Happy Halloween!

I used to love this day! Not so much for the candies, we had a store so I had access to candy all the time, but the getting dressed part! I enjoyed that, but I think not as much as my mother did. She loved to dress me up. It was never intricate costumes, but simple ones done with things we had. I hated wearing a mask; I couldn’t see a thing with it on. My mother always came with me. She never wore a costume but she would walk the neighbourhood with me. Sometime we would venture further out. We knew that some areas of town were more incline to give, but we would always stay close by. We would walk for hours.

In Montreal, in the residential areas, the older part of town, we have lots of stairs. And as luck would have it, the people who would give, were always the people on the top floor.
My mother would wait for me at the bottom of the stairs (ground level) and I would go up. I remember how clumsy I felt in my costume, with my mask on, not seeing the steps that well. Let’s not forget that most of the time; it is cold on Halloween’s night. That meant, that my costume had to be big enough to go over my snowsuit some year, or at least my winter jacket. I felt like the Marshmallow man in “Ghostbusters”! I walked like him and was just as mobile! So, making it to the top of the stairs was one thing, but often that door was home to two apartments, one of which was on the third floor! I remember sweating bullets, but feeling so happy because I would have a pillowcase full of candies. And those candies were way better than the ones we had at the store!

We always gave good stuff at the store, either a bag of chips or a big candy bar. The amount of kids that would show was crazy. Once I was done “collecting my own candies” I would come to the store and watched. It was fun to see all those faces and trying to figure out which kid I knew, plus my father was a bit scared of masked kids, especially when they were tall. If they were tall and acted “older” they wouldn’t give them candies. My dad would tell them they were too old and sent them off, empty-handed. And we would only give at night! If some showed up before dinner, they were turned back. For my dad, Halloween was a night thing, for kids. It was all about being scared and scary!

That's what it's all about for me, so this year, I might be doing this...

Happy Trick or Treating!!

___
Image: Staircase & Marshmallow Man

Random Thoughts

My latest client is driving me mad… They are so disorganised. One big mess… Argh!

Yesterday I went for my head scan. Awaiting the results. (Keeping fingers crossed)

I have no tolerance for people who make faces when you offer them something they never ate before! C’mon people, at least try ONE bite!

Our staircase going to the basement has been re-done! It was missing a layer of drywall so they added that, plus made a frame, added isolation and more drywall. Now, we don’t hear our neighbours at all! This morning was the sanding phase, yikes! Dust everywhere!!! Yet another thing to add to my going mental!

I’ve been thinking about doing the “NaBloPoMo” (National Blog Posting Month) this year. Last year I was tempted, but didn't do it. A post per day, I can do that!
…I think?
I just spoke with the painter, and if we’re lucky, and if he has time, we might get the staircase repainted before the weekend! Woohoo! Could we actually get done? After four months of living here? Really?!?
Tomorrow I’m getting my hair cut! I’m so overdue I can hardly wait!
“Tomorrow! Tomorrow! I love ya tomorrow! You’re always, A day, A way!”

Do we have to?

My post about aging brought out comments about mothers and our relationships with them (which wasn’t really the intent of my post). It reminded me of this article I read in “Coup de Pouce” (a local magazine) asking if we were obliged to love our mother. It almost seems inconceivable, doesn’t it? But what if our relationship with her makes us unhappy? That might happen. I know it does.

Despite the fact that she brought us up, gave us values like respect and being polite we often feel deceived or angry with our mothers. Their constant critiques of the way we dress, the way our hair is cut (or colour), our poor choice of friends (and boyfriends), our career choices, our weights, our grades, our successes, every little aspects of our lives are comb with a fine-tooth comb and commented on. It isn’t always negative, but those critics will alienate our love for her. Her attitude irritates us and if it were any friend doing this we would ditch them so fast. Because she’s our mother we feel guilty (so girly of us) or it is simply because of filial love. But, really, we don’t have to love our mother. Since my father died (seven years ago) I've been treating my mother the way I would a friend; if she says or does something that I would not tolerate from a friend, I let her know. It's not always easy, but it's so much easier between us.

Being raised in a society based on religious principles such as “Honour Your Father and Mother” it’s only normal that we feel guilt when we don’t feel all warm & fuzzy about our parents. Daughters will feel tormented by this because deep down we want that good relationship with our mom. On top of the mother-child link there’s the mother-daughter one which also makes the mother out as a model for us to look up to. We relate to her as a “girl/woman”. The first real conflicts usually occur in the teen years. We feel this need to be different from her, and yet we seek her approval.

If we tried to better understand our mother we might get along better. But in doing so, we shouldn’t feel sorry for whatever she went through. We’re not responsible for her either. We can only be compassionate. Often when we get pregnant all emotions regarding our mother come rushing back. If we had tried to stay away from her, we will then try to get closer. We realise that so many of the things we disliked about her were her way of protecting us. We often only realise that when we have a child of our own.

Often there’s a big gap between a “perfect” mother and the “real” one, who’s not so perfect. We must forget about the perfect one and see our mother for who she is. If our mother is frail or sick it might be a good time to tell her how we feel, but if she’s healthy we should let her know that we were unhappy during our younger years. We have to make sure it’s said in a way that it’s about the way we feel. Of course we’d love to hear her apologize and admit her wrongdoing but we shouldn’t expect that. The only thing we can really change is ourselves, and how we see things. If that fails, and if we still feel frustrated with her, we should try to limit our visits or the time spent on the phone with her. And if we decide to keep a relationship going, we have to accept the fact that forgiving is a long process. We should not hope that she would really change, because she may not, and that will add to our frustration. In the worst-case scenario, maybe we’ll have to cut our mother from our life. It might be temporary, but a needed pause. We shouldn’t hate ourselves for the anger we feel. If the idea of never seeing our mother again is unbearable, then let’s hope that with some help, some time and once we feel stronger and “healthier” we will be able to reconnect with her.

Randy Pausch's Lecture on Oprah

I received this and could not do anything but post it here for you to see.

It is a bit long, but so worth the time to watch it, if you haven't yet.

Watch this amazing lecture, by clicking here.

Touching and quite inspirational! You won't regret it...

Your Friday Smile!

Two prostitutes were riding around town with a sign on top of their car which said:
"Two Prostitutes -- $50.00."
A policeman, seeing the sign, stopped them and told them they'd either have to remove the sign or go to jail. Just at that time, another car passed with a sign saying: "JESUS SAVES."
One of the girls asked the officer, "How come you don't stop them?!"
"Well, that's a little different," the officer smiled. "Their sign pertains to religion."
So the two ladies of the night frowned as they took their sign down and drove off.

The following day found the same police officer in the area when he noticed the two ladies driving around with a large sign on their car again. Figuring he had an easy arrest, he began to catch up with them when he noticed the new sign which now read:
"Two Fallen Angels Seeking Peter -- $50.00"

***

A scientist from Newfoundland has invented a bra that keeps women's breasts from jiggling and prevents the nipples from pushing through the fabric when cold weather sets in.

At a news conference announcing the invention, the scientist was taken outside by a large group of men from St John's, who kicked the shit out of him....

'Great weekend everybody!
In less than 2 months it will be Christmas!!!
Tell me your birth day (here), please.

Aging

Do you ever catch yourself realising that you sound just like your mother? That you do something just like your mom does? I don’t know if it’s because I’m aging, because let’s be honest here, I’m not getting any younger but I don’t really think of myself as being old either (except at very specific random times). Growing up I often heard that I looked just like my mom. I remember looking at her and thinking, I don’t look like that! So many times I was told: “You must be Mrs Paw’s daughter”, and that would upset me, because I didn’t think I looked like my mother. I have my father’s mouth and character (not his best feature. Hee.) I’ve always been taller than both my parents, so no real resemblance there, and yet some people could tell.

I’ve been catching myself saying things my parents would say, and when I do it makes me “reset” if you will. When did I turn into them? Last year when we took the pooch in, Hubby did mentioned a few times (too many!) that when I spoke to the pooch I sounded (or used expressions) just like my mother. At first I was taken aback by it, but would hear something I’d say and couldn’t deny it.

As a teen I remember caressing my mother’s hands (she has very soft hands) and noticing that her skin was changing, the veins were more apparent, the texture of her skin changed as well… it was starting to wrinkle. Driving back from my dentist earlier, while waiting at a red light I noticed my hands on the steering wheel… I have my mother’s hands. Looking at my body there’s no doubt that I have the same shape as my mom… and I don’t really know how to feel about that. As I'm typing this I became aware that my mouth was pouting just like my mother does when she's thinking. Even if I couldn’t see myself, I know that my mouth was placed in the way I so often saw on her face. It’s really strange to discover that I’m really a lot more like her than I thought I was.

I wonder if I’ll age the way she did? I hope to remain active and enjoying life and to be in peace with myself. I don’t want to become one who obsesses about the way I look or what will people think of me. I’ve done my share of that in school. I’m not completely over that, we all have some insecurity, but I’d say I’m managing pretty well. Is it because I still feel inside my head the way I did when I was young…er? When I think of myself, I still see myself as I did in my twenties. Looking at myself in a mirror, well… that’s different, to say the least. But overall I think I do like the person looking back at me. And that makes me happy in some way. It reassures me about the fact that time is moving in one direction only.

I know that aging is part of this process we call life. I don’t mind it too much. At least I don’t think I do. But, I do mind the abrupt stop at the end!
___
Image: Aging

Size this

I’ve been receiving lots of spam. Some do get filtered but I have a feeling that most just get through. I’m not even talking about my stinkypaw account. I’m talking about my personal accounts. I have a few emails accounts (one for business, one for personal, one for ordering, etc.) and lately it is total mayhem! I’ve asked my geek, security freak husband to do something about it, but his schedule being what it is, he hasn’t had much time to dedicate to this matter.

According to the emails I’ve been receiving I deserve something better and bigger! (ah, sure!) Finally I won't be concerned with my size any more. (Are we talking about my weight again?!) They have something special that will make all my sexual desires real. (oohhh! Now I’m curious!) I should forget what I've heard earlier. The new era for me is here! Women will love me! (but…why?) Friends will be jealous! (I don't want my friends to envy me!) And I will finally feel like a real man with a real penis! (Ooh! that I've always wanted to know how it feels!)

If I try their product my penis will give me more! (yeah, lots more! like a penis!) They want to offer me something impressive! I never supposed that some medicine could make me feel so sure in bed. (That’s true!) My stick will be record-breaker! (I drive automatic thank you very much, so nothing will be recorded nor broken!) They shall lead me to my new sexual life. (I’m not sure I want to follow them though!) Do I want to be satisfied with an average penis and ordinary women? (Nope!) They doubt that. (But they really shouldn't!) That’s why they offer something special to me. (I feel so “special” now!) Mega refers to "great" (gee! You think?). And this new development will make my penis really great! (I wonder if it is FDA approved? And if it was tested on animals? I woudn't want anything but the best for this new penis of mine!) They tell me to take it and I will find pleasure in my new successes in bed! I’ll be so amazed... (Not shit Sherlock, I’ll be amazed! I'll have a penis!!) I will win in bed with their medicine for my penis (I would win big if I would need medicine for a penis I DON’T have!) That’s why they offer something special to me. And their product will make my ramrod really great! (so great even it doesn’t exist!) If I take it I will find pleasure in my new sexual experiences! (Now, that would be an experience!) I’ll be so pleasantly surprised... (Surprise isn’t strong enough to describe how I would feel!) A new size was never so easy to get (oh how I wish this was true, at least for weight!) If I buy it I will enjoy my new successes with women! (If I’d buy that I would think I'd want to enjoy my success with everyone!) They are here to tell me something impressive! (They sure are, I’m impressed to find out that I have a mediocre penis (which it might be since it is non-existent) and that they’ll be able to make my stick, my ramrod, my phallus, or whatever else they called it so "megagnific" that I’ll break all sexual records out there.)

It’s all about size isn’t it? I often heard that it wasn’t about size but about how it was used. I would have to agree with that BUT I would also have to say that size does matter. In everything! Think about it. Each one of us is concern at some point by the size of our cars, meals, bodies, houses, beds, etc. we always want a different size for miscellaneous reasons. We are not always satisfied with the average, we want to be above it, and sometimes we’ll do something stupid to get it… like answer an email…and place an order maybe.

Am I wrong here in thinking that size does matter?
___
Image: Spam

Your Friday Smile!

This is how I felt today! A pooper scooper, hourly paid to pick up someone else's crap!! Can you spell F.U.N.?! I sure can't!

Why is it they (the clients) always wait to be in a nice big, hot and steemy pile to call me to pick up after their mess? Why?! What I thought was bad yesterday was nothing compared to today... I entered the "Land of Confusion" without even knowing that I've taken that step! I can't only shiver when I think of the days to come...

But... there's always a but, I got a really nice surprise when I got home tonight!

Awaiting me was a yummy, delicious box of Godiva Chocolates, special treats from Monkey! Now talk about an awesome way to end the day! Monkey you rock and that was a super nice thing you did! Thank you girl! What a special blend you are!

And now back to our regular programming; Your Friday Smile!

NEW WINE FOR SENIORS

California vintners, in the Napa Valley area, which primarily produces Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir and Pinot Grigio wines, have developed a new hybrid grape that acts as an anti-diuretic.

It is expected to reduce the number of trips older people have to make to the bathroom during the night.

The new wine will be marketed as...

"PINO MORE"

...Hey I heard it through the grapevine!

***

I have to remember that...

***
Dorothy and Edna, two "senior" widows, are talking.

Dorothy: "That nice George Johnson asked me out for a date. I know you went out with him last week, and I wanted to talk with you about him before I give him my answer."

Edna: "Well, I'll tell you. He shows up at my apartment punctually at 7 P.M., dressed like such a gentleman in a fine suit, and he brings me such beautiful flowers!

Then he takes me downstairs, and what's there but a luxury car... a limousine, uniformed chauffeur and all.

Then he takes me out for dinner... a marvelous dinner... lobster, champagne, dessert, and after-dinner drinks.

Then we go see a show. Let me tell you, Dorothy, I enjoyed it so much I could have just died from pleasure!

So then we are coming back to my apartment and he turns into an ANIMAL.
Completely crazy, he tears off my expensive new dress and has his way with me - twice!"

Dorothy: "Goodness gracious!... so you are telling me I shouldn't go out with him?"

Edna: "No, no, no... I'm just saying, wear an old dress."

Have a great weekend everyone!
Please let me know your birth date,
if you haven't yet! Thanks!
(here)

___
Image: Scooper & Monkey

My bad!

In May I had met with a potential client. We had a good meeting and she had said they would call me back. They did not. I didn’t either, because I’m at a place in my life where I’m not looking for more clients. If they come, good, but I’m not actively searching for new business.

Last week I received a phone call. She had made up her mind, and was ready for me. Ok then! What’s a few months in between?! No big deal. Today was supposed to be all about installation and chart creation. Or so I thought. Wrong! What should have been a simple task turned into this complicated adventure, because the lady who should be aware of the details is somewhat confused… So… after a full day there, I have to go back tomorrow! My only consolation, I charge by the hour! Hee.

Oh how I wish I had one of those handy!

Thinking back...

When I saw this picture, I couldn’t help to think about how good it felt to be that young and to be intimidated by the “cool guy” who would actually talked to me… A part of me misses those days. The days where I would fall in love just because he had the “coolest hair”, or because he “actually” talked to me, or just because he was a bit older than me... The days when the heartaches were almost a weekly thing, when everything seemed so complicated and yet everything was so much simpler. Yeah, I think I do miss those days.

Yesterday before going to a client, I checked my emails and had received an email from a girlfriend from high school. He grandmother had passed and they were having a little viewing and service in the evening. I hadn’t seen that friend since almost 10 years or her twin sister, who also went to school with us, for over 23 years. After high school we didn’t keep in touch. Our year was pretty messed up. A year or so ago, I googled some names from school out of curiosity and found MJ. There was an email address, so I wrote her asking if she was the girl I knew. She was. We had one email exchange and that was about it.

We used to be best friends, until some stupid “girl argument” occured. Our last year of high school we remained friends, but we weren’t much more than that. We had grown apart. All afternoon I was wondering if I should go. As I was leaving my client, I decided that I would go for a short visit, just to pay my respect. I had met her grand mother as well as some of her relatives. There was barely anybody there. I saw MJ talking with a woman and walked in her direction. When she saw me, she jumped in my arms and hugged me hard. She was truly happy to see me. She kept saying “I can’t believe you actually came…” We hugged, cried and tried to make up for lost time. When her sister saw me it was almost funny. She stood in the middle of the chapel, saying really loud: “OMG! Stinkypaw!! OMG! What are you doing here?” The priest had to cough a few times for her to realise that she was being loud. Hee.

After the service we talked some more, we exchanged phone numbers and went our separate ways. Driving home, I thought of how much time had gone by and yet catching up with MJ was just like back in the days we would giggle in the back of a class while talking about boys. It also made me think of the post I did on “Feel Good Crap” and how something so simple as me showing up made a difference for this old friend.

On a different note, tonight on my way to class I saw a guy on a unicycle, again! From barely ever seeing one to seeing a bunch of them within a few days…what’s going on with that? Weird!

And I leave you with this thought:

"Friends are like butt cheeks.
Crap might separate them,
But they always come back together."

This is what I saw today.

I don't get to see this everyday downtown Montreal...

This afternoon, while driving downtown, to pick up a friend, I saw 6 guys on unicycles crossing the street! I did managed to catch a pictures of these 3 while we drove by!

Once we picked our friend up, who's actually the daughter of a friend from Australia in town for an exchange program at McGill university, we made our way up North. It is the time of the year when leaves turned in Québec, lots of yellow and beautiful reds, so we decided to bring her to Tremblant. One of our "tall" mountain (385 m of elevation). After 1 hour and a half drive, which was very colourful all the way, we took the gondola and made our way to the top. This is what we saw on our way up... (that is Hubby's ear & half's!)

Puuurdy colours, no?

AND, to our surprise, when we reached the top, there was snow on the trees and ground!!! Oh my golly, I don't think I'm quite ready for that, and yet I have to say that I was excited!

Felt like a tourist in my own town!

Hubby’s car has been under the weather for a while now, nothing too serious we hope. Since he’s been commuting by bicycle all summer he hasn’t used his car much, so there was no real need to have it fixed. Friday it rained in Montreal, I was at home, and so he used my car to go to work. Like every Friday night, I had my meditation class to go to. He came home in ample time for me to attend my class. But, since he was going to a little get together with some friends, it was better for him to take my car. He drove me to my class and said to call him when I’d be done. When I came out of my class, I did call him, but the perspective of waiting on a street corner in the cold wind for a half hour wasn’t really appealing so I decided to take the metro. I hadn’t done that in years!
I knew there was one not too far from where I was. So I started walking. Within 5 minutes I was at the station. Cool! I get in and to my surprise I see some sliding doors and slots for tickets only. I look around, and what used to be a booth with a man inside is now closed. So, how do I get down to the metro? I have money, how do I get on? I walked over to this girl and asked her. She looked at me like I was a complete moron and told me that I needed to go where they had a booth. Oh… Ok! …As if I hadn’t figured that much out already! I headed back outside, and was VERY tempted to hop on one of those taxis lined up by the station. I was debating should I try to find another station, simply walk home or cab it? As I was crossing a street I noticed that some buses were gathering a few streets over, so I made my way there. Woohoo! It was an actually station. I paid my fare and went down to wait for the next metro. The stations have changed somewhat, the trains as well, but the blank looks people have on their face while riding the metro is just the same as it ever was! I had not taken public transit since 1990, I think! Let’s just say that I didn’t miss it!

I got off at the nearest station to home, figured my way out since there are many exits and walked home. From door to door, it took me 30 minutes, which wasn’t that bad. Granted by car it only takes 7 minutes now. Before we moved it used to take me between 35 minutes to over 1 hour. Traffic can never be predicted; if someone sneezes you’re screwed!

Overall, taking the metro wasn’t that bad, I felt like a tourist a bit, but once I figured out the system I enjoyed the walk!
___

Image: Montreal Metro

Your Friday Smile!

A young monk arrives at the monastery. He is assigned to helping the other monks in copying the old canons and laws of the church by hand.

He notices, however, that all of the monks are copying from copies, not from the original manuscript. So, the new monk goes to the head abbot to question this, pointing out that if someone made even a small error in the first copy, it would never be picked up! In fact, that error would be continued in all of the subsequent copies.

The head monk, says, "We have been copying from the copies for centuries, but you make a good point, my son."

He goes down into the dark caves underneath the monastery where the original manuscripts are held as archives in a locked vault that hasn't been opened for hundreds of years. Hours go
by and nobody sees the old abbot.

So, the young monk gets worried and goes down to look for him. He sees him banging his head against the wall and wailing. "We missed the R ! We missed the R ! We missed the R !"

His forehead is all bloody and bruised and he is crying uncontrollably. The young monk asks the old abbot, "What's wrong, father?"

With A choking voice, the old abbot replies, "The word was... CELEBRATE!!!"

***



***
A bus carrying only ugly people crashes into an oncoming truck, and everyone inside dies. As they stand at the Pearly Gates waiting to enter Paradise and meet their maker, God decides to grant each person one wish because of the grief they have experienced.

They're all lined up, and God asks the first one what the wish is. "I want to be gorgeous," and so God snaps His fingers, and it is done. The second one in line hears this and says "I want to be gorgeous too". Another snap of His fingers and the wish is granted.

This goes on for a while with each one asking to be gorgeous, but when God is halfway down the line, the last guy in the line starts laughing.

When there are only ten people left, this guy is rolling on the floor, laughing his head off.

Finally, God reaches this last guy and asks him what his wish will be. The guy eventually calms down and says: "Make 'em all ugly again."

NEXT TIME YOU'RE LAST IN LINE, BE HAPPY!

Blessed are the Cracked,
For they are the Ones
Who let in the Light!

Have a great weekend!
Don't forget to let me know your birth date (here) - Thanks!

One for the money...

A while back I joined a few groups. I wanted to promote my blog or at least be on some sites where it could happen. Nothing much came of it. Maybe lately there’s a little more traffic coming from there, but I'm not that sure...

I realised, while reading different threads that many people actually blog for money. Really? I knew that some did make a living as bloggers, but not “that” many. Or so I thought. Often when surfing the blogoshpere I get hit by an ugly reality that some blogs are basically nothing else but a clutter of advertisement. It’s sickening. The look of their blogs is uuugly to say the least, with all those ads and they basically have very little content because the ads take up so much space. But they’re hoping to make the big bucks. Which brings us to the “hit” issue.

How many hits do you get/day? You see, for me the comments I get are more important than the hits. I may be wrong in thinking this way, but I feel that with each comment I get, I create a link of some sort with the reader, and I like that idea. I used to look at my stats almost daily, now I barely look at them. True, I wish I could expand my circle of readers/commenters, but I’m not willing to censor myself to please someone else. (anyway, I do, believe it or not!).
We all have our style and it comes through in our blogs, or I least I suppose it does. Sometimes I’ll write something and it will be read in a different manner than what I meant. Heck, that happens in real life, so imagine while reading. There’s no tone to speak of, and yet at times, we can feel a tone! Sometimes styles collide. There are some blogs I read which never came here, or if they did I didn’t notice. Sometimes it clicks and other times, not so much…Can’t please them all, that’s for sure.

Today, following a discussion, I read this post. That guy says it well. I think he’s right, what do you think?

Difference

I was just reading Monkey’s post, and at first I had to re-read what she meant when she wrote “See You Next Tuesday”… Then I got it and it reminded me of something I’ve said once and how embarrassed I was without really knowing why.

As you (may) know, I’m French-Canadian. My mother tongue is French. My parents never spoke a word of English, nor did they understand it, even if they owned businesses and all. I picked up English first while playing with kids in the alley behind our restaurant. Then a bit in school, the basics like “Kick the ball, Sandy” – “All right, Tom!” type of thing. When I got into high school, I was told my English was good (go figure!) and they put me into an advanced class. After a few classes they reviewed my case and re-assigned me to a beginners class (mucho better ‘cause I couldn’t understand a thing!). My English got better and ended back in the advanced group. I had a few English friends; they could hardly speak French, which was great. I got to practise a lot.

Hubby and I were members of a badminton club, and one girl, who became a friend, had just moved here from England. Often we would compare the way we’d say things, and how different the same language was being use. She had expressions that I loved, and that’s not even talking about her accent.
One day while we were sitting on the bench waiting for our match, I mentioned something and wanting to be proper used the “See You Next Tuesday”. She was in shocked, and let me so. She told me how much she despised that word, etc. I was just sitting there; completely unaware of what I had said wrong, and why she was so upset. I was quite embarrassed, and it showed. I could have directed a plane for landing with my face alone it was so red! She then proceeded to explain how that word “See You Next Tuesday” was used and in what way. Even if it was the “proper” term, it meant something completely different. Now I get that “difference”, but back then I didn’t know.

Since I’ve been be Hubby my English improved a lot. At home we mostly speak English (for some reason), maybe because I used to give my karate classes in English, worked in English, only watched TV in English (except Sunday night for “Tout le monde en parle”). When I started teaching karate the body parts I knew (in English) weren’t that commonly used in karate, so… at times I was having a hard time. The students were great and would often help me complete my sentences or correct me.

Once I wanted the guys to do some bag work, to toughen up their tibias. So once the bags were hooked up and the guys lined up, I gave them their instructions. One guy, older man by maybe 10 years, started hitting the bag with his face. I stopped the class, walked up to him, and asked why he was doing that. He simply answered, “Because you said so”. I had said to hit the bags with their chin, when I meant to say shin… Now I know the difference!

Isn’t it funny how things can get twisted around, how one little word can change the whole “mood” or context? It’s all a question of tongue and how well one can use it.

Or is that a question of language?!

___
Image

Explanation of "See You Next Tuesday", another way to spell CUNT

Our Thanksgiving

I've been told (and I'm not the only one) that we, Canadians, were weird, because our Thanksgiving wasn’t at the same time as the States. Well, excuse us!

It made me think and to be honest for me Thanksgiving has never really been something big. I don’t really think it is, here, in Quebec anyway. I think it is more celebrated by the English-Canadian than the French ones. I might be mistaken, but in our family it was only an extra day off, nothing more. We never really did the turkey thing, etc. Turkey, for me, is at Christmas.

I did ask my mom if we ever celebrated it, and she seemed surprised by my question. Before dating my current husband, I had never really celebrated Thanksgiving. Since I’ve been with him, I’ve realised that some people do. I also noticed that those people are mostly English speaking or Hungarian (like Hubby), or Portuguese, but not French-Quebecer.

It hit me a few years back, while in Hawai'i in November how much celebrating it represented AND how crazy it was for shopping on that day. Unreal. Their Thanksgiving Sales were just like our Boxing Day Sales. Nuts!

I did some research and from what I remembered from school, our Thanksgiving isn’t related to Pilgrims etc., but more to the end of harvest. They would celebrate and gave thanks for what they had gathered. So, for that reason alone it makes sense that it is always the second Monday of October. You can read about it in Wikipedia, here.

Now does that make sense to my fellow American friends?
No? Oh well! Just keep going with the notion we’re weird then…

___
Image: Sesame's Street

A Pre-School Test For You

Which way is the bus below traveling?
To the left or to the right?
Can't make up your mind?
Look carefully at the picture again.

Still don't know?

Pre-schoolers all over the United States were shown this picture asked the same question.

90% of the pre-schooler's gave this answer: "The bus is traveling to the left."

When asked, "Why do you think the bus is traveling to the left?"

They answered:

"Because you can't see the door to get on the bus."

How do you feel now?
I know, me too.

Your Friday Smile!

Today, it's all about Maxine!

A minister decided that a visual demonstration would add emphasis to his Sunday sermon. Four worms were placed into four separate jars:

The first worm was put into a container of alcohol.
The second worm was put into a container of cigarette smoke.
The third worm was put into a container of chocolate syrup.
The fourth worm was put into a container of good clean soil.

At the conclusion of the sermon, the Minister reported the following results:

The first worm in alcohol - Dead.
The second worm in cigarette smoke - Dead.
Third worm in chocolate syrup - Dead.
Fourth worm in good clean soil - Alive.

So the Minister asked the congregation, "What can you learn from this demonstration?"
Maxine, sitting in the back, quickly raised her hand and said,
"As long as you drink, smoke and eat chocolate, you won't have worms!"

So endeth the sermon.

***


Everyone concentrates on the problems we're having in this country lately; illegal immigration, hurricane recovery, alligators attacking people in Florida ...

Not me. I concentrate on solutions for the problems. It's a win-win situation.

+ Dig a moat the length of the Mexican border.

+ Send the dirt to New Orleans to raise the level of the levies.

+ Put the Florida alligators in the moat along the Mexican border.

Any other problems you would like for me to solve today?

Have a great long weekend to my fellow Canadians!
Happy Thanksgiving!
And please, don't forget to tell me your birth date (here)!

I missed it!

I was just reading some blogs and came about this:

I know I'm a day late, but if you want to come out of the wood work and delurk, please, do so!

For every comment you'll leave, I'll leave one as well!

Looking forward to meet you.

Vegas! (Part 2)

We stayed off the strip, right behind “Hooters” (really!). We were across the street from "MGM Grand". The size of everything is pretty impressive. Walking a block in Vegas means walking some distance. The last time I’ve walked this much was in Athens, when we would get lost daily.

In Sin City we didn’t get lost but the hotels/casinos are so big that walking from one to the other is a good walk.

The first day we walked from our condo to “MGM” (went to see the lions), then made our way to “Paris” (with the Eifel Tower) . Along the way we stopped at different shops, for either food, drinks, and/or souvenirs. We came back by “Bellagio” (seen below) and “New York New York”.

The only thing I really wanted to see while in Vegas, was Cirque du Soleil’s “O” – it plays at Bellagio, and the tickets are friggin’ expensive, but man! I’m so happy we’ve seen it. It was amazing! Our Hawaiian friend was a Cirque’s virgin, so to see this one as her first show left quite an impression on her. When we went to get her ticket, we stopped by the Cirque’s gift shop and listened to some of their CDs. While we’re waiting for the cashier to process her transaction, we decided to also get tickets to see “The Beatles Love”, also a Cirque’s show but playing at The Mirage. Two nights in a row we saw Cirque's shows, and what a treat it was! It was a very powerful entertainment experience, that's for sure! I've been humming songs since then, and I did buy the "Love" CD.

If you make your way to Vegas, you MUST see either one of those shows. They are completely different, but so worth the money you’ll spend there. That is one gamble you won't lose with, for sure!

Here's another view of the Strip, at night, from a pedestrian overpass. Lots of lights and lots more people walking and driving. That City never sleeps, or if it does, it's very little...

No matter where you want to go you have to get through a casino. They are pretty wise that way, but it didn’t pay off with me. The day we made our way “downtown” to Old Vegas, i.e. Fremont St. I did play a little. I put in 1 dollar in some “Wheel of Fortune” slot, played and managed to win $2.20. Woohoo!
But then I played another machine and lost $1. A big 0.20-cent winner! The worst part is that I couldn’t figure out what I needed to do! I like Black Jack, but didn’t give in to temptation. Instead I played in some arcade and came home with 3 new plush animals. I feel better spending my money than losing it.

Old Vegas has a whole different flavor to it... and let's just say that it wasn't that interesting...
It was nice to see some old casinos, which I remembered from old movies like "Viva Las Vegas" with Elvis & Ann Margaret... but it's old and decrepit, but it's still attracts lots of people, older people... a whole different crowd.

During our visit at The Mirage, I managed to catch a few shots of the white tiger that was there, from the days of Siegfried and Roy what a gorgeous cat! Look at the size of those paws, and that posture! You just have to luuuv that puurrrfect beast!

As my pictures may reflect, we did spend a lot of time on the Strip. We also made our way to Ceasar’s Palace, and we shopped on the Appian Way, all those expensive, designers shops... Actually this is where Hubby really made my trip. He surprised me. As in, REALLY, surprised me.
For many years I’ve wanted a Cartier ring, the Trinity one. I always loved its simple lines and how it looks. I will forever remember my first trip to Las Vegas, because Hubby gave me this…

Did I say how much I love my husband?

Vegas! (Part 1)

About my week in Vegas… As I wrote previously, it was nice. I’m happy I’ve seen it, but I wouldn’t make a habit of it. Far from it. It was fun and worth seeing, but not on my list of “Must Return To”…

We will be back, since we didn’t see the things we really wanted to see, like the Canyon, the Hoover dam, etc. They are other things to see in Vegas besides casinos. After the second day I had my share of casinos, imagine! I would go back in a heartbeat to see shows. Every casino has at least 2 to 3 shows going, so if you want to be entertained, it’s the place to be!

I took this shot of The Strip as we were getting ready to land, even from the sky you can tell how BIG the buildings are.

One place where I did spend quite a bit of time was at M & M’s World. That store is huge! And the stuff they have! From key chains to jewellery, clothing, furniture, name it they have it! PLUS, they had some dark chocolate M & M’s. Just couldn’t resist those, and a few other things...

Here’s a picture I took of the storefront and of some posters for a movie they were (and will be) playing inside their theatre (yeah they also had that and a “shop” on how they’re made…).

I think that almost every person I saw walking on the Strip had an M & M’s bag!

... I have two! Hee.

Now, how cute is Blue over there?

I'll post some more later!








I took many shots, but will only post some of the "faceless" ones...

I’m back!

Feeling like crap but happy to be back nonetheless. Vegas was interesting, a "must see" at least once in a lifetime. Everything is so big, coming back to Montreal our buildings seems tiny compared to what we saw over in Sin City. Despite being sick, (thanks to Hubby’s generosity who shared his cold with all of us), we had a great time overall. I’ll share some pictures and more info later, even if “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas!”

Can you believe that October is already here? It’s time to face the fact that summer is finished and autumn is now here. We can notice the leaves have already started to change colours… Last week we were in shorts and flip-flops, and yesterday we wore jeans and shoes… Oh the joys of living in the Northern Hemisphere.

BUT, in just 85 days it will be Christmas!!! What can I say I’m one of “those” people! Hee.