Bad Bad Boys!

We've been having unseasonably mild temperatures and a lack of snow this winter season in the Maritimes (which I partly blame on my purchase of not one, but two pairs of winter boots, but I digress). Friday, however, we were inundated with a 'weather event' that dumped nearly 20 cms of snow on us, and the upcoming week's temps are gonna be C-O-L-D (seasonably cold, but nothing like we've had thus far). I'm not complaining. It is winter. I do look forward to a bit of snowshoein' too...and with the new boots, my feet will stay warm :). Plus, there's nothing more awesome than snuggling down deep under the duvet on a cold night.

Mother Nature almost wreaked havoc on my Friday night plans, however (not to mention that I didn't get to enjoy Friday as a 'snow' day, either). Luckily Chris enjoys playing in the snow and winter driving more than I do, so we did get down to the Island Artists for Haiti going on at the waterfront. It had been going on from 5pm onward, with non-stop music. The storm was going on pretty good so we didn't leave the house til after 9. By the time we landed there, we caught the tail end of Ninth Hour, saw Kim Albert, the Grass Mountain Hobos, and of course the reason we were there....HAYWIRE! Haywire signifies a huge part of my life, the 80's, local pride, and one of the major crushes from my mid-teen years. They put on a phenomenal show, and I'm so glad to have had the chance to be a part of the crowd cheering them on (til I was hoarse, if I might add). It was a great time, for an even greater cause -- complete profits going to the Haiti Relief fund. All the artists donated their time and talent. All the staff working the event also donated their time. It's truly something we as Islanders have to be proud of. I'm glad Mother Nature didn't put a big wrench in the event. Bravo to all of the organizers, the talent and anyone else who put in their time and effort into making it the huge success that it was.

Next time, HOLD the olives

I don't know how we manage it, but once more, Chris and I sat down for dinner at a restaurant only to be greeted with a 'special' menu of the night with it's very own price tag. Thursday night past, we'd planned on going to the Alibi Lounge to see Irish Mythen play. She was a guest performer with Late November & Jake Denty, local Island artists. Seeing as our cupboards were akin to those of Mother Hubbard, we decided on going out for supper before the show. And, since the Alibi served food, it seemed appropriate to dine there before settling in for a night of music. We called ahead for a reservation by the stage and when we got there, we were the second couple to arrive -second to Irish herself, in fact.

We got seated after saying hello to Irish, and were faced with the Alibi's own "Wintertide" menu - consisting of a 3 course meal with choice of appetizer, entree & dessert...and a $35/plate price point. At least the price was there, so we knew what we were in for (not that we had the choice). Supper, 1 drink each, and tip later, I was $100 lanker in the wallet. Half the price of the Sims fiasco, but double what we normally would have spent, nevertheless. (Happy Birthday, Christopher :P). The appetizer was really good; I just had mixed greens with some sort of vinegrette, and Chris had mussels. Of course he chose the steak entree, and I had the seafood phyllo plate. The actual phyllo part of the meal was really good; the other 'side', which looked to be quiche was good until the kalmatta olive invaded my mouth and left me with the taste of death (note to self: you do NOT like kalmatta olives). A special thanks to Irish who actually helped us determine that the invasive foreign matter inside the quiche was indeed an olive and not some sort of poisonous funk. Dessert was some sort of torte thing. It was good, but not spectacular.

Jake Denty took the stage first. He's an extremely talented guitarist. Irish was next, and she had the crowd cheering in no time, singing a few old favourties until her voice was hoarse (she had a cold; God love her, you'd never know it though until the end). Late November ended the night. They sounded really good. Had it not been a school night we might have stayed later, but we ended up leaving after about 3 songs.
Here I am with Irish before the show got underway, courtesy of Christopher. (See how I'm strategically hiding my double chin? Sheer brilliance).

Happy Birthday Chris!

ICQ.

I.seek.you.

Creepy as that sounds, that's what happened, unbeknownst to us at the time. A case of mistaken identity wound up securing a close friendship. You had a crush on my "mind". Your wit and charm kept me intrigued, and before I knew it, I was crushing on you, too. Back then, you finished my sentences in the chat window. Now, thanks to a mixed cd and a milkshake, you finish my sentences in person.

You're the ying to my yang; the peanut butter to my jelly; the peas to my carrots. You've shown me that the good ones are out there, and I appreciate your love and support more than you'll ever know.Happy Birthday Christopher. Thanks for all you do, and thanks for just bein' you....xoxoxo.

Would you like fries with that?

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. - Burger King is opening a restaurant in Miami Beach that will serve beer along with burgers and fries, the chain’s first U.S. location with alcohol.

At the Whopper Bar South Beach, guests can pair a Whopper sandwich with Anheuser-Busch and MillerCoors brews. With fries, the combo will run $7.99.

The restaurant will offer outdoor dining, a walk-up window and delivery service.
It’s scheduled to open mid-February. The announcement was made Friday.

Morningstar analyst R.J. Hottovy says adding beer at selected locations around the world is part of Miami-based Burger King’s effort to reinvent itself as a fast-food restaurant with a sit-down feel.

Hottovy said making the new image resonate could be a challenge in some locations.

Can you just imagine getting hammered as you sit munching on your Jr. Whopper? Suppose it could be reminiscent of the teen years as we had a few drinks and made our way down the Avenue to McDonalds, though. Whoops, did I just type that? *wink*

Source:
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2010/01/22/12576861-ap.html

Recap

So it's all over with. We left here Thursday with Shawn in tow. Family gathered at the Grand-W homestead. We went through old family photos, readying the memory boards for the service. I was given the opportunity to meet a few of Chris' cousins & other relatives that I'd not had the chance to meet yet, which was nice. The service was held on Friday afternoon. It was a simple service, but I think Big Charlie was honoured very well. He was a war veteran, so the first part of the service was done by the Legion. Each vet placed a poppie into a bowl and saluted the family. It was very touching. I think he would have approved of the service. Afterword, we all headed back to the Grand-W homestead again, where the seal on a saved bottle of Crown Royal was broken, and the whole family had a shot, to toast Big Charlie's memory -- something that he asked that the family do when he passed away.

We headed home Saturday night after supper, so it was fairly late by the time we landed home. We pretty much headed to bed after catching up a bit on our email and FB, and a few chin scratches for the cats. It was nice getting to sleep in my own bed I will selfishly admit. Sunday afternoon we went to the movies, catching Avatar. Admittedly, it was not a movie that I had any intention of seeing, and I didn't go with any glee. Surprisingly though, it was entertaining enough to hold my interest, and I found myself cheering for the 'good guys'. We grabbed a bite at Boston Pizza for supper and then back home to vegg (ie, pass out on the couch until it was bedtime).

That brings you up to date. Chris is doing well - the support and kindness everyone has bestowed upon him has been overwhelming, humbling, and has helped so much. Thank you to all, for everything...xoxo.

Speaking of Chris, his birthday is coming up fast! It's this coming Friday. We're trying to work the kinks out of getting a gathering ready, so stay tuned to your inboxes for more details.

Happy Hump!

An inadequate return to posting*

I know this let's ya'll down, but I really have little to say about last night's show. I suppose it was supposed to be one of the most dramatic ever... Pray tell, a man who actually figures out that he has a few lying around that aren't overly compatible with his golly gee good nature so he lets them go early instead of leading them on for another 2 weeks. *queue dramatic music*. Perhaps it's my mindset as of late, but I found it rather boring, and spent a good part of the final hour refreshing my FB home page to check for new status reports. I think I'm going to have to try to arrange to watch it amongst a few girlfriends one of these weeks. I usually write down a few observances as the show progresses. Last night this is all that was captured:

-I loathe Gia's laugh

I really do, though.

*I know I owe a huge update. I'll get to it - I promise.

He'll live in our hearts forever

You can shed tears that he is gone,
or you can smile because he has lived.
You can close your eyes and pray that he'll come back,
or you can open your eyes and see all he's left.
Your heart can be empty because you can't see him,
or you can be full of the love you shared.
You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday,
or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.
You can remember him only that he is gone,
or you can cherish his memory and let it live on.
You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back.
Or you can do what he'd want: smile, open your eyes, love and go on.
---David Harkins

We're off shortly to say our final farewells to Big Charlie. Thanks so much to everyone for their kind thoughts, prayers and hugs. We love you all...xox.