101 Books Returns

So amidst all the Christmasness I forgot to mention I killed another book and am on the verge of another couple. In light of a couple interesting books I got for Christmas I'm also going to change a couple of these on my list that were more space filler. Hopefully that's acceptable. :) They are all still 200-pages-plus so I'm not cheating. The book I have finished was Dreams from my Father by President Barack Obama. I'll cross that off my list, and the entries in bold on this list are the new ones I've changed.

1. Dead and Gone - Charlaine Harris
2. The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
3. Reading Lolita in Iran - Azar Nafisi
4. The Year of Living Biblically - A.J. Jacobs
5. A History of God - Karen Armstrong
6. Dreams from My Father - Barack Obama
7. Beloved - Toni Morrison
8. 'Tis - Frank McCourt
9. The Host - Stephenie Meyers
10. The Constant Princess - Phillipa Gregory
11. Wicked - Gregory Maguire
12. The Six Wives of Henry the 8th - Alison Weir
13. Eleanor of Aquitaine - Alison Weir
14. Tuesdays with Morrie - Mitch Albom
15. The Fellowship of the Ring - J.R.R. Tolkien
16. The Two Towers - J.R.R. TOlkien
17. The Return of the King - J.R.R. Tolkien
18. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - J.K. Rowling
19. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - J.K. Rowling
20. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - J.K. Rowling
21. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - J.K. Rowling
22. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowling
23. Dracula - Bram Stoker
24. Paradise Lost - John Milton
25. The Inferno - Dante
26. Towelhead - Alicia Erian
27. Sex, Lies, and Headlocks - Shaun Assael and Mike Mooneyham
28. The Way the Crow Flies - Ann-Marie MacDonald
29. The Robber Bride - Margaret Atwood
30. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
31. This United Church of Ours - Ralph Milton
32. Anansi Boys - Neil Gaiman
33. American Gods - Neil Gaiman
34. Stardust - Neil Gaiman
35. Tess of the d'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
36. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
37. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
38. Little Women - Louisa May Alcott
39. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
40. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
41. Deception Point - Dan Brown
42. Digital Fortress - Dan Brown
43. The Lost Symbol - Dan Brown
44. Lolita - Vladimir Nobokov
45. Atonement - Ian McEwan
46. All the King's Men - Robert Penn Warren
47. Under the Dome - Stephen King
48. Catch-22 - Joseph Heller
49. The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger
50. Uncle Tom's Cabin - Harriet Beecher Stowe
51. A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess
52. Scarlett - Alexandra Ripley
53. White Noise - Don De Litto
54. Their Eyes were Watching God - Zora Neale Hurston
55. Primary Colours - Anonymous
56. Revolutionary Road - Richard Yates
57. Ragtime - E.L. Doctorow
58. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie - Muriel Spark
59. Misquoting Jesus - Bart Ehrman
60. Fast Food Nation - Eric Schlasser
61. My Years as Prime Minister - Jean Chretien
62. Memoirs - Pierre Trudeau
63. Shake Hands with the Devil - Romeo d'Allaire
64. Team of Rivals - Doris Kearns Goodwin
65. The Secret Mulroney Tapes - Peter C. Newman
66. Why I Hate Canadians - Will Ferguson
67. I was a Teenage Katima-Victim - Will Ferguson
68. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
69. The Restaurant at the End of the Universe - Douglas Adams
70. Life, the Universe and Everything - Douglas Adams
71. So Long and Thanks for All the Fish - Douglas Adams
72. Mostly Harmless - Douglas Adams
73. Fifth Business - Robertson Davies
74. The Manticore - Robertson Davies
75. World of Wonders - Robertson Davies
76. The Donnellys - James Reaney
77. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
78. Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand
79. Farenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
80. Not Wanted on the Voyage - Timothy Findlay
81. A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
82. Coraline - Neil Gaiman
83. The Crucible - Arthur Miller
84. Mirror Mirror - Gregory Maguire
85. Snarky Responses to Yahoo! Answers - Matthew Cory
86. Sorbonne Confidential - Laurel Zuckerman
87. What Happened to Anna K - Irina Reyn
88. The Silver Linings Playbook - Matthew Quick
89. Hey Nostradamus! - Douglas Coupland
90. Girlfriend in a Coma - Douglas Coupland
91. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
92. The 5 People You Meet in Heaven - Mitch Albom
93. The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver
94. Interview with the Vampire - Ann Rice
95. The Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank
96. The Bonfire of the Vanities - Tom Wolfe
97. Guys and Dolls - Damon Runyon
98. Good Book - David Plotz
99. He's Just Not that Into You - Greg Behrendt, Liz Tuccillo, Lauren Monchik
100. The Ultimate Weight Solution - Dr. Phil McGraw
101. Real Life: Preparing for the 7 Most Challenging Days of Your Life - Dr. Phil McGraw

Barack Obama's first book, which he wrote shortly after graduating from Harvard Law School and marrying his wife Michelle, is an absolutely intriguing look into his young life. It does not contain a lot of policy ideas, although it contains some, so much as his history - or more accurately, his quest to find it. As a mixed-race man born to a white Kansan, whose (African) father left when he was a baby, his struggle here to find a place in the black community are detailed, ultimately leading him to Kenya to meet his paternal family.

As Obama's first attempt at book writing it can be a bit lofty and wordy at points - just as the man can be - and as such I can't hold it up as an example of fabulous writing from a mechanical front. He had learned a lot more about the nuts and bolts of writing by the time he penned THE AUDACITY OF HOPE, and if you're looking for a well-written document outlining his policy beliefs, that would be a better choice (although it too contains some of his personal history, particularly from where DREAMS left off). But if you have patience for some soaring rhetoric, and are interested to know who Obama is as a man (as opposed to a politician) then this is your book. Personally I look at DREAMS and AUDACITY as companion pieces; one describes how he came to be who he is, and the other is a look at the world through the eyes of who he is. Nonetheless a very compelling story, which could have perhaps used one more polish before publication.

Happy Holidays, Happy New Year

Just wanted to check in and say I hope everyone has had as awesome a Christmas as I have! It's been a challenging month in my little world with a difficult job search, a wonderful but out-of-sorts (for him) little man, and some assorted other drama that I choose not to share at this time (not my story). But having my whole family (yes, my divorced parents, my steps, my brother and his girlfriend) under one roof was the best gift of all this year, suffice to say. Just that alone, I hope, everyone has had the chance to experience - along with some very pleasant visiting with my in-laws as well!

On top of this, however, the generosity of our family has our hands decked out in some fun Canada 2010 mitts, Little Tyke well on his way to a drumming career like his Uncle Kyle, and the three of us going to DISNEY WORLD in the spring, thanks to all of the above parents and my grandparents. Fabulosity. Hearts all around. But while I have been blown away by such a kind gift and expressing as much to everyone, I wanted to take another moment to say that what I am most thankful for, again, has been the gift of time reconnecting with my family, and seeing the friends who have stuck with me through this past eventful year. A look back on 2009 reveals perhaps one of the most rewarding and stressful years since we got married - and we have gotten through it, imho, fabulously. Hope everyone else can say the same.

Either way though, if your 2009 has been great OR stressful, or both, I wish you all an even better 2010! Since I'm still 'at home for the holidays' I don't know when I'll next get to post before New Year, but I will try, and in the meantime hope the holidays are treating everyone fabulously. Xs and Os.

'Barry from DC'

Gov. Tim Kaine (Democrat - Virginia) received a very nice surprise phonecall on his weekly 'Ask the Governor' radio show yesterday:



And much like these two paragons of politics did for one another, I'd like to take the opportunity to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas - we will be leaving for 'Home' tomorrow and I'm not sure if I'll be posting again before Christmas, so in case not I wanted to take the time to wish you all a great one. I'll post as often as I can while away, and we'll be back up and running as usual Jan. 1. Thanks for bearing with me.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays. XO

Today

Has been one of those days - if I wanted to focus on the negative, it could have been considered a not terribly good one. If I wanted to focus on the positive, it was a spectacular one. Me? While I'm for focusing on the positive, I'm also for being real. So here's what my day has looked like, negatives first, so they can be gotten off my chest and I'm left with the positives.

UNFORTUNATELY ...

• Little Tyke slept a lot, while I'd had a lot of fun plans for some structured play today, being my first full day with him (alone - ie no babysitter, no Ari) in about a week. This also worried me from a health standpoint, as anyone who knows LT knows he is a little dynamo.
• He also had no appetite, and in fact fought me quite hard on food, eating half his breakfast and none of his lunch. Of course, for an insecure dolt like myself, the fact that Ari waltzed in and fed him no problem didn't help.
• So excited was LT by something as rare and valuable as a diaper change (noted: sarcasm), that as I picked him up he headbutted me straight in the nose, winding and disorienting me and hard enough that it hurt him and got him crying too. A fun time was had by all.
• Not a good day for dieting as it was easier to order a pizza for lunch and eat the leftovers for dinner, not knowing how long LT would be down with any particular nap.

FORTUNATELY

• While LT was up he played very well, and I think at a more advanced level than usual, putting his new Little People in the right places on their train, and rolling the ball back and forth with me. When he was inevitably up when my lunch arrived, he sat nicely in his high chair and let me eat while he played with some toys I set out for him. So much like mommy, it wasn't entirely a bad and crabby day, just an up and down one.
  
• He drank most of his 'lunch bottle' from a sippy cup, which is our goal to practice with over the holidays. I'm proud of this.
• LT learned 'Mama' yesterday, and I think has some sense of the meaning, as he patted Ari and I both at one point today and correctly called us "Dada" and "Mama" respectively.
• His sleepiness and my quick lunch allowed me to get a lot of housework done around here that needed to get done as we have company coming tomorrow.

So ... yes. Clouds in my day today? Sure. Did each and every one have a silver lining? Yup!

Well ... except my nose. That still just hurts and I don't know what good can come of THAT lol.

Advent Conspiracy

As a reasonably liberal/quasi-secular Christian, I doubt I would agree on much this group has to offer, but I did like this video:

Anti-Abortion ad so wrong on so many levels ...

OK I don't get political much in this blog (ahem ahem ...) but check out this ad before reading on so you know what I'm talking about. Admittedly, it is controversial and politically charged and as such could be offensive to some:

Alliance for Life Ontario

Now ... what offends me here is not necessarily the 'pro-life' message. While I am pro-choice myself, I believe some intelligent and coherent arguments can be made on the other side. It's one of those lovely and difficult topics on which 'reasonable people can disagree'. I myself am of two minds, believing there are some times where abortion is the best of a bad set of choices before a pregnant woman, while obviously being an infertile woman who wanted children, it is not something I can conceive of and would encourage almost anyone to look towards adoption first where possible, rather than abortion. But I think there are many thing which can be seen as 'wrong' without being 'illegal', and I certainly don't go as far as some in seeing it as murder or any such thing.

And that's where the intellectual dishonesty in the above ad comes from. I understand this ad is trying to achieve the 'What if?' thinking ... the potential of an unborn child. And yes, that potential lost is sad should the parents do a good job raising the child, or should they be adopted into a god and loving family. But the reality is, it's not like someone you know and love dying. You aren't one friend short because a child was aborted. The inherent comparison in this ad of an abortion to the loss of a schoolchild, or a young bride, is horrible and insulting to those who ARE here and have lived, and were well on their way to that potential themselves. Not to mention, that 'what if?' thinking can go the other way too - what if this child was born as a result of rape to a victim who has lingering psychological issues due to the attack? Or was the result of incest? What if there were drug issues involved and the best thing that young mother could do was abort the child?

And even if all was well, like any of us, that child could have been born healthy and adopted into a happy home, and still suffer through pain, loss, a short life, or what have you, as is true of all of us. The point is, because we can't know the future, we can't know if it was the best or worst decision for that potential child. It could very well be either. We can only judge by what's good for those living here and now, in difficult situations here and now. And by that standard, yes; abortion, while never a good choice, is sometimes the best one. And I wish Alliance for Life Ontario, who put this ad out, would be as considerate to the young women who ARE here and living, to those who have yet to be born.

Badoom badoom badoom ...

So it was a quiet weekend and a quiet couple of days, moreso than we'd expected. With timing of Little Tyke's nap, and weather yesterday, a couple of our plans - particularly seeing the Olympic Torch on Capital Hill Saturday and a Hannukah party last night - so we spent a fair bit of time in. But it was good, we got to catch up on some chores, and took LT out on his shiny blue sled from his Grandma Mo Saturday afternoon. Not unpleasant whatsoever - especially with some nice holiday family time together opening gifts, having nice food and lighting candles. Hope everyone else is having a nice time leading into Christmas as well - and if you celebrate Hannukah, I hope you're having a great on as well. :)

Also, if any of you have any prayers lying around, please hope some Ottawa area teachers get very busy or a little sick (just enough to stay home, lol, of course I wouldn't wish this on anyone) in the next couple of days so I can get some work the next few days leading into the Christmas Break! :) Happy December all - stay warm and safe in the Winter Weather.

Happy Hannukah! :D

HOLIDAY SHOPPING ... DONE

OK ... I can't really say that. I suppose more accurately I should say our Christmas shopping is done - we still have some Hannukah shopping to do. But I did a real blitz this morning while Little Tyke was at his babysitter's and I didn't have work. We have 3 holiday gifts left ... and I'm thrilled. :D Now just to keep the hubby's from him ... ;)

And by the way ... tomorrow night is the first night of Hannukah, so have a very Happy one to all my Jewish family and friends. :) Light a candle, listen to some Adam Sandler, and have a great evening one and all! :)

James Dalorey

My heart goes out to the family of Autistic 5-year-old James Dalorey of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia who died in hospital today from complications due to hypothermia and exposure to the elements. The story as I understand it is that Dalorey followed the family dog, who'd escaped the house, out into the woods without a jacket, hat or mittens, despite the snow and cold. He was found two days later and rushed to IWK Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries today.

There is nothing more tragic than this kind of passing - especially right as hope was being held out. I pray for the family, and their healing at this time, and I encourage everyone to hold their loved ones a little closer ... such things are so fleeting, more than we realize at times I think, and we owe it to ourselves to always and forever appreciate those nearest and dearest to us. While most often those ties last a lifetime, it is how long or short that lifetime is that can change in a heartbeat. God bless.

Looking Back ... Looking Forward

So ... in a few weeks' time we're coming up on not only a new year but a new decade. I don't want to get all schmaltzy on anyone but it's been quite the decade for me. I mean, I guess I'm still young enough they all have been - Obviously the 80s I went from zero to 8 years old lol, which is HUGE, the 1990s took me into my teens which is another big change, and the 00s have been my adult years. So I'm looking towards doing a year-in-review/decade in review, but in the spirit of the season, I don't want it to be all about me. I'll do my part in that, talking about events in pop culture, politics, history, etc, as well as my own personal markers of the 00s. But here's where I get all interactive on you and say I want you to share some of your memories of the last year, or 10. I'm not fussy on the format, length, style. You can send me a few little points by comment; you can email or Facebook-message me a full-on blog entry/essay, a list, what have you. And I will share everyone's thoughts and viewpoints on the decade that was. I'm doing something similar over on my In This Very Ring blog, so I thought it only fair to do so here.

In the meantime though, a bit about me/my life this week as I realize it's been awhile since I've made a personal post; last week was busy, not with work but Christmas-ing as we decorated the house and began the shopping we got most of the way done today. We went to the Santa Claus parade yesterday, and got snowtires on our car today. The week ahead I have some work, a doctor's appointment, and getting some chores done around here; arranging cat-sitting for Christmas as we head home for the holidays, and finishing up the shopping so that next week I can get to wrapping. I also want to finish our thank-you cards for Little Tyke's naming ceremony gifts which I'm already disgustingly late on, and our Christmas cards so they have some prayer of getting to their destination by the holiday. So ... yeah. Busy. 'Tis the season. :)

Hope everyone is taking some time, considering that, to be with family and friends, or at church/temple/etc., or out in nature, or reading a good book or checking out great movies, or writing, or dancing, whatever way you commune with festival-times, and reconnecting with what is important to you. Of all the times it is most important to remember these things in our lives, it is the most easy to get swept up and forget ... the joys of these holidays to everyone. Blessings.

Videos of the week!

I know I post videos from time to time but there are a few I've enjoyed and I wanted to share them.

#1: Is Tiger feeling lucky?


#2: World's biggest idiot calls 911 for police escort to Little Wayne concert.


Great weekend ahead - tomorrow we're checking out a new synagogue and the Santa Claus parade, and Sunday is church and some downtime as a family - much needed! :) Monday I have work. Hurray! Hope everyone else has had a great week and has a wonderful weekend ahead. Be well.

Wishing everyone a blessed Advent ...

O Come O Come Emmanuel ...

Disgusted

I'm going to own here that I am liberal-ish in my politics; at LEAST a centrist. I vote Liberal here in Canada, and had I been an American citizen, I would have voted for Barack Obama in last year's United States presidential election. Anyone who has read my blog heretofore, knows these things. It is not a secret.

Having said that, I heard mention today of t-shirts and bumper stickers with the following quote:

Thinking OK ... I wonder about this ... I turned to my bible. The quote?

“Let his days be few; and let another take his office.” The next verse goes on to wish that "his children be fatherless, let his wife be a widow".

Let me make this clear - despite being an Obama supporter myself, I know, love and respect many more conservative thinkers than myself. I often take the conservative 'devil's advocate' approach when discussion with my husband and in-laws turns political; just as I feel the need to remind my conservative loved ones there is another side, ditto my more liberal ones. I am accepting of any and all political views, much to the annoyance of friends and family of both stripes sometimes, so long as a coherent and cogent argument can be made.

However, as much damage as George W. Bush's presidency caused over 8 years, I can honestly say that while I wished him impeached, voted out of office, shamed and humiliated and the Republican 'base' buried politically for decades, I never, ever wished him dead (admittedly, in some part because the prospect of a Dick Cheney presidency, and the fallout of a presidential assassination simply scared me more); I recognized if nothing else he was a husband and father with a family, and he nor they deserved that kind of grief. Had anyone issued effectively unveiled threats of death and revolution as many conservatives - and mainstream ones at that - toward him, that would be, rightfully, seen as treasonous.

Disagreement and disapproval of political figures is democracy in action; death threats are not. They are crimes, and should be treated as such. This is absolutely disgusting to me and I believe anyone wearing these shirts, sporting these bumper stickers, or any other similarly veiled threat, needs to at least have a nice little sit-down with some secret-service types about just what the repercussions of threatening the president's life include. Under George Bush, or John McCain had he won last year, the GOP would expect no less. Being sore losers is one thing; it's immature and unbecoming, but allowed. This, on the other hand, is not. And it's time for Democrats to stop playing nice and remind that this kind of extremist language is unacceptable, lest some wingnut somewhere someday take it seriously, and the US's greatest hope in a decade is lost due to not wanting to ruffle feathers. Note: you don't need to suck up to these people. They will not support you anyway. Encourage and allow free speech ... NOT hate speech.

/End rant - thanks for listening.

Barbie

I was randomly surfing youtube and came across this video of an ad for what I'm pretty sure was the first Barbie I've ever owned. Feeling nostalgic, I checked it out:



lol So very cheesy 80s camp, so funny and wonderful. But just one quibble? "Looking this great, it's GOTTA be a date!"? I think I'll stick with the other 80s Barbie slogan, the one *I* grew up with: "We girls can do anything, right Barbie?" lol.

NEW LAYOUT!!! And more.

Hi all - first off an "I'm sorry" I've been such a lame blogger this week; this happens every so often that family, chores, and work (YES! WORK! I am finally a working teacher, having strung together TWO, yes TWO supply teaching days in a row, today and tomorrow!) kind of get overwhelming and in the way. I try to minimize that, or at LEAST post that I won't be posting much lol, but this time real-life really got away with me (the nerve!). Not much to talk about, it's either too personal/boring outside of those who know me to get into, or too just 'more of the same' - I'm a mom wife and teacher, these things take up a certain amount of time and I for one am just impressed never go more than 3 days without blogging nonetheless sometimes lol.

Secondly, a big thank you to Alex at MY LIFE MY GLORY (too lazy to link, lol, but she's in my blogroll at the right), for sending me along the new template which I feel so very much reflects my family and my team these days. :) It is a particularly special template as it was 'Premade for a Purpose' - click the button below. Lena is a blog template designer seeking to adopt her first baby. Proceeds from templates ordered from this site go towards their adoption fund. As an adoptive mommy myself, I think that is so cool and thank Alex so much for supporting Lena in my name. Next time I decide to change up my template, I will have to do the same! Again ... the buttons for both her main design site, and her Premade for a Purpose site are at the bottom of this entry.

I think that was it ... nothing ... oh right! Some Happy Birthdays! First, to my wonderful husband Ari who celebrated 28 yesterday. Yesterday was also the 1-year anniversary of our Met-ya day with Little Tyke ... Ari's birthday will always be incredibly special now I think in both of our memories, as not only has it brought our family Ari, but also LT. Another important birthday shout-out to my grandpa Cal, who turns 86 years young tomorrow, and is healthier than he's been in a few years now. Two of the most important men in my life, both celebrating birthdays this week - wishing both a fabulous year ahead.

Lena's buttons:

Busy weekend - back into routine

So it was Little Tyke's birthday party (one week late) this weekend. On Friday before the festivities even began he had his 12-month well-baby visit after a bit of a cold on Thursday; he did well, having quadrupled his birth weight to 20 lbs. and being a brave little man for his shots (he complained later as his arms were sensitive, but was tremendous in the moment). His receptive language (understanding of his name and following of one-step instructions - 'come here', 'put the toy down', 'get your ball) needs *some* work but we have, upon careful observation since being told this, come to realize we think he perhaps UNDERSTANDS more than he OBEYS ... hmmm ... lol, still something to work on, but he is otherwise coming along quite nicely. Also, we transitioned him to milk!

The party itself was great; Little Tyke's grandparents were there, as well as my cousin Alli who put me up this summer when I got work in Ottawa before we had a home, and my brother, LT's favourite uncle Kyle. We had the predictable time watching him play intently before opening even MORE toys and clothes to play with, and then we did the 'Cake Thing', including necessary messy shirtless baby eating of said cake; and then ordered a pizza before the birthday boy's bedtime, and everyone dispersing around that time. My in-laws, who had prepared him a song based on his superhero nickname of Dimpleman, to the tune of Spiderman, were staying over and weren't up much later than the party; neither were Ari and I to be honest, after they went upstairs we did the usual 'recap of the party' gossip thing, collected all the mess to the kitchen so it was contained, decided we were too tired to handle it and headed to bed.

Today was a pretty tired day I didn't want to face in some ways - I hate Sundays, especially after busy weekends (even great ones!) because you start realizing over the day that it's over and back to the grind the next day; but this week's grind might involve work, really for the first time since moving now that I'm on a substitute teaching list (with the French schoolboard here in Ottawa) and ready to go as soon as my direct deposit is set up, and Little Tyke is never hard to spend the day with anyway if I'm NOT working. :) So I'm looking forward to an alright week, with Ari's birthday on Tuesday as well, and my grampa's on Thursday (no travels to Montreal to see him as we just did, but at least a call of course), and I hope you all are too! Wishing everyone good luck facing their Mondays. :)

So ...

It's been a quiet week. They all seem to be quiet weeks these days. But Little Tyke at least had one of those perfect days where he was either awake and happy and easy to play with and entertain, or asleep, giving Mommy a chance to do some housework and be productive. He was hard to feed today for both Ari and I - and has had some trouble eating-wise with his sitter too, this week - so I'm thinking he might be teething, which would make his mouth sensitive ... he seems okay in every other way though.

Tonight he ate - or rather played with - some pasta and tomato sauce. SO funny, until he got some in his eyes ... not so fun, waterworks ensue of course, but the bath, with his new bath toys we bought him for his birthday, more than made up for it I think - his first bath in the Big Boy Tub. :) Yep ... I will be happy for regular work and a steady paycheck, but meanwhile this focus on what I do have, being a mom etc. thing is pretty awesome. :D Lovesit. Hope the week's going okay for everyone else out there too - looking forward to seeing Little Tyke's grandparents ... which I guess sorta kinda means Ari's and my parents - on the weekend to belatedly celebrate his birthday. :) I will try to post Friday but in case I don't get the chance, it might be a few days until my next post so please bear with and have a great rest of the week, and possibly weekend. Xs and Os from Ottawa.

A Warm Fuzzy for a Friend

I wanted to express my love and pride in my friend Alex today ...

Over the last year at different times we've both had plenty of wonderful moments, and plenty of stressful moments; it comes with being parents, it comes with being married, it comes with working, it comes with not working ... it comes, in short, with being an adult. Of late, as I've been particularly frustrated with not having enough hours in a day to keep a beautiful home AND find a great job AND be an awesome wife AND be the fabulous mom I want to be, she has had the attitude that I need; the 'enough!' attitude, the 'look around and see what wonderful things you have and appreciate them' attitude. We've both talked each other through some ups and downs since re-becoming friends a couple of years back, and I am so proud to see how much she's grown even just in that time, and I can only hope to do the same! So ... today as I've been frustrated with being sick, with how the chores never end, and with the lack of work, I'm going to take a page from Ms. Alex's book and say ...

• I am thankful I have a wonderful 1-year-old son, to whom I am a good mom; of that list above, I know my house can be a pigsty sometimes, I know I'm still looking for work, and I know those things sometimes get taken out on the hubby, making me a less-than-ideal wife; but I KNOW I'm a good mom to Little Tyke. At the end of my days even if there aren't many things I can add to my list of 'I was wonderful at ...', 'being mommy' will be the one I will ensure DOES make the list.
• I am thankful for Ari who is patient even when I am not (see above), and who even accepts my sometimes distracted, mind-wandery, less than productive days. I am the stay-at-homer right now, so a lot around here falls on me; but he does more than his share when he is home and gives me a break and I love him for that.
• For that matter I'll just say I'm lucky for all the family and friends I have; we all have our ups and downs but the people who are in my life now have been there when the chips have been down; through countless moves, through the stops-and-starts of an early teaching career, through parenthood; they appreciate my good qualities and forgive the less-than-good, and for that I am thankful and do the same in return. Especially those I have struggled with, that they have stuck around and taken the time to work through said struggles, and given me the opportunity to do the same - I appreciate that.
• I am thankful for my education and my career; as frustrating as it is now, there is little more fulfilling from a professional standpoint than having a job in which you know you've done good at the end of the day; Ari is experiencing this now with his new job, and I experience it every time I am in a classroom. I love working with children and young adults, and I can only hope I impact them and teach them as much as they do me!
• I am thankful for my lovely home and vow to show it more love and appreciation lol.

And so much more ... I am lucky to have the material things I do; cars, TVs, computers ... heck, even food, toiletries, etc. ... aren't to be taken for granted .. my pets ... my very cool new hometown, and my 'other home' to which I love returning ... all of these things last; those which frustrate me, don't. And Alex? Thank you for teaching me that by example. :) Love you!

Happy Birthday Little Tyke

A year ago our son was born ...
We didn't even know it,
Not for a week later almost.
The wee hours of Nov. 15.
We met him on Ari's birthday,
Nov. 24. And tomorrow
We'll be celebrating both
Birthdays, as well as my grandpa's,
in Montreal, with Little Tyke's
Great Grandparents.
Next week, the same,
With his grandparents,
My dear friend Alex (hopefully)
And my cousin Allison.
Such a loved little guy,
So far from the 5 lb. bundle
Who fit easily in one arm
And wouldn't eat.
Happy Birthday my baby boy ...
And somewhere out there,
I know there's someone else
Thinking of this day,
Who won't be here to celebrate,
But to whom we are
Eternally Grateful.
From one mother to another,
For my son,
For our son,
From the bottom of my heart,
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

CNN Shakeup

Lou Dobbs was the one remaining original anchor from CNN who had been there the entire 29 (I think?) years since its inception; having begun his roots as an economy/business reporter, and having won a Peabody award for his coverage of the 1980s stock market crash, of late he has taken a real step towards the reactionary conservative role. Particularly harsh have been his attacks on Latino-American immigrants, especially illegal immigrants, as he expresses his support for the Minutemen, a civilian vigilante 'border patrol' in many southern border states. He has also given validity to the widely-discredited 'birther' movement questioning whether or not US President Barack Obama was born inside the United States, thus bringing into question his eligibility for the office of President to begin with (such accusations stem from the fact he was born in Hawaii before it became an official state; some question the authenticity of his Hawaiian birth certificate outright).

After months of activism, particularly from the Latino community, Lou Dobbs last night announced he was leaving the CNN network effective immediately to pursue other opportunities. Some speculate he might get directly involved in political movements; more than a few suggest he's heading over to CNN's ultraconservative rival, Fox News. Only the future will show just where Mr. Dobbs is heading. But I for one am relieved it is not CNN, and here's why.

CNN has a certain legitimacy; sure, everyone makes fun of it in the big picture that it invented the 24-hour news cycle that has led to heightened awareness of trivial news; celebrity pop culture, isolated school bus crashes, etc. However, of the 24-hour cable news networks, it is the original, and the one with the most legitimacy behind it. It is 'go to' programming when big events occur - from September 11, through the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, through almost any election. It is highly impartial (the fact that Republicans accuse it of having a strong liberal bias, and Democrats, including my in-laws and husband, still feel it has a fairly clear conservative leaning, shows that obviously the editorial policy of CNN can't be pigeonholed easily), and while it was very much of the 'fall in line' variety of media outlet after 9/11 as the Bush administration used that tragedy to pursue their own agendas, it has strived very hard since then to regain its legitimacy.

They are also the home of an incredible reporting team - intelligent reporters like Anderson Cooper and Campbell Brown, legends like Wolf Blitzer and Larry King, and solid pundits of both political stripes such as Ed Rollins and Donna Brazille, Mary Matalin and the legendary political team of Paul Begala and James Carville. OK, so Candy Crowley and Dana Bash still drive me nuts sometimes, but wonderkind 40-year-old neurosurgeon Sanjay Gupta and the legendary Christiane Amanpour make up for that. The one holdout, to me, to CNN's credibility was Lou Dobbs - I had developed a great respect for the direction in which the company was going, and I felt the one last step necessary was to get rid of this racist reactionary; while it sounds like the split was disappointingly (from a gossip point of view) amicable and mutual, the fact that the last real impediment to my taking CNN seriously as an objective news source has now been removed. The 7pm primetime slot occupied by Dobbs will be taken over by Sunday Morning 'State of the Union' anchor John King in the new year.

Remembrance Day

Tomorrow is Remembrance Day here in Canada ...

Tomorrow morning we will be going to the National War Memorial, where HRH Charles, the Prince of Wales, and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, will be observing the occasion with us; we will then be going to the Canadian War Museum. Of course, in there, I will be calling my grandfather, a World War II vet who I make a point of always thanking every Nov. 11.

I hope everyone takes some time tomorrow and think of the sacrifices the men and women of our military, and their families, have made for us and continue to make for us and others in this world. My brother is a reservist and knows at least a few of the fallen from the Afghanistan campaign, and has played at at least a few funerals that I know of. All these brave men and women, and those they leave behind, should be remembered and thanked. I know they are in my heart; I couldn't be the outspoken peacenik I am trying to keep them home and safe if they hadn't done what they did, and if they didn't do what they do. My love and my prayers to everyone who has been at war, has been lost at war, has lost a loved one to war, and/or is currently serving or loves someone who is serving.

Lest we forget ...

Weekend and Taylor Swift

So ... it's been an eventful yet quiet weekend all at the same time if that's possible; yesterday we went to Synagogue here in Ottawa. Definitely an interesting experience but I'm not sure if it's quite where Ari feels like pitching his tent yet religiously or culturally speaking so we'll be trying out another one in a couple of weeks to see if it's a better fit. Meanwhile though it was fun and the people there were lovely; not a bad way to spend a Saturday morning. Today I went to the Remembrance service at my new church, focusing on the sacrifices that women, too, have made in wartime as well as child soldiers. Lots coming up at the church too that excites me very much. I think I've found myself a new spiritual home and I hope Ari does as well. It being a nice day after church I picked up Ari and Little Tyke and we spent the day out at the park and then at the mall Christmas list-making/window shopping. So as I said ... lots we've been doing but nothing too strenuous or stressful.

The week ahead, looking slightly more eventful than the last lol. I'm on a list of substitute teachers now (or will be as of tomorrow when my paperwork goes through), so I could get calls for work anytime (or a ways into the future ... all depends as usual). And there's always the usual run-around-ness of being a mom should work not pop up. LT is on the verge of walking (he can stand on his own for longer and longer periods of time now), so that's just made my job all new kinds of interesting lol. Speaking of him, he'll be the star next weekend as it's his birthday. We'll be going to church and then to Montreal for the afternoon to celebrate his birthday, as well as Ari's a week later, and my grandpa's a few days after that, with my grandparents, and LT's grandparents and my brother will be up the following weekend for his actual first birthday party. I can't believe the little 5-pound lie-about we took home from the hospital in December last year is going to be one; it's absolutely fabulous! :) So exciting.

So bottom line, I should be blogging as we go next week, but if I did get busy and miss a few days on which I'd have normally blogged, I'm letting you know why now. :) In the meantime, feast your eyes and ears on this hilarious bit of fun from Taylor Swift hosting last night's Saturday Night Live episode. :) She is SO cute and funny and absolutely doesn't take herself too seriously, no pretentions, she is incredibly refreshing and fun. Sure, I suppose namechecking guys in songs is a bit of an immature and teenage thing to do but hey, if they did dirt first, I have to admit to a lack of sympathy on that front. And it makes for some cute and well-written pieces of music that actually looks more honestly than many people older than her at teenage relationships and what they're all about - good AND bad. :) Anyway what was I ... oh right. Taylor Swift on SNL last night. Here's the video:



Last but not least, by the way, a major congrats to our friends down south of the border for getting healthcare reform past the first hurdle last night in an incredibly close vote in the house of representatives. May the Senate and the committees charged with seeing this through the rest of the way have the wisdom their congressional peers did. Godspeed, Obamacare. :D

Respect for Remembrance Day ...

Remembrance day has always been very important in my family; my grandfather is a veteran of World War II, my uncle was a peacekeeper in the Middle East, and my brother is a former cadet and reservist with friends serving in Afghanistan. I understand it might not represent as much to others if their families don't have the history of military service, especially as the veterans of the World Wars and Korea are getting older and sadly fading into history. All I have asked is for respect in that I observe it with a great deal of solemnity, and that others are able to do so as well. Especially when we are currently engaged in a warzone, putting young men and women in harms way, and when those attempting to observe and remember are the young people who are at such risk of forgetting as veterans become "great-grands" and "lates".

That is why it disturbed me so very much when a friend of mine recounted witnessing today, the manager of Chapters in Waterloo harrassing a young cadet attempting to sell poppies outside the store. On a cold day such as this honestly, my first instinct would be to offer the kid a free small hot chocolate or tea or coffee from the attached Starbucks, honestly, but at the very least respect that this youngster is attempting to honour people who truly know the meaning of sacrifice, and whose memory can always bring me back from both pity parties and lethargy with an awakening thud. It is especially sad that such a thing would happen at a store full of history in book, magazine and DVD format. Living in Ottawa where so many stores will actually even be CLOSED Wednesday morning, to hear that one couldn't even be bothered to be respectful to a cadet using its premises to sell poppies OUTSIDE, saddened me greatly. If it does you as well, please take the time to call or write the store (easily found in phonebooks or on Canada 411/Google/etc.). At the very least, don't forget to buy your poppies and take your moment of silence Wednesday ... or at least respect those who do and give them the space to do so. :)

Writing contracts

Hi guys - I know there are definitely some writers and potential writers out there in blogland so I thought I'd bring to your attention the website www.badwritingcontracts.ca - it's particularly in regard to Transcontinental Publications (Canadian Living, TVGuide, More, etc.). Their contracts are incredibly unfair to writers, and so I'm putting this out there to discourage anyone from submitting works to these magazines (a list can be found at the above website) without the contract having been renegotiated.

If you're in a position like me where you're just starting to get your writing chops in order, it's also a good indicator of what to expect, and not expect, in a writing contract. Reading this contract, it seems reasonably fair to me until this website addresses just what further writes should be included in it for writers. It's a good place, I suppose, to submit an article or two and get your name out there - but recognize that you can definitely get better treatment and more fair contracts elsewhere. Best of luck all of you aspiring writers!

Happy 40th Birthday Sesame Street!

Today is Sesame Street's 40th anniversary on the air - probably my favourite kid's show of all time, one that many adults can learn from at times. Oscar the Grouch marked the occasion by poking a little fun at "POX" news.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Yesterday was Halloween -
LT's first.
We didn't take him trick or treating
So we would get stuck eating the candy,
But we doled out,
Costumed him up,
Cut up a pumpkin, all that jazz.
His grandparents, my in-laws were here,
And we had a fabulous weekend.
We explored some of our own city,
Restaurants we hadn't been to,
Some places like the indoor playground
That we HAD been to,
And lots of adventures
In eating, peeing, bathing ...
Glad it's Sunday, and quiet,
And I'm off to bed soon,
But glad the weekend was busy
And kept me distracted,
As I'd had a rough day or two leading in.
Recharged, sort of,
I face next week. I shall conquer all!
May it be good for everyone.
Happy Halloween,
Happy November!

Aaaaw ...

OK so mebbe this is the cheesiest thing ever but I likes it. Aaaaw ... hard to believe but I only just saw this video for the first time today, despite its VMA-winning, Kanye West-maddening notoriety. And I gotta say, Taylor Swift is an incredibly talented young woman, and this video is highly kyoot. :D I'd have been a COMPLETE sucker for it in MY high school days, and still kinda sorta am.

A Complaint

OK I haven't done just a pure 'go off and whine' entry in awhile so now I am going to:

It is recommended that babies between 5 months and 6 years of age get the H1N1 flu shot in this early round available here in Ontario. So here in Ottawa, first annoyance: clinics open at 2:30 in the afternoon. No worries at first; I pick up Little Tyke from the sitter's at 3pm. I had heard some things on the radio about lineups outside buildings, but I was thinking, it's a mild day and I'd checked the wait time for this particular clinic before heading over; 1 1/2 hours. No bigs. Ari would be getting off work around that time, he could meet us as we were coming out of the clinic, and then home, Jeeves, to dinner for all. Especially since LT had just finished his bottle around 4 as we pulled into the clinic. I ask as I line up about the start time - confirmed, 1.5 hours.

An hour and a half later I'm JUST pulling up to the tent as Ari joins us; no longer is it particularly mild, and as we sort of listen in it's obvious we have at LEAST another hour once we hand in our prescreening paperwork and get inside the building. LT was getting hungry and understandably so as it was dinnertime and I'd stretched the point with his bottle giving it to him so late-ish. We made the decision to leave; it was a waste of an hour and a half of time, but with another hour ahead of us we'd get him home after he'd be prepared to eat dinner (it was already about 6pm by now), and he hasn't been eating breakfast all week (we make up for this with bigger lunches/dinners/more snacks as he's interested, but still, that's where he gets his iron, and it sets the tone for the day). I'm not one to complain about this type of thing generally; it's public health, something everyone needs to get, of course there are going to be waits and lineups etc. That's the tradeoff for these shots being free and available to all. But a few questions come to mind:

1. It's the end of October, heading into the late fall and early winter; this particular round of shots is aimed especially at children and those with poor immune systems (diabetics, cancer patients, etc). Is a TWO HOUR LONG LINEUP OUTDOORS really the best way to handle this? We got lucky to have a mild day, and it was still cold and fall-like. Beyond discomfort this isn't healthy for anyone. And don't get me started on the idiot or two smoking on the line, which wouldn't have happened if it were inside a public building, such behaviour being illegal in Ontario.
2. This was hardly a surprise, knowing these clinics were going to be run since this summer. Was there really no chance of having them better planned than some 3 hour waits in some places? Surely the prescreening forms, for example, could have been filled in online rather than in a waiting area; surely there could have been more done to keep those not in immediate need of the vaccine from clogging the line (as I'm sure there were several there who weren't in the 'high priority group'). I fall a little short here as I'm not a planner/organizer of such things, and I understand medical screening/shots/etc. require a specialized group of people; but this just felt like a fiasco in general.

I'm just sayin' ... :P

Book 4 - Complete

Finished "Why I Hate Canadians" by Will Ferguson last night ...

1. Dead and Gone - Charlaine Harris
2. The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
3. Reading Lolita in Iran - Azar Nafisi
4. The Year of Living Biblically - A.J. Jacobs
5. A History of God - Karen Armstrong
6. Dreams of My Father - Barack Obama
7. Beloved - Toni Morrison
8. 'Tis - Frank McCourt
9. The Host - Stephenie Meyers
10. The Constant Princess - Phillipa Gregory
11. Wicked - Gregory Maguire
12. The Six Wives of Henry the 8th - Alison Weir
13. Eleanor of Aquitaine - Alison Weir
14. Tuesdays with Morrie - Mitch Albom
15. The Fellowship of the Ring - J.R.R. Tolkien
16. The Two Towers - J.R.R. TOlkien
17. The Return of the King - J.R.R. Tolkien
18. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - J.K. Rowling
19. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - J.K. Rowling
20. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - J.K. Rowling
21. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - J.K. Rowling
22. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowling
23. Dracula - Bram Stoker
24. Paradise Lost - John Milton
25. The Inferno - Dante
26. Towelhead - Alicia Erian
27. Sex, Lies, and Headlocks - Shaun Assael and Mike Mooneyham
28. The Way the Crow Flies - Ann-Marie MacDonald
29. The Robber Bride - Margaret Atwood
30. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
31. This United Church of Ours - Ralph Milton
32. Anansi Boys - Neil Gaiman
33. American Gods - Neil Gaiman
34. Stardust - Neil Gaiman
35. Tess of the d'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
36. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
37. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
38. Little Women - Louisa May Alcott
39. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
40. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
41. Deception Point - Dan Brown
42. Digital Fortress - Dan Brown
43. The Lost Symbol - Dan Brown
44. Lolita - Vladimir Nobokov
45. Atonement - Ian McEwan
46. All the King's Men - Robert Penn Warren
47. Moby Dick - Herman Melville
48. Catch-22 - Joseph Heller
49. The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger
50. Uncle Tom's Cabin - Harriet Beecher Stowe
51. A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess
52. Scarlett - Alexandra Ripley
53. White Noise - Don De Litto
54. Their Eyes were Watching God - Zora Neale Hurston
55. Primary Colours - Anonymous
56. Revolutionary Road - Richard Yates
57. Ragtime - E.L. Doctorow
58. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie - Muriel Spark
59. Play it as it Lays - Joan Didion
60. Fast Food Nation - Eric Schlasser
61. My Years as Prime Minister - Jean Chretien
62. Memoirs - Pierre Trudeau
63. Shake Hands with the Devil - Romeo d'Allaire
64. Team of Rivals - Doris Kearns Goodwin
65. The Secret Mulroney Tapes - Peter C. Newman
66. Why I Hate Canadians - Will Ferguson
67. I was a Teenage Katima-Victim - Will Ferguson
68. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
69. The Restaurant at the End of the Universe - Douglas Adams
70. Life, the Universe and Everything - Douglas Adams
71. So Long and Thanks for All the Fish - Douglas Adams
72. Mostly Harmless - Douglas Adams
73. Fifth Business - Robertson Davies
74. The Manticore - Robertson Davies
75. World of Wonders - Robertson Davies
76. The Donnellys - James Reaney
77. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
78. Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand
79. Farenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
80. Not Wanted on the Voyage - Timothy Findlay
81. A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
82. Coraline - Neil Gaiman
83. The Crucible - Arthur Miller
84. Mirror Mirror - Gregory Maguire
85. Snarky Responses to Yahoo! Answers - Matthew Cory
86. Sorbonne Confidential - Laurel Zuckerman
87. What Happened to Anna K - Irina Reyn
88. The Silver Linings Playbook - Matthew Quick
89. Hey Nostradamus! - Douglas Coupland
90. Girlfriend in a Coma - Douglas Coupland
91. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
92. The 5 People You Meet in Heaven - Mitch Albom
93. The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver
94. Interview with the Vampire - Ann Rice
95. The Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank
96. The Bonfire of the Vanities - Tom Wolfe
97. Guys and Dolls - Damon Runyon
98. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert M. Pirsig
99. He's Just Not that Into You - Greg Behrendt, Liz Tuccillo, Lauren Monchik
100. The Ultimate Weight Solution - Dr. Phil McGraw
101. Real Life: Preparing for the 7 Most Challenging Days of Your Life - Dr. Phil McGraw

WHY I HATE CANADIANS, first of all, is a highly entertaining book. From a literary critical perspective I need to say that first and foremost. Will Ferguson is a fantastic writer; I've read his BASTARDS AND BONEHEADS book (where he ranks Canada's Prime Ministers, as well as other important historical figures, by whether they were a bonehead or ... well ... y'know), and he is also the author of Canadian History for Dummies, which I've read excerpts of. I don't always agree with him - I think he's tough on William Lyon Mackenzie King as a Prime Minister, and I think his TOTAL lack of sympathy for the group rights claims of the French-Canadians, coupled with his TOTAL empathy with the Native Canadian plight, is at least mildly hypocritical (I tend to agree with him as to which group has more of a claim to special treatment due to historical and current mistreatment; however, I feel that from an intellectual honesty point of view there are probably better arguments he could make).

Which is probably my only criticism of this book; his general point - that Canadians can achieve something grand and great if we simply disabuse ourselves of our national illusions (our 'niceness', for example) and stop comparing ourselves to the big ole elephant we share a continent with, along with a healthy dose of criticism of the modern subdivision/shopping mall culture, separatism, etc., is well taken. But I feel like Ferguson sometimes loses some strength and intelligence in his argument in favour of wittiness, cleverness, or a great turn of phrase. The book doesn't lose MUCH for this - but it does mean we need to be careful to not find ourselves agreeing with him SIMPLY because he has a great way of putting his thoughts. Agree with him when and because he's right, not because he's a good writer.

That said, he IS a good writer and I eagerly anticipate the other Will Ferguson book on my list; I WAS A TEENAGE KATIMA-VICTIM, which was one of my favourite finds in this book; a nation-wide voluntarism opportunity for Canadian youth and young adults cut by the Mulroney Government in 1986 and reinstated in 1996 by the Chretien government. BOTTOM LINE: This book looks at a healthy dose of Canadian history (the voyageurs and habitants, the Natives, even the history of Sudbury), as well as considering where Canada is today (the results of the above in many cases), in a witty, easy-to-read (from an enjoyability factor, not because it is facile), manner with a good dose of intelligent, considered observation; this last falters ONLY when he sacrifices following through an important line of thought, in favour of a witty line of writing.

Little Tyke Update!

Haven't done one of these in awhile.

Little Tyke

• is sleeping through the night! 7 nights straight now!
• is starting to definitely mimic the stuff we say.
• calls Ari 'Dada' and me 'Bobbob' (or perhaps Bubba, which I call *him* all the time).
• is closer and closer to standing on his own he CAN stand but not STAY up, and that's lasting longer and longer each day; in related news, he's falling better and better.
• has been a bit crankier than usual as he's teething, but is still basically good-humoured.
• is a smart little cuss; he cries whenever I drop him off at his sitter's, but apparently stops as SOON as he hears the door shut behind me.
• is a size 4 in shoes ... the last size in 'infant' shoes before he's in 'toddler' shoes (tear).
• is about to celebrate his first Halloween. Which I think is the last of the firsts for holidays (except Remembrance Day, which we'll be taking him to Parliament Hill).

In short ... he's doing awesome. :) Loves me my little guy.

DWTS tribute to MJ

Children's entertainers ...

Ari and I were doing a little bit of reliving our youth today, checking out some old clips of Sharon, Lois and Bram and the Polka Dot Door etc. on Youtube, and we realized; the time will come in the not terribly distant future that Little Tyke will be getting into these things and we'll be taking him to shows and concerts etc. I know Sesame St. still airs, and does live shows from time to time, but other than that I'm horribly out-of-touch with what is on children's TV/out there in children's music these days. I'm familiar with Toopee & Binoo (sp?) and Bob the Builder, and I know the Barenaked Ladies have come out with a children's CD (yes, people buy children's music by a band named Barenaked Ladies), and there are always classics (we have some Raffi CDs) but anyone have any suggestions as to what a tot can listen to/watch out there?

Balloon Boy's Dad to be Charged

So I guess we all saw it on Thursday, or at least heard it afterwards; the experimental weather balloon goes flying away from the backyard of the Colorado Heene's, ostensibly with their six year old son Falcon in it ... the 24-hour news media, rather than covering the healthcare debates, or the discussion of sending troops to Afghanistan, or other such things, all rivets themselves to this story, along with the rest of us. And for once I have no problem with this; as a mother, it's a terrifying thing to watch, as the balloon careens down to the ground and it's ... empty. A frantic search and questioning ensues ... did he fall out? Was he ever in the balloon to begin with? The networks change their stories as they follow it in real time ... and me? I can only imagine what must be going through the poor kid's parents' minds.

Well now we know all too well what was going through Falcon Heene's parents' minds, particularly his father Richard; a storm chaser, thrillseeker, 'meteorologist' who never went on past his high school education. This family, who have previously appeared on the Godawful Wife Swap reality show, staged the entire ordeal. It didn't take long for the lid to be blown off the hoax, and it was all thanks to the young man around whom the story centred in the first place, as Falcon Heene informed Wolf Blitzer of CNN, standing in for Larry King that night, that he hadn't come out when he heard his parents calling him because they had told him they were doing it 'for the show'.

The Sherriff's office has now stated that Richard Heene and his wife will be charged with filing a false police report among other charges. Even my bleeding heart self only regrets that of the charges being filed, none are jailable, indictable offenses from what I could tell, but misdemeanors. No one's hands are clean in this story; obviously the Heene's are the most guilty of all, but the news media for being so credulous and giving this story so much airtime as well ... I understand the coverage to a degree, but bare minimum once it started coming out that this was hoax, when it's understood what this family wants is attention in the media, the coverage should have stopped. Period. Anything less would be giving them what they wanted.

And shame on our Hiltons/Kardashians/Survivor/Octomom 15 minutes of fame culture; if you earn it, a la So You Think You Can Dance or American Idol, that's one thing. But stupidity is a high price for all of us to pay for fame, and I'm hoping the increasing number of clearly stupid publicity stunts in the last few years - and the non-stop coverage paid them by the ever-increasing entertainment/pop culture media/blogs etc. - has maybe started to sour us on 'fame for its own sake' and the famous for being famous ethos. I mention this as a story because it has now come to a conclusion with charges to be filed; I did not mention it before because as I was about to the suggestion it was a hoax came about; I will not mention it from here as, as far as I'm concerned, whatever happens in the actual legal system the court of public opinion is now adjourned. Will I still talk about Jon & Kate or other such things from time to time? Yes you can barely avoid it. But I'm starting to think we might be better to ...

This video brings the LOLZ

If only my son would do this every time I popped a fry in MY mouth I'd be a skinny minny by now!



Meanwhile, Happy 11-monthiversary to my Little Tyke! Can't believe this little guy who could barely open his eyes, eat, or cry not so very long ago is now crawling, standing on his own for short periods of time, on the verge of talking, starting to eat 'big boy' food (and not just out of jars) ... we'll be celebrating his first Birthday next month and it should be a good time. :)

Hope everyone is having a great week so far - mine has not been bad, minus the headache I've been rockin' for two days now. TGIF tomorrow y'all! Xs and Os.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just wanting to say that to my Canadian readers, and to say I'm back - I had a lovely weekend (albeit off to a rocky start with a terrible drive home - still very sorry to my stepmom who we worried and annoyed with 3 hours of lateness due to HEAVY Toronto traffic and awful weather). Still we were made to feel very warmly welcomed by everyone, and all our parents, as well as my brother and his girlfriend Dawn, were so helpful with entertaining Little Tyke. We got to see friends too, Alex over at I'm-The-Mom and her family, as well as a couple other girlfriends from high school this afternoon for lunch. It's been a whirlwind, but very much fun, and good as well to be back in Ottawa and back to the routine. We missed our kitties, and I think LT missed his own bed and home.

Hope everyone else's weekend was fantastic as well! Have a great week!

And book 3

I had a few minutes after all so I thought I'd scratch 'Dead and Gone', the latest in the Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood book series, off my list and provide my review. For my Thanksgiving post, however, as I don't know if I'll be back on the blogs before that day, check out the post before this one. :) Cheers all.

1. Dead and Gone - Charlaine Harris
2. The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
3. Reading Lolita in Iran - Azar Nafisi
4. The Year of Living Biblically - A.J. Jacobs
5. A History of God - Karen Armstrong
6. Dreams of My Father - Barack Obama
7. Beloved - Toni Morrison
8. 'Tis - Frank McCourt
9. The Host - Stephenie Meyers
10. The Constant Princess - Phillipa Gregory
11. Wicked - Gregory Maguire
12. The Six Wives of Henry the 8th - Alison Weir
13. Eleanor of Aquitaine - Alison Weir
14. Tuesdays with Morrie - Mitch Albom
15. The Fellowship of the Ring - J.R.R. Tolkien
16. The Two Towers - J.R.R. TOlkien
17. The Return of the King - J.R.R. Tolkien
18. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - J.K. Rowling
19. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - J.K. Rowling
20. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - J.K. Rowling
21. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - J.K. Rowling
22. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowling
23. Dracula - Bram Stoker
24. Paradise Lost - John Milton
25. The Inferno - Dante
26. Towelhead - Alicia Erian
27. Sex, Lies, and Headlocks - Shaun Assael and Mike Mooneyham
28. The Way the Crow Flies - Ann-Marie MacDonald
29. The Robber Bride - Margaret Atwood
30. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
31. This United Church of Ours - Ralph Milton
32. Anansi Boys - Neil Gaiman
33. American Gods - Neil Gaiman
34. Stardust - Neil Gaiman
35. Tess of the d'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
36. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
37. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
38. Little Women - Louisa May Alcott
39. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
40. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
41. Deception Point - Dan Brown
42. Digital Fortress - Dan Brown
43. The Lost Symbol - Dan Brown
44. Lolita - Vladimir Nobokov
45. Atonement - Ian McEwan
46. All the King's Men - Robert Penn Warren
47. Moby Dick - Herman Melville
48. Catch-22 - Joseph Heller
49. The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger
50. Uncle Tom's Cabin - Harriet Beecher Stowe
51. A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess
52. Scarlett - Alexandra Ripley
53. White Noise - Don De Litto
54. Their Eyes were Watching God - Zora Neale Hurston
55. Primary Colours - Anonymous
56. Revolutionary Road - Richard Yates
57. Ragtime - E.L. Doctorow
58. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie - Muriel Spark
59. Play it as it Lays - Joan Didion
60. Fast Food Nation - Eric Schlasser
61. My Years as Prime Minister - Jean Chretien
62. Memoirs - Pierre Trudeau
63. Shake Hands with the Devil - Romeo d'Allaire
64. Team of Rivals - Doris Kearns Goodwin
65. The Secret Mulroney Tapes - Peter C. Newman
66. Why I Hate Canadians - Will Ferguson
67. I was a Teenage Katima-Victim - Will Ferguson
68. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
69. The Restaurant at the End of the Universe - Douglas Adams
70. Life, the Universe and Everything - Douglas Adams
71. So Long and Thanks for All the Fish - Douglas Adams
72. Mostly Harmless - Douglas Adams
73. Fifth Business - Robertson Davies
74. The Manticore - Robertson Davies
75. World of Wonders - Robertson Davies
76. The Donnellys - James Reaney
77. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
78. Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand
79. Farenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
80. Not Wanted on the Voyage - Timothy Findlay
81. A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
82. Coraline - Neil Gaiman
83. The Crucible - Arthur Miller
84. Mirror Mirror - Gregory Maguire
85. Snarky Responses to Yahoo! Answers - Matthew Cory
86. Sorbonne Confidential - Laurel Zuckerman
87. What Happened to Anna K - Irina Reyn
88. The Silver Linings Playbook - Matthew Quick
89. Hey Nostradamus! - Douglas Coupland
90. Girlfriend in a Coma - Douglas Coupland
91. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
92. The 5 People You Meet in Heaven - Mitch Albom
93. The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver
94. Interview with the Vampire - Ann Rice
95. The Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank
96. The Bonfire of the Vanities - Tom Wolfe
97. Guys and Dolls - Damon Runyon
98. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert M. Pirsig
99. He's Just Not that Into You - Greg Behrendt, Liz Tuccillo, Lauren Monchik
100. The Ultimate Weight Solution - Dr. Phil McGraw
101. Real Life: Preparing for the 7 Most Challenging Days of Your Life - Dr. Phil McGraw

DEAD AND GONE is the 8th in Charlaine Harris's Southern Vampire Mysteries, featuring Sookie Stackhouse, the inspiration for the super-successful True Blood series on HBO. Obviously, as it is a series, I want to preface this review by saying that at this point, to get the most you can out of this book, you should probably go back and read the entire series starting from DEAD UNTIL DARK. And for fans of True Blood looking to read the books that started it all, beware on two fronts; the books in some ways ARE different from the series (DEAD UNTIL DARK very closely follows season 1 of true blood, but season two diverges from book 2's LIVING DEAD IN DALLAS in some ways, incorporating aspects of book 3, CLUB DEAD, as well). But in other ways they are very different. That means you are in danger of both potential spoilers when the series follows the trajectory of the books, AND disappointment where the books and TV show diverge. For that end, I am not going to get into specific plot points for DEAD AND GONE, as that would ruin the previous books in in the series for readers, and potential future plot points in True Blood for watchers.

With that ample preamble out of my way, I definitely enjoyed this book the way I've enjoyed the rest of the series. Similar to the rest of the series, wrestling autobiographies, romance novels, etc., it's an easy read clocking in at just about 300 pages of fairly easy but interesting reading. The Sookie Stackhouse universe has become replete with different characters, types of supernatural beings, and history at this point, so the later books like this one do become a bit slower as you attempt to recall and place a whole series of characters, past events, etc. But it is popcorn reading at its best ... which is not to say it is stupid or intelligence-insulting. Is it high art? No - but neither was Shakespeare at some points, and, in a more apt comparison, Bram Stoker's Dracula and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein were considered pseudoerotic monster thrillers in their day. And in that vein, I feel that while these won't become hallowed and respected and obvious classics like the Harry Potter series, or much of the Bard's work, it will still hold up and be read in a similar vein to Gaston Leroux's "Phantom of the Opera" years in the future. Sookie Stackhouse: The Musical, anyone? ;)

Charlaine Harris does a great job of intertwining popular culture as we recognize it (real musical artists, writers, movies and TV shows are referenced), with actual historical events (Hurricane Katrina was an un-ignorable historical fact hitting Sookie's home state of Louisiana as Harris was writing the 4th or 5th book in the series), with the supernatural, making the less believable aspects (vampires, werewolves) seem all the more real for fitting into a world we recognize (as opposed to a remote castle in Transylvania, or secret subteranian lairs under the Paris Opera Populaire). Again - not high literature, but well-written, hums along, interesting and challenging in that an entire little society has been created through this series.

Fans of the Twilight saga - such as myself - might be attracted to this series, which made its debut around the same time (thus not exactly capitalizing on the vampire hype that came about with the release of the Twilight movie ... no, its TV counterpart did THAT ;) ), but a word of caution. While Twilight is geared at preteen and teenage audiences (although I as an adult and many adults I know enjoy it), the Southern Vampire Mysteries (and definitely, perhaps even moreso, the True Blood TV series) are more for adult audiences; YOUNG adult audiences definitely (I don't think our parents would enjoy it), but they wouldn't, nor should they, appeal to the younger end of the Twilight crowd, or those who liked Twilight's sentimentality (there is VERY little 'mushy stuff' in this series). Still, if you grew up on Twilight and are now ready to graduate to something a bit more edgy, that takes itself a bit less seriously, give the Sookie Stackhouse series a try, ending from the beginning, ending with DEAD AND GONE, which ties a lot of previous plotpoints together and answers several questions. Even if not, hey, give it a try - it's a quick and easy read that won't waste a whole lot of your time if you DON'T like it.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

So the next few days we will be back in Kitchener Waterloo celebrating Canadian Thanksgiving with our families. I might or might not be able to be back on blogging but it also might not be until Monday (or more realistically, Tuesday). In the meantime though I wanted to wish everyone in Canada a Happy Thanksgiving, and share some of the things I am thankful for (in no particular order, just as they come to me):

• Ari and I both having work (in my case, shortly but I know I have it); a roof over our heads, and food on our table.
• Our happy healthy son who has found a dream babysitter, for whom we are also thankful.
• Our family - parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. - for being so wonderful and supportive of us and our son.
• Friends; those in my life and those who aren't. I have learned valuable lessons and had valuable experiences with anyone I have ever called a friend, and as I am not someone who simply turns on and off the 'caring' button, I wish everyone the best - peace and happiness on this holiday.
• Old traditions and new beginnings; I am so excited about going back home to our parents and friends this weekend, in Kitchener where we will always have roots; I am also so excited about this new life we're building in Ottawa.
• My faith which I have been rediscovering in spades since being a mom; I have always intellectually been a Christian, and for a long time I was a regular churchgoer. The experience of returning to church, and now seeking a new church in my new home has been a great experience, as well as a learning one, enabling me to do a check-in with my beliefs - their extent and their nature - that I haven't done probably since I was confirmed 15 years ago. Which is kind of cool.
• Healthcare in Canada; as we've all had colds and visits to the doctor in the last couple weeks, the fact that this has been free at a time where we're just getting reestablished financially has been a Godsend.
• Books, which I have been rediscovering through my 101 books in 1001 days (finished one more and probably another by weekend's end; reviews of both up Monday/Tuesday).

What are YOU thankful for? Enjoy your weekend.

Absolutely amazing

As a blogger and Facebook fanatic, this video is both inspiring and frightening. It is a social media revolution out there all ... absolutely stunning.

Stephen Harper at the National Arts Centre Gala

Canada's Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, performed 'With a Little Help from my Friends' at the National Arts Centre Gala this weekend.



I only have two questions:

1. Was he thinking of Jack Layton and Gilles Duceppe for propping up his minority Conservative government last month?
2. I thought ordinary Canadians resented rich out-of-touch types supporting the arts? Ah well ...

Joking aside, I think he actually did a great job. Still won't vote for the guy, but he can actually plunk a piano and carry a tune, which is more musical skill than I have these days lol. If he loses his day job, it's always good to have a fall-back. ;)

Weekend

Hi guys -

Hope all's weekend has been good. We did some puttering around the house yesterday as well as having my cousin Allison over for dinner last night. She had been kind enough to let me stay at her place when I got work in Ottawa 3 weeks before we were scheduled to move here; we already had a week here booked for house hunting so I needed to crash at her house for two weeks, and she made a wonderful hostess and roommate. Was happy on some small level to be able to return the favour for the yummy meals she fed me and the good company she was.

Today we made arrangements with Little Tyke's new babysitter, who starts this week, and otherwise I've spent a quiet day hanging out at home with my men and watching old Jem and the Holograms episodes on Youtube (check out twisteddream's account on Youtube for like, all episodes of Jem. I forgot how good this show was as 80s kid shows/cartoons go!). I have also learned I'm Tuberculosis free (yup - random - but schools and schoolboards make you take a TB test before hiring you), and that the Appletree Clinic in Ottawa is good stuff. :) Overall a good weekend, going into a short week for those working schlubs out there as it will soon be Thanksgiving weekend and all (yeah for our first trip home since moving!). Hope it's a good one for everyone!

Pax - Sarah

Roman Polanski

I can't believe I have to write this blog - I've waited days for this to go away, but since it won't, I will comment.

I am highly disappointed in several Hollywood stars - Penelope Cruz, Woody Allen, Martin Scorsese - who have signed a petition asking for Roman Polanski's extradition to the United States on charges of statutory rape to be reconsidered. Polanski is unquestionably a brilliant director of such movies as Chinatown, Rosemary's Baby, and most recently, The Pianist. However, Chris Benoit was also an incredible wrestler, who was unequivocally viewed as a monster upon his murdering his wife and son before taking his own life two years ago. While his skill allows some of us wrestling fans to separate the professional from the personal and still enjoy his body of work, and while I know some who continue to defend Chris Benoit as a talented performer, I know of no one who defends him as a human being, or his final acts on this earth; nor does the fact of Roman Polanski's skill as a director exhonorate him from seducing a 13-year-old girl with alcohol and drugs before raping her.

I know that Hollywood - at least some of it - leans toward the left end of politics, which has among its tarits forgiveness of crimes. But I highly doubt these people were first on the front lines asking forgiveness for the priests who were outed as pedophiles a couple of years ago in a huge sex scandal on the Catholic church; nor do I suspect they would defend Roman Polanski if he were simply a truck driver or mailman. Bottom line is that talent does not excuse you from living on the moral and ethical plane we all must share as human beings. I am able to enjoy Roman Polanski's films while still believing he should be in jail, and that fleeing to France rather than facing incarceration should now be added to his list of crimes.

I am also a very forgiving person - I have been hurt very badly by people I would still love to communicate with, and I have very good relationships with people who have hurt me. I still enjoy a good Chris Benoit match while loathing how his final chapter was written. However, I believe for forgiveness to take place, remorse needs to be expressed. When I do something wrong - legitimately wrong - I do apologize and attemt, however lamely it may be, to make amends. And when others seem contrite, I am quick to forgive as well. I am highly dubious of Paris Hilton because she has not learned from her experience in jail due to DUI and driving on a suspended license; ditto Lindsay Lohan. Conversely, I feel great sympathy for Montel V. Porter in the WWE, who spent nine years in jail on robbery and kidnapping charges to be paroled and to make a success of his life as an athlete. Or Bill Clinton, who after his mistakes with Gennifer Flowers and Monica Lewinsky has tried, albeit clumsily at times, to be a good and supporting husband to Hillary Clinton. From feeling simply sad and bemused by her, I have a great deal of respect these days for Britney Spears.

Roman Polanski, on the other hand, has expressed no remorse or regret; he in fact has lived a very posh lifestyle with a series of teenage girlfriends in France. I understand that there might have been some procedural errors in his case; and I'm not so reactionary and so ignorant of the law that I want to discredit those as I've heard some pundits do. However, the fact is at the end of the day he pled guilty to and acknowledged raping a child. He has learned nothing from those actions. And rather than dealing with any unfairness or inequities the law might have shown him in terms of due process, he handled it with his own brand of morality; unilatirally, fleeing the country.

I understand as well his young victim simply wants the case dropped, as it (and the attendant publicity) has already caused her more damage, she claims, than the rape itself has. I'd believe that and this is the most compelling reason that I might actually support letting Roman Polanski live out his days in exile. However, at this point, once he pled guilty, unfortunately it became not a civil case in her hands, but a criminal case handled by society, 'The State'; should she wish, she can testify that she just wants to put this behind her at his retrial/sentencing/what have you. Or turn off the TV and close up the newspapers and step out of it altogether; no one could blame her. And I do feel terrible sympathy that this ordeal continues to haunt her thirty two years later. However, she is wrong in blaming the media, or public, or prosecutors for such; if Mr. Polanski had simply served his time, this case would have long since gone away. It is yet another way he has hurt and violated her.

As to his age and the long space of time between his crimes and now - we still try to prosecute Nazi war criminals don't we, who are arguably older and more infirm than Roman Polanski at this point. And you certainly don't hear Hollywood criticizing that, nor should you - I'm married to a Jewish man of European descent, so I certainly agree! But same here - people, especially young people with a possibly bright future ahead of them, deserve better treatment. As a teacher, there are few crimes that more devastate me than when I hear of children being hurt. I admire Kirstie Alley and Perez Hilton and their ilk for speaking the truth - that Roman Polanski, while a talented film director, is also a convicted criminal and rapist who owes a debt to society. I hope 'Hollywood Justice' and the blind eye we turn on behalf of talented people (OJ Simpson, Michael Vick, etc.) doesn't end up applying here.

Book 2 Down!

Off my 101 books in 1001 days list, I've knocked off another - Sex, Lies and Headlocks by Shaun Assael and Mike Mooneyham.

1. Dead and Gone - Charlaine Harris
2. The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
3. Reading Lolita in Iran - Azar Nafisi
4. The Year of Living Biblically - A.J. Jacobs
5. A History of God - Karen Armstrong
6. Dreams of My Father - Barack Obama
7. Beloved - Toni Morrison
8. 'Tis - Frank McCourt
9. The Host - Stephenie Meyers
10. The Constant Princess - Phillipa Gregory
11. Wicked - Gregory Maguire
12. The Six Wives of Henry the 8th - Alison Weir
13. Eleanor of Aquitaine - Alison Weir
14. Tuesdays with Morrie - Mitch Albom
15. The Fellowship of the Ring - J.R.R. Tolkien
16. The Two Towers - J.R.R. TOlkien
17. The Return of the King - J.R.R. Tolkien
18. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - J.K. Rowling
19. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - J.K. Rowling
20. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - J.K. Rowling
21. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - J.K. Rowling
22. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowling
23. Dracula - Bram Stoker
24. Paradise Lost - John Milton
25. The Inferno - Dante
26. Towelhead - Alicia Erian
27. Sex, Lies, and Headlocks - Shaun Assael and Mike Mooneyham
28. The Way the Crow Flies - Ann-Marie MacDonald
29. The Robber Bride - Margaret Atwood
30. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
31. This United Church of Ours - Ralph Milton
32. Anansi Boys - Neil Gaiman
33. American Gods - Neil Gaiman
34. Stardust - Neil Gaiman
35. Tess of the d'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
36. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
37. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
38. Little Women - Louisa May Alcott
39. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
40. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
41. Deception Point - Dan Brown
42. Digital Fortress - Dan Brown
43. The Lost Symbol - Dan Brown
44. Lolita - Vladimir Nobokov
45. Atonement - Ian McEwan
46. All the King's Men - Robert Penn Warren
47. Moby Dick - Herman Melville
48. Catch-22 - Joseph Heller
49. The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger
50. Uncle Tom's Cabin - Harriet Beecher Stowe
51. A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess
52. Scarlett - Alexandra Ripley
53. White Noise - Don De Litto
54. Their Eyes were Watching God - Zora Neale Hurston
55. Primary Colours - Anonymous
56. Revolutionary Road - Richard Yates
57. Ragtime - E.L. Doctorow
58. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie - Muriel Spark
59. Play it as it Lays - Joan Didion
60. Fast Food Nation - Eric Schlasser
61. My Years as Prime Minister - Jean Chretien
62. Memoirs - Pierre Trudeau
63. Shake Hands with the Devil - Romeo d'Allaire
64. Team of Rivals - Doris Kearns Goodwin
65. The Secret Mulroney Tapes - Peter C. Newman
66. Why I Hate Canadians - Will Ferguson
67. I was a Teenage Katima-Victim - Will Ferguson
68. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
69. The Restaurant at the End of the Universe - Douglas Adams
70. Life, the Universe and Everything - Douglas Adams
71. So Long and Thanks for All the Fish - Douglas Adams
72. Mostly Harmless - Douglas Adams
73. Fifth Business - Robertson Davies
74. The Manticore - Robertson Davies
75. World of Wonders - Robertson Davies
76. The Donnellys - James Reaney
77. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
78. Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand
79. Farenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
80. Not Wanted on the Voyage - Timothy Findlay
81. A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
82. Coraline - Neil Gaiman
83. The Crucible - Arthur Miller
84. Mirror Mirror - Gregory Maguire
85. Snarky Responses to Yahoo! Answers - Matthew Cory
86. Sorbonne Confidential - Laurel Zuckerman
87. What Happened to Anna K - Irina Reyn
88. The Silver Linings Playbook - Matthew Quick
89. Hey Nostradamus! - Douglas Coupland
90. Girlfriend in a Coma - Douglas Coupland
91. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
92. The 5 People You Meet in Heaven - Mitch Albom
93. The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver
94. Interview with the Vampire - Ann Rice
95. The Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank
96. The Bonfire of the Vanities - Tom Wolfe
97. Guys and Dolls - Damon Runyon
98. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert M. Pirsig
99. He's Just Not that Into You - Greg Behrendt, Liz Tuccillo, Lauren Monchik
100. The Ultimate Weight Solution - Dr. Phil McGraw
101. Real Life: Preparing for the 7 Most Challenging Days of Your Life - Dr. Phil McGraw

This book is a really interesting read, as it covers a lot of ground that is familiar to the knowledgeable wrestling fan (the transition from territories to national promotions; the gamble that was Wrestlemania; the Monday Night Wars; Vince McMahon's federal steroid trial; Owen Hart's death; WWE going public), but from new angles and with a lot more depth than many others. Full of interviews from those who were there, former WCW and WWE employees as well as Turner and USA executives, agents, bookers and the like. And yet while covering some complicated ground on the legal and 'television industry' front, it is emanently readable and easy-to-follow. Not a long read clocking in at 250 or so pages, I downed it in about 36 hours (and that's with a baby and housekeeping and job searching on the go). It's a must read for fans who think they know the score from wrestling's behind the scenes scandals and screwjobs, the history of Vince McMahon and other colourful wrestling characters, etc.

My only complaint about this book is, while it tries to cover a lot of ground and gets the broad contours right, if you are looking for dead-on accuracy in terms of chronology, dates, etc. there are several notable errors in this book. For example, it states that Lex Luger slammed the 500-plus pound world champion Yokozuna on July 4, 1995, and after an aborted push as a result of that feat of strength, left WWE for WCW in the fall of the same year. Untrue; while Lex Luger did make his debut on Nitro's inaugural episode on the fall of 1995, his slam of Yokozuna had occured on Independence Day 1993; while he did indeed never live up to the expectations of Vince McMahon and the WWE, it took them longer than 6 months to give up on their pet project.

Having said that, I don't want to take away from the book because they got a few facts and figures mixed up; here the often-joked-about phrase of not letting the facts get in the way of the truth applies; the fundamental story is a true and important one to be told, and if a few dates on the timeline were fudged for smoothness's sake, it doesn't take away from the overarching story of wrestling as a business that had lost its innocence ... or perhaps, much like Britney Spears, it was more a case of fans becoming aware it had never been that innocent to begin with. For major wrestling fans, a must-read; for casual fans, one I'd encourage you to read, but to learn about the industry as a whole, not for specific dates and figures; non-fans? This will confirm your worst suspicions about wrestling, and as such is a must-read for fodder against your idiot, wrestling fan friends (just don't use it against me! lol).