Stop Monkeying with Me!

So I totally forgot the sugar in my coffee this morning. If not for the fact that I absolutely require the caffeine-intake right now, I'd dump it.

In 7 hrs my 3 day weekend starts.

I fear the day, thus far, has shaped up to a monkey day and I wish I could warp myself home.

So last night I met up with the girls at the Gahan. The intent was nachos. Because I hadn't had supper and was starving I thought a 'meal' choice would have been better, so I ordered the scallop carbonara. It was really good, but the tomato pieces in it were a little yuck so I ate around them. I really want nachos now though, since I didn't have them last night. Kicking myself that I didn't get a few pics at the restaurant last night, too. Shame on me...the scrapper that I am!

3 hrs later and I'm back to this post - remnants of this morning's coffee still in the cup, and a purchased GCB coffee in my tummy. It's still a monkey day...but hopefully the afternoon will pass quickly so I can end it :) Julie & Tanya are coming over tonight, so I very much look forward to that. Tomorrow, I have to meet up with Angela to review some processes for my new instructor position at BR (we're postponing her "Birthday" lunch to another weekend, but will likely still go out to lunch (girl logic...lol)). Then, hopefully I might get a chance to get to the cottage to scrap a little bit!

And another hour later - 3 more hours left til my weekend. I guess I'll just put this to post.

Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey....

GOOOOOD BYE!!

Standing there nekkid, doin' the hula...

I just had to post this little gem:

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/offbeat/2007/08/29/sczesny.naked.beer.thief.kmov

Could be an idea for Superbad 2? :)

Wednesday's child is full of woe...

So it's official, I'm the newest scrapbooking instructor for Buy-Rite. I'm excited and nervous at the same time. I hope that I can put together some pages that people will actually want to pay for! It will be a great opportunity, and although the hours are minimal, even a little bit of extra income will help support my habit :).

I was extremely pleased with the results of BB last night. I was even worried for a bit - but Eric pulled through for the Donatos and left the nominations alone. Hee hee hee....BYE BYE WAMBER! "God Bless" your departure. Maybe America's Top Model will call you when you get home. ROFLFAO! Now they need to get rid of Jessica - she's too much of a threat. Zach is just a baboon, and Jameka is useless. I predict Eric, Daniele & Dick to be the final 3...

Finally Dwight has vacated CI - he lasted a lot longer than he should have. No offence - it was totally cool to have a 'local' last so long in the competition, and I do like him...he's just not as good as Carly Rae or Brian.

The next few days are going to be busy - hair cut tomorrow night and then out for nachos with the girls. Friday night, I'm having a few girls in - final night with Julie *sob*. Saturday is a little up in the air...but there's talk of a jaunt to Summerside to the Paper Attic & lunch to celebrate Angela's birthday! Sunday is Steve & Olivia's engagement party. And somewhere in there I've been invited to the cottage with Lana and her crew to scrap - they're scrapping all weekend long, so I really do hope to get out there at some point - Saturday night perhaps, and maybe Monday?? Thank goodness it's a long weekend :P.

The Guilty pleads Guilty

I can't put into words the deep disgust that this story has evoked in me. He's finally pleaded guilty. He won't get the comeuppance that's due to him, unfortunately. May the guilt of what he did live inside of him and eat away at him forever. Full story:

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/law/08/27/michael.vick/index.html

Mondays come too quickly

On a routine basis, I often wish that my chair would mysteriously transform itself into my bed and I'd be whisked away, back to slumber. Today, not only am I wishing it, but I think I *need* it. Sooo not enough sleep last night, I'm afraid, and no amount of coffee in the world is going to help.

So this weekend went quickly - on account of having to work. It was an 'expensive' weekend - on account of the return of the humidity, we ate out not only Friday night, but Saturday as well. Friday night was the delicious schawarma at Cedars/Babas, as mentioned previously, and Saturday, Chris took me out to Pizza Delight. From there, we drove around Meadowbank, Long Creek and Nine Mile Creek. I got a few pics of the sunset - which I can't share yet, but will add in later. From there, we headed home, settled in to watch Cops, and I promptly fell asleep, waking long enough to drag myself to bed. Sunday we slept in a little, had pancakes for breakfest, and then headed in to town for a bit to get into some air conditioning. We stopped at Wal-Mart, Canadian Tire, Superstore and a local market to buy corn on the cob. Supper was bbq'd corn on the cob.

BB was a little lackluster - and if I have to watch Jameka & Amber talk to and thank God much more, I'm literally going to vomit. I'm still a little nervous about the back door potential, but hopefully that's in my head, and we can FINALLY say adieu to Amber this week. And btw...HER the next "TOP MODEL"???? Pu-lleeeeeeeeze. Not even in her wildest dreams.

Lost & Found

From time to time I will go to Google and search for PEI blogs. PEI, because, well, I'm here, and I find it neat to read about local folk...even if they may be strangers, or perhaps, friends I've not met yet. I also really enjoy it when I can find a blog that's well-written, and is grammatically correct. If you couple that with something interesting to say, I just might bookmark the page to return to it at another time. This one post just happened to be this blogger's latest post and the only one I've read - so far - it moved me though, and I wanted to post it. The posts' source is the following link:

http://paradise.islandmusings.net/index.php/weblog/index
Up in the middle of the night to use the washroom and discovered that dad was in the kitchen making coffee. He seemed a little down, and I asked what was bothering him. “I was laid off today, Bub”, he said. He was obviously down, and when you are of a certain age, being out of work can be a very scary experience - especially when you have worked all of your life.
Despite the fact that I was still half asleep, we sat down and discussed the situation. I assured him that people of his work ethic do not remain unemployed long and that perhaps he should just relax for a few days before looking for another job. “Easy for you to say, Boy” (he called me Boy when he was irritated with me), “but perhaps you are right”.
He finished his coffee and we returned to bed.
Holy shit, escaped from my lips as I sat straight up in bed. My dad passed away long ago, and obviously I was dreaming. Some dreams can seem real - and others are so absolutely realistic that I wonder if I am dreaming or not. This one was the latter. Obviously I was dreaming, er, yeah, but nevertheless I felt compelled to get up and sit in the kitchen for a few minutes.
Of course I was alone. It also occurred to me that it was (exactly) 10 years ago that my father died.
How strange. I could smell fresh coffee. ...or perhaps I just wanted to.

Re-reading it now, I still have goosebumps...and I smile, teary-eyed, in reflection, at the memory of my own father.

Just a small town girl....living in a lonely world....

Last night was fun. Before heading to Julie & Brian's, Chris and I went to supper at Cedars; the restaurant was full so we had to go upstairs to Babas. The wait was pretty bad -nearly an hour for food, but we did have time to kill and the food was worth waiting for. Truth be told, it was kind of nice to have Chris all to myself for a bit and actually sit down and talk. It's been a really busy summer...

Julie & Brian had tons of photos, from the wedding and the honeymoon, all in albums already. God she's organized! Seeing her pics from Toronto, the Toronto Zoo, Marineland, & Niagara Falls, I was quite jealous, I have to admit. I think it's my subconscious telling me I NEED A VACATION!

Don't feel like dancin'....

Rain, rain go away....you make my body ache, ache, ache...

Hi. Happy Friday. Yesterday's jaunt with Mummy was very enjoyable. We headed to some stores first, including Penningtons, where Mummy picked up a few t-shirts and underthings, Hallmark, where Mummy completed 3 Christmas presents, and Michaels, where we just browsed, and Shoppers for a quick pee stop, water, and new make-up for Mummy. I am happy to report that I did not spend a dime :). Yay Amber! I was mighty tempted as I saw the pretty blue box of Dolce & Gabbana "Light Blue" perfume sitting, staring at me from the shelf. Oh D&G, how I miss you so. After shopping we stopped for 'lupper' at Boston Pizza. We had our usual penne/shrimp/feta pasta dish and it was delish! Afterwards we stopped for a coffee at Timmys and came back to Mummy's to watch some tv, chat, and I browsed the WishBook.

I made it back home just in time to tune into Big Brother. Holy drama! What was Jen thinking when she took Dick's cigarettes? And the whole 'don't touch me'/'stop blowing smoke in my face' scene was like a flashback from high school...junior high, even. I was so glad to see Jen FINALLY vacate the house. I was thinking that she wasn't bothering me as much over the last few weeks, but after last night, I think it's just because the camera has been off of her lately. I saw on a forum I visit that BB replaced his cigarettes. Picture how mean he'd be with no remaining nicotine! I must admit that I'm a teeeeeeny bit nervous about Jessica getting HoH. Although, she, Eric & Daniele & Dick are supposed to be in an 'alliance', I fear she may end up back-dooring Dick. I hope not...and perhaps America's choice will affect her strategy....*fingers crossed*. Can't wait for Sunday!!

So I work tomorrow. Not sure what's going on this weekend, but tonight, Chris & I are going over to Julie & Brian's to see the wedding pictures. That should be a fun time. Looking forward to it. Looking forward to end this day. It's a monkey day. Imaginary monkey poo is everywhere and my head is POUNDING!

Superbad was Superfunny

I've reached a new level of low...Chris & I went to see Superbad last night....and I laughed...a lot. There are parts that I'm still laughing at today. I won't give too much away, but one of my favourite parts was the Ghostbusters lunch case...anyway, if you don't mind a bit of raunch, go see it.

It's a day off for me today (working Saturday), so I have a date with Mummy. We'll likely shop around to help her finish her Christmas shopping (I know, I know...) and perhaps a little clothes shopping, followed by a late lunch or early supper. I'm looking forward to it! Because I couldn't get my lazy arse out of bed at an earlier time today, that leaves the remaining laundry to be done at another day....and there'll be no housecleaning done either. Oh well :). I'd best git though....have a great Thursday everyone. Big BB on tonight.......hopefully seeing Jen's face leaving the house!

Hump Day

I'm sure my avid readers are waiting with bated breath for me to post about last night's BB. I'm so extremely ready to see Wamber go home...but I do understand Daniele's positioning on what she did to make their deal. I would have preferred to have Wamber or Jameka leave this week, but it won't be a sad day to see Jen leave, either. I look forward to Thursday's show. Since I'm on the topic of TV, I'll just say that my pick to win CI is Brian. He is by far the winner, in my eyes, but I wouldn't be sad if he got 2nd place to Carly Rae. Anyone else winning would mean Canada got it all wrong - and I'll leave it at that.

There was a beautiful sunrise this morning - did anyone catch it? I took pictures. I have no idea when I'll ever get the chance to post them...still waiting on that. (update: picture finally added!) I'm in no position to buy a brand-new computer, but man it was tempting when we were at Staples on the weekend. My credit card would never recover. I guess I'll keep biding time on the 'spare' one at home. Did I happen to mention that it runs Linux? For what I use it for, it's not that big of a transition...but my pictures...oh how I miss my pictures :(.

I'll leave you with something that 'makes you go hmmmmm':

Exiled emperor Napoleon Bonaparte died on May 5, 1821. The following day, doctors conducted an autopsy, which was reportedly witnessed by many people, including a priest named Ange Vignali.
Though the body was said to be largely intact at the time of the undertaking, it seems the priest took home a souvenir. In 1916, Vignali's heirs sold a collection of Napoleonic artifacts, including what they claim to be the emperor's penis.
While no one knows for sure if it really is Napoleon's, uh, manhood, people have paid good money for the penis. Currently, it's in the possession of an American urologist.

Full article: http://www.cnn.com/2007/LIVING/wayoflife/08/21/mf.missing.famous/index.html?imw=Y&iref=mpstoryemail

Stay out of the bear cage!!

My first question....why was he naked??

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/08/20/bear.death.reut/index.html

BELGRADE, Serbia (Reuters) -- A 23-year old Serb was found dead and half-eaten in the bear cage of Belgrade Zoo at the weekend during the annual beer festival.
The man was found naked, with his clothes lying intact inside the cage. Two adult bears, Masha and Misha, had dragged the body to their feeding corner and reacted angrily when keepers tried to recover it.
"There's a good chance he was drunk or drugged. Only an idiot would jump into the bear cage," zoo director Vuk Bojovic told Reuters.
Local media reported that police found several mobile phones inside the cage, as well as bricks, stones and beer cans.

Update

So it's been a few days - here's what's been going on:

- Friday I worked until 9pm so after work Chris & I just grabbed a snack at Dinos, watching KoQ, and then hit the hay.
- After a sleep-in (12 hours of sleep...*drool*) we got up, threw hats on (it was a very rainy, yucky day, weather-wise, so a perfect hat day) and went to Timothys for a breakfast bagel and coffee. From there, we did a bit of shopping at Buy-Rite (let it be known that I was in & out of Buy-Rite without buying any scrapping supplies!), Staples & Wal-Mart, and then stopped at Jumbo to pick up a movie. From there, we grabbed some old fashioned burgers at Peter Pan (food was good but the girl at the counter needs SERIOUS customer service coaching...holy crap), and headed home. I had a shower to warm up, then we snuggled under blankets to watch Cops, and then our movie, Disturbia (really good movie).
- Sunday Chris had to shoot some motocross competition in DeSable, so I lazed on the couch with the kitties for the better part of the morning/early afternoon. Then I got ready to head to the farm to visit Julie, Teddy and the girls!! Erin & Tanya met me there, and then we all left with Julie to go out for supper at Pizza Delight and some much-needed catching up. It was so awesome to see Julie again - I miss her terribly. From there, headed on home to watch BB. I think Daniele's explanation over who she nominated was very smart.
- That brings us to current...one thing to add of interest to date...Angela approached me to apply for the instructor position at BR - and I agreed. I'm nervous/excited about the opportunity. Classes won't start til the fall - but I think I ought to start gathering some ideas together for the pages...yikes!!

Sweet Camel Love

You gotta give this story a read:

BRISBANE, Australia, Aug. 19, 2007

An Australian woman was killed by a pet camel given to her as a 60th birthday present after the animal apparently tried to mate with her, police said Sunday, Aug. 19, 2007. (AP)
(AP) An Australian woman was killed by a pet camel given to her as a 60th birthday present after the animal apparently tried to have sex, police said Sunday. The woman, whose name was not released, was killed Saturday at her family's sheep and cattle ranch near Mitchell, 350 miles west of the Queensland state capital Brisbane, state police Detective Senior Constable Craig Gregory said. The 10-month-old male camel — weighing about 330 pounds — knocked the woman to the ground, lay on top of her, then exhibited what police suspect was mating behavior, Gregory said. "I'd say it's probably been playing, or it may be even a sexual sort of thing," Gregory said, adding the camel almost suffocated the family's pet goat by straddling it on several occasions. Camel expert Chris Hill said he had no doubt the camel's behavior was sexual. Hill, who has offered camel rides to tourists for 20 years, said young camels are not aggressive, but can be dangerous if treated as pets without discipline. The fate of the camel was not known. The woman was given the camel in March as a birthday present from her husband and daughter. "She had a love of exotic pets," Gregory said.

Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/08/19/world/main3181944.shtml

One of the quotes the story received that I just had to add, as well: "Camel mating behavior is very entertaining. The male chases the female who gives a good run. Then she slows down - but doesn''t come to a full stop - and urinates. This is to let the male know to keep trying and he will have success. Then they run some more. Then she stops and kneels to the ground...and nature takes over.If the woman was running away from the camel, it is quite natural that he thought he was going to get lucky."

The downward spiral that is Dustin

Found this image this morning and thought it should also be added. Boooya!

Sorry peeps - this blog has been a bit of a BB tribute as of late. I promise a post really soon that is less of a BB rant and more of an update on yours truly. Til then, enjoy the surprise on Princess' face :)

Thank you Jesus!

I couldn't even wait til the morning to post how gleeful I am about tonight's episode of BB (take that Spoiler! muahahahaha). Another brilliant showing for Dick! It was lovely to see the LNC dissolving before their very sad, pathetic, little eyes. Joe said it perfectly when he said, "the downward spiral that is Dustin". Buh-bye!! The cherry on the top was Daniele taking HoH.

Tonight's show made up for a very 'meh' day. Ciao! (*happy dancing*)

Can't argue with God....

A found/borrowed image...

Had to post it.

:)

Oh, and P.S.....Spoiler people SUCK.

Dick Rocks!

What a brilliant show last night!!!! I was thrilled that Dick pulled through to win the PoV, thrilled that America voted for Eric to give Jessica the silent treatment, and even more thrilled to see that Dustin is sitting on the hot seat beside Dick! I'm still a little nervous for Thursday...but if America does vote for Eric to get rid of Dustin, that's one more vote that Dick/Daniele won't be counting on. Hopefully they can ensure Jen & Zach are on their side. Yay Dick! You're awesome! My favourite line in the entire show: "Thank you Jesus!", shouted by Dick, upon winning his PoV. Jameka has got to go.

Unusual Show of School Spirit

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/offbeat/2007/08/14/swan.in.toilet.paper.prank.wthr

At least it's compostable, I guess.

Delayed update

Good day peeps - apologies for the late update. I don't have a really good excuse as to why I've waited til today. Here's what's been on the go since my last update:

-Friday night I furiously crafted the wedding gift, along with a wedding card, and a baby card - allowing for an hour of tv before bed time.
- Saturday was Julie & Brian's wedding. Congrats guys! It was a beautiful day and a lovely time. In between the reception and service, we went to Erin & Shane's house, where I completed my gift (I framed a 12x12 page with their invitation, & added a picture thanks to Chris' portable printer!). I also, thanks to Shane, discovered a new cocktail - spiced rum & 7. It did actually taste a little bit like cream soda. And I, um, used a straw....so um...2 doubles later and I wasn't fit to drive! We all piled into Erin's car, and headed to the reception, making way for the 'fun table'. We ended up calling it a night at about midnight - I wasn't feeling that good. My fear is the hangover started. :S
- Sunday, Chris & I went to Maggies for breakfast, then on to Erin/Shane's to pick up my car. After that I vegged on the couch for the remaining afternoon. Supper was bbq'd pizza, and after supper Chris & I went to the beach* til the sun went down, wading in the water, and Chris exploring the water for sealife. It was fun - even the mud, which I found a little scary (my sandals serving as suction cups, it seemed). I wasn't thrilled with the results of BB; I expected the results, yes, but not happy.
- Monday I worked all day and did laundry all night. I watched Idol, but have nothing to say - the performances were 'meh'. Still think Greg should still be there.

That brings us to current. Happy Tuesday! (borrowed image above is a close depiction of how I looked/felt on Sunday morning)

*(Update: here are some pics of the beach, the sealife, the sunset, and the MUD)

Holy cats!!

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/offbeat/2007/08/10/vo.russia.cat.lady.reut

Courtesy of CNN's website. Funny stuff.

Pellet guns in Cornwall

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/prince-edward-island/story/2007/08/10/pellet-attacks.html

The RCMP are investigating two separate incidents of people being shot with pellet guns in Cornwall, just west of Charlottetown.
Both incidents happened Thursday near Elliot River School.
The first occurred around 3:30 p.m. when a boy riding his bicycle on Hilltop Avenue was hit in the neck by a pellet.
At about 7:30 p.m. a spectator at a soccer game at the school was struck in the head with a pellet.
The Mounties are asking anyone with information on the shootings to call the Queen's district detachment or Crime Stoppers.

Big girls don't cry...

Any of my avid readers know that I am a follower of BB - and a huge fan of ED... for the first time, I'm nervous about this Sunday's outcome. More than anything, I want Dustin GONE... Dick was so keen on seeing through the other lies, I hope he sees through Dustin's. But even if he does, and calls him on it...I think the people that are left aren't going to accept his rantings and I do fear for his safety. I can hope for a victorious power of veto for him or Daniele, because I figure that's the two Jessica will put up...but one of them is likely on the way out. Boooo! What a drama-filled show, regardless of the outcome, however.

So I went out after supper last night with the intent of getting an outfit for the wedding tomorrow...1 skirt, 3 dressy tops and 2 t-shirts later....*whistle whistle*... but the way I figure it, the purchases are very versatile because I can wear them at work, so instead of me spending $$ on a dress I might only wear occasionally, I spent a liiiitle more, and get lots of wear all year round. Girl math...it rocks ;). I also re-looked at the 'gift' item in the closet that I was going to fall back on and decided it's just too cheapie for a wedding present. A shower, maybe, but not a wedding gift...so I started crafting last night. I have no choice but to finish it tonight. I hope she likes it. I need it finished tonight, so I have the morning/early afternoon free to pamper myself before the wedding. I plan to exfoliate and put on nails and everything!...I love getting dressed up!!

A brief respite from the horrors of war

Source: http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/index.cfm?sid=53043&sc=110

A great photo from Afghanistan showing again that Canadians love their animals. Two soldiers from the Island show love and caring for this lovely animal.
Throughout history soldiers have taken dogs, birds, horses, donkeys as well as a myriad of various wildlife. In any area of conflict the animal kingdom also suffers from neglect and basic care. One donkey in Egypt's 56 Tpt Coy RCASC named ""Zubrick"" was well cared for by the men of the corps. In the early 60's in Soest the mascot of 1 Tpt Coy RCASC was ""Lucky"" a wonderful Jack Russell who used to travel on the gas tank of the Triumph motorcycles of the despatch rider. Sailors for centuries had parrots and cats as ship mascots. I am sure that the latest conflict has its collection of animal stories.

A borrowed image...source...one of those forwards we all get, and delete. If you know me, you know I love cats. Thought this was too cute not to share.

Stormy

From CBC's website:

Maritime Electric says thunderstorms on Prince Edward Island on Friday and Saturday cost the utility about $1 million.
The company worked for days to restore electricity to thousands who had it cut off by the storm. About 1,000 were still without power Monday morning. Company spokeswoman Kim Griffin told CBC News Tuesday the company received some nasty surprises in the form of new outages as it worked to restore power to the last few individual customers.
"We had some outages that we believe [were in] areas that were weakened by the storm," said Griffin.
"We had Crossroads out, we had 1,700 customers out, late [Tuesday] morning for an hour, and then people in Georgetown were out for about an hour, about 500 customers."
Maritime Electric supplemented its own 18 repair crews with crews from New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador, bringing the total to 30 crews. By late afternoon Tuesday, Maritime Electric had started sending crews home.
Griffin said the damage was the worst the utility has seen in five years.

I know of two people whose homes were struck by the lightning from this weekend's storms. To me, that seems like a high average. It was pretty stormy, though! Credits to Chris (http://www.cwilkinson.com) for the attached photo - I sorta stole it. Felt my blog was so boring lately, I needed a picture. This shot was taken during this weekend's storms.

...the old man is snoring....

It is the perfect day for snuggling under the covers with a big mug of hot chocolate and a good book. Alas, it's a work day, so that's not an option. Mind you, I might be a little cranky if I wasn't working and woke up to this too...what can I say? Never sated :).

I just got the happiest, most exciting email a second ago. Something happened to a friend of mind who has been waiting a really long, patient time for, and I couldn't be happier for her. I won't elaborate on my blog as yet, because I'm not sure if it's meant for public viewing...but EEK, ...so excited.

It's almost the weekend! I have a wedding to go to on Saturday, and after that, not sure. I still have to go find something to wear - I'm fearing the pretty dress that's hanging up that I bought last year just might be a tad too snug. I didn't try it on, I'm just going to continue to assume as it's less heart-breaking than facing reality as I look in the mirror. I also have to decide if I'm going to wrap up the gift I have or if I'm going to get creative and actually do up a scrap page for her. My time is running thin. I have an idea in mind, though, so if I do go ahead and 'create', it shouldn't take too long. I never did get out scrapbooking with my friend on Tuesday night...I got back from work too late. Booo.

So Chris set up a 'temporary' computer for me. It can't run my picture program and there's no CD/DVD drive so unfortunately, I can't update this with pictures just yet. I'm still snapping, though, so one of these days... I'm excited to be able to check email and stuff from my own 'area' though. Chris' computer is great and all...but Homer is pretty smelly.

I'm a little nervous about tonight's BB -- I think Dick has slowly started digging a grave...and I fear that if he and Daniele don't keep winning, they might be in trouble. I'm also quite shocked by who went home on CI...and who the Canadian public put up as the bottom 3...they were the top 3, in my opinion. Greg should have been there to the bitter end. It's getting a little Sanjaya-esque with Jaydee IMO. Anyway.

Monster bunnies, oh my!

I hadn't seen this story before...a friend at work pointed it out to me today: (excerpt linked from CNN's website, doing a search. For full story see: http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,458863,00.html)

It all started when Karl Szmolinsky won a prize for breeding Germany's largest rabbit, a friendly-looking 10.5 kilogram "German Gray Giant" called Robert, in February 2006.
Images of the chubby monster went around the world and reached the reclusive communist state of North Korea, a country of 23 million which according to the United Nations Food Programme suffers widespread food shortages and where many people "struggle to feed themselves on a diet critically deficient in protein, fats and micronutrients."

Szmolinsky, 67, from the eastern town of Eberswalde near Berlin, recalls how the North Korean embassy approached his regional breeding federation and enquired whether it might be willing to sell some rabbits to set up a breeding farm in North Korea. He was the natural choice for the job.
Each of his rabbits produces around seven kilograms of meat, says Szmolinsky, who was so keen to help alleviate hunger in the impoverished country that he made the North Koreans a special price -- €80 per rabbit instead of the usual €200 to €250.
"They'll be used to help feed the population," Szmolinsky told SPIEGEL ONLINE. "I've sent them 12 rabbits so far, they're in a petting zoo for now. I'll be travelling to North Korea in April to advise them on how to set up a breeding farm. A delegation was here and I've already given them a book of tips."

Apparently, one of these giant rabbits provides a filling meal for 8 people... I'm going to go home and cradle our bunny, Homer - he'll not be Sunday supper (or any other night of the week, for that matter), I can assure you.

Quotable Quotations

Seeing as I fear a 'monkey-day' coming on, I thought it best to try to center myself, and try to avoid a little poo. I found this quote on a blog I've been reading, and thought it was so nice:

"May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorry to keep you human, enough hope to make you happy." - Rumi

Stay back, monkeys!

Enjoy your Tuesday

R.I.P Pearl

If there's one thing that disgusts me, enrages me, and saddens me all at the same time, it's cruelty to animals. I'm totally disgusted. I saw this on the news last night, and was in tears during the broadcast:

From CBC's website:

Halifax police arrested four people and charged at least one of them after a five-month-old kitten was beaten to death with a golf club over the weekend.
Several people, including a group of children, witnessed the incident on Sunday in the Spryfield area of Halifax on Cobalt Walk, media reports said.
Police questioned a man and three teenage boys. Two of the young people were released, but charges are pending against one of the teens, police said.
Police said they picked up an adult and charged him with offences not directly related to the death of the cat. The man was taken into custody, but they've released no other details.
The kitten named Pearl was in the front yard of its home when it was beaten.
The cat's owner, an 11-year-old girl, and her two 12-year-old cousins were sitting nearby and said they witnessed the attack.
Two weeks ago, another cat was found hanging by its neck in a Cole Harbour backyard.

The people that would do this to an innocent animal need to be dealt with - they need much stiffer sentences. It's these people who will end up doing these types of things to humans.

the weekends pass so quickly and the weekdays come so fast....

Good morning - Happy Monday - hope you all managed to survive the storms over the weekend.

Mother Nature, thank you for finally giving us a reprieve from the horrendous humidity. It was an absolute pleasure to wake up through the night with a chill on my shoulder, and having to snuggle further down, under the covers. My knee is finally feeling a little better, too...some of the swelling is down. It's not totally normal, but if you could have seen it on Saturday, you'd understand. My back is still bothering me, but the knee and jaw feel a lot better.

My best friend Julie is coming home for a visit! I'm so excited!! She gets here on Wednesday from Whitehorse. I cannot wait to see her, and get caught up on her busy life. It's just not the same around here without you, Jules!

Weekend update:
- After work on Saturday, Chris and I headed out at about 6:45pm, box of Triscuits in hand (we hadn't had supper yet), to go storm chasin'!! The thunder & lightning was wicked. Even in daylight! We ended up in Morell, then back towards town, stopping in Brackley. From the beach, there was no thunder, but there were two storms on either side of us that put on quite a light show. I tried to get a few pictures, but my point & shoot cami just didn't cut it. Chris managed to get a few though. When I finally am back up internet-wise & have access to pictures, I might steal one of his pics to post. By the time we headed back to town from storm chasin, it was going on 11:30pm...we were tired, starving, and my back was killing me. We stopped for some cheeseburgers and then straight to bed.
- Sunday was the epitome of a lazy Sunday...sleeping in, late 'brunch' of bacon & eggs (mmm bacon), afternoon nap, late supper, BB and then bed. (also did the laundry, too, which is all over the living room).

That brings us back to another Monday. I got an email from a friend asking if I'd be interested in scrapbooking on Tuesday night, so hopefully that will be a go. It seems like forever since I did anything. I have a wedding to go to on Saturday. I might do up a page for the gift...haven't decided. I have another gift in the closet I could wrap up, so it depends how inspired I feel.

Ciao for now!!

Random musings

I'm wishing I was in the comfort of your arms right now - huddled close, waiting out the passing storm.

Recipe for keeping one's legs firmly closed...

Good LORD! From CNN's site:

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas (AP) -- It's a girl -- again -- for Jim Bob and Michelle Duggars, the proud parents of 17 children.

And after Jennifer Danielle was born Thursday morning, her parents already were talking about having more children.
"We'd love to have more," Michelle Duggar said, adding that the girls are outnumbered seven to 10 in the family. "We love the ruffles and lace."
The family's home in the northwest Arkansas town of Tontitown includes dormitory-style bedrooms for the boys and girls, nine bathrooms, a commercial kitchen, four washing machines and four dryers.
The children are home-schooled by Michelle Duggar, 40. The oldest is 19 and the youngest, before Jennifer, is almost 2 years old. The family includes two sets of twins.
"We are just so grateful to God for another gift from him," said Jim Bob Duggar, 42, a former state representative who sells real estate. "We are just so thankful to him that everything went just very well."
All of Jennifer's siblings also have names that start with J. They are: Joshua, 19; John David, 17; Janna, 17; Jill, 16; Jessa, 14; Jinger, 13; Joseph, 12; Josiah, 11; Joy-Anna, 9; Jedidiah, 8; Jeremiah, 8; Jason 7; James 6; Justin, 4; Jackson, 3; Johannah, almost 2.
The Duggars have been featured on several programs on cable's Discovery Health Network.
Among the "fun facts" listed on Discovery Health's Web page devoted to the Duggars: A baby has been born in every month except June; the family has gone through about 90,000 diapers, and Michelle Duggar has been pregnant for 126 months -- or 10.5 years -- of her life.

getting old before my time...

Did anyone see the sky last night as the storm clouds rolled in? Freaky! The sky above the 'hood got so dark that the street lamp turned on. The clouds just above my house looked as though they were forming a circle. It was crazy.
The weather guy is still calling for t-showers off/on this afternoon. We so need it though, to break up the humidity. It was a very restless, humid & sticky night again last night. Suffice it to say I slept very little.

Another reason that I had trouble sleeping was my knee again...again, I can only think that the weather has a part in it....while I was sitting at supper last night with Lana & Lori, I could feel my kneecap 'growing' and the pain setting in. Along with that, my jaw felt as though it was locking up and I could barely open my mouth (hmm...still seemed to manage scarfing down my entire schawarma, however. The pain set in after cleaning my plate. Go figure. *oink*). So upon leaving the restaurant, I headed straight home, popped a few pills, got some ice and immediately iced my knee. The knee is no surprise, but the jaw....hmmm. That's new. Can't help but wonder if it's my crooked jaw finally coming back to bite me in the buttocks.

As a child, going to the dentist for the first time, it was discovered that my jaw didn't line up - and the dentist referred me to an orthodontist...who wanted to break my jaw, and put me in braces. That didn't appeal to my 10 yr old mind, and I flat-out refused, and my parents didn't argue. The orthodontist warned I'd have trouble later in life... Upon going back to my dentist he asked me to smile for him, and said the problem doesn't affect my smile, my teeth were straight, so he said I shouldn't worry about it, and that's the last we ever discussed it. Even though I'm paying for a stellar medical/dental plan at work, I fear the dentist in unimaginable proportions, so, I don't go. My jaw was never an issue before, but now, I'm fearing I'm going to have to call Monday morning :S. My friends predict I might need to sleep with a bite plate, and suggested it could be something called TMJ. Can that come on all of a sudden like this? Any suggestions/ideas are welcome. *sigh*

I feel like about 80 yrs old and my body is falling apart. I don't have a primary physician so I fear going to a clinic or outpatients with a list of complaints will only result in the doctor laughing at me for being a hypochondriac or dismissing me because he doesn't know a history and will tell me it's 'all in my head' (after first advising me to drop 50lbs of course).

Random Remembrances

Every now and then when I get together with friends we end up reminiscing about the 'ol days...and I'm shocked at how easily/quickly some things have been forgotten. It's at these times I really regret not having written a journal all the time. Funny, too, how I forget some of the more 'unforgettable' moments, yet, some of the more insignificant things are still vivid. It's funny how the mind works.

Here are a few random memories...back to when we lived in Ottawa so that's a loooong time ago (we moved here when I was going in to grade 5).

I remember:
- my older brother telling me that one day I wouldn't watch "The Polka Dot Door" anymore - and I cried at the very thought (seriously).
- seeing Kiss on the Grammy Awards & crying, running downstairs in terror for my Mommy (she was watching the award show with me but had slipped downstairs do change the laundry).
- seeing the word "F.U.C.K" spelled into the cement and coming home to show Mom how well phonetics worked for me.
- coming home from school, telling Mom that Fred said the bad word that I figured out phonetically, when he swore he only said "suck"; and, he likely did. She believed me, though.
- walking our neighbor's dog, Charlie, and being very curious at what the pink thing was. Charlie was a boy.
- screaming in absolute terror as a garter snake slivered in front of me on the sidewalk. I was scared stiff...unable to move from the fear, and just kept on screaming. I screamed so loud a neighbor had to come to my rescue. I forget what he did to the snake.
- walking to the Pavillion (our nearby corner store) with $1 - and being able to get a bag of Hostess chips, a pop & a chocolate bar.
- taking my bag of chips and putting them under the runner of my rocking chair to break them up into smaller pieces. I thought I had 'more' when they were broken up.
- dressing Todd up in a dress & jewellery. I likely styled his hair too. I think Mom & Dad were angry.
- the "snake" incident on Monterey Dr. Some older neighborhood kids put snakes into mailboxes. Mom was terrified and made Dad get the mail for ages after that.
- thinking I would drown at the Pavillion pool when Suzy Anderson swore I'd still be able to touch the bottom and lead me out further than I was accustomed to. I did not still touch the bottom. Thank God for the few years I spent in Yellow at swimming lessons which at least taught me the 'doggie paddle' to get over to the edge of the pool. I still can't swim.
- the time I peed myself as I attempted to stand up and pee 'like the boys did'.

Ah the memories!

Holy Chainsaw Batman!

From CBC's website:
Charlottetown police have arrested a man after he took a chainsaw to a park gazebo.
The Desbrisay Park gazebo was worth more than $15,000, said deputy police chief Richard Collins.
"For some bizarre reason that we can't discuss at this point in time, the individual felt the gazebo had to be dismantled," he said.
Residents in the area thought the man was a parks employee, and no one called police until the gazebo was completely destroyed, he added.
The 41-year-old man is facing a charge of damage to property exceeding $5,000. He is currently in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlottetown for psychiatric assessment.

I just love the quote from Collins, "for some bizarre reason that we can't discuss...". And the full moon was over a few days ago, even. Hmmph.

T.V.

So I was happy to see Martha Joy FINALLY get da boot! And as for BB - I was not crying when I saw Nick Mohawk (wtf?!...it was all Rambo-esque, with him shaving his scalp, nostrils flaring in anger) leave, either. Although, I really think they need to band together next week and get Kail off. She's more than outlived her welcome. And, as much as I hate Jen, I still feel it's ok to have her last a little longer, because it's comical to see the hatred grow. I really wish Dick's glass had've been more full last night. Tee heee.

Has anyone out there caught an episode of "Don't Forget the Lyrics"? Contestants sing songs from a variety of genres. At first, it's just like karaoke, where the words appear on a screen in front of them, but then at the end, they're left with blanks to fill in, and the higher they go in the round, the more 'blanks' they have to fill in. It's actually pretty good. Speaking from a tv-junkie, that is. I think it takes me back to the days of the Playhouse and Tuesday night karaoke, though, to be honest. Ah, those were the days.

Friday high

Sorry peeps - it's been a few days. My computer is still having 'issues', therefore I'm limited to when I can post, and my pictures are still going to be delayed until we get a new hard-drive for it. So yeah, boring posts with no pics. I'll go back though, when I do have my pics available, and add them, I promise.

I was off yesterday - work Saturday. I took the term day "off" very literally, too...and did as little as possible. I mean nothing, folks, short of making sure the kitties had water to drink and feeding myself, the rest of the time was spent between loafing on the couch and on the bed. I seem to have done something to my back. You may recall a few posts back I was complaining about it being sore - and I blamed sitting weird at the dinner theatre. Well! It's had an unusual pain ever since then, but it's been manageable - and a great excuse for not exercising. However, the other night I leaned down to wipe something off the coffee table and I felt this crunch in my lower back and the searing pain had me almost in tears. I grabbed some ice and struggled my way back to the couch and have been in agony ever since. By "agony" I mean extreme pain with every move, and whimper as I do move. It was to the point that at 2:30am Chris asked me if I wanted to go to out-patients. The thoughts of sitting in their hard waiting room chairs for 4 hrs didn't appeal to me, so I've been taking muscle relaxants each night at bedtime ever since.

I don't think I got enough sleep last night to allow said muscle relaxants to finish their business. My head feels as though I'm walking in a cloud. Is this what "high" feels like?