One of those...

We had a good weekend, just the two of us. We didn’t do much, our usual errands, and yesterday walked around the Village and made our way to the Jazz Fest. We sat down for a while in a park where there were hosting a steel drum competition. It felt strange to be sitting, downtown Montreal, with Caribbean music. It felt like we were away somewhere. That is truly one of the things I enjoy most about living here. The City is so alive in the summer, people everywhere and so different, I love it!

Because it was such a warm day, we decided to eat out on our deck. We received our new patio set, so we fired up the BBQ, set up the table, and enjoyed our meal. Unfortunately it got cut short a little because a thunderstorm rolled in. We barely had time to finished and moved in. It was pouring hard. We then decided to finish watching Season One of “Dexter” (loving it by the way). Then we went to bed to be woken up at 6:00am by a power failure. In our house we get things beeping like hell when there’s no power, because Hubby has everything on UPS. It’s not really a pleasant way to wake up. Half-hour later he managed to turn off everything correctly, except for the alarm that kept beeping sporadically, which he eventually killed. Then at about 8:00am his cell phone rang, it was his uncle to inform us that his wife had finally passed away this morning. Forget trying to sleep after all that… I did try, but Tobi wanted to be fed, and reminded me that he doesn’t really do brunch.

Tonight we have a BBQ at a client/friend’s house. Tomorrow we’re off since it will be Canada Day. I’ve received an email from the NaBloPoMo people, saying that the theme for July's daily blogging is FOOD. So, here’s what I’m suggesting, since I know I won’t be writing daily, but for the whole month of July my posts titles will have food in them, want to play along? If so, let me know. It will be different.

On Wednesday morning we will be burying the ashes of Hubby’s mother. And that same night we have tickets for a gala at the Just for Laugh Festival (French version)… talk about a strange day that will be…

To be honest I don’t know how I’m feeling right this moment… and yet I kind of feel numb… weird n’est-ce pas? We REALLY don’t know what the future holds for us, do we? …and that is a good thing, as Martha would say…

What a difference a year makes

On this date a year ago we were leaving our house in the West-Island to come live downtown in a condo. We left behind what I felt was our home and I hoped we would recreate this feeling in our spanking new condo. Even if it’s not all completed (we’re only missing light fixtures and a few pieces of furniture), it does feel like home. This is more than just the place where we live, it is our refuge from the world, and it is also where our cat is.

This is our home, it has changed since we’ve moved, things are feeling like they should, and whenever I see the Clock Tower in the Old Port or the Radio-Canada tower I know I’m heading home.




Looks like a lived-in home doesn't it?
___

Pictures taken by cousin

Your Friday Smile!

Three old Ladies named Gertrude, Maude, and Tilly were sitting on a park bench having a quiet conversation when a flasher approached from across the park.

The man came up to the ladies, stood right in front of them, opened his trench coat and exposed himself.

Gertrude immediately had a stroke.
And then Maude also had a stroke.
But Tilly, being older and feebler, bless her heart, couldn't reach that far.

***
It must have been a brave man who wrote this, and it took an even braver one to send it to me!

Son asked his mother the following question:"Mom, why are wedding dresses white?"
The mother looks at her son and replies, "Son, this shows your friends and relatives that your bride is pure."The son thanks his Mom and goes off to double-check this with his father.
"Dad why are wedding dresses white?"
The father looks at his son in surprise and says, "Son, all household appliances come in white."

Have a great weekend!

In the name of love

Last night we went to see U2 3D at the Imax Theatre. Wow! It was Hubby’s initiation to Imax and he enjoyed it. It was a good show, and a few times, it really felt like the people in the pit were actually in front of us, that was pretty cool.

I discovered U2 late, i.e. with their album, “Joshua Tree” back in 1987. Fell in love with Bono’s voice, and I’ve been enjoying them ever since. I remember at the times thinking Larry Mullen was hot… as I aged (and so did they) my taste in men changed… Last night I really enjoyed watching Adam Clayton. Maybe it’s the grey hair, just like Hubby, that gives him a little something special, I don’t know, but I surely enjoyed watching them that close! Time has left its mark on all of them, but it hasn’t been unkind… It’s nice to see that despite all their money, they chose to remain real, and that is the sexiest thing of all!

If you haven’t yet, try to catch that movie, it’s worth the $15 and to refrain the urge to reach out to Bono’s hand is also worth it, trust me!

Random again...

Since I’m feeling “random” again, and saw this on Galoot’s I figured I’d use it for today’s post. I will not tag anyone feel free to use it.

My ex...is a nice guy that I loved dearly but with whom I wasn’t happy.

Maybe I should... join a gym, maybe that would motivate me more.

I love... anything chocolate. Seriously, it’s an addiction!

People would say... I’m too frank and direct.

I don't understand... people who don’t help themselves.

When I wake up in the morning... I have to pee.

I lost... my virginity to someone I wish I had not.

Life is full of... surprises!

My past is something... I cherish, because I am the person I am now because of it.

I get annoyed when... I don’t get a reaction fast enough.

Parties are... not what they used to be… at least, for me.

I wish... more people would realise that it’s not all about them…

Dogs... love unconditionally.

Cats... are gorgeous, independent and great friends as well.

Tomorrow... is a day closer to our vacations!

I have a low tolerance for... anything, really!

If I had a million dollars... I would clear off our debts, invest and then enjoy!

I'm totally terrified of... stupid people and how many there are.

Nice & Relaxing

What a lovely weekend, we’ve had. Some could say it was boring, but I beg to differ! It was nice and relaxing. Saturday we woke up late, had a nice brunch just the two of us, after which we made our way to Granby. It was a nice day for a drive. It wasn’t really planned; it was more a spur of the moment kind of thing. Hubby’s uncle (his late mother’s brother) called to thank us for the birthday wishes (the week before) apologizing for not doing it sooner, but under the circumstances he wasn’t doing too well. His wife is dying, gallbladder cancer, supposedly a rare cancer to have. She’s young; she only turned 50 on May 7th. Because of the way he sounded, we decided to pay him a visit. We drove one hour to get to the hospital. The shock of seeing his wife like this broke my heart. She was the type of woman, who would always wear a little make up, had her hair done, always well dressed… What I saw, lying in that hospital bed was nothing like the woman I knew. I barely recognized her. She was skin and bones, and has reached a point where she doesn’t recognized people. Last time I had seen her was at my MIL’s funeral, less than a year ago, and she was “healthy”, or so we thought. Hubby’s uncle is visibly taking it all very hard. In the 14 years I’ve been with Hubby, I had never seen his uncle looking this dishevelled, this fragile. Even last year, when his sister (Hubby’s mom) died I saw him shaken up, but Saturday was a whole different feel. I felt for him. We spent a few hours with him, and then made our way back home. During our drive back we couldn’t help but talked about it and how precious life really is.

We had to be back before 7:30pm, because the City was closing all access to our area due to the yearly Fireworks Competition starting that night. We made it in time, and then decided to walk to Chinatown for a good Chinese dinner. We slowly made our way back home, on Notre-Dame and watched the fireworks. The amount of people and cars blocking our area was crazy. Glad we walked everywhere!

Sunday was also a smooth day. We did some errands, and had to go to the post office to pick up a parcel. It was a big box, which actually contained two chairs from our set. I’m hoping to get the rest on Monday, if not I’ll have to contact the seller! I’m happy with how they look and also they are not wobbly! Yay! We walked around Old Montreal, thinking that the festivities for the St-Jean-Baptiste (a Quebec Holiday, on Tuesday) were started, when it dawn on me that it was actually music (if you can call it that!) from the Heavy Montreal Weekend that we were hearing. I can only imagine how loud it must have been on site since we could hear it from across the river! Nutts! We had a nice ice cream cone from Bilboquet (they have a little stand in the Old Port), and we got ourselves some tickets to go see U2 3D at the Imax Theatre on Wednesday night. That should be interesting.

See, we didn’t do anything out of the ordinary, but it was a nice weekend, where I realised that we must enjoy life, everyday. We don’t know when our number will be up, so might as well enjoy it while we still can!

Your Friday Smile!

The very first ever Blonde GUY joke… and well worth the wait!

An Irishman , a Mexican and a Blonde Guy were doing construction work on scaffolding on the 20th floor of a building.

They were eating lunch and the Irishman said, 'Corned beef and cabbage! If I get corned beef and cabbage one more time for lunch, I'm going to jump off this building.'

The Mexican! Opened his lunch box and exclaimed,'Burritos again! If I get burritos one more time, I'm going to jump off too.'

The blonde opened his lunch and said, 'Bologna again! If I get a bologna sandwich one more time, I'm jumping too.'

The next day, the Irishman opened his lunch box, saw corned beef and cabbage, and jumped to his death.

The Mexican opened his lunch, saw a burrito, and jumped, too.

The blonde guy opened his lunch, saw the bologna and jumped to his death as well.

At the funeral, the Irishman's wife was weeping. She said, 'If I'd known how really tired he was of corned beef and cabbage, I never would have given it to him again!'

The Mexican's wife also wept and said, 'I could have given him tacos or enchiladas! I didn't realize he hated burritos so much.'

Everyone turned and stared at the blonde's wife.
The blonde's wife said, 'Don't look at me. The idiot makes his own lunch.'

***

Enjoy your weekend!

I'm growing...

Yesterday I’ve learnt a lesson. Maybe it’s more like I’ve come to realise something? Either way, I grew up… or older.

I have often wondered why my mother could not decide anything. When my father was still around I thought it was because he was the decision maker, but soon after his death I saw that maybe she just couldn’t make up her own mind.

The kids for their parents’ 40th wedding anniversary are celebrating her best friend of over sixty years in July. I wasn’t really planning to attend, but was sure my mother would. Given her beau’s health (he’s on dialysis 3 times/week) and how far it is (six hours heading North from her place) she decided not to go. When she told me this I felt sorry for her, assuming she was disappointed not to be there for her old friend… so I offered her to drive up with me, just the two of us, for a weekend. When I asked her she only replied: “Hmmm, let me think about it”. In mother’s speak I knew that meant, “I don’t think so”, but then again, she could surprise me.

The RSVP was June 1st, being already over two weeks late, I called my mother to get her answer. She mumbled something about looking for an answer, because she didn’t know what to do, etc. At some point I lost patience with her, and said “Mom, I’m not asking you to sign your life away. Do you want to go to your friends’ party or not?” She then answered: “I’m deciding right now! I’m not going!” We said goodbye and that was that.

This isn’t the first time she does this. For some reason, I always think it would please her to do something with me. I guess it’s not really the case even if she often says she misses me. I’m disappointed. When my father passed away I thought it would be an occasion for us to get closer, it has not been the case really.

Yesterday I realised it was my time to “let go” of this image or expectation I had of my mother. Like a parent in regards to its kids, it’s time for me to accept and deal with the fact that my mother isn’t the person I thought she was or wanted her to be. My expectations aren’t meeting reality. It’s ok, it’s all part of growing older, isn’t it?

Random Thoughts

Did you ever feel like blogging but just don't know what to blog out? That's how I've been feeling today, so since I feel so random I decided to post random as well...

• I'm a TV junky, it's true. I assume it. I wanted to watch "House" so Hubby creatively acquired all episodes from the 1st season on, and we watched them all. So now, we're awaiting September like everybody else who do watch that show. I love House, yep he has an attitude but it sure isn't his problem!
  
  
• My cat is aging... he sleeps a lot more then he used to... but he still follows me around. I love my kitty.
  
  
• Last week I went for a massage and pedicure, at the Delta downtown. It was the BEST massage I've had in a friggin' long time. She was deep enough and just borderline painful, just like I love. I'll be going back for sure.
  
  
• I was curious about "Nip / Tuck"... Hubby did his magic... need I say more? I'm almost done the first season. We're also thinking "Dexter"...
  
  
• I just love cherries! They're expensive, and also addictive. Can't eat just one or two. Nope, not me anyway.
  
  
• Bought myself a new wallet this weekend. Used it for the first time yesterday, I think it was a good purchase.
  
  
• My MIL's ashes will finally be buried. Ten days short from her death's first anniversary.
  
  
• Crap! I just swallowed a cherry pit!
  
  
• Had an interesting email exchange with a client earlier. I informed him that I wasn't a gentleman, but a gentlewoman. He felt embarassed and wrote back that I was "definitively a nice gentlewoman…"
  
  
• Last night during dinner conversation, Hubby confirmed that he wasn't that subtle. He does read my blog, hee. Hello lurking Hubby! ;-)
  
  
• I wish I lived closer to some bloggers. I'd like to meet some of you in person. Maybe one day an occasion will present itself.
  
  
• I asked my meditation teacher about karma, and that comment Mrs. Stone had made... Karma is one complicated thing, and unlike what I thought originally, karma is not only a personal but it can be a family, group or even nation thing... interesting isn't it? One thing I do know, is that karma isn't "immediate".
  
  
• Why is it that people always wait until the last minute to do things, and then complain about being rushed or lack of time? A friend called me yesterday asking if I knew someone who could help her. She needed to do a montage for her best-friend who's turning 50 in two weeks. But she will be leaving on Friday, for two weeks, sailing. It's not like she didn't know she would have to do this for a specific date a while back... I don't get that. If something is important or has meaning to you, why wait until the last minute to figure it out?
  

Random enough for you?

Weekend shopping

Another weekend that zipped by real quick… I don’t know about you, but they seem to go by faster than they used to. No matter, it was a pleasant one. We didn’t do anything special, except some chores and you know, the regular things we do on weekends.

We’ve been here for almost a year already and it does feel like home, but not everything is done. Actually the only things left, really, are our light fixtures. We are picky and let me be honest, at this point, cheap. We want something that looks good, is right for the spot and isn’t too expensive. When we do find something we both like, often the price is one we’re not willing to pay at this point in time. A few weeks ago we were hit with our welcome tax, school taxes and municipal taxes for 2007 and 2008. Our lovely city was expecting us to spit up over 6K in one shot. Yeah OK, we’re made of money after all! Let’s just say that lights were not our first priority for some reason.

Saturday we went for dim sum, in Chinatown, walked around a little. Made our way home and then decided to go for a drive, ran some errands and made our way to a light store, next to Hubby’s client. I’ve been complaining (read bitching) about the lack of light, or the lighting quality in the kitchen. That “jobber special” wasn’t doing it for me anymore. I wanted light. We both knew what type of fixture we wanted for the kitchen, and we agreed it was time to get something at least for that. We still don’t have fixtures for the bathroom (above the sink), we did buy something but didn’t really like how it looked, so now it’s in the hallway and it’s perfect there. Neither our bedroom, nor our office nor our entrance has fixtures. And we’re missing some (3) downstairs as well; all in due time. We did get to the store at about 4:20pm (they closed at 5pm), looked around quickly and found something we both liked and in our budget. We bought it and Hubby installed it. It’s perfect, and man does it make the kitchen bright! Yay for light!

Last year, before we moved, we had a garage sale, where I was super efficient at selling a bunch of our stuff. According to Hubby I was too efficient. At the end of our sale a neighbour came by and asked if our patio set was for sale. It was out because we needed the table, so I told him to make me an offer I could not refuse. He did and I sold it. So… since we have been here we don’t have any patio furniture. Last week I wanted to work outside, and my set up sucked, so I didn’t. We get a lot of sun on our deck, so I thought it was also time to maybe start looking at patio furniture… so we did. We wanted something low maintenance, that looked good, that wasn’t plastic, and of course not too expensive. Our choices were limited. We, again, realised real fast that the things we like are not cheap. The “outdoor furnishing” is big now. Some items are nice enough to be used indoor. I would, anyway. We thought we wanted teak. Teak is nice, can withstand the rigors of our climate… but its price… yikes!

We fell in love with this (at least I did!)... this was a Kingsley-Bate, dining chairs & table:

Gorgeous, but man... It would be more expensive than our dinning room set!

Because our deck space is limited, we need something that is space-efficient. I had seen this set (below) last year, in a catalogue I received by mail, which has a lot of cool toys, but not many cheap ones, Hubby said it wasn’t the “right” time after I had showed it to him...

I didn't see it anywhere in stores, and was thinking that maybe, I would have to made due, this year again, of sitting in my foldable rocker if I wanted to sit outside.

After looking around at our options, we decided that this year, since we (read I) do need (read want) something to “enjoy” our deck on nice sunny days, that maybe this set wasn’t that expensive after all. Granted it's not teak, but Shorea wood which is said to be preferred for its outdoor, weather-resistant durability. The 40" octagonal table comes with the four folding chairs. Check this out, the chairs stack underneath the table when not in use. How cool is that?

When we came back, a bit discouraged by the price of teak, we bit the bullet and ordered this trestle patio table and stow away chairs.

The price of this whole set is less than two times the price of one chair of the other set. You read that right. One chair was twice the price of this whole set. Crazy no?

Now we just have to wait for it to be delivered... let's hope it's good, not too woobly and comfy. That's the part I hate about catalogue orders, besides the wait; not having seen nor felt the stuff I'm ordering. Argh.

Your Friday Smile!

For several years a man was having an affair with an Italian woman. One night
she confided in him that she was pregnant. Not wanting to ruin his reputation and his marriage, he paid her a large sum of money, if she would go to Italy to secretly have the child. If she stayed in Italy to raise the child he would also provide child support until the child turned 18. She agreed, but asked how he would know when the baby was born.

To keep it discrete he told her to simply send him a postcard and write "spaghetti" on the back. He would then arrange for the child support to begin.

One day, about 9 months later, he came home to hi s confused wife. "Honey" she said, "you received a very strange postcard today". "Oh, just give it to me and I'll explain it later", he said. The wife obeyed and watched as her husband read the card, turned white, and fainted.

On the card was written:

"Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti Spaghetti,
Three with meatballs, two without.
Send extra sauce"

***

The couple were 85 years old, and had been married for sixty years. Though they were far from rich, they managed to get by because they watched their pennies.

Though not young, they were both in very good health, largely due to the wife's insistence on healthy foods and exercise for the last decade.

One day, their good health didn't help when they went on a rare vacation and their plane crashed, sending them off to Heaven.

They reached the pearly gates, and St. Peter escorted them inside. He took them to a beautiful mansion, furnished in gold and fine silks, with a fully stocked kitchen and a waterfall in the master bath. A maid could be seen hanging their favorite clothes in the closet.

They gasped in astonishment when he said, 'Welcome to Heaven. This will be your home now.'

The old man asked Peter how much all this was going to cost. 'Why, nothing,' Peter replied, 'remember, this is your reward in Heaven.'

The old man looked out the window and right there he saw a championship golf course, finer and more beautiful than any ever built on Earth.
'What are the greens fees?' grumbled the old man.

'This is heaven,' St. Peter replied. 'You can play for free, every day.'

Next they went to the clubhouse and saw the lavish buffet lunch, with every imaginable cuisine laid out before them, from seafood to steaks to exotic deserts, free flowing beverages.

'Don't even ask,' said St. Peter to the man. This is Heaven, it is all free for you to enjoy.'

The old man looked around and glanced nervously at his wife.

'Well, where are the low fat and low cholesterol foods, and the decaffeinated tea?' he asked.

'That's the best part,' St. Peter replied. 'You can eat and drink as much as you like of whatever you like, and you will never get fat or sick. This is Heaven!'

The old man pushed, 'No gym to work out at?'

'Not unless you want to,' was the answer.

'No testing my sugar or blood pressure or...'

'Never again. All you do here is enjoy yourself.'

The old man glared at his wife and said, 'You and your bran muffins. We could have been here ten years ago!'

Have a great weekend everyone!
Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there!

I could be depressed.

When I read this post from Just a grail, I couldn’t help to think that she wrote something I’ve been thinking about for a while. It’s true that when I say that I’m fat, people always come back with a line like “No, you’re not!” But I know I am.

I’m not obese, but I’m fat. I carry too much weight, that’s for sure. I realised that, unlike so many of us, I’m not a health freak nor am I focusing only on my weight. I’ve come to accept (I should write tolerate here) the image our mirrors are reflecting back at me. I’m not saying that I love what I see. It’s not that. I just don’t want to be one of those people who constantly complain about how fat they are and do nothing about it. What pisses me off is when I hear or see a small person and they talk about losing weight. Even my husband, who isn’t fat in any way, that man is fit, still would like to lose his belly. That’s what he calls it. I believe I have a gorgeous man who’s tall and firm. I’m happy with that, wish he was as well.

At times I wonder if his wanting to lose weight is his way to tell me that I should as well, but I don’t think he’d be that subtle. Not that he can’t be, he could, but not with me and not for this. I might be wrong, but I doubt it.

Remember a few weeks ago when I wrote about that friend I had not seen nor talk to in years, which confessed he liked me “back then”, that I was hot? His comment triggered something, besides the thoughts “What back then? Does that mean he thinks I don’t look good anymore?” I kind of realised that I’m aging, and in the process I’m noticing that my body is changing. Put aside the friggin’ menopause, and I still see signs. I wish they were the Mel Gibson kind, but they’re not. Age catches up to all of us, I realise that. I also know that as we age it becomes harder to lose weight, to remain firm… I know a man, in his sixties, who trains daily, his body looks good but despite all that, his face (and neck) are showing that he’s no longer a young stud. He thinks he still is, but he’s not…

So… if I recap, I’m fat and aging… nice. Really cheerful, isn’t it? Argh, where’s a big enough rock for me to crawl under? Imagine this, I feel this way and I’m not even a blond American woman. There’s no way in heck that I could be happy being a fat brunette, is there? I’d have to look tight, with shoot up lips and not a roll in sight… Geez, thank Gawd I’m Canadian!

Did it again!

After all the preparation and excitement, it's now done. Yep, we did the Relay for Life, for the second year in a row. What a night. We were lucky overall because it didn't rain. But man was it humid!

After spending over 12 hours with cancer survivors, relatives and friends who were there with one goal in mind: to walk against cancer and to remember those we lost to it, it does do "something" to you... I don’t think anybody can take part of this event and remain untouched.

Unlike last year, this Relay was all about celebrating life, so the feel of the whole evening was very different. We were celebrating the survivors. It was still moving but in a very different way. I think all team members enjoyed their experience, some for the first time and others for the second, like us.

Our little caps caught the eye of many other participants. They would come up to our tent or to some of us, asking where we got them. It was funny all the reactions we’ve got. A lady even insisted on buying one. She loved Tweety and she really wanted one. Since one team member was a no show, his cap was given to this lady. She insisted on giving me $5 so we both agreed it would go against a donation. I must say, at first, when I put it on, it felt a little embarrassed, but I overcame that feeling quite rapidly. I would forget what the cap looked like, until I would meet someone who would look at me and smile. They were great for finding team members on the trail, very easy to spot.

Because I didn’t ask any member of the team if I could publish these photos, I’ve covered their beautiful smiling faces…

This was our team, VIGILANT, from 14 to 60 years old. The only member missing on this shot was L., our survivor. While we were setting up, he was attending a cocktail for the Survivors.

This is him, during the Survivors' Lap. The yellow shirts identified cancer survivors and the orange ones, care givers.


The location (Maisonneuve Park) was beautiful and being in town at night, in a park lit up by luminaries was interesting to say the least. That specific relay (Montreal-Centre) raised over $280 000, among which our team "VIGILANT" raised $6,605.00. If we include the luminaries sold (92 total for the team), it brings us to a grand total of $7,065.00. Not bad at all, if I do say so myself! Hubby & I did manage to raise $3,610.00 thanks to all our generous friends, relatives, clients and let's not forget Blends, of course! Special thanks to Marius, Tammie, Charlie, Brave Astronaut, Ananke, Lizgwiz, and Attila the Mom – you guys rock!!!

We’ve taken a few pictures, and here they are:

Our camp set up, at dawn. Can you notice the amount of food on the table?


The following two are showing what our path looked like with the luminaries and the Olympic Stadium Tower overlooking the park. With all the fog present, it made everything sort of spooky, yet very peaceful.



It was beautiful with all the luminaries and to think that each little flame represented a person battling cancer or someone who lost their fight against cancer made me shiver a few times...

Overall, it was a great night, and despite a few itches, we will most likely do it again next year; because after all, cancer never sleeps!

___

Photos: Private

What's that noise?

As I'm sitting in our office, I can hear this noise, and can't help to wonder what the heck is going on outside. It's a known sound... what could it be?

O.M.G. I just remembered this weekend, Montreal is hosting the Grand Prix du Canada! The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is across the water from here, no wonder I'm hearing noises! At the moment, it's the 2nd free practice session of Formula 1... ok then, mistery solve.

...Oh the joys of living downtown!

Your Friday Smile!

A study conducted by UCLA's Department of Psychiatry has revealed that the kind of face a woman finds attractive on a man can differ depending on where she is in her menstrual cycle.

For example:

If she is ovulating, she is attracted to men with rugged and masculine features.

However, if she is menstruating or menopausal, she tends to be more attracted to a man with duct tape over his mouth and a spear lodged in his forehead while he is on fire.

No further studies are expected.

***

There are two statues in a park; one of a nude man and one of a nude woman. They had been facing each other across a pathway for a hundred years, when one day an angel comes down from the sky and, with a single gesture, brings the two to life.

The angel tells them, 'As a reward for being so patient through a hundred blazing summers and dismal winters, you have been given life for thirty minutes to do what you've wished to do the most.'

He looks at her, she looks at him, and they go running behind the shrubbery.
The angel waits patiently as the bushes rustle and giggling ensues.
After fifteen minutes, the two return, out of breath and laughing.
The angel tells them, 'Um, you have fifteen minutes left, would you care to do it again?'
He asks her 'Shall we?'
She eagerly replies, 'Oh, yes, let's! But let's change positions.This time, I'll hold
the pigeon down and you shit on its head.'

----------------AND WHAT WERE YOU THINKING????

***

And finally, here's a short video of the Japanese version of "America's Got Talent"

Have a great weekend everyone!

Good busy. Yeah, that's it!

Things have been busy. I’m not complaining, it’s just an observation. I actually like being busy, especially when it’s this kind of “good busy”. Last weekend we had to completely empty our home office because Monday our new office furniture was being delivered. I’m really happy with the look of it all in the end, and despite a few things I’m glad we decided to do this. Once again, I’ve realised that we have a lot of crap! In this new configuration I have less storage than before, so it’s forcing me to get rid of some things, which is not a bad thing.

Sunday, Hubby delivered a filing cabinet to a client of mine, with his dad. That cabinet used to hold all our “older” files. In Québec, as a business, we have to keep our records for a minimum of seven years, so I had to transfer all those files into boxes until the filing/storage unit from our office was brought down.

Yesterday morning, Hubby disassembled both our desks. When the installers came in with all those pieces and boxes, the office felt pretty small. Now, that everything is in place, I think it is way more spacious than before. I like it can you tell?

Today was a day for me of figuring out where I wanted my things and what I wanted those things to be. Whatever I couldn’t store up here, had to go down to the unit. I managed to do it! Some things will be ironed out as we use the office more, but overall it’s all good! These two pictures are from our office, as it stands at the moment.

His side:

and mine:

Spacier no?

As you may remember, Friday will be our “Relay for Life”. I’m excited about it, especially since they are predicting warm weather, not this rain we’ve been having for the last week. Last year we walked in rain, I’d like a dry walk this year!

We hosted our team’s meeting two weeks ago for all to meet and it went well. I wanted unity in the team, so I ordered some caps for all 13 members. Yellow because that is the colour of cancer, and because I wanted something that would stand out, that would show that we were part of a fun team. I wouldn't normally wear this on the street, but for the Relay, at night, why not! Don’t you think they’re cute? C’mon! They are!

I also made a banner with the Relay's logo our team’s name and a daffodil, to identify our team's tent. I'm no artist like Pigeon, or like my mother-in-law used to be, but I think I did a good job, considering...

The team did super well, we managed to raise over six thousand dollars! I’m so proud of all of us. I’m very happy and grateful to all of you, dear blends, who did sponsor me. With all the generous contributions I’ve received, I managed to raise almost 3K! I’m still in shock, and soooo happy!

For those of you who might want to contribute, there are still a few days left, so please do.

The next few days will be about trying to get some work done in between and finalising the details for the Relay, preparing everything for our team so that we spend a great night together! Reads like fun, doesn’t it? Well, it is!

Smoking hot!

I rarely watched the news, I’m not up on politics nor do I care about it much. If you’re a regular, you must have noticed, not many political posts here, if any. I don’t read the newspaper either. I get the news while driving, and since I don’t drive everyday, well… you get the picture.

Last night before going to bed, I saw on the news that our lovely government had a new law coming in effect that day (May 31st): The Tobacco Act. Imagine this, we, in Québec, now have a law OBLIGING retailers to HIDE their cigarettes from customers. Yes, you read that correctly, the cigarettes have to be hidden! Only the store clerk can see them. I just can’t believe it. How ridiculous is this?

I’m not even thinking about the rights of the smokers and all that, I’m simply thinking that it is SAD that a society needs such laws. I’ve always thought that we suffer a lot from the lack of personal accountability, or the “mama bird syndrome” as we like to call it. What do I mean by that? Mama Bird goes out and gets food for her babies. Not only does she catch it but she also eats it and regurgitates into the babies’ mouths. Not only the little ones don’t have to think about getting food or how to do it, but they get fed at home… all they have to do is swallow! That’s how we are. We don’t think for ourselves anymore, we’re no longer responsible of our actions or lack there of… We just expect society to take care of us.

Why is it that we are at a point in time when basically must have our government think for us? Why can’t we assume the fact that if we do something there are consequences for that action? If you smoke, it’s your choice. You should be aware enough (I didn’t use the word “intelligent” here, because that would be assuming a lot) that there might be some consequences to that action. It’s not like it’s not publicize enough that smoking causes lung cancer. If you choose to ignore that, for whatever reason, that’s your choice. You also then forfeit your right to complain.

Is the government thinking that by hiding the cigarettes people will forget to smoke? Or that being hidden those little coffin nails it will not incite kids to pick up the habit? We, as humans, have been smoking for ages. It’s not by creating such a law that it will keep people who truly want to smoke to do so. It’s a choice people make.

What’s next, the stores will have to hide all cakes and items containing cholesterol, in order to “help” people with weight/health issues? I just can’t get over how ridiculous this is… Is it just me…?