"I came here for the music - I didn't come for the girl"

Oh a night of surprises, wasn't it? And from 6 to 4... Of those who are left here's my thoughts on their dates:

• Reid - *yawn* - his home date rather bored me. Birthday celebration and all. His family being near made him nervous to show affection toward a girl he's supposed to be 'falling' for? Pu-leeze.
• Kiptyn - I totally have a craving for lasagna now. As much as I love Kiptyn, I'm not totally convinced he's as head over heels for her as she is him. Plus, I wanted to slap his pretentious mother. Jillian won't fit in with his family.
• Wes - Of course she got to meet the band first - he's here for the music, not the girl, after all. Jebus that FRICKEN song......."Thaaay sayy.....it don't come eaaaasaayy". Feck. Note to Jillian: NEVER trust a man who, when he speaks, moves his beady little eyes sideways every second word! He's a lying, conniving, smarmy snake. Poor Jake - he was only there to save her from a little hurt. Would a man who uses 'golly' in everyday speech lie about something like that? Wes reminds me of every lying scumbag I ever dated, all rolled into one. Follow your heart, Jill - and watch it break...

At least there's a viable choice in Ed left for her...how delighted was I when he knocked on the door! The preview for next week seems to suggest that Scumbag trips himself up on his girlfriend thing...but I bet he's the one who can't get it up.

Luck ain't even lucky, gotta make your own breaks

I work this coming Saturday - as such, that means I get a day off through the week. I was pretty certain my day off was Tuesday. It was getting really late last night, and finally at about 10 after 12 I decided I had to get my arse to bed. I knew I was on the early shift, but I couldn't remember if it was an 8am or an 8:30am start, so I checked my schedule on my calendar (that extra half hour of sleep is precious, after all). To my delight I had today off as opposed to Tuesday. So an extended weekend for me aaand...more rain! So I didn't feel as guilty loafing on the couch and watching YouTube videos of my Bon Bon! Saturday's concert all but enhanced my obsession...so I will share some of the little details I've been learning about my man:

• he married his high school sweetheart, Dorothea, after dating for 10 years --they went off, in secret, to marry in Vegas
• his pseudo-name for hotel check-ins is "Humpty Dumpty"
• his mother was one of the original Playboy bunnies
• he was born March 2, 1962
• in an interview on 60 Minutes, when asked why he never indulged over the course of time (on the beautiful ladies who go to his shows to watch his bum shake), he simply said, "because I got it right the first time". (Ladies everywhere are collectively sighing, "awwwwwwwww")
• he donated a million dollars to the relief fund for rebuilding homes for victims of Hurricane Katrina (I remember watching this on Oprah)
• Jon began to play piano and guitar at age 13 - and had a band called Raze
• he had a recurring role on the TV show Ally McBeal (I knew I should have watched that show!)

So aside from my Bon Bon obsession, I did also manage to do a few loads of laundry, and give myself a pedi. It was a relaxing day, to say the least. Happy Monday!

Encore

I'm still reeling from the concert - the Lost Highway DVD has been on repeat all day -- and of course I've been scouring YouTube trying to find footage from the concert. In my searching I found this - watch it, and relive one of the Encores from last night with me....

I've made a memory.......

So my date with Jon was better than I could have expected. What would have made it even better would have been being right by the stage and having a drop of his sweat accidentally land on me. Perhaps the next time he makes his way toward me again. I'm hoarse from screaming. My back hurts from sitting on the grandstand seats. My bladder will likely be in trauma for a few days after having successfully avoided the porta-potties all night. But, I can't wipe the smile off my face. If I die today, I die a happy girl. I can cross one of the things off my "1000 things to do before I die" list...and, if Jon decides that Atlantic Canada seemed like a good place to rock, you're damn straight I will be at the next one!

Le sigh.

I love him.

So to give you all a run down - here we go:

Mark & Rhonda met us here at about 10am and we started our roadtrip in the Element. Rhonda can't wipe the smile off of her face. :)
Likewise, I have a stupid grin on my own face as I smile coyly for the self-portrait...thoughts of my Bon Bon running through my head. My super-sized sunglasses hide the hideousness of my pink eye (truth be told, it looked a lot better, and as I type, it's pretty much gone. I guess my Bon Bon had the right 'bad medicine' to take all my ails away!)
Even Christopher has a look of delight on his face, doesn't he?
We're almost there!! Land is in sight!
We landed upon Moncton at about noontime, so decided the best thing to do was to hit a restaurant to fuel up for the day ahead. Sadly, Lonestar is no more, *sniff*, so we went to Montana's instead. I was going to try the fajitas there, but I just couldn't bring myself to do so...it would feel like I was cheating or something. I ended up having a penne dish with veggies, grilled chicken & goat cheese. It was pretty good. Rhonda had the same. We're a lot alike in many ways - not just our mutual obsession with Jon :)

Mark likes to perform for the camera - just like Chris. They're like two peas in a pod. Brothers from another mudder, or some such thing. Mark had a steak & shrimp dish.
There wasn't any question what Chris would have...ribs, ribs, and more ribs. The biggest debate he had was the number of ribs he needed. Surprisingly, he went with the smaller dish?!
At Montanas, the tables are covered with Kraft paper. The children waiting for their food are given a little cup of crayons to help them stay occupied. Of course Chris asked the waitress where his crayons were - and she obliged. Then, we busied ourselves with a little crafty drawring ;) First, Mark draws Bon Bon, singing "Living on a Prayer":
Chris draws a great rendition of the Element:
And I had to include a little doodling about my love affair with Jon.
The drawings made a story about our day...a road trip in the orange Element, driving down the Lost Highway to hear Bon Bon sing "Living on a Prayer", and my (and Rhonda's) love for Jon is everlasting. :).

After lunch, we headed over to Mark's sister's house. She lives about 6kms away from the concert sight, and her boyfriend Mike graciously offered to chauffeur us to and from the concert site! Thank you, thank you Mike --we love you! We spent a few hours at Mike & Leanne's, chillin', and ended up at the site at about 5pm or so. My own photos stop here, because there weren't any cameras allowed on site. The security folks padded everyone down and checked all bags...I contemplated sneaking my camera in, even finding the perfect spot for it inside an emergency poncho bag...but chickened out at the last minute. I'm a wuss.

The rain held off all night - but the humidity was high, and the sun greeted us just as we arrived. Rhonda & I made our way to the Merchandise tent and stood in line, (sweat pooling in places I didn't know had sweat glands) for what seemed like an eternity - for an over-priced t-shirt. Many thanks to Tanya for helping me with my own t-shirt purchase. How awesome it was to run into she and Erin in a spot with 33,000 other people!

After the merchandise mosh pit we 'dined' on probably the most disgusting Greco pizza I've had (but hey, we had to eat), and then we made it up to our seats. We'd splurged for "VIP" tickets, which gave us a spot on the grandstands. The view of the screen was great, but the performers were itty bitty. We missed 'watching' State of Shock, as the entire time they were on stage, Rhonda and I were on our t-shirt buying quest. Bachman-Cummings were up next, and they did a great job...but I have to admit feeling a little antsy for the real reason we were there.

Then, without further ado, my lovely, my Bon Bon, my Jon, made his way to the stage to greet the thousands of fans on Magnetic Hill. I "borrowed" the first image from another fan who'd been at the concert, courtesy of Flickr. Jon was just coming out on stage. The rest are courtesy of my friend Denise --thank you Denise!! I'm so happy to have a few pics as momentos:

It was at this point that the silly grin never left my face... I screamed like a teenager... I'm pretty sure Jon heard me and nodded in my direction. I was thrilled when Jon took us all aboard his "time machine" to the year 1982 and the familiar keyboarding of "Runaway" started. I melted when he sang "(You Want to) Make a Memory"...I laughed when he forgot the lyrics to "TCOB" (a tribute and thanks to Bachman and Cummings)...I screamed and danced on the grandstand to the likes of "You Give Love a Bad Name", "Livin' on a Prayer", "Bad Medicine", "Summertime", "We Got it Goin' On".....and for an encore, he rejoined us for a hauntingly beautiful version of Cohen's "Hallelujah"...I had tears in my eyes.

It was fantastic. Amazing. Beautiful. Awesome. Incredible. Time of my life.

1 more sleep!!!

Forecast might be turning in our favor...I'm not going to look anymore. The eye is still gross...but I'm not going to let it get me down. We're Bon Jovi bound in 1 more sleep....In 1 more sleep my BonBon will be serenading me under the stars with his sweet, sweet sounds.

Eww...look at your eye!

Remember the other day when I alluded to a possible eye infection coming on? Well, it's full-fledged pink eye now. *sigh*. It got REALLY bad last night....blood red, to the point that I couldn't keep my eye open because it hurt so bad, so I ended up just going to bed. I took the day off work - diligently putting in the antibiotic eye drops (well, mostly watering my face, but I'm hopeful that some of the medicine is getting in there). It was still very sting-y and raw too, so I napped a bit. Seems to feel a bit better now, but it still looks disgusting. Chris is avoiding me like the plague (when it came on in April he actually figured he should sleep on the couch)...and I think he's feeling nervous about traveling with me tomorrow! Surely to God it'll feel/look better by tomorrow so that I can still go to the concert. (Please, God, PLEASE?!)

The pending weather still isn't looking fantastic in Moncton --with rain and thundershowers on the schedule. Wonderful! I don't quite know what to wear or pack...the house around me is a sty again, and although his untimely death is sad and all, I'm getting a little tired of the media frenzy on the death of Michael. I'm cranky about my eye, about tomorrow's weather, and about missing today's Food Day at work. I wonder what a little dose of Vitamin D would do for my eye? It couldn't hurt, could it? Vitamins are good for you, after all. I'm thinking it'll be way.too.hot. out there though. It couldn't hurt to try though, could it?....;)

Update: It was too hot. I lasted all of 25 mins out there before seeking the shelter of the indoors.

Rest in peace..........

First Ed McMahon. I was saddened. I remembered many nights staying up late to watch the Tonight Show and how cool it felt to be up during "adult" hours. I remember the many times I'd see Ed bring delight to the faces of unsuspecting winners of Publishers Clearing House. He had a long, happy life, and I wish his family peace. Loss, at any age, is never easy.

Then Farrah Fawcett. I watched Charlie's Angels all the time. I envied how she got her hair to feather that way, and wished mine would do the same. How sad the last few years her life have been. How much pain she must have endured trying to battle her cancer- even undergoing experimental treatments just to try to find some kind of relief. She left this world with grace - and the sad good-bye that she wrote for her son, Redmond, brought tears to my eyes. She's out of pain now...

And now.... Michael Jackson?! The most shocking of all... MJ was my idol in the 8o's. His pictures littered my bedroom walls. The neighborhood kids and I used to act out "Thriller" on the street where we lived. I have to admit, his later years dulled the shine a bit (a LOT), but his death is a tragic loss, nonetheless.

Waiting in the heels....poor Patrick Swayze, who just discovered his cancer has now spread to his liver...

So sad.

Life is so precious and can be taken away so quickly.......

2 sleeps!

As we speak, I'm 2 sleeps away from my concert with my Bon Bon. I'm not selfish, so I'm allowing him to share the concert with 20,000ish other fans. He'll be just singing to me, though, just so everyone's clear ;).

What you have there, folks, is my feeble attempt at finding some spark of happiness when I feel like a gargantuan pile of dog poo. I'm in complete and utter denial that I'm actually coming down with something. I'm fully prepared to blame my symptoms solely on the weather. Regardless if it is really the weather, the symptoms are real. My head is pounding to the point that I feel dizzy and light-headed. My stomach feels queasy, every joint is aching, and I woke up today with what looks like another eye infection. Wonderful. My body doesn't deal well with humidity. It's not a virus. It's not a virus. I'm not getting sick. I'm not. It's the humidity. It's all the humidity.

Despite my attempts at begging Mother Nature for a reprieve, she isn't listening, and it would appear that the current status of our weather -hot, sticky, cloudy, some sunny breaks, showers - sometimes heavy, is in our forecast until at least Tuesday of next week. It could be a soggy concert. With the humidex as high as it is, I might welcome the rain fall. It's not like I won't be wet anyway from the sweat. Who ever penned the phrase, "girls don't sweat, they glisten", was clearly full of of fecal matter; that or he or she obviously never visited the Maritimes.

Despite all the complaints, yes, I am looking forward to the concert...I may just stock up on a few dollar store ponchos however,...just to be on the safe side. Thanks for the tip, KA :)

Life is like a Katy Perry song...

3 hours ago I was sweating profusely....high humidex - 35 degrees Celcius. You know it's a hot day when you arrive home and the cats are sprawled on the floor looking up at you with the most pathetic of looks - their eyes, pleading, "Please Mummy, shave me". That would solve a multitude of problems, no doubt, but it wouldn't be a pretty sight...and wouldn't it grow in thicker? So I got out the spare cat bowl and filled it with ice cubes - turned on every available fan, and tried to find a cross-breeze. I hate complaining this early in the season...but. It's a hard day in the 'hood when the toilet is sweating as much as I am.

Anyway. About an hour ago I found myself reaching for a blanket to cover my goosebumps. I'd already shut off the fan and I was still cold. A huge fog bank drifted in, dropping the air temp from 25 to 16 degrees very quickly.

The air is still again, and I'm just about to throw the blanket off.

At least I can blame it all on the unpredictable Maritime weather instead of the upcoming "change" that's bound to happen. As Mom says, "It can happen in your 30's, Amber".

Roses are red....

• Best quote of the night, "As soon as I touched her feet I knew she had to meet my family".
• Finally Tanner had the balls to fess up to being the instigator of the 'someone's gotta girlfriend' drama,...only to have Wes cement his smarmy, skeezy, greasy, disgusting self with his comments about having her wrapped around his little finger. He gloated about the publicity for his album. If he lasts much longer I might busy myself doing other things on Monday nights...
• What am I saying...did you see Kiptyn without a shirt on? *droooooooool*. I would have given him the rose in the hot tub too. Nevermind the fact that when googling for a picture of this cutie I happened upon the pig shot (6 points down if you don't want to read the whole post). Bahahahaha!
  
• After watching tonight's episode I'm even more convinced that I want to explore the other side of Canada and drive through the Rockies. The scenery was spectacular.
• Poor Jake :(. I don't know many men who use the word, "Golly" in every day speech. Perhaps a nice, Amish lady will make him happy some day. Seriously, I do feel bad for the guy, but I do look forward to his "return" and stickin' it to Wes!
  

Dear Mother Nature...

...if you would be so kind as to stop raining and clear the humidity that is upon us as I type. My arthritic body is assaulting me at an alarming pace, and I have new aches that never displayed themselves before. I'm in great pain, Mother Nature.

Oh, and Mother Nature, Saturday is the Bon Jovi concert. I'd really like some sun for that day, especially.

Kindest regards,
me

My Father

Dad, your guiding hand on my shoulder will remain with me forever. ~Author Unknown

My older brother and I were talking about Dad one day...reflecting on some of our happy memories. He asked me if I remembered Dad asking to hold my hand as we'd sit and watch cartoons. Sadly, I didn't share this memory. I guess I was pretty young. Once Fred told me, however, I could easily picture it happening. Losing memories of him scare me. So, in light of it being Fathers Day today I thought I'd write down some memories:

• I had a huge crush on Rob Lowe back in the 80's. St Elmo's Fire was very hyped up, and I was super excited to see it - and I wasn't willing to wait for it to come out on video. Problem was, it was Restricted. I can't remember if I begged him to take me, or if he offered to go, but the two of us had a date to go see it together at the theatre. I was 13. I remember the scene when Rob went up Mare Winningham's skirt and happened upon her spanks....snapping the material up as he commented, "What's this? Your scuba suit?" - I laughed and laughed, and then felt a little embarrassed that I was laughing at such a scene with my father...
• After my grade 9 graduation dance Dad picked me up and offered to buy me dinner. He said anywhere you want, my treat. I chose McDonalds...and we went though the drive-thru. He seemed surprised, but obliged, just the same.
• I don't recall the year or the circumstances, but I was sitting on the couch in the living room (we were living on PEI at the time). I was seated on the end closest to him in his chair. He looked straight at me, and said, "God you're gorgeous". I was bashful and shy about it. He was always my biggest fan. Similarly, other times he'd look me in they eye and say, "Gosh I love you...". He was never stingy with his emotions, and, truth be told, pretty emotional himself.
• I was dating Wes. The whole family hated him, Dad especially. When you're a teenager you think you can hide things from your parents. You really can't - and I'm pretty sure he realized how unhappy I was, by times. One night, after one of our many fights (I think this was the night Wes slammed his fist into my windshield and broke the glass), Dad looked right at me and said, "I'll kill him if you want me to".
• One year around Christmas time Dad glanced out the window to see a few teenagers stealing our neighbors flood light from the front of his house. He jumped up, in sock feet....and ran down the street chasing them (they were in a car!)....he yelled after them, "I want youuuu!!!!"
• Dad loved Halloween. He always dressed the front window up elaborately - taking a skeleton head candle and some of his clothes to make a 'man' in the window. He'd string up the arms and lit him up with a blue light overhead. One year he dressed up in one of Mom's old housecoats, an old wig, and some white face paint that glowed in the dark. He sat on a chair in the doorway, still as could be, so that the kids coming to the door thought he was stuffed...and then he would jump up and scare them. He laughed more than they did.
• Dad frequently made comments about how 'little' I had to say on our many drives as he dropped me off to/from school or work. What I wouldn't give now to have those days back to fill the dead silence with so many questions...*sigh*.
• One of Dad's favorite meals was macaroni & tomatoes. One night he went to put the leftovers away in the fridge and the container slipped ...macaroni and tomatoes everywhere. The family was in hysterics. I got out my camera, and he got down on the floor with a fork and proceeded to eat/salvage what he could (truth be told, he was probably showing off for the camera, though).
• I'm not what you would call a kitchen diva...and I never was. One morning I was making breakfast and stupidly left the burner turned on. I went about my business - as I went to go to the bathroom to brush my teeth I happened to notice the light from the flames in the kitchen and yelled out, "FIRE!!". Dad, who had been asleep, jumped out of bed...ran toward the kitchen, looked at me, realized he was naked, cupped his privates, said "Oh! Excuse me!"...and then tore into the kitchen to put out the flames.
• I remember him talking to Kaitlyn on the phone when she was just a baby...so animated, "Are you Poppie's Angel? YES, you're Poppie's Angel!". He loved her so much. He also would clap his hands and sing a tune and she'd giggle and bounce up and down in her playpen - eyes lit up with so much sparkle in them.
• One year for Mom & Dad's anniversary Cathy gave them silver wine goblets, engraved. He was overwhelmed with emotion...head down and crying at the stove, pretending to cook supper.
• My final memory of him still haunts me to this day, and brings a tear to my eye whenever I think about it...it was the final day I saw him awake in the hospital. He must have known he was dying. The sores from the cancer treatment made his speech pretty much inaudible, but I remember him stretching out his arms, with tears streaming down his face, as he said, "Good bye", and pulled me in for one last hug.

It's been 7 lonely years Dad, and not one day goes by that I'm not thinking of you. I miss you more than words. Happy Fathers Day in Heaven. xoxoxoxo

Funny thing, that girl math

So Joanne & I decided to treat ourselves to a delicious Juice Zone wrap and chocolate monkey smoothie for lunch today. We were both stuck working the mid-day 11:15 to 7:45 shift, and it was Friday, after all. After scarfing down the eats, we then decided it might be a good idea to stop at Reitmans.

We'd been sitting at the food fair, so on the way to Reitmans a cheap Dora lunch bag caught Joanne's eye at Bentley. For $5 you can't go wrong - so she really didn't need much urging from me when it came to its purchase. Plus, Ava will be delighted - nevermind the fact that the lunch bag is about half the size of little Ava ;).

While in Bentley I couldn't help but peruse the purses. I found a beige Roots one, much like a favorite of mine from a few years back, so of course I had to get it. The math was simple: It was there. I liked it. My current purse is showing its wear. Check!

Onward we went to Reitmans -having only about 7 mins to kill. I went to the big girl section while Joanne scanned the front of the store. I ended up again at the check out counter, this time with a cute little top. Joanne commented about me not trying it on. I explained to the check out girl that I didn't have time to try it on because we were only stopping in on our lunch break. She exclaimed, "What brings you in here?". I shrugged - "We were done eating". More with the girl math. It helped that the top was also on sale. Check!

Total spent on purchases above and beyond lunch food and smoothies:
Joanne: $5.82.
Amber: $60.36 (*whistle, whistle*). I did save $11.72, though. We'll not discuss the speed at which I spent $60.36. And, I will also take it as a sign that God wanted me to have that purse and top, since I unconsciously (seriously, I had no idea til I looked at my account later) paid the satellite bill using the mutual house savings account, and not my usual personal chequing account. With the satellite bill being $50, then, and my purchases equaling just over $60, that means I really only spent $10, right? I love girl math.

We even made it back to work in time.

Happy Friday!

Putting it all into perspective...

How many times in the past week have I b!tched and moaned about having poor weather on my vacation and hot sunny weather when I'm stuck inside at work? I didn't get enough sleep last night so I complain about that. Perhaps that makes me crankier than what my surrounding people deserve.

...

The cat jumped up on the counter again - for the 58th time - how dare he? Oh...she's whining again...Calgon take me away!... That bejeezer just cut me off in traffic! Who does he think he is!?... Gas increased by another penny. When is it going to end??...my shoes are uncomfortable....oh this bra is digging into me...is it going to rain, my knee is throbbing...

You get the idea.

(No I don't have this litany of complaints all at once today...it's for effect)

Some days - and we're all guilty of it - we feel like the world is down on us. Our situation/circumstances feel like they could never get any worse. We're at our lowest low of all time and we don't know how we'll wake up to face a new day tomorrow.

I urge you to take a moment and think about what you do have... Do you have a job during this tough economic time? Do you have a roof over your head? Can you manage to get 3 square meals in the run of a day, and clean tap water to wash them down with? Do you have a bar of soap to clean yourself up with? Do you have clothes on your back free of holes and signs of wear? Do you still have family members to love you and wrap you in their embrace when times are tough? Do you have two feet? Do you have two hands?

http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/index.cfm?sid=261948&sc=98

The horror and terror Mohamed Mara lived through is inconceivable. During the civil war, rebel soldiers burned his home to the ground, and murdered his family. They severed both of his hands...he was lucky to have escaped his own death, and later fled to Canada as a refugee. In my opinion, perhaps death for himself would have been an easier route to take than to live with the memories of what happened. I encourage everyone to click on the link and read Mohamed's story. Despite the challenges life has dealt him, he faces each new day with a smile on his face, and a big heart. When you think life is giving you the shorter stick, be thankful for what you do have. Perhaps Mohamed's story will help you, too, to put everything into perspective.

Points of no real value

Because I'm still feeling nostalgic for my long-finished vacation I thought I'd revisit it and note the dids and didn'ts:

I did:

• read two books (a *huge* accomplishment for me)
• wade through the sea of clothing on the floor by the closet, the clothes on the floor of the closet, and the hanging and shelved clothes inside the closet. I eliminated a number of 'hopefuls' that I will never fit into again (and if I ever do they'll be long out of style by that point anyway). I also have 4 bags full of clothes to donate to a charity...and by looking inside the closet you'd wonder if I even did it.
• keep the house relatively tidy, including about 7 loads of laundry (still another 1-2 waiting, of course).
• spend the day with Mummy - beginning with a haircut for her at 11:30, shopping, lunch & then chillaxing time in the lazy boys, supper, and more chillaxing.
• participate in a crafty night and not get cranky once -- and that includes constructing not one, but two, paper box projects with a smile on my face (nearly unheard of).
• eat not one, but two, loads of delicious Cedars schawarma!
• sleep. A lot.

I didn't:

• get to the DMV to register my car - but I did do it online, albeit a few days late.
• begin any sort of walk routine around the 'hood. I blame the crap-ass weather.
• take the tins down above the kitchen cupboards.
• clean my scrapbook room.
• have a chance to even out my pop-tart tan.

So I guess it's a good sign that the "dids" outweigh the "didn'ts", but clearly I could have taken advantage of a longer vacation, just the same ;).

After the Rose Observations

• I think Ed kept "number 1" in mind, and likely did the best thing he could have, for himself - but I will sorely miss him. I sorta developed a bit of a crush. Though I understood Jillian's reaction, methinks she was a tad selfish at the same time. I think Ed should be the next Bachelor!
• Michael is really growing on me...At first this Jim Carrey-look-alike got on my nerves, but now I think he's super cute and I'm glad he got his one-on-one and his rose.
• Wes is a creepy, creepy, skeezy, smarmy, icky, icky YUCK. Creepy in a slimy, up-on-charges kinda way. The way he looks at Jillian gives me the heebeejeebees. Why Jillian didn't get the fact that he's only there to get himself in the public eye is beyond me. He said it right to her face when he said, "Well I have a CD", in his stoooopit Texan twang when she asked him about the 'someone's not here for the right reasons' debacle! Arrgh...another reason I think the damn show is just scripted. At least we didn't have to hear that damn song again this week.
  
• Mmmm....Kiptyn....just when I get cranky about the show they shine the spotlight on him. He didn't get a lot of airtime tonight, but he shone nevertheless, didn't he? I may or may not have already fantasized about him. If he's not a final contendor, Jillian's a fool.
• What?! No mention of suckling feet tonight? That's just wrong!
• Ok, did she seriously just sniff back a booger whilst bemoaning the fact that one of the guys couldn't get it up, or is CityTV playing tricks on me?

Is it Friday yet?

Day 1 after a week vacation passes.very.very.very.slowly. Add the fact that I am working 11:15am to 7:45pm and that just adds insult to injury! Add the fact that it was a beautiful, sunny day with highs over 20 degrees Celcius, and an extended forecast of more sun and climbing temperatures until Friday and then rain for the weekend? A kick in the junk, if you ask me. Anyway. Mother Nature and I are not speaking. She had better make it up to me and give me sunshine for June 27th - that's all I can say (Jebus, did I just jinx myself?).

I leisured around the house for a week+ with nary a headache or ailment to speak of. Day 1 back at the office and a blinding, immeasurable headache all day. Coincidence? I think not. Mr. Lotto man, please hear my call...

Just a note to say hi - it's Monday - middle of June...holy heck time just disintegrates into thin air, doesn't it?

I just scoffed down a delicious homemade Greek pasta salad - oh thank you, thank you dear Christopher!! The Bachelorette is in full swing and the preview looks very intense! I have to increase the volume by a dozen decibels to try to hear it on account of the screaming hoodlet hooligans. *sigh*. Summer in da 'hood...Happy Monday,folks.

And the haze clears from your eyes on a Sunday...

The scent of maple syrup is still in the air from this morning's blueberry pancake breakfast. The windows are open, and I can hear the breeze rustling through the windows. People are doing yard work as I can hear a few mowers in the distance, and there are kids outside, playing. It's another beautiful Sunday. We had a nice afternoon yesterday as well, and I did get to sit out to soak up some of it, and I will eventually get out there today as well. I know I voiced simple acceptance and a shrug-it-off kinda attitude when writing about the weather that was my vacation week last week - but, I have to admit being a little pissed with the upcoming week's forecast. It's like the sunshine is mocking me. I give Mother Nature a serious middle finger.

So Friday night after the Stampin' club finale I came home to watch the end of the hockey game. It was a thrilling third period, and the final save of the night - within the final 3 seconds of the game - clinched a win for the Penguins. Their goalie cemented the hoisting of the coveted cup, but I do have to admit to cheering for the 'other guys'. Growing up with an older brother, I basically cheered for the team he cheered for. Plus Stevie Y is so.damn.fine. I do, however, recall having a like relationship with the Pens, too....thinking their logo was quite cute. (I still have an affection for penguins). Nan gave me a tiny little tupperwear pill case. It was flat, round and blue, and had a flower pattern on the front. Somewhere I found, or Fred had given me, a tiny little Pittsburg Penguin logo sticker which I stuck to the bottom of the pill box. The sticker is still on the bottom - wherever the pill box might be...

Saturday started overcast and kinda yucky - like the rest of the preceding week, so we took advantage of the dark, sun-less room and slept in. In the afternoon, Chris' parents came for a visit. Chris and Charlie had a great time playing Wii golf, and Rose & I discussed paint colors. One of these days I hope to rid this home of the blue and the yellow...and Rose wasn't on board with my thoughts for the bathroom color. I have a blue countertop...at present time I have blue walls and blue accessories (Tanya likely wonders how that curtain is still hanging)...and I was thinking of going with a dark beige, taupey wall color and brown accessories? After discussing colors I'm now perhaps leaning toward a terracotta/iced tea color. Originally I had thought of that for the kitchen, but in retrospect, fear it's too dark for the kitchen area with the dark color in the living room? Heck I dunno....thoughts? Replacing the countertop, though something I'd love to do, is not an option. Perhaps I just oughta tone down on the TLC?

For fast-acting relief try slowing down*

I really think Zoe is going to miss me when I go back to work on Monday. She's not left my side the entire week I've been home. Sadly, I'm at Friday already. Le sigh. It's truly sad how easily I could loaf around the house for extended periods of time. What's that a sign of, anyway? The weather was poopy...and I had been holding out for a lovely weekend that had been originally in the forecast. That's unfortunately been updated, and now it looks like a continuation of the same cloud, showers & yuck that has been here the rest of the week. Oh well.

A big cheerio and thank you to Lana for a lovely dinner date last evening! We stuffed ourselves silly, starting at Cedars and then following it up with a walk down to Cows for a small ice cream for dessert, inadvertenty catching the tail end of the Rawlins Cross concert (who were playing a free outdoor concert for the finale of the Tour de PEI event). The gift card to Jewell's market will surely come in handy too! Thanks darlin! xoxo

Tonight marks the finale of our Stampin' Up club, and Angela has an extended class prepared for us with a few extra projects, so we'll end with a bang. I need to come up with a new project idea to get me back into a scrapping mode - seems my craft room is nothing more than a catch-all for junk lately instead of it's intended use, and that's just sad. If nothing else, everyone will get a lovely handmade card for every occasion from me as I try to use up some of my paper & embellishments. Perhaps I should visit a photo kiosk and print off a jillion photos for inspiration? Couldn't hurt.

Alright - it's back to loafing for me for a few more hours. Shemar Moore just happens to be a guest on the Bonnie Hunt show, so I must go pay attention. Mmmm....Happy Friday, peeps :)

*Quote from Lily Tomlin, and fitting to describe the week behind me.

A-Z Meme

Another rainy day thing might be stupid surveys. For those of you bored or trying to get out of working, simply copy and paste this into the comment section and answer it too.

A - Age: old enough to be the next 'level' of age on any form or survey.

B - Band: Bon Jovi...my "Bon Bon" and 16 more sleeps til I get to see him!

C - Choice Of Meat: chicken I guess. I do enjoy a crispy bacon slice, though, too.

D - Dream Date: I've always wanted to go on an Alaskan cruise so that'd be quite dreamy. A jaunt to Europe wouldn't be refused, either. Heck, a jaunt to Halifax or Moncton would be thrilling at this moment, too!

E - Excites You: Seeing my man houseclean. It doesn't happen often - but if he actually realized how much it excited me, perhaps he'd do it more often?

F - Favorite Food: fajitas and chips & salsa from Lonestar, Mom's spaghetti, Chris' mom's lasagna, shawarma from Cedars...suddenly, I've become very hungry...

G - Greatest Gift: it sounds corny, but the love of family and friends is the greatest gift, but I'd never refuse a present of any size, shape or form, either :).

H - Happiest Day Of Your Life: I'll let you know if I have a day that will be worthy of the phrase, "this is the happiest day of my life".

I - Internal conflicts: I do suffer from feelings of self-loathing & inadequacy by times. I'm terrible at financial management and I'm terrified that some day I will be out on the streets from poor money choices.

J - Jealous: of anyone that can eat whatever they want and still look fantastic in a two-piece.

K - Kool Aid: yuck, though in its day, I do believe I liked cherry or grape the most.

M - Most Valuable Thing you own: I suppose my house - though I really don't 'own' it.

N - Name: Amber

O - Outfit: anything that's not binding and I can lounge in gets my vote.

P - Pizza Topping: green pepper, mushrooms, onions and cheeeeeeese.

Q - Question I want to ask: Will I see you again?

R - Roots: I think I'm a bit of a mutt, really.

S - Sport to watch: hockey during the playoffs.

T - TV show: Greys Anatomy, if I have to pick just one. I'm a tv-junkie so my list could go on and on and on if I was to have to list all of my favorites, and must-watch shows...including an embarrassing amount of reality shows.

U - Unique habits: I'm totally anal about my grammar & spelling -- and will read, and re-read posts I've written and edit for errors, even after they've long been posted.

W - Weather I Love: a warm, sunny day, free of high humidity. This perfect day cools off considerably at night for a snuggle-up cozy night of slumber.

Y - Yesterday's best meal: breakfast when you consider what I ate yesterday. If I post this on Friday, the answer will be chicken shawarma from Cedars, so that is much more exciting :).

Z - Zodiac Sign: Gemini. Apparently, a common trait of which is two-facedness. I don't know what they're talking about :P.

Not a complete bust...

The good thing about a cold, rainy vacation day? You can sleep in til almost noon and only feel somewhat guilty about doing so. I really should finish cleaning the house - even go so far as perhaps putting the vacuum away or starting another load of laundry...but I can't seem to muster up the energy to do so. I, did, however, sweep up the sock fluff that was all over the floor. Chris must have been wii-ing last night (for those wii-fit virgins, one must be barefoot to use the board). There's something wrong with the picture of ME sweeping up HIS sock fluff. Perhaps he thought the cats would eat it? I've not found the socks yet, either.... At least he cleaned up his supper dishes from last night, albeit his arm was too sore to put the plate and bowl into the dishwasher. But, his pan and cutting board are clean. MEN!

This week is quickly coming to an end, and I'm quite sad. The weather, for the most part, sucked considerably, but I'm a grade A loafer, so even when it's sucky outside, I feel great comfort in just chilling in front of the tv or with a book, and could do so for embarrassing amounts of time, I'm sure. I've finished a Sophie Kinsella 'chick lit' book, and now have started "Promise You'll Take Care of My Daughter" - a story about war brides. Chris' mom lent it to me, and it seems very interesting. I did get around to ridding my bedside of the monstrous pile of clothing that was spewing outside of the closet. I have 3 overflowing bags of clothes to be donated, and you'd never know I did it by looking inside the closet. Yesterday I had a full day of QT with Mummy, complete with a little shopping, and tonight, I have plans to meet up with Lana for birthday shawarma, so I can't say that it's been all bad!

Here's hoping you all are having a wonderful week!

All I can say is my life is pretty plain...

We've had some really nice weather so far this season. Record high temperatures, in fact. Last week, there was 1 day of rain, I believe, but the rest of the week was sunny with highs of 19 Celcius pretty much every other day. I worked the day shift last week.

This is the current and extended weather forecast for the rest of my vacation week:

Today ~ A mix of sun and cloud. Wind northeast 20 km/h becoming light this afternoon. High 13. UV index 8 or very high.
Tonight ~ Increasing cloudiness early this evening. Low 6.
Wednesday ~ Cloudy with sunny periods. Wind becoming southeast 20 km/h in the evening. High 14.
Thursday ~ Showers. Low 9. High 17.
Friday ~ Periods of rain. Low 14. High 19.

It's not that I planned a lot of stuff. It's not that I don't have a lot of indoor stuff that I could be doing. I vowed I would either be tan or very de-cluttered... As I gaze around the piss-mire that is my home, I wonder what I will tackle first. It's all my cleaning fairy's fault you know. Today's plan (nevermind the fact that it is now afternoon)...tackling the ginormous clothes pile spewing from the bedroom closet...6 loads of laundry (at least)...and scrubbing and dusting the house so that I can feel gloriously guilt-free for the remaining days of loafing with a blanket, between a girlie movie and a good book.

Vacation is good for the soul - regardless of what Mother Nature has in store for you.

I keep a postcard in the back of my mind...

How thrilled was I that I got a little bit 'o kudos on the lovely Sizzle's latest blog post!? She had been compiling a list of cover songs from a variety of artists, and had prompted her readers to give her a 'hey yeah' with their own ideas. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to give Matty a plug! I guess 1 CD turned into 3, and, might I add, Mr. Andersen made his way to the top spot on her 1st disc :). It was a pleasure to introduce his massive talent to now, hopefully, an even larger audience. Thanks Sizz!!!

So yeah - hi! I know I've been MIA. So sorry my lovelies. I could try to move you with an apologetic, fussy post, but I won't. After a few stern looks from two of my biggest fans this weekend, however, I will do my best to post more regularly again. Thanks for reading girlies :).

In the past 6ish days I've...

• had a lovely visit with Mummy & Todd for an evening of take-out Chinese, laughs, and a dee-licious cheesecake dessert in a pre-birthday celebration for yours truly.
• spent many an hour chillaxing on our beautiful deck - soaking in the sunshine. I've managed to damage my skin enough to give me a nice hue on parts of the front of my body...but the pop-tart look is starting to form so I may have to try to even it out a bit in the coming weeks.
• turned another year on the calendar. I'm now sadly closer to 40 (but will steadfastly hang on to Sean's idea that I'm 29!).
• celebrated the life of Lana's Poppa, and a sad, final goodbye. He was a very well-loved man and did a lot of good for a lot of people. He will be very missed. Sending big hugs to Lana and her family. He will always be with you...xoxo.
• enjoyed a lovely dinner at the Merchant Man Pub with Chris to celebrate the fact that I'm now yet another year closer to 40 (and he rubs it in my face every chance he can get that I'm "old").
• listened to some Bon Jovi CDs to hone my lyrical perfection in preparation of The.Big.Event!
• spent the day scrapping with my scrap girlies - and potentially the last weekend scrap til the fall. Thanks for the chocolate cake, girlies :) - a lovely surprise, indeed!
• celebrated an early birthday for Brian at Brian & Julie's. The stories Brian & Jared come out with filled the room with uproarious laughter and at times, disbelief. I also felt like I haven't really lived at all, in comparison! It was great to see everyone again - thanks for a great night, guys!
• embarked upon a much-needed, much-coveted vacation! I have nothing major planned for my week off...and I may, in fact, do as little as humanly possible. Let's hope it gives me the opportunity to recharge, rewind, and ramp up for what is possibly going to be a very busy summer.

So tell me -what about you? What's keeping ya'll busy these days?

For lack of a better post...

Some Bachelorette observations:

• If I hear that g.d. "...they say that love...it don't come eaaaaa-saaaay..." ONE more freaking time I'm going to literally scream!
• Tanner P. entertains me. I don't feel like he'll be a contender, but I hope he stays around a while longer because he makes me giggle. Is it just me, or does anyone else out there question his sexuality? And that observation is not based solely on his freaky foot fetish thing, nor the fact that he could totally be Jack's prototype from Will & Grace.
• I'm still thinking Kiptyn or Jake would make a fine husband for Jillian.

I know it's totally trash tv but I love every minute of it :)