A Survey

My buddy Alex just posted this on her blog today so I thought I'd swipe it as it's a good one. :) Now watch it was me who did it in the first place and I just don't remember lol. But enh it's late, I'm bored, and surveys are fun. :)

Q: Who were you dating last December.
A: Ari! :)

Q: Does anyone NOT like you at the moment?
A: Yes. My son hates me whenever I try to change his diaper, put shoes on his feet, put him to bed ... lol.

Q: Last person to call you beautiful?
A: Probably Ari. :)

Q: Do you hate it when people smoke around you?
A: I do, to the extent I feel I have a right to. I appreciate No Smoking bans in public buildings, and I have one in my own home; I WISH even outdoors people wouldn't smoke where there are crowds or children (at parks or parade routes or those types of things are the worst). But I won't complain about smoking, say, if I'm having a convo w/a smoker who wants to go outside and I follow them out to finish the chat; that's my choice.

Q: Do you think age matters in relationships?
A: I think maturity does, and to the extent age represents a certain level of maturity then, I guess yes. But if you're in a similar place in life, intelligence, points of view, and the number of candles on your cake is all that makes that difference between you? No. THAT's just a number.

Q: Are promises important to you?
A: This depends on the promise. If it's a big one, or one that's broken frequently, thus making it big, yes; the small stuff though I try not to sweat. Everyone forgets stuff, or is late sometimes, or whatever. It's the attempt that counts, and everyone comes upon promises they can't keep here and there. Bottom line - is it going to affect my trust in you? If yes, then yes. If no, it's just one of those things, then no.

Q: Do you have a reason to smile right now?
A: One or two. ;)

Q: What's something you really regret saying to someone?
A: I more regret things I haven't said, or at least not said in the right way. If you mean the things you say, there's no reason to regret (although yes, I do regret the words or tone I've chosen to express them sometimes of course, we all say things in hurt or anger).

Q: Has anyone put their arms around you today?
A: Ari! :) And Liam.

Q: Have you ever kissed someone with a lip or tongue ring?
A: Nope.

Q: If the person you have feelings for started smoking, what would you do?
A: I think I'd die of shock.

Q: Can you last in a relationship for 6 months?
A: Apparently - 9 years now! :)

Q: Has anything upset you in the last week?
A: Enh a few things. Work, a cold, feeling a bit underappreciated ...

Q: Who was the last person you texted before bed last night?
A: I haven't texted in months my phone's display is dead lol.

Q: Would you be more likely to fail Science or Math?
A: Either or take your pick. They were both my worst subjects in school.

Q: Are you one of those people who constantly check the time?
A: Yes. I'm a teacher who needs to constantly be timing and calibrating lesson plans, it's a habit that dies hard in my personal life. So trust me, people I know in real life, if I'm an obsessive watch or clock watcher, it's not personal it's a habit.

Q: Is it ever too late to apologize?
A: I think it's all about the sincerity of the apology more than the timing. Someone can apologize immediately and I couldn't care less if they don't mean it. Someone could apologize years later and done a lot of soul searching, and I will. The reverse can also be true.

Q: Can you forgive and forget?
A: I can forgive. I make forgiveness a point, in fact, as in almost 28 years I can honestly say I've never met a completely bad person, only people who make bad choices. And forgiveness means letting go of those bad choices. But I don't forget. Forgiveness is kind and loving - forgetting is just plain stupid.

Q: Has anyone said you have changed lately?
A: Not really.

Q: Do you believe everything happens for a reason?
A: I do, ultimately. Maybe not reasons we understand, maybe not always reasons we think are good, or good enough, but yes.

Q: Do you ever think of certain people and wonder what the hell happened?
A: I do.

Q: Are you a mean person?
A: I am only mean under two circumstances: (1) by omission. I CAN be thoughtless and 'in my own bubble' sometimes, and am genuinely sorry if and when this hurts people, or (2) like Alex's answer, if and when provoked. I don't like starting fights, but I don't react well to being hurt or angered.

Q: If you could, what’s one thing that you’d take back from your past?
A: There are definitely some things that fall under the 'if I knew then what I know now' file that I'd have done differently. I wouldn't have kidded myself that everything was fine with one of my dearest friends a few summers ago; I would have been easier on my mom as a teenager; I'd have given my 'high school sweetheart' more of a chance. At the same time, I strongly believe that even the stupid and bad stuff we go through serves a purpose, and so 'regret' is the wrong word: it's all brought me to where I am today. Is that a perfect place? No. But close enough, and the stuff that isn't perfect, I'm at least aware enough at this point to work on, and how can I begrudge anyone or anything, even hurtful people and things, who got me there?

Q: Have you ever kissed someone that had a tattoo?
A: I don't think so, not unless there's something I don't know about Ari or my ex. lol

Goodbye Shawn

I usually reserve wrestling comments for my, y'know, Wrestling Blog. But as a wrestling fan for 20 years now, one of my favourites for all of that time was a then-young upstart known as Shawn Michaels, who has gone on to become one of the true legends standing tall above this business. despite being 16 years younger than him, he's probably the main wrestler I feel I've watched grow up, from a kid in a tag team just a year or two into his run with the big leagues, to a single star who had grown too big for said team, but with an uncertain future on his own, to a perennial Intercontinental Champion ('king of the midcard', second only to that upper echelon going for the world belt), to a young, brash, cocky world champion who self-destructed in a haze of arrogance and substance abuse, to a born-again Christian (and one of the few for whom I mean it quite literally when I say Jesus Christ IS his personal saviour), a stand-up husband and Dad who now sees in wrestling more a way to make a living doing something he loves and to teach and elevate younger talent than to win gold, fame and accolades for himself. Perhaps it took Shawn Michaels until his late 30s to become a grown man ... but he did, and there are very few wrestlers I've been more proud of.

He's had many monikers over the years that no longer apply, if they ever did - it seems a stretch to call a weathered 44-year-old "The Heartbreak Kid", and I feel at this point the Undertaker is more worthy of the moniker of "Mr. Wrestlemania". And let's be honest folks, while Shawn has been an excellent worker, he has not consistently been 'The Main Event' for a few years now. However, of all the nicknames applied to him, I feel "Showstopper" is probably the most enduring. Six or seven years removed from his last world title run, and 18 months removed from his last singles world title shot, Shawn has long been the quintessence of putting on a great match simply to prove he can.

More than a certain number of titles to indicate he is the best in this business, what Shawn can take home with him is this; last year's match with the Undertaker marked his sixth Pro Wrestling Illustrated Match of the Year win in a row, meaning he has won that accolade every year but one since he came back from a presumed-career-ending back injury five years earlier. That unprecedented number beat the previous consecutive Match of the Year Record Holder ... SHAWN MICHAELS, at 4 in a row. Between both of those streaks, he holds a record 10 Match of the Year wins. Perhaps they haven't all been for titles ... but they have all been the best, much like Michaels himself.

And the way Shawn went out was pure class, in a rematch with possibly his greatest opponent, the Undertaker, the only man in the company arguably as legendary as Michaels himself at this point, putting HIS unprecedented Wrestlemania win streak of 18-0 up against Shawn's quarter-century-long career. Shawn, spunky to the end, slapped the Undertaker in the face just as the Dead Man was about to show mercy, provoking the aptly-named Tombstone piledriver which ended his career. Uncharacteristic for the Showstopper, he left the ring not in a blaze of dancing and fireworks, but with a subdued hug from his Wrestlemania opponent and some appreciative waving and high-fiving to the crowd, heading humbly to the back and the applause of his peers, to the handshake of perhaps his biggest detractor (Bret Hart, with whom he has finally made amends after a 12-year cold war), but most importantly, to the waiting arms of his wife and children. Congratulations Shawn. You deserve it. And thank you.

By the way ...

If you want truly amazing ... as Perez Hilton put it, brilliant or beyond bored? ... check this out:

Little Tyke Update

So it's been awhile since I've done much of a personal update - there's a reason for this, as a friend-of-a-friend of mine (and by extension said friend) have had some scary things come up when posting online about their children. I have comforted myself I have not shared the Tyke's name or photos however and meanwhile I know readers want to know how he's doing.

Which can be summed up in the word of 'hot and cold'. First the negative so it isn't dwealt on; he is going through round #2 of separation anxiety, except it's going all around this time. He doesn't like us dropping him off at his babysitter's, but he also doesn't like us picking him up there either. If he's playing with one parent and the other parent scoops him up or tries to get his attention ... that aggravates him too. His teething doesn't help either, and he's been doing a LOT of that of late.

On the other hand, though, he is learning so very much. He is walking like a little pro for the most part (although of course he's 16 months old, so he's going to tumble from time to time, which can be a 'con' when it happens too I suppose), and while I hesitate to say he's 'talking' yet, he definitely knows words; he recognizes Mama, Dada, Clock and Fan at last count, as well as 'where is' (he knows to point when he hears this). He's babbling up a blue streak which is at its funniest when it sounds like real words. Furious at me for (evil!) changing and dressing him the other day, when I sat him up after said ordeal, he looks down at his clothes and then at me, babble-muttering something that sounded exactly like an accusatory 'Hoodiddiss?' (who did this?) ... funny.

He has mastered the spoon now, although it becomes a play thing more quickly than he'd like (he knows how to use it; he also knows other more creative ways of using it), so while finger foods and dinner are now entirely an LT self-propelled effort (good boy!), he is even feeding himself half of his spoony foods too (cereal ... yogurt ... pudding ...). He can drink from a sippy cup now as well, and from a straw (these have both been awhile, like months, but hey! it's been awhile!). He watches a little TV and enjoys Max and Ruby, but is as likely to turn off the TV and bring you a book to read him ... which Daddy and I both like. :) And he is as good as gold as usual about bedtime ... although naps, and how late he sleeps, are becoming more scattershot again after a pretty solid stretch of two short naps a day and 8pm-7:30am sleeping. He's still good as gold. We loves him. :)

We're about to take him home for Easter, and this summer are going to find what kind of traveller he is as we go on our first REAL family vacation since his arrival, to Orlando (yes, Land of Disney). Booked this week. :) All good things ... and hope the same can be said for all of you out there in cyberland (the only thing to do is jump over the moon ...) - erm ... look it up. "Rent". :D

Momentous

The US took a great leap forward Sunday night by passing comprehensive healthcare reform legislation in congress for the first time in a century. Today, Barack Obama signed the bill into law, which will insure 30+ million previously-uninsured Americans, discontinue the rejection of insurance applicants on the basis of preexisting illnesses, and provide tax relief to those who otherwise couldn't afford insurance, as well as (I believe) expanding Medicaid.



And to Vice President Joe Lieberman, who offhandedly commented this plan was a 'F-ing big deal', unwittingly into an open mic ... I concur with Robert Gibbs' twitter. Mr. Vice President, you are right ...

God bless our American neighbours.

Getting to know you ...

My friend Alex has been playing the Get to Know you game from the above site - and hey, I love quizzes and surveys and am just generally a copycat so I thought I'd play along too. Usually it will be Sundays but enh. :) Click the above link, copy and answer the questions and link up if you want to as well.

1. WHAT YEAR DID YOU GRADUATE HIGH SCHOOL?
2001.

2. What part of your body do you neglect the most?
I guess I'll say the digestive system generally lol, I'm not always the best about eating healthy. So yeah my weight, my tummy etc.

3. Beach house or lake house?
Ooooh toughy I see a charm to both ... I think I'll say a beach house in the summer when I'm about swimming, and enjoying the warmth, sitting out in a swimsuit etc. A lakehouse for spring or fall or cooler summer days where I'd like some pretty scenery and a quiet place to read, or write, or hang out with my family, but not necessarily the sporty swimmy socializy stuff.

4. Mac or PC?
I have a PC and it's serving my purposes just fine; if money were no object I would own a brand-new Mac though they are excellent computers.

5. Did you wear braces?
Yes I did for 2.5 years.

6. If you could be one person for a day ... living or deceased ... who would you be?
I think I would want to be my mom. I know she's had some tough times along the way, but she has found such a genuine happiness in her life, I don't know anyone who is more just 'where she should be', I don't know one person who has a bad thing to say about her, she is such a forgiving and caring person with a knack like no one I know for looking at the positives - in people, in situations, in anything.

7. How many times have you moved in your life?
Wow ... let's see. A lot. 1 that I don't even remember from a rental to our first 'home of our own' when I was a baby. 2 from Montreal to Kitchener. 3 from our townhouse in Kitchener to a freestanding family home. 4 from that home to another townhome after my parents' separation. 5 from that house, half to my step-dad's new house and half away to the dorms (I'm not counting the two summers I moved between home and school but I will count new apartments away at school). 6 from the dorms to a shared co-op house. 7 from said house in with my roommate Esther. 8 from there to Ari's apartment in Montreal. 9 from Montreal back to Kingston. 10 from our apartment in Kingston across town closer to the faculty of education. 10 from Kingston back to Kitchener. 11 from our apartment in Kitchener to our first house. 12 from Kitchener to Ottawa. GRAND TOTAL: 12 moves in my lifetime.

8. Would you rather cook or clean?
Neither that's why I married someone sick enough to enjoy both. ;) Jokes. I don't hate either, I'm not a huge fan of either. I do what I need to do. Neither are especially interesting and both take time, but I feel quite pleased with myself when I do either.

For the sake of humanity

I hope the lawmakers serving our neighbours to the south do the right thing tomorrow for Americans, like many of my relatives both by blood and marriage are. Thank you either way for working so hard to do the right thing, Mr. President.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

All Hail Jon Stewart

This guy is hilarious, and Glenn Beck is getting exactly what he deserves via this impersonation.



BTW - to see the entire episode, which was gold, be sure and check out Comedy Central if you live in the US or else the Comedy Network if you live in Canada. Peace!

Congratulations.

You know who you are and you know why.

That is all.

The Weekend and the Apprentice

It's been a busy but fabulous weekend full of laughs from Friday evening right up about until this morning with my friend Elizabeth coming to visit us in Ottawa this week. We got to check out a couple restaurants, go up the Peace Tower at Parliament, and have some good philosophical talks as well as an excellent game of Scrabble. A good weekend. :) A not-too-bad way to end it? The Celebrity Apprentice season premiere! Two very, very strong teams and I was surprised the women lost. There really was no weak link on that team - as demonstrated by the inability of these intelligent and savvy women to point fingers. MY only disappointment/disagreement with the Donald - he HAS in the past fired two people when merited; if, as he acknowledged, this team simply wasn't good enough collectively but there was no one weak link ... why could he go the other way and keep everyone on? If we can focus on the negative and fire everyone who deserves to be fired, why can't we look at the positive and keep on everyone who deserves to be kept on?

Eclipse

OKOK so I know I'm about 10 years too old to be into this movie ... but I'm a big sucker for star-struck romance what can I say. Fellow fans - enjoy. :D Non-fans ... fair enough. Just leave me to my guilty pleasure in peace. - AND thanks Alex for posting this. I'd seen it available to be watched elsewhere, and meant to go back to it but forgot. You were my reminder. :)

Bizzy bizzy bizzy

Hey all -

So wanted to apologize for not being on the ball with the blogging this week. Work work work, and spending time with the family when home. And with my friend Liz coming to visit this weekend, it will be a pretty busy time then as well. But I just wanted to let everyone know all is well here, we're enjoying the lovely spring weather, and hope you all are too! :) It's been a busy week but not a bad one, and hope that's the case for everyone. Unbored and happy are not bad ways to be. :)

Cheers - S

What a weekend is supposed to be

We had a busy evening Friday -
A dinner out
And some time at
Our favourite indoor playground.

Yesterday we headed off
to Kingston, where I went to school.
So much changed,
So much the same,
A nostalgia trip indeed.
Lots of fun with our toddling
Little Tyke along for the ride.

Today - church and a quiet afternoon.
Enjoying these days!
Tomorrow, looking forward to work.
God is in His Heaven,
All's right with the world.

One more of 101 Books off the List

Two days ago I finished reading the 1100-page brick known as 'Under the Dome' by Stephen King ... one more book off of my 101 Books in 1001 Days off my list! Said list, plus a review, follows.

1. Dead and Gone - Charlaine Harris
2. The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
3. Reading Lolita in Tehran - 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

I'm not going to say much about UNDER THE DOME's plot short of the summary that, a dome encloses a small Maine town, and people's true personalities, be they benevolent or less-so, shine through in ways and with distinct clarity with which they might not have otherwise. In many ways a cautionary tale - on an isolationist level, a 'fear does strange things to good people' level, a 'beware of the Moral Majority movement' level, on an environmental level ... even as such a thick book in excess of 1000 pages, there is not one wasted paragraph, nary an unnecessary word in UNDER THE DOME. Widely agreed to be King's best novel since his heyday (The Stand et al), it is a thick but engrossing and fast-paced read, a deceptively quick one too considering the size of the book. With a bit of something for everyone - intra- and inter-personal relationships, mystery/crime, sci-fi, and yes even a small touch of romance (although beware - only a small amount, as the tacked-on romantic subplot isn't touched upon for at least 900 pages), there are not many people out there to whom I wouldn't recommend Under the Dome. To call it "beach reading" is insulting to just how intricate and intelligent this book is (and its physical heft), but once you are familiar with the characters and situation, it is no harder to read than a good thriller, and yet it is ever so much more.

Roger Ebert

This man is so inspirational. Roger Ebert was the longtime 'thumbs up/down' critic for At the Movies, hosting first with Gene Siskel and eventually Richard Roeper, before suffering from cancer. The ensuing treatment left Ebert unable to eat, drink or speak, and he has been communicating using computer voice technology and the typed/written word (he is a prolific and fabulous Tweeter), without the benefit of his own voice, since 2006 ...

Until now. With the help of state-of-the-art technology, while Ebert still relies on computer 'voice overs', he has now had a program assembled which sounds exactly like him (albeit more digitized), using the vast library of recordings of his voice from over the years. Check it out:



Absolutely fabulous. Be sure and check out his Twitter and blog as well (Google, he's not hard to find and I'm too lazy to add hyperlinks right now lol) - he's such an intelligent, witty man who has rolled with so many punches and who I find just so very cool.