Ushering in the Top 10

Siobhan - I was happy to have her start the show to get her out of the way. She started out soft and smooth, and like that, I enjoy her voice. Then, she spoiled a good thing with her screams. Why?! WHY?
Casey - He sings, "Hold On" and I say, "how long?"... As long as you need me to, Casey. He's a huge entertainer, musician, looker, and he can sing!
Mike - I enjoyed every bit of that; great job, Big Mike!
Didi - Sweetie, I gotta be honest with you - that wasn't good; that wasn't good at all.
Tim - appalling; horrific; terrible; ear-piercing WRONG. Not sure your "Teflon" is strong enough to keep you guarded with that one. Go home already, Tim. You.can't.sing! To add insult to injury, you're a spaz.
Andrew - I think he showed good control and made that song his own. I enjoyed it - a huge improvement over the past few weeks. It didn't even remind me much of "Straight Up"!
Katie - Meh. She wasn't convincing. I think it was a poor song choice. There were moments I didn't mind, and there were moments I couldn't wait for her to be finished.
Lee - Well, he rocked that now, didn't he? That was fabulous. I also think his humbleness is adorable.
Crystal - FABulous. I love her. She's our clear winner. I'm glad she got to 'prove herself' in the fact that she can still rock without the guitar, but I do admit I look forward to a return of it, too. Simon was absolutely right; she doesn't need to be anyone but herself. She's great.
Aaron - And, why, pray tell, was Clearasil-boy given the limelight spot of the evening? This song is a personal favourite of mine since I attribute it more to be Matt's song than Bill's...and I wish it had've been Casey with it this week. Clearly, he didn't listen to Usher's commentary about the "I know". It wasn't the worst of the night, but it sure as hell wasn't the best. And P.S., your fauxhawk looks RIDICULOUS.

Bottom 3: Siobhan, Tim & Didi
Saying good-bye: solely on the curse of "Vote for the Worst", Didi since Tim will be safe again. I wouldn't shed a tear of Siobhan left either.

I'm numb, and it's not the wine*.

If you've been following my blog for a while now, you'll know that from time to time, I've complained about problems with my wrist. I went as far as to see a surgeon about the problem, who referred me on to a neurologist to test the nerve damage....only to be told that there was little to no 'noticeable' damage, and there was nothing that could be done to give me comfort. In the words of said neurologist, "You know your own body; if there are changes you need to make (ie. quitting your job to avoid repeated stress on your wrist and hand) then you know what you have to do". Brilliant, eh? Needless to say, I was FUMING when I walked out of his office. Up til recently, the problems with numbness, tingling and pain seemed to be kept at bay. Just in the past few days, though, I've noticed a resurgence of symptoms, however. Sweet Mother of the little Baby Jesus, please make the pain and numbness stop altogether, or make it so bad that the doctors want to do something to help me.

Ok end of self-pity post. But think about it, I am only thinking of YOU. Really think about it...if I'm struck with carpal tunnel or repetitive stress disorder, however will I continue blogging and filling all of your lives with such joy?

Maybe I can blame the full moon on this, too? Doyasuppose?

*perhaps a little whine, though.

Farewell to Nanny Banks

The matriarch of the Banks family has passed away. Nanny Banks was a lovely lady with a true lifespark and an amazing sense of humour. She will be sadly missed. Today my heart goes out to the Banks/MacIntyre family. She's left a spot in everyone's heart that will never be filled. I hope her precious memory will help keep you strong. Sending love and hugs....xoxoxo.

...every other day of the week is fine...

You know you're on your way to a stellar day when the first thing that happens at work upon arrival and turning your PC on is to discover your monitor screen has turned a brilliant green hue. You self-diagnose the issue, in your own intelligent opinion, to be a monitor on its very last leg. The screen looks like it's almost moving, and you can feel yourself on the verge of a blinding headache from the contrast of what a high 32-bit screen is supposed to look like vs what it looks like now. Proud of yourself for at least diagnosing the problem, you call the IT department to open a trouble ticket, and you wonder how long it's going to take for a replacement, hoping the blasting headache that is on the forefront stays at bay. To your surprise, the IT guy is at your desk in record time, only to fiddle with the connecting cable at the back of the monitor. He tightens it in 10 seconds flat, and voila, your 32-bit high colours are brilliant once more. You're a little red in the face, but he agrees to simply close the ticket with a standard, "t-shot, problem resolved on site"...yet, you know inside he's shaking his head, thinking about your ineptness when it comes to the inner (or in this case, outer) workings of a PC.

The morning passes rather slowly. You decide to break up the day by inviting your c0-worker, who just happens to be running on the same schedule as you, to lunch at a nearby restaurant. You slip your key in the ignition, put the car into reverse only to have her receive a text about a sick child, and you lose your lunchmate to a necessary parental moment. Opting to avoid the dining solo at the restaurant feeling (and ultimately realizing enough time has passed now that it would be futile to sit, wait, order, wait & eat whilst dining solo, anyway), you opt to go to a nearby coffee & bagel store for a quick drive-thru. They're out of your favourite bagel. They give you chili instead of soup. You open your tea to discover it's green and not peppermint (and then for a moment can't even remember which one you actually ordered).

You have a minor power struggle with a co-worker, and ultimately decide to be the bigger person and bow down to let him win (even though deep down inside you really, really wanted to keep it going and prove yourself to be the more deserving winner)...and your day is now only half over.

On break you view your online banking site and realize the silver lining in missing out on your lunch date is the money saved in not going. You are now again into overdraft and payday is many long days away.

Welcome to my Monday.

I completely blame the full moon that we're embarking upon and since it's not officially here until tomorrow, am a bit frightened about what the rest of the week will bring. On the other side, it's a short week....now that's something to smile about ;). Hope your Monday was smile-worthy! :)

That's Entertainment

Chris & I had a fairly relaxed weekend. Friday night neither he, nor I, felt like making anything for supper so he took us out to Pizza Delight for supper (thanks honey!) and then we headed over to Jumbo Video to pick up a few movies. I'd been wanting to see Law Abiding Citizen for a long time, so finally had an opportunity to grab it while there were still a few copies left. We also rented The Fourth Kind, which claimed to be based on actual video & audio coverage of case studies examining the possibility of "alien abduction".

Law Abiding Citizen was probably one of the best movies I've seen in a long, long time. It had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. I couldn't take my eyes off the screen - even when Chris took out the chips & dip (the amount of chip crumbs on the floor the next day confirms that). If you have somewhat of a strong stomach (some of the scenes are a little disturbing), I highly recommend it. It was brilliant!

Both of us were pretty tired so even though we started the Fourth Kind, we didn't last long and ended up going to bed and watched it Saturday night. The creepy parts of the movie were indeed creepy - and if you're mind is open to other possibilities that are 'out there', you may just enjoy that one too.

Neither picks are going to likely win any film-fest awards or the great Oscar himself -- but if you're in for a few hours of entertainment, you shouldn't be disappointed. Lemme know what you thought if you have seen either, or end up doing so, eh?

Fear

Shortly after our family had moved to the Island from Ottawa (I was 10 years old), I had a nightmare that had me waking up in tears, with my heart feeling like it was going to beat out of my chest. To this day, I can still remember the dream vividly, and how it made me feel.

In Ottawa, we lived in a townhouse, and across the street there was a park with a ball diamond in behind another row of houses. My friends and I spent hours over there, playing. I dreamt that I was back in Ottawa, visiting my old neighborhood. I was taking a nostalgic walk across the road from my old house, to check out the place that held so many childhood memories. As I walked up to the pitcher's mound someone grabbed me from behind, putting his hand over my mouth and a knife to my throat. His voice was gruff as he threatened, "Be quiet, or I'll slit your throat".

It was at that point that I woke up. I tried to muffle my cries because I realized that it was just a dream, and felt silly for being so upset. Instant relief took over when I fully realized that it was only a dream, and that I was safe, in my bed. If given the chance to go back to my old neighborhood to take a look around, I'd go. Would I take a walk across the ball field by myself? No.

I can only imagine the unspeakable fear and absolute horror that poor woman from NB felt as she was abducted on her way home from work. What strength she had to have as she actually lived someone's worst nightmare. I am so happy for her, and for her family that good fortune was on her side and she was able to escape. I hope the full extent of the law is handed to that crazy freak who made her endure such terror.

Bi11board favourites...

So it's Tuesday, and American Idol night. And Mylie Cyrus as mentor, eh? Riiiiight. This ought to be good. Everyone give a great big welcome to my dear friend Tanya, who's spending Idol with me tonight. We celebrated our "Christmas in March" tonight - always late every year, but to be truthful, it's kinda nice having a night to look forward to celebrate with just the two of us. Plus, we get to open presents! Thanks Tan - I love my new lunchbag; I will soo be the talk of the lunchroom!! I've put Tanya to work tonight, making her my guest commentator for the night.

And onward to AI:

Lee -Ok so I think he stepped it up a bit like the judges told him to do. I really enjoyed it, and I really enjoy him. Tanya's take: "I think he's cute - and he has to stay because he's cute".
Paige - She had to go with the soft and dependable, safe type of song...yet, I don't think that it helped her plight. Meh. That was terrible ("BOOOOOOOOOO," from the other side of the room as Chris inadvertently has to hear it in the background). Tanya: "This song is supposed to give you goosebumps, and it's so not".
Tim - Oh Tim why, why WHY would you even attempt something like QUEEN. Awful. The best part of it was when it ended (typed, btw, before it even ended). Tanya: "It's like karaoke at high school" (said before Randy, btw).
Aaron - The only good thing about that performance was the fact that it was better than Tim. And that's all I will say. T: "I've got nothin'"
Crystal - Tanya and I got to chatting during her performance so we don't have any constructive criticism for her -partly because we know she's safe and she's potentially the winner. I think she can make any song her own. T: "I really like her; I hope she wins".
Mike - I enjoyed that, and was happy to hear a softer side of Big Mike for a change, but I did not enjoy that big high note. Why does he have to do that? We all know he can sing. T: "He's always doing that falsetto isn't he?"
Andrew - I didn't love it but, I really don't care for that song either, so that might have had something to do with it? T: "That song reminds me of raisins every time I hear it; and I'm so over "Straight Up" (me too); I wish they'd stop talking about that."
Katie - Oh.My. It started out not bad....but it ended horribly. Methinks she is going to find her way to the bottom shelf. T: "I've got nothing to say. Meh. It was alright".
Casey - Interesting song choice (and I swear it was typed before the judges)...can't say it was my favourite of his performances, but I still believe that Mr. Casey is going to be with us for a long, long, long time yet. T: "I think he did good but kind of indifferent, ya know? I haven't seen anything tonight yet that made me say, 'Oh my God that was awesome'".
Didi - Man I hate that snarly look she gets on her face when she's trying to emote 'mean'. The song choice "You're No Good"...hmmm...significant of her performance, perhaps? Perhaps. T: "I thought the song suited her voice. I don't like the song though".
Siobhan - Um....hellllo the 80's called...they want Sheena Easton back. Go to Broadway Siobhan. I don't like you. And I HATE, HATE, HATE your screaming!! T: "I don't get it".

Bottom 3: Paige, Tim, Katie
Homeward bound: Because "Vote for the Worst" is tending to work we won't see Tim go - but he should. That said, probably Paige will pack her bags.

Final thoughts from little T: "I think that whole show was forgettable".

Meh....Monday

I so wasn't ready for it to be Monday today. It's not that I did anything overly strenuous or devastating this past weekend. I just, you know, wasn't ready. It's shaping out to be one of "those days", too. You know the kind - where you question everything you say and do. You kinda feel like you know nothing. Awesome. If it's any consolation, I'm halfway to home.

I think I can, I think I can...

Hope your Monday is going smoothly :).

March Birthdays!

March brings with it many things...the start of a new season, longer days, warmer weather, and in my life, many birthdays! A shout out to my nephew Jackson, who blew out an extra candle on March 9. My dear friend Julie has already been highlighted this month with her big day on March 4. The month got a bit ahead of me, so I'm now about to focus on a few more of my birthday girls. March brings another year of good fortune and happiness upon Jeannette, Tracy and Lori!

March 18 is Jeannette's birthday. Jeannette is my partner in crime at work. We sit next to each other, and bounce many ideas off of each other. I don't know what I'd do without her there beside me. We've known each other for years, forging our friendship at another mutual workplace - Watts. She's a sweet person with a heart of gold and has a fantastic giggle. I'm thankful every day for your friendship, Jeannette! I'm wishing you a fantastic birthday and a great year ahead. May it be filled with prosperity and much love and happiness!! Oh and one more thing...BAZINGA!!! :) XO

March 13 is Tracy's big day. Tracy has been in my life since Jr. High. We've shared many laughs, good times, and deep conversations about love and life. She tried, God love her, to teach me how to drive a standard. Her apartment was always a comfy place to crash after a few too many drinks on the weekends. Whenever I have a question related to one of the cats she's my first stop. She's as stubborn as a mule, and is a strong, hard-working person with a huge heart. I'm proud to call her one of my oldest and dearest friends. Happy Birthday Tracy -- love you girl - I hope this year is filled with unending happiness for you. May you find that true happiness that you undoubtedly deserve. XO

And finally we're at today, March 20, and Happy Birthday to Lori. Lori as well has been by my side since Jr. High. We became fast friends within the first few weeks of Grade 7 and became inseparable very early on. We learned about life, love and responsibility together. She's a true inspiration. How many people actually have a life goal and fulfill it? For as long as I've known Lori, she's been the best story-teller and always said 'when she grew up' she would be an author. I remember trying to aspire to be like her - to write like her in Grade 7, so I, too, could get the kind of praise that Mr. May gave her. She's now a published author, many times over. I've said it before, and I will say it again. I'm so proud of you Lo-Lo!! She's a loving wife & mother. She's the kind of daughter that any mother is envious of, and she's a fantastic friend --always there for anyone in need. I love you Lori -- I hope this year is filled with all things happy, despite the few bumps on your road thus far. I hope it works out in your favour. Happy Birthday. XO

Everyone join me with glasses held high as I toast these three amazing women!! Happy Birthday, my lovelies!!

Ewwww

The next time you get that craving for a McDonald's cheeseburger, keep this story in mind:

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2010/03/19/13292591-qmi.html

I know I will.

Friday Funny

I admit, I fell victim to Facebook. In saying 'fell victim', I mean I gave in to the societal pressure of joining to see what it was all about, and I, like millions, have spent countless hours and hours and hours refreshing my page to see just what Tom, Dick and Harry are up to today. I would never call myself a 'geek', but I do spend a lot of my time on the Internet, and a lot of my free time browsing different blogs, watching online tv and checking email. Since Facebook came around though, I would have to say that my time on the popular social networking site has far, far exceeded my time doing anything else. Don't get me wrong, I think it's a great tool to find old friends and catch up and stuff. I've always loved looking at photos, so I've been in my glory since FB came around and I could creep in on all of my friends' photo albums. It really is a time suck though, and I have tried to ween myself down a bit from my excessive usage. Will I ever give it up cold turkey, though? Nah, I'm too nosey to do such a thing.

I had to chuckle today when reading the following story courtesy of CBC:

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/03/19/soudas-facebook-infoman-friends.html

What on earth is Soudas going to do now with his free time? It's really too bad he took his profile down. I bet after this story aired he'd have thousands more friend requests to fulfill.

Happy Friday!

WTF?

It's official.

Tim Urban is this year's Sanjaya.

Too young....

Tonight I'm thinking of a friend and his family. Bobby lost his little brother today.

Allan was a loving husband. He was a special father to two young children and stepfather to one. He was a son, a brother. And, he was a wonderful friend to so, so many. This morning, he lost his brave battle. He could fight no more - the cancer got the best of him, and now he is just a memory.

Allan was 35years old. He was too young to die. He was too young to know that kind of suffering. I have a hard time understanding why he was taken away from his young twins before they really had a chance to get to know him. I hope they never forget their memories that they do have of him.

Allan, I did not know you personally, but I want you to know that I wish you peace and rest. I wish your family comfort in this time of sorrow. May the thought that you are no longer suffering, and your loving memory help them through the very hard road they have ahead of them.

Life is too, too short. Don't waste it away with regrets. Live each moment as though it were your last...

Rolling through 12

Oh an exciting night indeed....it's our first evening with the Top 12, and a night dedicated to the Rolling Stones....this could be...interesting.

Big Mike - a good, solid performance.
Didi - liked that a lot. I don't particularly enjoy that look she gets on her face when she sings "mean" though. It reminds me of Chandler trying to smile.
Casey - that was fun! I am doubtful that I'll be able to say much negative about him anyway. I kinda *heart* this guy a little bit. Loved it!
Lacey - I'm a fan, and I enjoyed it. Do I think she has enough to sustain her to the Top 3? Notsosure.
Andrew - finally a little something different from him. Not bad.
Katie - a vast improvement over last week; I really liked it - and she seemed to be feeling it, so could have just saved herself from worry for another week.
Tim - that.was.truly.and.absolutely.horrific.
Siobhan - That was...um...interesting. And that scrEEch? WTF? This is American Idol, not rehearsals for a Broadway musical. She channeled Adam Lambert - I hate him, therefore I hated that.
Lee - Normally Simon and I agree on most things, but I have to disagree with his commentary. Lee, in my humble opinion was terrific!
Paige - It's no secret that I don't like her much; she did ok. It didn't thrill me but it wasn't the worst I'd heard tonight.
Aaron - What does a 16 year old know about a song like "Angie"? He tried to look like he was emoting but in his tender heart he's not known that kind of heartache. To me, he looked like he needed a good poop.
Crystal - Ladies and gentlemen, your next American Idol...Crystal Bowersox! Love her.

Bottom three: Tim, Siobhan, & Aaron
Going home: TIM for the love of the sweet Baby Jesus

P.S. Simon - {In my best British accent} I totally and utterly disagree that Siobhan was the one to beat this evening. Thankyouverymuch.

Some days I just shake my head...

It's always good to have a goal, right?

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2010/03/16/13244921-ap.html

All I can say is....wow. Just, wow.

She thinks she isn't harming anyone...doesn't she realize she's harming herself? The fact that there's a title of world's fattest for her to work toward this goal is just simply appalling.


To lighten the mood a bit, how about this one:

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2010/03/08/13156776-ap.html

Now there's a real booby trap, hmm? *Groan*

I can see clearly now...the money's gone...

So I'm pretty thankful for the joy that is overdraft. The other day I went to pick up my new glasses at the opticians. I had full intentions of using my Visa, with the hope of a massive refund on the taxes this year to pay off what I owe the tax man plus enough to cover that damn Visa (c'MON Baby Jesus, please make this happen!). First, they attempt to soil more from my insurance company but having had my appointment 80% covered I knew there wasn't going to be much more, and I was right - with only an additional $66 covered. So my grand total was $326.00. I guess it's worth it to see again. Without any further thought I hand over my Visa -- only to hear, "I'm sorry...that won't go through. It appears to be an expired card".

"SHIT!...now where did I even put my new one...???", I say to myself.

So then a little panic set in...did we have enough accumulated in Savings to cover this bill? I had noideawhatsoever, and albeit, was somewhat doubtful. I sucked in a breath and handed her the debit card and tried Savings. The dreaded INSUFF glared from the debit machine. "SHIT!"...it being over a week away from payday and a prior week of fairly whimsical spending I knew that I was already in my overdraft, and I had no idea how much. With another breath I asked her to attempt the debit again, this time choosing Chequing. Thank you, thank you, Baby Jesus - it went through. I raced home and immediately checked the balance, wondering now if I had owed the bank a fee for going over my OD limit. I made it but I was very, very, very close to the limit.

So now I'm still a week away from payday and very light in the wallet. If'n anyone asks me to dine out with them in the next while please don't be alarmed when I order a bowl of hot water and a side of 3 ketchup packets.

But I can see.

And I have absolutely no idea where that new Visa card is...

The Gents

And now for the males in the group (Warning: I'm quite brutally honest this evening):

Lee - I like his voice; I enjoyed the performance, but what song was that, anyway? Oh, and he's not ugly either so I do hope he sticks around ;).
Alex - watching him I just get the urge to grab my scissors to rid his neck of that ridiculous mullet rather than hear what he was singing. That's really all I can say about that.

{Randy in a bikini?? I don't think so}

Tim - I knew I should have muted it as soon as I heard what song he was going to be singing. Hallelujah is probably in the Top 5 of my all-time favourites...and he SUCKED at it. Boo. HalleluYUCK!

{I wonder if the judges would be saying the same thing if they heard it on the TV and not live??}

Andrew - While I do enjoy him, and think he's very talented, and I do give him kudos for making these songs 'his own', I fear that every time we hear him it.will.be.the.exact.same.song., and that just might be enough to make the little Baby Jesus cry. What was that he sang tonight? Straight Up? :P

{BTW as much as Kara annoys the holy blue Jebus HECK out of me, I have to admit she's got a lot of good and right to say in her critiques and comments}

Casey - Now we're talkin'... Early prediction - he will be in the Top 3 at least. I enjoy all parts of this boy.
Aaron - What the hell was that? Eww, eww....EWW! That was horrible. And he really needs to lay off on the tinted Clearasil.
Todrick - Ok is his name Todd or is it Rick? Oh I'm sorry - did he do something worth critiquing? No. Oh do I hate those long running notes. Especially when it's the entire song. Next! (and those pants were visually disturbing).

{Comparable to "Glee", eh? That's why I hated it, perhaps}

Mike - what exactly was that performance trying to prove? I've liked him a lot up til this point so I'm going to reserve judgement, but as far as tonight's performance goes, I did NOT like it.

{Oh my God, Kara just channeled Paula Abdul}
{Ok maybe I'm being too harsh...even Simon loved it. I just don't GET IT}

Going home: Alex and Aaron

Your pick?

And they, too, shall be....

WED!!!!!!!!!!

Two of my favourite people in the whole entire world are going to get married and I'm so filled with glee! Darren proposed to Melissa last week, when they were vacationing in Boston. I'm completely ecstatic for them. I just wanted to post this here so I could publicly congratulate them and give them the biggest virtual hug I can possibly muster!

Congratulations guys!! I'm so utterly and completely happy for you! I know without a shadow of a doubt that this is just the beginning of unending happiness for you both -- and you both deserve it in every sense of the word. xoxox.

The Ladies

Admit it -- you've missed it. And you were wondering where I've been? Up til now there was just too much to bother commentating. Finally we're getting down in numbers, and well, I've been lacking blog fodder, so without further ado:

Katie - she's had her time; she's sweet, and she can sing, but she needs to mature and has therefore come as far as she can.
Siobhan - meh; it had a few moments that were really good - but she also had a few moments I thought were really bad. And, what the HECK was she wearing? (I swear I had this typed before Simon's commentary).
Lacey - I really, really like her. I didn't know that song before hearing her; she made me believe it was her own.
Katelyn - I didn't love it - but mainly I think it was her song choice that I didn't love.
Didi - Is it just me, or does she remind anyone else of Brooke from a few years back? I like her too, and enjoyed the performance.
Paige - very lounge-y. I don't enjoy her - haven't ever.
Crystal - fan-freaking-tastic, she is! I have always loathed that song but she gave it a new light for me. I also give extra kudos to anyone who can also play an instrument as well as sing. She's in this for the long haul!
Lilly - what the hell was she thinking picking that song?? That is nowhere near her 'style' from what I've seen thus far...and though I like her a lot...I hated that.

Going home - without question Katie & Paige.

The Screen Room

I really thought I'd have posted about 5 different witty, thought-provoking things between now and my last post. Really, I did.

Heh. Sometimes life does not go as expected, however.

I had a long weekend. A few floating holidays combined with the normal Saturday & Sunday meant I left work at quitting time on Thursday and didn't return until this morning. I took the opportunity to surf the couch. A lot. In light of it being Oscar weekend I also watched movies. Probably more movies in one extended interval than any other in my lifetime, even (well, perhaps comparable to the weekend when Dad went to Video Pros and rented a BETA VCR with movies because that was the cool thing to do at the time. VCR's back then cost you an arm, a leg and your first born, after all. I just aged myself...so, moving on...). The website www.ch131.com was brought to my attention a while back. When I miss one of my favourite shows I tend to go to that site to catch up. The quality isn't spectacular, but it's commercial-free entertainment so that makes me happy. This weekend I decided to move onto movies. I watched Precious (well acted, good story but dark - very, very dark); Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist (cute); Superbad (just because it's super funny; I think I may have fallen asleep in parts though); Four Christmases (cute); and, started Idiocracy (toooo idiotic); Miss March (didn't like it about 5 mins in) and Spread (bad; I didn't finish, nor do I care that I didn't).

And after all that, I didn't even get 'round to watching the Oscars. I never usually like the award-winning ones, anyway.

Seen any good movies lately? What can you recommend to a loafer who enjoys commercial-free TV?

Unreality at its best

It's no secret that I *heart* Grey's Anatomy. I may have, on occasion, altered plans to avoid missing my all important hour of Thursday night TV. I do screen my calls while it's airing, and it's a fact that I watched the first 2 seasons on DVD in one weekend. I've been accused of being a little unstable during some of the more dramatic, tear-inducing plots. And, I've also taken to daydream a time or two about the delicious McSteamy. Eric Dane has taken a bit of a backseat of late, though. Tell me, who DOESN'T think Dr. Avery is one fine, fine, fine piece of male flesh:

I wasn't a real fan of the story line involving Mercy West joining with Seattle Grace. I was a bit of a Grey's snob, and wanted to keep the focus on the Seattle-ites (and I've still not forgiven the writers for killing off my dear George). *Ahem*. However, this cutie has really raised my eyebrow, even if he did hail from Mercy West. He can take my temperature any time ;) ;).

Pardon me, I have more of last night's GA to watch.

Happy Birthday Julie!

This is a toast to you, Julie. Today is your birthday and I am wishing the happiest of years ahead for you, filled with gladness, hope, and love. Your infectious laugh is second to none. You can brighten a room just with a smile. For all the times you helped me smile when all I really wanted to do was frown, I thank you. I thank you for your friendship, kindness and encouragement throughout the years. Though we are miles apart there's not a day that I don't think of you and miss you. Love you much - Happy Birthday - xoxo.

Daily funny

So this has been one of the things that's kept a smile on my face this afternoon.

So.frigging.funny.

The fact that the cat resembles my Bosco so much is just a bonus.

Repugnance

On PEI, the fox population has increased profoundly. Although cautioned not to, the public have taken to feeding the foxes that frequent their properties, and this 'wild' animal is now possibly as domesticated as a dog or cat might be. Last weekend*, a defenceless fox was found dead in a field. Snowmobile tracks were found - several tracks indicating a number of snowmobiles, or perhaps repeated tracks around - or over, the poor fox. I was sick to my stomach at the thought of such cruelty. With the allegations that appear to be forthcoming, it would appear that the person, or people, responsible for this act deliberately went out of their way to chase down and torture the animal, circling it until they ran it over, perhaps several times.

Words cannot express how much this angers me. How could anyone torture or hurt a defenceless animal like that? How does life breed a person who is even capable of such an act?

It's disgusting. Abhoring. Sadistic. Inhumane.

*I started writing this post just after the incident and never had a chance to complete my thoughts on it. I was too disgusted and just basically wanted to rant about it. I could probably go on and on with different adjectives for cruel. I could express what I'd personally like to do to the individuals responsible, but that's not ladylike. I can, however, finally post this knowing that there's been some comeuppance, though meager, for that poor fox:

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/prince-edward-island/story/2010/03/02/pe-fox-death-charges-584.html

Based on the evidence, the authorities believe the act was deliberate, and a day in court is on the horizon for the 3 men (I use that word loosely when describing them) responsible.

May the law and justice prevail.

Dear Jake...

That was the WRONG one.

In time, you will discover that.

Surely a date in a lake that smells like farts is a sign, isn't it?

A shout out to my girlies who are all gathered at Tanya's tonight. I bowed out - on account of having to work at 8 tomorrow morning and having a horrendous sleep last night. I'm beyond tired...and am going to have to record the "After the Rose" show. I know now who he's chosen, and now I'm mad at myself for having lost out on a good hour or two of sleep.

Bring on the next Bachelorette!