I got a slobbery rawhide bone. Drat! Out-smarted by one of my dogs yet again.
This year, more than 7 million Americans will be buying a 52-inch (or larger) plasma tv. I don’t have the Canadian stats, but per capita, its probably similar. Men are doing everything they can to convince their wives that a tv which takes up two thirds of the living room is not only quite acceptable, its really cool. And the funny thing is, this has lead to record sales in jewellery. Believe it or not, your man wanting a giant screen HD plasma LCD whatever tv, often leads to you getting some surprise jewellery. Not a bad deal. Except you may have to climb over the tv to get to your new necklace.
Its Olympics time once again! If you’re like me, you can’t get enough of Olympics coverage. I think I must watch about 5 hours a day, of course while wearing my Canadian Olympic sweater. My vote for most fearless Olympians has to go to the members of the various skeleton teams. Nothing like going head-first down a track at a gazillion miles an hour. I salute all of our Canadian athletes. The difference between them and people like me, is that they actually stuck to a plan.
I wonder if there are any tickets available for the gold medal mens hockey game.
I was sitting on the couch the other day, eating a bowl of Lay’s potato chips. Mostly because I had housework to do. My three dogs don’t usually beg for food, but my dog Hudson really likes chips. So he sat at my knees staring at me and my chips for a while, then disappeared. Moments later, he returned with his rawhide bone, which he promptly dropped into my bowl of chips. This was a new twist. He was offering me a trade. Of course, it worked. He got chips. I got a slobbery rawhide bone. Drat! Out-smarted by one of my dogs yet again.
This year, more than 7 million Americans will be buying a 52-inch (or larger) plasma tv. I don’t have the Canadian stats, but per capita, its probably similar. Men are doing everything they can to convince their wives that a tv which takes up two thirds of the living room is not only quite acceptable, its really cool. And the funny thing is, this has lead to record sales in jewellery. Believe it or not, your man wanting a giant screen HD plasma LCD whatever tv, often leads to you getting some surprise jewellery. Not a bad deal. Except you may have to climb over the tv to get to your new necklace.
Its Olympics time once again! If you’re like me, you can’t get enough of Olympics coverage. I think I must watch about 5 hours a day, of course while wearing my Canadian Olympic sweater. My vote for most fearless Olympians has to go to the members of the various skeleton teams. Nothing like going head-first down a track at a gazillion miles an hour. I salute all of our Canadian athletes. The difference between them and people like me, is that they actually stuck to a plan.
I wonder if there are any tickets available for the gold medal mens hockey game.
Monday, January 23, 2006
Hey! You 'do' have to shovel it!
If you’re a Tom Cochrane fan, its great news that he’ll be playing the ‘snowbowl’ to kick off Winterlude on the Rideau Canal (the stretch of canal that’s right in front of the NAC) on Friday, February 3rd. Last year, the Rheostatics had the same honour and put on a great show, although they may have wondered if the crowd did like them. Its just that you can’t hear applause when people’s hands are covered by mittens.
Speaking of the canal, maybe you’ve noticed that the NCC has made it official: there are now giant signs on the canal touting the fact that we are in the Guinness Book of World Records, yes we are, THE longest skating rink in the entire world!!! Just in case there was any doubt. Every few years the argument returns, and a frozen Dutch surface tries to claim the honour, but we are sticking to our story. Although this winter has been so mild, we may have another world record: the most people standing and staring and wishing they could skate on the world’s longest skating rink.
The debate continues: should the city of Ottawa snow plow drivers not only clear our streets, but also take out the ‘hump’ at the end of our driveways? Apparently, the ‘taking out of the hump’ will cost taxpayers another million dollars. In the meantime, most people handle the driveway hump one of two ways: with a snowblower, or, putting pedal to the medal and flooring the family mini van. A crowd often gathers when this Indy 500 manouevre results in the belly of the mini van straddling the hump, while all 4 wheels spin in the air. I’ll bet this has never happened to the Canadian Tire guy.
The 939 BOB FM ‘pet friendly’ coffee mugs are here! Let us know when you’re going to be gathering at a dog park with your 4 legged and 2 legged friends, and our ‘pet friendly’ van will swing by to deliver these super cool traveler coffee mugs! Send us the info by clicking onto the ‘pet friendly’ section of our website. The BOB FM pet friendly coffee mug is quickly becoming the ‘must have’ item for hip dog owners. OK. Maybe I should stop watching ‘Fashion TV’.
Just heard a startling statistic: pizza sales are down by 10 percent across Canada. The culprit? The calories and the carbs. A piece of pizza can have 500 calories and 30 g of carbs. No wonder its so delicious. Now, pizza makers are designing pizza pies with healthy whole wheat crusts and toppings like spinach and tofu and artichokes. Yuk. I’m sure the guys are gonna order a couple of those while they’re watching the Superbowl.
Speaking of the canal, maybe you’ve noticed that the NCC has made it official: there are now giant signs on the canal touting the fact that we are in the Guinness Book of World Records, yes we are, THE longest skating rink in the entire world!!! Just in case there was any doubt. Every few years the argument returns, and a frozen Dutch surface tries to claim the honour, but we are sticking to our story. Although this winter has been so mild, we may have another world record: the most people standing and staring and wishing they could skate on the world’s longest skating rink.
The debate continues: should the city of Ottawa snow plow drivers not only clear our streets, but also take out the ‘hump’ at the end of our driveways? Apparently, the ‘taking out of the hump’ will cost taxpayers another million dollars. In the meantime, most people handle the driveway hump one of two ways: with a snowblower, or, putting pedal to the medal and flooring the family mini van. A crowd often gathers when this Indy 500 manouevre results in the belly of the mini van straddling the hump, while all 4 wheels spin in the air. I’ll bet this has never happened to the Canadian Tire guy.
The 939 BOB FM ‘pet friendly’ coffee mugs are here! Let us know when you’re going to be gathering at a dog park with your 4 legged and 2 legged friends, and our ‘pet friendly’ van will swing by to deliver these super cool traveler coffee mugs! Send us the info by clicking onto the ‘pet friendly’ section of our website. The BOB FM pet friendly coffee mug is quickly becoming the ‘must have’ item for hip dog owners. OK. Maybe I should stop watching ‘Fashion TV’.
Just heard a startling statistic: pizza sales are down by 10 percent across Canada. The culprit? The calories and the carbs. A piece of pizza can have 500 calories and 30 g of carbs. No wonder its so delicious. Now, pizza makers are designing pizza pies with healthy whole wheat crusts and toppings like spinach and tofu and artichokes. Yuk. I’m sure the guys are gonna order a couple of those while they’re watching the Superbowl.
Monday, January 16, 2006
You Can't Always Get What you want, eh?
The Rolling Stones ‘Bigger Bang’ tour is back after the holiday break and I was lucky enough to catch the Montreal show, which was ‘the same but different’ from their performance here at Lansdowne Park in September. They played some old gems like ‘As Tears Go By’ and ‘Midnight Rambler’ , along with new tunes. But there was one moment at the Stones show that I will never forget. Was it …their rendition of ‘Tumbling Dice’? Nope. Was it….Keith’s solo performance on ‘Happy’? Nope. It was….Ron Wood eating a banana. Yep. Right in the middle of ‘Midnight Rambler’, Ronnie just reached over and grabbed a banana from the top of a speaker, enjoying a good mouthful or two of Chiquita’s finest. For the first time in my life, I got the real answer to the question, ‘Does Ron Wood like bananas’? The answer is yes.
I don’t know about you, but I like keeping concert ticket stubs for souvenirs. Its fun to go through them every once in a while and reminisce about a certain concert. I don’t have my ticket stubs framed and hanging on the wall, or anything quite that organized. Some are in my wallet, some are stuck to the fridge, some are pinned to the wall in the workshop. But it would appear that the art of collecting concert ticket stubs may soon be obsolete. For the Stones show in Montreal, we got an ‘e-ticket’. Instead of giving the Bell Centre ticket takers a ticket, we handed them an 8 ½” by 11 inch piece of paper with seat numbers and a bar code on it. They scanned it and handed it back, so we could find our seats. There were thousands of people walking around with these pieces of paper. It looked like we all brought our homework to the Rolling Stones show.
My good friends at BARK (Bytowne Association of Rescued Kanines) are gearing up for their major fundraiser, the ‘Woofs and Wags’ Walkathon. OK , so its not til May…May 7th, to be exact, but who doesn’t like to think about the month of May during the dark cold month of January. Anyhow, to raise even more funds and get some friendly competition going, all RETREIVERS are challenging OTHER retrievers to raise the most money for the Bark walkathon on May 7th. If you have a retriever, join the ‘Retriever Fever’ team! Let’s see if we can extend this challenge to other dog breeds too…..how about a ‘Poodle Patrol’ or the “Jogging Jack Russells’…maybe the ‘Marching Malamutes’….or, what about the ‘Hiking Heinz’s’’..? For info on the walk, check www.bark-ottawa.com
Fantastic news about the Ottawa Senators games now being broadcast on both the Team 1200 AND in crystal clear 100,000 watt stereo on our very own 939 BOB FM! Just outside of Ottawa in cottage country, the ice fishermen can now have the Sens games blaring from their radios as they sit in their chairs overlooking the hole that they’ve cut into a frozen lake! Now ‘that’s’ Canadian!!
I had to chuckle while watching tv the other night, of course the federal election has hit a feverish pitch and it seems that every second tv commercial is either promoting or lambasting one political party or the other. But one particular tv commercial caught my attention, simply because at the end of the spot, a very serious female announcer asks the viewer a question. The question itself, ends with the word ‘eh’.
I think the question was something like, ‘as Canadians, we don’t want that, eh? Sheesh. Maybe they added the ‘eh’ to really speak our language. They should also offer us beer and bacon in exchange for votes. And maybe a toque, eh?
I don’t know about you, but I like keeping concert ticket stubs for souvenirs. Its fun to go through them every once in a while and reminisce about a certain concert. I don’t have my ticket stubs framed and hanging on the wall, or anything quite that organized. Some are in my wallet, some are stuck to the fridge, some are pinned to the wall in the workshop. But it would appear that the art of collecting concert ticket stubs may soon be obsolete. For the Stones show in Montreal, we got an ‘e-ticket’. Instead of giving the Bell Centre ticket takers a ticket, we handed them an 8 ½” by 11 inch piece of paper with seat numbers and a bar code on it. They scanned it and handed it back, so we could find our seats. There were thousands of people walking around with these pieces of paper. It looked like we all brought our homework to the Rolling Stones show.
My good friends at BARK (Bytowne Association of Rescued Kanines) are gearing up for their major fundraiser, the ‘Woofs and Wags’ Walkathon. OK , so its not til May…May 7th, to be exact, but who doesn’t like to think about the month of May during the dark cold month of January. Anyhow, to raise even more funds and get some friendly competition going, all RETREIVERS are challenging OTHER retrievers to raise the most money for the Bark walkathon on May 7th. If you have a retriever, join the ‘Retriever Fever’ team! Let’s see if we can extend this challenge to other dog breeds too…..how about a ‘Poodle Patrol’ or the “Jogging Jack Russells’…maybe the ‘Marching Malamutes’….or, what about the ‘Hiking Heinz’s’’..? For info on the walk, check www.bark-ottawa.com
Fantastic news about the Ottawa Senators games now being broadcast on both the Team 1200 AND in crystal clear 100,000 watt stereo on our very own 939 BOB FM! Just outside of Ottawa in cottage country, the ice fishermen can now have the Sens games blaring from their radios as they sit in their chairs overlooking the hole that they’ve cut into a frozen lake! Now ‘that’s’ Canadian!!
I had to chuckle while watching tv the other night, of course the federal election has hit a feverish pitch and it seems that every second tv commercial is either promoting or lambasting one political party or the other. But one particular tv commercial caught my attention, simply because at the end of the spot, a very serious female announcer asks the viewer a question. The question itself, ends with the word ‘eh’.
I think the question was something like, ‘as Canadians, we don’t want that, eh? Sheesh. Maybe they added the ‘eh’ to really speak our language. They should also offer us beer and bacon in exchange for votes. And maybe a toque, eh?
Thursday, January 05, 2006
How to Get a Parking Ticket
Bob FM’s ‘paying off your bills’ right now. Since Bob decided to give our listeners some sweet relief after the expense of the holidays, behind the scenes we’ve been quite entertained at the nature of some of the bills people are sending us. (incidentally, you can send us your bills too, all the info is on this website) Of course we’re getting the usual bills, Visa, hydro, cable, but my favourite so far….today BOB FM picked up the tab for 2 parking tickets. Which actually lead to quite a lesson for me. On the morning show, I advised listeners to do what I do….if you’re parking illegally for a few moments, just leave your hazard lights on and you won’t get a parking ticket. A parking ticket officer called us right away to set me straight on this. ‘Green hornets’ have their own name for hazard lights. They call them ‘come and get me lights’. If your vehicle’s lights are flashing you will actually be the first on the block to get that parking ticket. Sheesh. Foiled again.
I finally saw the movie ‘The 40 Year Old Virgin’. I thought it was pretty funny but I think my favourite running gag in the movie, was the fact that at the electronics store where everyone worked, a music DVD from singer Michael MacDonald played over and over and over again on every single plasma tv in the store. In my experience, every time I go to any ‘high definition’ tv department, they are playing the Eagles dvd, ‘When Hell Freezes Over’. I have seen this Eagles DVD play about a hundred times. If I ever get the urge to watch it, I just go to a tv store.
I came across an interesting website the other day, its www.myheritage.com. This website actually matches your face with the celebrity face that most resembles your face. You simply submit a photo of your face, and they send back the celebrity match! Use this site with caution, though. No one wants to be told that they look like Danny de Vito.
I love reading Sue Sherring’s column in the Ottawa Sun. Sue covers the goings-on at city council, and today she was offering up the latest: city council is thinking of banning ‘personal scents’, such as perfumes, colognes, scented soaps and deodorants, from municipal buildings, recreational centers and even OC transpo buses. Sue envisioned the scene on the bus when each driver has to not only collect fees and check bus passes, they have to actually take a big whiff of every passenger. If they smell at all like a flower, they are not allowed on the bus. But if you stink like garlic, grab yourself a seat! Don’t you just love living in Ottawa?
I finally saw the movie ‘The 40 Year Old Virgin’. I thought it was pretty funny but I think my favourite running gag in the movie, was the fact that at the electronics store where everyone worked, a music DVD from singer Michael MacDonald played over and over and over again on every single plasma tv in the store. In my experience, every time I go to any ‘high definition’ tv department, they are playing the Eagles dvd, ‘When Hell Freezes Over’. I have seen this Eagles DVD play about a hundred times. If I ever get the urge to watch it, I just go to a tv store.
I came across an interesting website the other day, its www.myheritage.com. This website actually matches your face with the celebrity face that most resembles your face. You simply submit a photo of your face, and they send back the celebrity match! Use this site with caution, though. No one wants to be told that they look like Danny de Vito.
I love reading Sue Sherring’s column in the Ottawa Sun. Sue covers the goings-on at city council, and today she was offering up the latest: city council is thinking of banning ‘personal scents’, such as perfumes, colognes, scented soaps and deodorants, from municipal buildings, recreational centers and even OC transpo buses. Sue envisioned the scene on the bus when each driver has to not only collect fees and check bus passes, they have to actually take a big whiff of every passenger. If they smell at all like a flower, they are not allowed on the bus. But if you stink like garlic, grab yourself a seat! Don’t you just love living in Ottawa?
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Does anyone know 7500 songs?
Hope everyone had a fabulous Christmas! I’m still staring at my new ipod, which is staring back at me from its original packaging. I love the fact that I got an ipod for Christmas, but I’m not too keen on the instruction booklet that comes with it, which by the way is much bigger than the ipod. This thing has the potential to play back 7,500 songs. To put 7500 songs on my ipod, I’ll have some serious decisions to make. What about song number 7501? The Ozark Mountain Daredevils are just not good enough to be on my ipod? And what about songs that I really really love, like ‘Born to Run’. With the capacity to hold 7500 songs, seems a shame to have ‘Born to Run’ on there just once. I think I’ll make it every eighth song.
I was hoping that no chocolate would make it into the house over the holidays, because I can’t sleep when I know we have chocolate. But Rob got one of those giant Toblerone chocolate bars in his ‘stocking’, and he did just as I asked, he hid it from me. As I write this, Rob is off to work, and I’m alone in the house with a hidden Toblerone chocolate bar. Well, me and the three dogs. But they don’t care about Toblerone because they all got Pup-eroni and Schnausages for Christmas. If I don’t look for the Toblerone, the thought of it consumes me. If I look for and find the Toblerone, I will consume it. Great. What a dilemma. And I have so many other things I have to do today.
I am s-o-o excited about Bob Fm’s big announcement, that we are now the world’s only PET FRIENDLY radio station!!! This means great things for pets, pet owners and pet lovers in the Ottawa area! You’ll see our BOB FM ‘Pet Mobile’ on the roads very soon, dishing out doggie treats and fresh water and other goodies. We have also aligned ourselves with the Ottawa Humane Society and the Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind, and we are committed to helping these important organizations with fundraising initiatives! Be sure to click on the ‘pet friendly’ icon on our website www.939bobfm.com, for tons of pet information, tips, and photos! Send us a photo of your dog, your cat, your snake, your budgie, join the club! And be sure to turn BOB FM way up before you leave the house. Your pets are less likely to eat your shoes while they’re listening to BOB FM.
Just before Christmas, I made some dog cookies (the recipe is in the previous blog post) and I brought some to work. After actually getting JR to eat one, I had three dog cookies left in a zip loc bag on my desk. I share an office with Lowell Green and Steve Madely. Steve Madely never eats food on my desk, but Lowell Green does. The next day I came back to the office to find that one of my dog cookies was missing. I’m pretty sure Lowell Green ate it. The good news, is that Lowell will probably stop stealing my food. The bad news, is that Lowell must think I’m the worst baker on the face of the earth.
What are your plans for New Year’s Eve? Getting all dressed up and going out for a big night on the town? Staying in and having friends and family over? Hope you enjoy the evening, and that at the stroke of midnight, the person closest to you is not your drunk uncle.
Happy new year!
I was hoping that no chocolate would make it into the house over the holidays, because I can’t sleep when I know we have chocolate. But Rob got one of those giant Toblerone chocolate bars in his ‘stocking’, and he did just as I asked, he hid it from me. As I write this, Rob is off to work, and I’m alone in the house with a hidden Toblerone chocolate bar. Well, me and the three dogs. But they don’t care about Toblerone because they all got Pup-eroni and Schnausages for Christmas. If I don’t look for the Toblerone, the thought of it consumes me. If I look for and find the Toblerone, I will consume it. Great. What a dilemma. And I have so many other things I have to do today.
I am s-o-o excited about Bob Fm’s big announcement, that we are now the world’s only PET FRIENDLY radio station!!! This means great things for pets, pet owners and pet lovers in the Ottawa area! You’ll see our BOB FM ‘Pet Mobile’ on the roads very soon, dishing out doggie treats and fresh water and other goodies. We have also aligned ourselves with the Ottawa Humane Society and the Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind, and we are committed to helping these important organizations with fundraising initiatives! Be sure to click on the ‘pet friendly’ icon on our website www.939bobfm.com, for tons of pet information, tips, and photos! Send us a photo of your dog, your cat, your snake, your budgie, join the club! And be sure to turn BOB FM way up before you leave the house. Your pets are less likely to eat your shoes while they’re listening to BOB FM.
Just before Christmas, I made some dog cookies (the recipe is in the previous blog post) and I brought some to work. After actually getting JR to eat one, I had three dog cookies left in a zip loc bag on my desk. I share an office with Lowell Green and Steve Madely. Steve Madely never eats food on my desk, but Lowell Green does. The next day I came back to the office to find that one of my dog cookies was missing. I’m pretty sure Lowell Green ate it. The good news, is that Lowell will probably stop stealing my food. The bad news, is that Lowell must think I’m the worst baker on the face of the earth.
What are your plans for New Year’s Eve? Getting all dressed up and going out for a big night on the town? Staying in and having friends and family over? Hope you enjoy the evening, and that at the stroke of midnight, the person closest to you is not your drunk uncle.
Happy new year!
Monday, December 19, 2005
Wake me up when its Christmas
The only Christmas presents I have left to buy, are the gifts for the dogs. And this year, it looks like my dogs are getting some good old fashioned home baking. Thank you to Patsy, who sent along this recipe for dog cookies. Mix 1 ¼ cups of water with same amount of peanut butter. In another bowl combine 2 cups whole wheat flour, one cup all purpose flour, and 1 ¼ tsp of baking powder. Mix the wet stuff with the dry stuff, roll it out, cut with a cookie cutter, and bake at 400 for 15 minutes. That’s it!! I probably should use a cookie cutter shaped like a bone, because everyone knows that dogs insist on all baked goods being shaped like a bone. But the only cookie cutter I have is shaped like a shamrock. Don’t think my dogs will mind if Christmas has a bit of a St Pattys Day theme. One final note about this recipe: if you notice, there’s nothing in the ingredients that we don’t eat ourselves. I’m wondering if I should make an extra batch for co-workers…………just kidding. I’ve been saving a fruitcake for them.
I saw a Christmas tree driving down the road the other day. I estimate it was about 14 feet long. The tree was strapped to the top of a Smart Car. For that one trip, I’ll bet that Smart Car felt like it was in the big leagues.
Have you seen the movie King Kong? The critics seem to love it but it didn’t exactly come out of the starting gate with a huge tally at the box office. At three hours ‘plus’, I wonder if that has something to do with it. When you figure in the time it took after arriving at the theatre, waiting in line to get your ticket, waiting in line to buy your popcorn, waiting in line to be searched for a recording device, then to watch the 22 minutes of commercials and trailers, you’ve already invested an hour and the movie hasn’t even started yet. No wonder we end up with numb bum.
It was quite the experience last week at the Bon Jovi concert in Montreal. I found myself standing about 8 feet away from Heather Locklear. Heather, of course, is married to Bon Jovi guitar player Richie Sambora. I asked her to sign my concert ticket stub, which she did quite kindly. When she handed it back to me, I dropped it and it fell behind a speaker. Heather Locklear bent down and fished my newly signed ticket stub from behind a speaker, then handed it to me once again. All this happened during ‘Living on a Prayer’. I didn’t feel too badly, as I’m sure she’s seen that song performed before.
I have a friend who has a one year old daughter, and an eight year old daughter. And another friend with a six year old daughter. I gave the kids their Christmas gifts the other day, for the six year old and the eight year old, I bought them each a singing gingerbread man. For the one year old, I found a cute fuzzy snowman. A day later, the Moms thanked me very much for the gifts. As it turned out, I had given the one year old a cute fuzzy snowman wine bottle cover. And for the other two kids, the gingerbread man sings, yes he does. He sings at the top of his lungs, as a matter of fact. And here’s what he sings about: how much he likes to run down the street with no clothes on. He’s naked, he loves it, and don’t anybody try to catch him.
Next year everyone’s getting a gift certificate.
I saw a Christmas tree driving down the road the other day. I estimate it was about 14 feet long. The tree was strapped to the top of a Smart Car. For that one trip, I’ll bet that Smart Car felt like it was in the big leagues.
Have you seen the movie King Kong? The critics seem to love it but it didn’t exactly come out of the starting gate with a huge tally at the box office. At three hours ‘plus’, I wonder if that has something to do with it. When you figure in the time it took after arriving at the theatre, waiting in line to get your ticket, waiting in line to buy your popcorn, waiting in line to be searched for a recording device, then to watch the 22 minutes of commercials and trailers, you’ve already invested an hour and the movie hasn’t even started yet. No wonder we end up with numb bum.
It was quite the experience last week at the Bon Jovi concert in Montreal. I found myself standing about 8 feet away from Heather Locklear. Heather, of course, is married to Bon Jovi guitar player Richie Sambora. I asked her to sign my concert ticket stub, which she did quite kindly. When she handed it back to me, I dropped it and it fell behind a speaker. Heather Locklear bent down and fished my newly signed ticket stub from behind a speaker, then handed it to me once again. All this happened during ‘Living on a Prayer’. I didn’t feel too badly, as I’m sure she’s seen that song performed before.
I have a friend who has a one year old daughter, and an eight year old daughter. And another friend with a six year old daughter. I gave the kids their Christmas gifts the other day, for the six year old and the eight year old, I bought them each a singing gingerbread man. For the one year old, I found a cute fuzzy snowman. A day later, the Moms thanked me very much for the gifts. As it turned out, I had given the one year old a cute fuzzy snowman wine bottle cover. And for the other two kids, the gingerbread man sings, yes he does. He sings at the top of his lungs, as a matter of fact. And here’s what he sings about: how much he likes to run down the street with no clothes on. He’s naked, he loves it, and don’t anybody try to catch him.
Next year everyone’s getting a gift certificate.
Sunday, December 11, 2005
Fruitcake! Food or Science Project
Artificial Christmas tree versus real tree? The debate has been going on as long as……..hmm.. I dunno. When was the first artificial tree invented? And was it the same person who invented artificial flowers and artificial grass? I have an artificial Christmas tree. Its quite a sad tree. I somehow misplaced all my ornaments just before Christmas last year, then at a Christmas party I won an ornament. It was a huge orange goldfish Christmas ornament. So, last year my Christmas tree consisted of one hanging fish. This year, its not going to be too hard to top that.
Most of my friends go out and get a real Christmas tree. They love the pine smell. I read that the most popular size for a real pine Christmas tree this year, is fourteen feet. Wow! That’s a tall tree. Probably being scooped up by all those people buying loft condo’s with high ceilings. Anyway, I have a question about these trees. Chopped down, tied up and tossed onto a gas station parking lot, these 14 foot pine trees cost about $50 - $60. This past summer, I went tree shopping. I needed two pine trees about 10 feet tall for my cottage. Two living trees, of course. For that size, they cost about $450 each. So…..lets see….a chopped down 14 foot pine tree is $50….. a living 10 foot pine tree is $450. Wonder if I can convince any of these Christmas tree farms to let me get my Christmas tree in May. I’ll bring my own shovel.
I was offered my first 2005 Christmas season piece of fruitcake the other day. Of course I politely said ‘no thank you’, because I despise fruitcake. I won’t eat anything that can actually out-live me.
Have you been to a re-gift party yet? These are getting increasingly popular. Instead of going out and spending tons of cash on something that someone doesn’t need, you simply go to your garage or basement and choose something that someone doesn’t need. Then you wrap it in pretty Christmas paper. Since everyone at the re-gift party has done the same thing, there is absolutely no shame. My friend recently went to a Christmas re-gift party but took it one step further. She gave me her re-gift because she thought I would love it. I am now the proud owner of a huge ceramic garden ornament, multi-colored, the theme being a family of turtles climbing up a wall. Who knew turtles could climb?
There’s a new dog food product, I won’t say the brand name, but basically its ‘dog food gravy’. You buy it in a bottle, and you pour it onto your dog’s bowl of dry dog food. I decided to buy a bottle and try it out. After I poured the gravy onto their crunchy kibble, my dogs ate their dinner in about 10 seconds. I swear I even heard them say ‘mmmmm’’ while they were wolfing down their new gravy-topped dinner. Apparently, dogs love gravy. I also know for a fact that dogs love cheese. Dog poutine! That’s it!!! I’m going to invent dog poutine. It’s a surefire winner. You heard it here first.
Most of my friends go out and get a real Christmas tree. They love the pine smell. I read that the most popular size for a real pine Christmas tree this year, is fourteen feet. Wow! That’s a tall tree. Probably being scooped up by all those people buying loft condo’s with high ceilings. Anyway, I have a question about these trees. Chopped down, tied up and tossed onto a gas station parking lot, these 14 foot pine trees cost about $50 - $60. This past summer, I went tree shopping. I needed two pine trees about 10 feet tall for my cottage. Two living trees, of course. For that size, they cost about $450 each. So…..lets see….a chopped down 14 foot pine tree is $50….. a living 10 foot pine tree is $450. Wonder if I can convince any of these Christmas tree farms to let me get my Christmas tree in May. I’ll bring my own shovel.
I was offered my first 2005 Christmas season piece of fruitcake the other day. Of course I politely said ‘no thank you’, because I despise fruitcake. I won’t eat anything that can actually out-live me.
Have you been to a re-gift party yet? These are getting increasingly popular. Instead of going out and spending tons of cash on something that someone doesn’t need, you simply go to your garage or basement and choose something that someone doesn’t need. Then you wrap it in pretty Christmas paper. Since everyone at the re-gift party has done the same thing, there is absolutely no shame. My friend recently went to a Christmas re-gift party but took it one step further. She gave me her re-gift because she thought I would love it. I am now the proud owner of a huge ceramic garden ornament, multi-colored, the theme being a family of turtles climbing up a wall. Who knew turtles could climb?
There’s a new dog food product, I won’t say the brand name, but basically its ‘dog food gravy’. You buy it in a bottle, and you pour it onto your dog’s bowl of dry dog food. I decided to buy a bottle and try it out. After I poured the gravy onto their crunchy kibble, my dogs ate their dinner in about 10 seconds. I swear I even heard them say ‘mmmmm’’ while they were wolfing down their new gravy-topped dinner. Apparently, dogs love gravy. I also know for a fact that dogs love cheese. Dog poutine! That’s it!!! I’m going to invent dog poutine. It’s a surefire winner. You heard it here first.
Monday, December 05, 2005
Say....Do you Work Here Often?
I bought my husband a Christmas present the other day, and I still haven’t given it to him! This is a record for me. Traditionally, if I find the perfect Christmas gift for my husband, it doesn’t matter if its November 14th or December 5th, I give it to him that night, the minute he gets home from work. Because I can’t wait for anything that has the potential of being good. Part of the reason that I have yet to give this gift to my better half, is because I’ve hidden it so well, I don’t know where it is. Too bad its not a gift of food, because my dogs would definitely have found it by now.
Its office Christmas party season! Don’t you just love stories about office Christmas parties? If you have any you’d like to share, please e-mail me back and I’ll post them here. Who doesn’t love a good office Christmas party story ….like the one that involved Todd in accounting and Michelle from marketing, some mistle-toe, too much rum and egg nog, and a photocopy machine.
Congratulations to everyone who participated in the 580 CFRA Christmas Cheer Broadcast on the weekend, and to everyone who donated for a total of $127,000 –plus to provide needy families with holiday food hampers. JR and I were happy to be part of CFRA’s 55th annual Christmas Cheer broadcast. Growing up in Ottawa, this has been a tradition that I look forward to each year. I apologize to all the guests who shared my chair throughout the day, and I hope my coffee spill dried up eventually.
It seems these days that you can’t pick up a national newspaper without reading some columnist’s opinion about our beloved Ottawa Senators. More and more writers are daring to say that this year’s Ottawa Senators are perhaps the finest hockey team of all time. That includes any team that’s ever played in the NHL, and any team that’s ever played in the Olympics. Wow. I hope this doesn’t jinx anything. I’m a little leary about big wide sweeping statements like the ones these columnists are making…’Best hockey team ever assembled’…because I’m afraid of the ‘jinx factor’. That being said, I can’t wait for the Stanley Cup parade down Bank Street. Can you buy ticker tape on e-Bay? Oops. I take that back. Can I take that back?
Thank you to the hundreds of people who did the same thing I did. We all got completely, 100 percent, sucked in by an internet hoax. It came to me by e-mail last week, a litter of golden retriever puppies who needed homes right away – OR ELSE! I responded to the email right away, gave my phone number, said I would come over and get the puppies right now, blah blah……only to find out, this was a hoax that has traveled through cyberspace since the fall of 2002! My sincere thanks to everyone who called the ‘Morning After on Bob FM’ to tell me that they had responded to this email too…even forwarding it to every animal lover they knew. Thank goodness I’m not the only one who once believed a friend who told me ‘you know, the word ‘gullible’ is NOT in the dictionary!
Its office Christmas party season! Don’t you just love stories about office Christmas parties? If you have any you’d like to share, please e-mail me back and I’ll post them here. Who doesn’t love a good office Christmas party story ….like the one that involved Todd in accounting and Michelle from marketing, some mistle-toe, too much rum and egg nog, and a photocopy machine.
Congratulations to everyone who participated in the 580 CFRA Christmas Cheer Broadcast on the weekend, and to everyone who donated for a total of $127,000 –plus to provide needy families with holiday food hampers. JR and I were happy to be part of CFRA’s 55th annual Christmas Cheer broadcast. Growing up in Ottawa, this has been a tradition that I look forward to each year. I apologize to all the guests who shared my chair throughout the day, and I hope my coffee spill dried up eventually.
It seems these days that you can’t pick up a national newspaper without reading some columnist’s opinion about our beloved Ottawa Senators. More and more writers are daring to say that this year’s Ottawa Senators are perhaps the finest hockey team of all time. That includes any team that’s ever played in the NHL, and any team that’s ever played in the Olympics. Wow. I hope this doesn’t jinx anything. I’m a little leary about big wide sweeping statements like the ones these columnists are making…’Best hockey team ever assembled’…because I’m afraid of the ‘jinx factor’. That being said, I can’t wait for the Stanley Cup parade down Bank Street. Can you buy ticker tape on e-Bay? Oops. I take that back. Can I take that back?
Thank you to the hundreds of people who did the same thing I did. We all got completely, 100 percent, sucked in by an internet hoax. It came to me by e-mail last week, a litter of golden retriever puppies who needed homes right away – OR ELSE! I responded to the email right away, gave my phone number, said I would come over and get the puppies right now, blah blah……only to find out, this was a hoax that has traveled through cyberspace since the fall of 2002! My sincere thanks to everyone who called the ‘Morning After on Bob FM’ to tell me that they had responded to this email too…even forwarding it to every animal lover they knew. Thank goodness I’m not the only one who once believed a friend who told me ‘you know, the word ‘gullible’ is NOT in the dictionary!
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