The World According to Scott and Steph

Whale Watching Video

2009-11-01T19:29:00.002-05:00

Here is a better video from the whale watching tour.

Day Five - Fish, Boats and A LOT of stairs.

2009-10-15T22:28:00.004-04:00

We started out the day at the Aquarium. We made it in there just after they opened and before all the school kids arrived and it was nice and quiet. We got to see them feeding the penguins. They have quite a large exhibit of three types of penquins there. They also have lots of fish exhibits and a large tank in the middle filled with everything from small fish, larger fish, sharks and sea turtles.

Penguin feeding time.

A very cool fish. (I forget what its called)

Then we went downtown and caught the trolley that travels all around Boston while the driver talks about all the sights. We toured through the MIT campus in Cambridge and then we got off in Charlestown for a visit to the USS Constitution. It is the the oldest commissioned warship in the US Navy still afloat. They are doing some restoration to the top deck and the spires were off because of that so we didn't get to see the ship in all it's glory but we did get to go on board and climb down into the various decks and that was pretty cool. If you have ever heard of "Old Ironsides" this is that ship, even though it is made of wood!
Then, after three days of walking around Boston we decided that we could still walk the 294 steps to the top of the Bunker Hill Monument. At about 100 I started to regret that decision but we pushed on and made it to the top. But the time we got back down we were pretty dizzy from going in circles!!

But the view from the top was pretty cool. You can see most of Boston from up there.

A view to the TD centre (where the Celtics play - BOOOOOO!) and

the Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge, which was part of the big dig project.

Then we made our way back downtown for a quick stop at the Old State House. It was just outside there that the Boston Massacre took place. It is the place from which the Declaration of Independance was read to the people of Boston and the museum inside has many artifacts from Boston's history. The coolest thing was a vile of tea that was preserved from the night of the Boston Tea Party when tonnes of tea was dumped into Boston harbour.

And thus ends our days in Boston. Tomorrow we will attempt to get home in one day so that Alice will no longer be lonely. It has been a fun trip and we learned a lot. If you ever have the chance to come to Boston it will be well worth it!!

Day four...Cheers to the Whales!

2009-10-14T21:33:00.006-04:00

Day four brought a beautiful sunny day even if the wind was cool. We started out down at the wharf and left on a whale watching tour. I was really looking forward to this and it did not disappoint. Today I witnessed what definately falls among the top ten most awesome things I have ever seen in my life. Here is a video clip of some what we saw. You'll have to excuse the noise, but it does give you an idea how windy it was out there.

And we are both proud to say that we did not fall ill to the waves like several other people on board :-)

They have two Cheers restaurants here in Boston. One that is made to look like Cheers from the inside and one that is the Cheers bar from the outside that they showed on TV. We got to see both of them today.

In the afternoon we went on a walking tour of the part of the Freedom Trail. We saw the graves of Paul Revere, Samual Adams, John Hancock and also Mother Goose! We stood on the site of the Boston Massacre and saw several other historically important buildings around the city.

All in all, a great day in beantown!! What will tomorrow bring?

Day three...history, beer and ducks

2009-10-13T21:43:00.003-04:00

It was a rainy morning in Boston and we started of with some minor issues getting to the "T" station due to the parking lots being very full. But once we got to a lot with parking still available we managed to make our way downtown. We picked up our Go Boston tour cards at the Macy's and then got back onto the "T" (thats what they call the Subway here) and we were off to the JFK Library and Museum for a history lesson.

It is quite a large building and very interesting to see the exhibits full of pieces of JFK's life and the projects he contributed to throughout his political career (the space program & peace corps just to name a couple).

It was funny to find out the Bouvier sisters were scrapbookers way ahead of their time. They had a scrapbook of pictures and drawings they did about a trip to Europe that they had given their parents.

An amazing view from inside the museum.

After that we decided to have some fun and went off to the Samual Adams Brewery...

...mmm beer.

This is Scott holding some of the ingrediants for the beer.

We got three samples to taste (did I mention this tour was FREE!!). I enjoyed the Oktoberfest brew and Scott enjoyed them all and might need some more sampling before making a final decision on this one.

After this we went over to the Duck Tours. It's a bus and boat in one-QUACK! We got a tour of Boston by land then it drives into the Charles River and cruises up and down the river so you get a cool view of the city from there.

By this time we were starving and while driving on the bus made the city seem simple enough, finding our way on foot on our own proved a bit more challenging. Eventually we found an Irish Pub to grab some dinner. Got the subway back to the hotel and are taking it easy.

With any luck tomorrow will be a whale of a day....stay tuned.

Day Two -

2009-10-12T21:46:00.012-04:00

We left Albany to head towards Springfield this morning. On the way we went to another Outlet Mall for more great deals! After that slight detour we were on our way.

While driving, we passed a cut-off for a town called Voorheese. If my history is correct, this is the birthplace of Jason and a place you probably don't want to visit.

We also passed my namesake town as well...

We arrived at the Basketball Hall of Fame, and were treated to a history of basketball. Not too exciting for Steph, but I enjoyed it. First you go to the Honors Ring. This has pictures and a brief bio on every member of the Hall of Fame. It also included stuff that players and thier families have donated to the hall. Things like Kareem Abul-Jabar's shoes, Bobby Knight's red Indiana Sweater, a ring the Lakers presented to Chick Hearn.

Damn that was a HUGE ring. This photo really doesn't do it justice.

After that, the second floor has more interactive displays like a media gallery where you can call the play-by-play. An interactive video game where you can actually play against an NBA player. it also has displays on the various coaches and a history of the game itself.

The last area is a court where you can shoot some baskets. Here is Steph taking her first shot...

She made it!
After a quick trip through the gift shop we are off once again.

Not too far from the hall is the Dr Suess sculpture garden. Did you know that Springfield MA was the birthplace of Dr Suess?

Off to Boston, check into the hotel and go get some dinner. Nothing like delicious Mexican food to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving.

More sightseeing to be done tomorrow. Look out Boston...here come the Canadians!

From the road day one...

2009-10-11T20:28:00.003-04:00

Well, it's time for another road trip...destination Boston. Current location: Albany NY.
I only feel slightly guilty about not spending this week at the cottage or joining the Hendersons for the normal crazy family dinner today, but am excited to go and explore a city like Boston. Today was a driving day. The car ride felt like it took forever!!! We experianced about a 45 minute wait a the border at the Lewiston bridge, next time we'll take the Peace bridge. We decided to stop in Waterloo NY at the outlet mall to give ourselves a break. I did some damage at the Lane Bryant store as usual and we got some other deals at Eddie Bauer, Nike, Corning and of course Lids where Scott picked up a Syracuse hat.
We arrived here in Albany shortly after 6pm and checked into the hotel. Then we went down the road to the TGI Fridays. If you ever have the chance to try the Peanut Butter Pie there I highly recommend it.
Well, thats it. short and sweet for today. Tomorrow we will stop in Springfield at the Basketball Hall of Fame and then on to Boston. Hope everyone is enjoying their turkey this weekend. Thanks to Margaret for providing the leftovers from yesterday so we could have turkey sandwiches for the road today.

Just like a kid in a candy store...oh wait, he is in a candy store.

On the road again...

New Beginnings

2009-06-03T21:15:00.009-04:00

Last Friday was the deadline for a photo contest at work. At the time I didn't have any good pics that matched the theme of "New Beginnings". But this past weekend at the cottage we came across just that - a new beginning - and I got some great pics. They were too late for the contest but I thought I would share a couple with you.

If you say it out loud....

2009-04-15T20:58:00.004-04:00

If you set a goal I think the best way to achieve it is to say it out loud to someone else. Then you feel pressured to make sure that you get it done. Well after logging all these geocaches from our recent trip we are at 75 caches found. With the summer just around the corner I think that I can be confident when I say that our goal should be to reach 100 by the end of the year.

There I said it. 100 by the end of the year, that's our goal.

From home...day 6

2009-04-13T20:18:00.008-04:00

We started the day with a little shopping at the Grove City outlets. I hit my fav store - Lane Bryant and got some good deals. But Scott knew he was in trouble when we discovered that they had opened a Disney Character outlet store in Grove City - I was like a kid in a candy store!! Luckily we made it out with just one thing - some really cool mickey Christmas lights. Guess you'll have to visit us next Christmas if you want to see them.

We headed up to Erie, PA for a quick stop at Millcreek Mall. Then we had some lunch at TGI Fridays (they have the best Jack Daniels glaze on everything there) and hit the road for home.

I think Scott's "kid in a candy store" moment came when we walked into the duty free shop and had to choose what beer to buy. But eventually he made his choice and we were back on the road again. Luckily there was no border delays and we were home in time to watch the specials leading up to the last episode of one of our favourite shows...Corner Gas.

We were welcomed home with a chorus of "meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow. As you can tell, I guess Alice missed us a bit.

So we're home. It's cold and the grass is brown. And I have to go back to work tomorrow. Time to think about the next vacation so I have something to look forward to. But maybe next time we should fly - I think I have a serious case of "numb bum" from sitting in the car for so long.

I am just watching Scott crack open the jar of chocolate we got at Hershey's and put his "tasting" skills to work. MMMmmmm...chocolate.

From the road...day 5

2009-04-12T21:34:00.009-04:00

Happy Easter!!!! Well here we are, day 5. This morning we said goodbye to Allison, Phil & Jacob after a great visit. We spent the day in the car travelling from North Carolina to Virginia to West Virginia to Pennsylania. It was a long drive but very scenic as we were driving along the mountains much of the time.

This is Pilot Mountain, NC

Then we drove by Mount Airy. Mount Airy was the birthplace and childhood home of American actor Andy Griffith, and is widely believed to be the inspiration for the fictional community Mayberry, the setting of The Andy Griffith Show.
This is the view from Virginia looking back at Pilot Mountain and Mount Airy area of North Carolina. This was a spectacular view and the picture does not do it justice but I tried.

We passed through two mountain tunnels in Virginia.

This was the hiding spot of a geocache I found at the West Virginia welcome centre. Scott found another one just off the highway later in the day. Looking for caches was a great way to break up the drive a bit and give us a chance to stretch our legs a bit.

This is the view from the bridge over New River. This is the Western Hemisphere's longest Arch Bridge. (Who knew?)

This was a monument to a one of the largest coal mining disasters that took place at the same location as the current Pennsylvania Welcome Centre.

It turned out to be a rather educational trip today.

We finished off our day by having Easter dinner at the Olive Garden just south of our current location, Grove City PA. Tomorrow we do a little shopping at the outlets and head for home.

From the road...day 4

2009-04-11T21:19:00.005-04:00

Day number four in North Carolina. It was another beautiful day here with the temperature reaching about 22 degrees Celsius. Last night we had some pretty good thunderstorms. My car is now clean from the rain we had.

We got out for a walk this morning and were able to find some geocaches in a green belt not to far from where we were staying. Here is Scott finding one on our walk.

After lunch we took a trip to Chapel Hill, home of the 2009 NCAA Division 1 Basketball Champion University of North Carolina Tar Heels. We took a walk down Franklin Street and visited some of the stores that were selling championship gear. Scott was able to pick up a couple of t-shirts and hats.

A very special thanks to our host Phil for taking us there today. We understand how hard it must have been for a North Carolina State alumni to visit this unholy ground, but we appreciate the sacrifice and won't tell anyone of your journey today.

What visit to Chapel Hill would be complete without a visit to the Dean E Smith center? Home of the Tar Heels. Unfortunately it was closed for renovations and we could not get inside. Maybe next time!

After a delicious diner that evening we were treated to a quite an entertaining show from Alison and Phil's son Jacob. Full dress costume and all.

All in all this has been a wonderful trip. Tomorrow we start to head for home.

Tales from the road...day 3

2009-04-10T21:06:00.007-04:00

It was a warm and sunny day so it was off to the beach we went. We arrived at Carolina Beach just around noontime. The water was pretty cold so this was as wet as we got. It was pretty windy but it was still nice to walk the beach and by the end of the day I was doing my best lobster impression with my bright red shoulders.

We found a geocache under one of the boardwalks nearby.

Our hosts for the day Allison, Jacob and Phil walking the beach with us.

We went to the aquarium at Fort Fisher a little further down the beach.

Scott was missing Alice, so instead he was playing with the catfish.

I think anytime you can go to the beach in April I would highly recommend it.

And sorry Mom, I didn't have any fish for Good Friday but I did see lots of them :-)

From the road...day 2

2009-04-09T21:35:00.011-04:00

Well, we made it. We left Hershey nice and early for North Carolina. We stopped to do some geocaches throughout the day. We made pretty good time except for two traffic jams driving through Virginia. Scott is convinced that he doesn't ever want to have to drive through Viriginia ever again. BTW...have I mentioned yet how much I love our GPS? It has made this drive so much easier and I love it!!!!!!!

This is Scott at the outlet mall at Gettysburg finding a cache near the edge of the parking lot.

This is me signing the log of a cache at the Maryland Welcome Centre.
This is the dirtiest car we saw all day. Yes, that is our salt covered, bug splattered car.

We finally made it to the right state! Only a couple more hours to go.....

Well, we have made it here safe and sound. Tomorrow it's off to the beach...thats right, the beach :-)

From the road....

2009-04-08T19:55:00.008-04:00

OK so this is brilliant idea to get back to blogging. We'll see how it goes. We are on the road to visit my friend in Raleigh, North Carolina. So Scott says why don't we update the blog with tales from the road. Well seems like a good idea at least for today but who knows how much time we'll have to keep this up.

Anyhow, today we left TO about 5:30am (after stopping at Timmy's of course!). I fell asleep on the way to the border and when we arrived there was practically no one there so we crossed in no time. Buffalo was getting a blizzard and as we drove east across New York eventually it disappeared. And once we were out of NY state there was barely any snow at all.

We arrived at our first stop in Hershey PA at about 1pm and headed straight for Hersheys Chocolate World. MMMmmmm...chocolate.

After a tour of how they make chocolate we went to Hershey University and graduated from a chocolate tasting class. Its a rough life - no really!!!

We checked into the hotel, then headed back out to check out the outlet mall. We looked around for a bit and then went to find a Geocache in Hershey. We (Scott) found it, almost too easily for his preference.

Then off for dinner. Scott wanted to try out a Chilies. It was pretty good - margaritas, nacho chips and salsa, fajitas and hamburgers. I would definately go back again! So now we are back at the hotel, relaxing a bit before getting a good nights sleep and getting back on the road for another 7 hour drive tomorrow.

ok, so he lied....

2009-01-21T20:42:00.007-05:00

He promised he'd be back, but I guess he lied. Well now he's on vacation so maybe he'll blog some more?? We'll see. In the meantime, I am typing this on my new laptop that I got from the nicest boy in the room right now. Ok, inside joke, but he is sitting on the couch beside me.

As I was watching Breakfast Television the other day they were discussing things that you cannot live without. I would like to make my list and share it with you.

#1 I could not live without my lip balm. If I was going to be on survivor I would definately have to make that my luxury item as I would not go without it.

#2 In these days of the internet I don't think that I could live without my computer and internet connection. I use it to check everything...what did we do before this???

#3 This was the hardest pick....I don't even know if there is truely something else that I couldn't live without. I love my car but I could manage if I didn't have it. Cellphone...not truely necessary. A good barbeque steak....well maybe. TV...I do like TV. But I think I would have to get mushy and say my friends and family (and maybe even Scott too). There have been times when I thought...how far away would I be willing to move for a job? And just couldn't imagine moving more then a car ride away.

Well that's it for now....here is a recent pick of us that I took the other day with the new laptop camera.

Has It Really Been That Long???

2008-09-25T20:25:00.004-04:00

It's been almost a year since we updated anything...there is so much to tell and show you.

In the next week or so we will start updating again. In the meantme, welcome back. I hope you haven't missed us too much.

Halloween at the new place

2007-11-05T10:37:00.000-05:00

Our first Halloween at the new house...we really had no idea how many kids we would get, so we stocked up on candy just in case.We only got somewhere between 40 and 60 kids which really isn't all that much...so we have a lot of candy left over. (Not that I am too upset about that!)

In our grand tradition of pumpkin carving we again went with a Disney these.

Steph carved a Mickey Mouse pumpkin. It looked really cool!

I went for a simple Spider.

We had a few kids tell us how "Cool" our pumpkins were and we even had a couple of parents come up to the door to check them out. The parents went so far as to ask us if we were artists...if only they knew where to look to get the required stencils to do this kind of work!

How do you like your cheese?

2007-09-04T20:42:00.000-04:00

Things that make you go HHUUMMMM

2007-09-01T11:26:00.000-04:00

Can you cry under water?

How important does a person have to be before they are considered assassinated instead of just murdered?

Why do you have to "put your two cents in".. but it's only a "penny for your thoughts"? Where's that extra penny going to?

Once you're in heaven, do you get stuck wearing the clothes you were buried in for eternity?

Why does a round pizza come in a square box?

What disease did cured ham actually have?

How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?

Why is it that people say they "slept like a baby" when babies wake up like every two hours?

If a deaf person has to go to court, is it still called a hearing?

Why are you IN a movie, but you're ON TV?

Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in binoculars to look at things on the ground?

Why do doctors leave the room while you change? They're going to see you naked anyway.

Why is "bra" singular and "panties" plural?

Why do toasters always have a setting that burns the toast to a horrible crisp, which no decent human being would eat?

If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a stupid song about him?

Can a hearse carrying a corpse drive in the carpool lane ?

If the professor on Gilligan's Island can make a radio out of a coconut, why can't he fix a hole in a boat?

Why does Goofy stand erect while Pluto remains on all fours? They're both dogs!

If Wile E. Coyote had enough money to buy all that ACME crap, why didn't he just buy dinner?

If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, what is baby oil made from?

If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?

Do the Alphabet song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star have the same tune?

Why did you just try singing the two songs above?

Why do they call it an asteroid when it's outside the hemisphere, but call it a hemorrhoid when it's in your butt?

Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog's face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him for a car ride, he sticks his head out the window?

Waiting for number three...

2007-08-31T21:49:00.000-04:00

Greetings all! So how about a house update??? Things are going well generally. We are all settled in now and just when we thought there was nothing else to worry about for a while...the AC broke. Yeah, remember the days at the start of August when it seemed like a million degrees outside? Well, that's when the AC decided that it was not going to work anymore. Apparently we were not the only ones on the street with this problem either. Anyhow, the process took about two weeks but they came and replaced it with a new unit so we were happy with that. And it actually taught us that we could survive without it (although I won't want to).

Then last weekend, Scott noticed the freezer above the fridge was not so cold. The next day we could tell the whole fridge was not working as it should. So we called the warranty people for the Brick and they sent someone to check it out. They said it needed three new parts. And I think to myself...but the thing is only 3 months old! It was new when we bought the house! Anyhow since they tell me the parts would be in the next day I decide to wait for them. But when they didn't come in, and the girl on the phone couldn't tell me when they would be in, I got my "I can be a b-i-t-c-h" face on and told them they should call me before the end of the day with either a time when they would fix it or to just send a replacement. Working in retail and sales has taught me that if you demand it, normally you can get away with just about anything. And funny thing happened...today they delivered my new fridge to replace the broken one. Problem number two solved. And it motivated Scott to clean out and plug in our cube freezer in the garage in the meantime.

So there have been two things that have now gone wrong...and they say these things always come in three's. I am waiting for the last crisis to emerge. But having said that, I think I have to follow up with Rogers. Seems they were supposed to be out to bury the cable line that wasn't done properly during the building process. They said they would take about 8 weeks to get that done....that was about 12 weeks ago....stay tuned!

HIP! HIP! HIP!

2007-08-29T21:35:00.000-04:00

Welcome back blog readers!! So I know we haven't had a very exciting blog recently. "Not much to say" is the only excuse we have. But today I have two stories. So I will tell one today and maybe tomorrow Scott will tell the other (have to keep you wanting more don't I?)

Sometimes work can be very boring. Then when you least expect it, something very cool happens. Last night my work held a big party to celebrate the opening of a new downtown office location. And since my work location hasn't changed, I was surprised to receive an invite to the party. It consisted of an open bar and dinner. Pretty good so far right? How could the night get any better your thinking? How about a concert by the Tragically Hip? That would do it!! At a fairly small venue, for only about 100-200 people they definately rocked the place! I have seen them once before, about 12-13 years ago during the travelling Roadside attraction tour days. But this was much better! Gordon Downie is quite the entertainer. How he gets the energy I have no idea but he definately knows how to get a crowd going, even a small one. Needless to say I had an awesome time and times like these make work a little more bearable! Anyhow that is my exciting tale for this evening.

Drew Carry Show with Richard Simmons

2007-08-25T19:11:00.001-04:00

This has to be one of the funniest things I have seen in a long time!

Complaints Dept.

2007-08-03T16:36:00.000-04:00

When you want something and you finally get it, please don't complain about it!

That's all I have to say about that.

Weird News from around the world.

2007-07-13T11:14:00.000-04:00

Did you hear about this?
Earlier this week I read a story about some people in Germany.
Apparently there were some people in this apartment building that were smelling the most foul odor coming from this one apartment. They say it smelled like someone had died.
The police were called and they got into this apartment only to find the occupant very much alive. The stench was apparently coming from his feet!
That's right...his feet.
He hadn't bathed or left his apartment for quite some time.
I just can't imagine someone's feet smelling like DEATH, nor do I want to imagine it or even experience it.

Kids write about the sea.

2007-06-22T16:30:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I wish I could go back to a simpler time when I didn't have to think about what I said before I said it.

1) This is a picture of an octopus. It has eight testicles. (Kelly age 6)
2) Oysters' balls are called pearls. (James age 6)
3) If you are surrounded by sea you are an Island. If you don't have sea all round you, you are incontinent. (Wayne age 7)
4) Sharks are ugly and mean, and have big teeth, just like Emily Richardson. She's not my friend no more. ( Kylie age 6)
5) A dolphin breaths through an asshole on the top of its head. (Billy age 8)
6) My uncle goes out in his boat with pots, and comes back with crabs. (Millie age 6)
7) When ships had sails, they used to use the trade winds to cross the ocean. Sometimes, when the wind didn't blow, the sailors would whistle to make the wind come. My brother said they would have been better off eating beans. (William age 7)
8) I like mermaids. They are beautiful, and I like their shiny tails. And how on earth do mermaids get pregnant? Like, really? (Helen age 6)
9) I'm not going to write about the sea. My baby brother is always screaming and being sick, my Dad keeps shouting at my Mom, and my big sister has just got pregnant, so I can't think what to write. (Amy age 6)
10) Some fish are dangerous Jellyfish can sting. Electric eels can give you a shock. They have to live in caves under the sea where I think they have to plug themselves into chargers. (Christopher age 7)
11) When you go swimming in the sea, it is very cold, and it makes my weenie small. (Kevin age 6)
12) Divers have to be safe when they go under the water. Two divers can't go down alone, so they have to go down on each other. (Becky age 8)
13) On holidays my Mom went water skiing. She fell off when she was going very fast. She says she won't do it again because the water fired right up her fat ass. (Jule age 7)

Life was so much easier then!

YOU WENT TO SEE WHO?!?!?

2007-05-28T22:35:00.000-04:00

Last Thursday Steph and I went to a concert.

Q107, the local classic rock radio station in Toronto was celebrating 30 years, and they were throwing a party at a bar called the Docks with several bands playing. It was a win to get in kind of thing and I won 2 tickets, so off we went.

The Docks is a rather large entertainment venue down on Toronto's waterfront. It is really quite spectacular. A very large bar, outdoor patio, driving range, go-carts and a drive in theatre.

The concert itself was nostalgic to say the least.

Up first was a band called the Salads. I can't really say too much about them because we got there just as they were finishing.

This is now the part where you start to say "WHO?"

Next was legendary Canadian rockers Godo. I had heard of them but really couldn't have told you anything that they play; however, I recognized all three songs that they played. It was a case of, "oh they sing that song, I know that one!".

After Godo was Honeymoon Suite. If you were a teenager in the 80's then you know songs like New Girl Now and Burning in Love. I had never seen them before and thought they were pretty good.

After Honeymoon Suite came Canadian Idol judge Sass Jordan. I was quite excited to see her as I really like her music. She did two songs with just her and a guitar player. Although I was a little disappointed that she didn't have her full band there, she was still very good.

For me, the next artist was the surprise of the night. David Wilcox. My high school "bush party" days had made me quite familiar with his music, but I had never seen him live before. Let me just say that I will ABSOLUTELY be going to see him if and when he comes around. Best performance of the night in my opinion!

Finally, the band everyone had been waiting for. (Time for another "Who is that?" moment)

The re-united MAX WEBSTER.

Max Webster was pretty big in Canada in the mid to late 70's. Led by Q107 DJ Kim Mitchel they had a string of hits you might have heard. Songs like Diamonds Diamonds, A Million Vacations and many others that if you heard them, you might say I know that song, but I couldn't tell you who sang it.

You might know Kim Mitchel better as the "Might as Well Go For a Soda" guy.

Anyway. Steph and I had a really good time, even though on Friday we both payed for it at work. (I think we are getting too old)

We took a bunch of pictures, and this picture of Kim Mitchel was the best one.

Seven Wonders of Canada

2007-05-17T22:00:00.000-04:00

What are your Seven Wonders of Canada? If you have travelled across Canada there are many unique locations worthy of being among the top seven. Well now, you can make your vote count. The CBC has compiled a list of the top 50 and you can vote to help narrow it down for the final judging.
There were 5 criteria:
1. Essential 'Canadian-ness' - historically significant, character filled, valued

2. Originality/uniqueness of the pitch and place
3. Spectacular physical site or amazing human creation
4. Ability to inspire
5. Range within the final seven - diversity of location, type of wonder

After checking out all the nominees, here is my pick for the final seven:
Bay of Fundy -New Brunswick / Nova Scotia
Confederation Bridge - Prince Edward Island / New Brunswick
The Canoe - Ontario
Drumheller - Alberta
Cathedral Grove - British Columbia
Northern Lights - Northern Canada
Dawson City - Yukon

I know that I haven't actually seen any of these in person except for a Canoe but I have a fairly strong geography/history background and based on my opinion these fit the criteria the best. I think my new life goal will be to try and visit all 50.

Now go vote!! http://www.cbc.ca/sevenwonders/index.html

Home Sweet Home

2007-05-13T09:44:00.000-04:00

The keys are in the door and we are in.

The move last weekend went great! We hired a couple of guys to help us move and they worked out so much better than we expected. I had hired them for 6 hours, and they had everything done in just over 5 hours. AMAZING!

Now that we are in, the unpacking has begun. It's going pretty well. Steph had a few days off this week and was able to put quite a few things away.

Although it seems like there is still a ton of things to do, it already feels like we are home.

Even Alice, who was quite freaked out at first with being in a new place has settled down and is really enjoying her new digs. There are so many new things for her to explore, and of course, new places for her to have a nap (even if it means she is in the way).

But of course for me, the best thing about having the house is finally being able to Bar-B-Que!

Is there anything better than a steak, done to PERFECTION, washed down with a nice cold BEER? I think not!

CHEERS!

It's Finally Here

2007-05-03T09:35:00.000-04:00

After what seemed like forever, we got the house today!!!
We start moving in tomorrow!
More to come...

2007-04-27T13:05:00.001-04:00

ONE MORE WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Enough said!

Hi I'm Scott and I have a problem...

2007-04-23T19:27:00.000-04:00

As the Facebook fad sweeps through the nation , some of us more grounded Facebook users worry that we might soon see a breakout of serious facebook addictions. Maybe you or someone you know has an obvious Facebook addiction. Maybe he/she is a Facebook stalker. I have identified some of the common warning signs of a Facebook addiction. Remember, the first step to recovery is admitting that you have a problem.
You might be a Facebook addict if . . .

You are disappointed when you click on a person’s picture only to find that you can’t access their personal information because you are not their “Facebook friend.”
You randomly search through your friends’ friends to find more people to add.
You spend hours of precious study time viewing photo albums and pictures of people you went to high school with but haven’t talked to since.
You get in a fight with your significant other because he/she doesn’t want to be officially “Facebook dating” yet.
You throw yourself a little Facebook party when you reach the big marks: 50 friends, 100 friends, 200 friends. . .
You regularly read through the list of groups so that you can be sure to add yourself to clubs such as “We love Boy Meets World” and “Cut the Mullet.”
You make your first priority to check your e-mail in the morning, just in case someone added you or messaged your Facebook account overnight.
You find yourself frustrated when you search for someone, only to find that they are not (yet) a Facebook addict like yourself.
You feel faint or shaky during work or class—and other times when you don’t have access to Facebook.

So if you or someone you know has this serious addiction, please know that they (you) are not alone and there is help available.

Smile

2007-04-22T19:46:00.000-04:00

In case the beautiful weather this weekend didn't put you in a great mood already - here is some humour for my scrapbooking friends. (just double click in the picture to see it larger).

Too excited to sleep?

2007-04-16T04:58:00.000-04:00

It's 5 in the morning and I can't sleep so I might as well blog. Although I have a confession, I have already spent a half hour on Facebook, my newest obsession. OK I should really call it an addiction. For those that don't know about it, I hear it's like My Space, but I don't know much about My Space to say for sure. To me, its a cross between email/MSN/classmates.com. A new way to check out what everyone you've ever known is up to.
Anyhow, what is the reason that I am up at 5am? I woke up for a trip to the bathroom and can't get back to sleep. All I can think about is that in just a little more then two weeks we are moving to our new house. My brain starts thinking about the move and just won't stop! I guess you could say - "I'm too excited to sleep!!"

Some people....

2007-04-05T07:32:00.000-04:00

...shouldn't shop alone. This was an actual conversation I had last night with a guest at the store where I work.

Guest: These are 2 for $14.00 right?
Me: Actually they are on sale for $5.99 each
Guest: (in protest) But it says here on the tag they are 2 for $14.00!!
Me: Well I can charge you 2 for $14.00 if you want but it would be cheaper to pay $5.99 each
Guest: Is it?

Enough said!

30 days and counting...

2007-04-03T21:33:00.000-04:00

Well one month from today we will own our first home - and you will stop having to look at pics of the outside and get to see pics of the inside - aren't you excited too??? Ha ha! Anyhow, so this is a call out to all our friends... if you are available May 5th to help us move please let us know as we need all the help we can get!!!

Inspirational Stuff

2007-03-27T19:47:00.000-04:00

We have been getting some pretty good e-mails this week and I thought this one was special enough to pass along.

I seldom pass along inspirational stuff, but this one got to me.I believe, in these difficult and mean-spirited times in which we live, there needs to be a message of Hope.We can all use a single image that speaks to us of love, harmony, peace, and joy.An image that suggests the universality of us all.I have been sent that image, and I want to share it with you all. All I ask is that all of you take a moment to reflect on it.

35 or 5?

2007-03-26T21:18:00.000-04:00

Today the funniest thing happened.

It was a warm day in the GTA today. So I come home from work late due to an incredibly busy day in the office. Scott had made dinner and we had just finished eating. I went over to the computer to get my "fix" and check into what's happened on Facebook during the day. The window was open and a nice breeze was flowing through.

Then Scott suddenly hits the pause on the TV. His face lights up like a 5 year old on Christmas morning when he sees that Santa has brought the shiny red bicycle he's asked for. Then I hear it - the reason for his excitement....the ice cream truck! The first round of many for the summer, the ice cream man is back!

OK so maybe I was tired after working a long day, but the look on his face was priceless. He looked 35 going on 5...I laughed so hard I cried.

IIIIICCCCCCEEEEE CCRRRRREEEEAAAAMMMM!!!!!!!!

How times change...

2007-03-26T21:07:00.000-04:00

I got this by email today and many of these comments rang true to me. So I know I was born towards the end of this time but my, how times have changed...does any of this sound familiar to you???

Those Born 1930-1979

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED the 1930's 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's !!

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant. They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes.

Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-based paints.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking.

As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster seats, seat belts or air bags. Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat.

We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.

We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.

We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank koolade made with sugar, but we weren't overweight because...WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING !

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.

No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or chat rooms.......! WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.

We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.

We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes. We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them!

Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!

These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever! The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.

We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!

If YOU are one of them . . . CONGRATULATIONS!

You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good. And while you are at it, share this with your kids so they will know how brave (and lucky) their parents were.

Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?!

Moms are always right...

2007-03-20T21:27:00.000-04:00

Well it's spring! Can you feel the warm weather coming?? Thanks to Mr Bush the daylight lasts longer into the evening so it feels a little more like summer already. Makes you want to put away the gloves, hats and boots...hang up your winter coat until next winter!

But a news clip I heard on the radio today reminded me of something my mother always said..."don't put away your winter coat until the end of April...it may be spring but winter's not over yet." In the news clip an Environment Canada climatologist confirmed that winter could stick around until April. It stated that 11% of our annual snowfall comes after the first day of spring. There have been only two out of the last 68 years where it did not snow in April.

So for those that like winter, it might not be over for you yet. And I will take my Mom's advice and not be too quick to put away the winter coat just yet...

So...Were you smarter than a Fifth Grader?

2007-03-12T21:46:00.000-04:00

Rhombus:
In geometry, a rhombus (or rhomb; plural rhombi) is a quadrilateral in which all of the sides are of equal length, i.e., it is an equilateral quadrthisangle. If any angle of can equilateral quadrangle is a beright angle, then all its angles are right angles and it is changedalso a square. In colloquial usage the shape is often described as a diamond or lozenge.
Thanks to Wikipedia for that definition.

So once again...to sum it up in ENGLISH...a rhombus has 4 sides!

It could've been this week...

2007-03-12T21:18:00.000-04:00

Well, it was supposed to be be March 15th...that was the original closing date. And after a visit to the house yesterday I am kind of glad it got delayed for another month and a half. Some of the people just down the road are already living there. In the middle of a mud mess. And I can't imagine what it's like during the week when all the construction vehicles are all over the place. Anyhow, peaking in the windows we couldn't see too much. The flooring in the front hallway has been laid in the 45 degree angle we paid extra for (that just means it's turned like diamonds instead of straight squares). And the stair railings are up but no carpeting yet. The siding on the back of the house is done, but not the front. We have a garage door now so it's starting to look a little more complete.

Are you smarter than a fifth grader?

2007-03-08T21:10:00.000-05:00

How many sides does a rhombus have?

Maybe we'll tell you the answer tomorrow.

Steph's $52 Happy Dance...

2007-03-04T20:43:00.000-05:00

So, last night Steph and I went to play the slots at Woodbine racetrack. I won second prize in a contest from Q107 and the prize was a t-shirt and $20 to spend on the slots.
Earlier in the day I called to verify my prize winning and was told that a package would be waiting for me at "The Winners Circle" when I got there.
We arrived at about 9:30pm and found "The Winners Circle", only problem was that not one person working there at the time knew what I was supposed to get, or how to get it. After waiting for about 40 minutes while they scrambled to get my "winnings" together, they give Steph and I each a t-shirt (size large, won't fit) and two vouchers for $10 each. We cash the vouchers and go to play some games.
Steph found a machine and started to play. While Steph was playing, I put $20 into a machine behind her, never played this machine before, it looked to be fairly new. I put $20 in and pressed one button on the machine and my money was gone!!! One button, one spin, whoa what fun...grand total of about 15 seconds.
Steph is still playing her machine, has lost about half her money, cashes out and we move on. I don't feel like playing anymore, but Steph has caught the "gambling bug". She sits down at another machine and don't you know she goes up a bit, then drops back, then up, then down, then all of a sudden she hits a big one and is up big. Reluctantly, but excitedly she cashed out. Her original $20 has now grown to $52. Who-Hoo, at least one of us came out ahead!
After this we went to watch the ponies for a bit, then decided to go home.
While we were leaving, Steph had this to say...
"It's much more fun when you win!"
Amen to that!

Chilli Cook-off

2007-03-02T19:51:00.000-05:00

Notes From An Inexperienced Chilli Tester Named FRANK, who had moved to Texas from the East Coast:
"Recently, I was honoured to be selected as a judge at a chilli cook-off. The original person called in sick at the last moment and I happened to be standing there at the judge's table asking directions to the beer wagon, when the call came. I was assured by the other two judges (Native Texans) that the chilli wouldn't be all that spicy, and besides, they told me I could have free beer during the tasting. So I accepted." Here are the scorecards from the event:

CHILLI # 1 MIKE'S MANIAC MOBSTER MONSTER CHILLI
JUDGE ONE: A little too heavy on tomato. Amusing kick.
JUDGE TWO: Nice, smooth tomato flavour, Very mild.
FRANK: Holy shit, what the hell is this stuff? You could remove dried paint from your driveway. Took me two beers to put the flames out. I hope that's the worst one. These Texans are crazy.

CHILLI # 2 ARTHUR'S AFTERBURNER CHILLI
JUDGE ONE: Smokey, with a hint of pork. Slight Jalapeno tang.
JUDGE TWO: Exciting BBQ flavour, needs more peppers to be taken seriously.
FRANK: Keep this out of the reach of children I'm not sure what I am supposed to taste besides pain. I had to wave off two people who wanted to give me the Heimlich manoeuvre. They had to rush in more beer when they saw the look on my face.

CHILLI # 3 FRED'S FAMOUS BURN DOWN THE BARN CHILLI
JUDGE ONE: Excellent firehouse chilli! Great kick. Needs more beans.
JUDGE TWO: A beanless chilli, a bit salty, good use of peppers.
FRANK: Call the EPA, I've located a uranium spill. My nose feels like I have been snorting Drano. Everyone knows the routine by now get me more beer before I ignite. Barmaid pounded me on the back; now my backbone is in the front part of my chest. I'm getting shit-faced from all the beer.

CHILLI # 4 BUBBA'S BLACK MAGIC
JUDGE ONE: Black bean chilli with almost no spice. Disappointing.
JUDGE TWO: Hint of lime in the black beans. Good side dish for fish or other mild foods, not much of a chilli.
FRANK: I felt something scraping across my tongue, but was unable to taste it. Is it possible to burnout taste buds? Kathy, the barmaid, was standing behind me with fresh refills; that 300 lb. bitch is starting to look HOT just like this nuclear waste I'm eating. Is chilli an aphrodisiac?

CHILLI # 5 LINDA'S LEGAL LIP REMOVER
JUDGE ONE: Meaty, strong chilli. Cayenne peppers freshly ground, adding considerable kick. Very Impressive.
JUDGE TWO: Chilli using shredded beef, could use more tomato. Must admit the cayenne peppers make a strong statement.
FRANK: My ears are ringing, sweat is pouring off my forehead and I can no longer focus my eyes. I farted and four people behind me needed paramedics. The contestant seemed offended when I told her that her chilli had given me brain damage. Kathy saved my tongue from bleeding by pouring beer directly on it from a pitcher. I wonder if I'm burning my lips off? It really pisses me off that the other judges asked me to stop screaming. Screw those rednecks!

CHILLI # 6 VERA'S VERY VEGETARIAN VARIETY
JUDGE ONE: Thin yet bold vegetarian variety chilli. Good balance of spice and peppers.
JUDGE TWO: The best yet. Aggressive use of peppers, onions, and garlic. Superb.
FRANK: My intestines are now a straight pipe filled with gaseous, sulphuric flames. I shit myself when I farted and I worried it will eat through the chair. No one seems inclined to stand behind me except that slut Kathy. She must be kinkier than I thought. Can't feel my lips anymore. I need to wipe my ass with a snow cone!

CHILLI # 7 SUSAN'S SCREAMING SENSATION CHILLI
JUDGE ONE: A mediocre chilli with too much reliance on canned peppers.
JUDGE TWO: Ho Hum, tastes as if the chef literally threw in a can of chilli peppers at the last moment. I should take note that I am worried about Judge Number 3, He appears to be in a bit of distress as he is cursing uncontrollably.
FRANK: You could put a grenade in my mouth, pull the pin, and I wouldn't feel a damn thing. I've lost sight in one eye, and the world sounds like it is made of rushing water. My shirt is covered with chilli, which slid unnoticed out of my mouth. My pants are full of lava-like shit to match my damn shirt. At least during the autopsy they'll know what killed me. I've decided to stop breathing, it's too painful. Screw it, I'm not getting any oxygen anyway. If I need air, I'll just suck it in through the 4-inch hole in my stomach.

CHILLI # 8 BILLY BOB'S SMOKIN ASS CHILLI
JUDGE ONE: A perfect ending, this is a nice blend chilli, safe for all, not too bold but spicy enough to declare it's existence.
JUDGE TWO: This final entry is a good, balanced chilli. Neither mild nor hot. Sorry to see that most of it was lost when Judge Number 3 passed out, fell over and pulled the chilli pot down on top of himself. Not sure if he's going to make it. Poor Yank, wonder how he'd have reacted to a really hot chilli?

The Best Episode Ever!

2007-03-01T22:37:00.001-05:00

Today's weather reminded me of the greatest Simpson's episode ever...Mr. Plow!

It Happened...

2007-03-01T21:53:00.000-05:00

Today in southern Ontario we had a pretty heavy snowfall. By the time I got home from work today (after a two and a half hour drive that normally on a good day takes 40 minutes), there must have been close to 10 cm of snow in the driveway. That's a lot of snow!
So I started to shovel, and shovel, and shovel. An hour later, the driveway was clean, and I was exhausted!
About 10 minutes after I was finished, in the house, and starting to relax...

THE DAMN SNOWPLOW COMES DOWN THE STREET!!!

Oh no, it couldn't come while I was out there, that would be too easy.
I love winter!

Math sucks!

2007-02-28T20:54:00.000-05:00

As my parents can attest to, Math was never my best subject to say the least. So when I got these pics by email today I felt like finally someone understood Math like I did.

Deep Thoughts

2007-02-25T19:29:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I think of some really strange things.

If man evolved from monkeys and apes, why do we still have monkeys and apes?
Should crematoriums give discounts for burn victims?
Why do they sterilize the needles for lethal injections?
How come when you open a can of evaporated milk it’s still there?
Why do you press harder on a remote control when you know the battery is dead?
If it's zero degrees outside today and it's supposed to be twice as cold tomorrow, how cold is it going to be?
Is French kissing in France just called kissing?
If it's hot, why do they call it chilli?

These are just some things that I thnk about.

That's all for now.

A computer lets you make more mistakes faster than any invention in human history - with the possible exception of tequila.

Music Meme

2007-02-21T21:24:00.000-05:00

I have been tagged to do a meme about music. I accept the challenge...so here goes.

1. What is your favourite group? KISS

2. What is your favourite song? Tough to pick just one...probably would have to say my all time favourite...Bad Bad Leroy Brown by Jim Croce

3. The one song you could never get tired of? Sultans of Swing by Dire Straits

4. Name a song you like but would never admit to? If I mention it here, then isn't that like admitting that I like it?!? Alright, but don't tell anyone else that I happen to like the new Gwen Stefani song The Sweet Escape

5. What is the most embarassing CD you own? Although I am not really embarrased by any of my CDs, I will say that I don't know what the hell I was thinking when I bought the Counting Crows CD August and Everything After. A truely HORRIBLE CD!

6. Which do you prefer Michael or Janet Jackson? It would not bother me one bit if I NEVER heard another song by either one of them EVER AGAIN!

7. Your best drinking song? Welcome To The Jungle - Guns 'n Roses

8. If you could be in any band, what band would it be? Tough question...but it would probably be Aerosmith. I was gonna say Metallica, but I just saw Some Kind of Monster...OMG!

9. What is the best concert you have ever been to? I have been to so many great concerts, but three stand out for me...KISS, 1990 in Hamilton, Deep Purple at Massey Hall in Feb 2004 (my friend Moe's birthday) and Aerosmith in April of 2004, again in Hamilton (my birthday).

10. Who is better the Stones or the Beatles? I have to say the Beatles.

11. The last CD you bought or were given? Los Lonely Boys - Sacred. (A cross between Texas blues and Mexican music = Texican)

12. What was the last song you stole? If by stole you mean downloaded, well I just DL'd a cover of Metallica's Enter Sandman done by Motorhead. Very Cool!

13. If you could meet any muscian, dead or alive, who would it be? I think it would be very interesting to speak Keith Richards (assuming you could actually understand what he is saying)

14. The best female artist? I like Johnette Napolitano from Concrete Blonde.

15. If you could see any band 'live' past or present, who would it be? Kiss in 1977 at their peak. (I have videos, but I think it would have been great to see it live)

16. Most annoying artist in your opinion? Fergie - Can't sing, can't dance, looks like she got smacked more than once with the fugly stick...so why is she so popular!?!?!?

17. Best music video? Genesis - Land of Confusion.

18. Song that makes you smile-no matter what? This is the Life By Weird Al.

Nortel Humour

2007-02-19T18:08:00.000-05:00

I got this from a former Nortel colleague of mine and thought it was quite funny, I hope you think so too. (Just click on it to see it big enough to read)

Pet Spa!

2007-02-15T21:47:00.000-05:00

Because sometimes even your pet needs a little pampering!

Kitty Wash

GO LEAFS GO!!!

2007-02-14T21:06:00.000-05:00

Before I start, I know you must be thinking...3 posts in one day? Well today I happen to have a lot to say!

Last night I went to my first Leaf's game. I have never been the biggest hockey fan but some tickets fell into our hands (Thanks to Anita & Dale!) and so off we went. I must admit that watching a game in person is much more interesting then watching on TV. And last night I definately got the full effect. The game ended in a two all tie and went to overtime,and then to a shoot out. The Leafs ended up losing but overall I thought it was a good game.

Scott made this lovely video montage of the pics we took using one of my favourite hockey songs by none other then Great Big Sea! Keep an eye out for the pic we got of Leaf great Darryl Sittler. Check it out....

Go Leafs Go!

Just driving along, singing a song...

2007-02-14T20:50:00.000-05:00

Today on my way home I was waiting in the left turn lane and in my rear view mirror I see this guy in the car behind me dancing away in the drivers seat. He was singing, arms waving around, his whole body grooving to the music. And I started thinking, well at least I know that he is listening to some kind of music that he was obviously really enjoying.

I am about to let you know a secret about me....when I am alone in the car...I sing. I don't always know all the words, and I am sure that it's out of tune but that doesn't matter because no one else is in the car with me. But here's the thing I realized...people must think that I am talking to myself!! On the odd occasion I am cursing at some stupid moron driver, but the rest of the time I am singing.

So this is just a notice to anyone who sees me driving along and thinks that I am going crazy and talking to myself...I am just singing!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2007-02-14T20:43:00.000-05:00

Well I hope you all have a better Valentine's Day then the kids who wrote this article. (Just double click on the picture to see it larger)

And how old are you?

2007-02-06T21:48:00.000-05:00

I heard something on the news today that made me wonder about politicians these days. Today there was a photo shoot to take a picture of the city councillors for the city of Toronto. Apparently, they were unable to take direction of the mayor's wishes over who should get to sit in the front row. As a result the photo shoot was cancelled before the picture could be taken.

I thought we all learned this in public school - you sit where they tell you to. The tall people are either in the back row centre or standing at the sides like the teacher. The short people sit in the front row. Very rarely did you choose where to sit.

Well this group of "adults" that were actually elected into leadership roles could not take direction for a simple photo. They should all be embarrassed about their behaviour and ashamed to have been entrusted to make decisions on behalf of the residents of Toronto. I am only glad that I don't live in Toronto and that my taxes don't pay those councillor's salaries.

Helmut Head?

2007-01-28T18:21:00.000-05:00

Winter has finally arrived in Southern Ontario, and with it has come some prime tobogganing. This is the next topic for our version of he said, she said. There has been some debate lately that kids should be made to wear helmuts when they go tobogganing. There have been a few accidents lately where children have run into trees or buildings and have come away with concussions. It has gotten to the point where the government wants to make it a law.

He Said... This is just a ridiculous law in my opinion. Let children be children. It is up to the parents to instill some common sense into their children. When tobogganing, don't aim for the trees, aim away from the trees. This is common sense. I agree that children riding their bikes in the streets should be made to wear a helmut. There are too many factors that they cannot control. There are some absolutely insane people out there that should not be driving, and it is for this reason that kids should wear helmuts. When on a tobogan hill, you have much more control over where you go down the hill. When I was younger, we stayed away from the trees and buildings, common sense. Children will fall down, they will get hurt...but as long as they use some common sense, they will come out alright.

She Said...Children these days don't have common sense. And when they don't have common sense it's probably because their parents don't either. Now I think that making it a law to wear a helmut is a little extreme, but there is some method in the madness. There are many things that we were allowed to do as kids that you cannot to now, including riding in the "way back" of a car without a seat belt. Times change and sometimes we have to change how we think. I know I am getting old when I see kids these days and I think "there is no way we were like that". But I really think that kids these days are getting more out of control and they have little common sense. Younger kids are not able to control what direction they are going in and may not know enough to bail off the sled before they hit the concrete wall. Parents do not spend enough time watching them to help prevent these kinds of things and make sure they sled on safe hills. Now I don't know about making it a law to wear a helmut while on a toboggan but there needs to be something to encourage more common sense for kids (and parents) that just don't have it.

Something that made me LOL!

2007-01-27T21:04:00.000-05:00

Joke of the day...

Once upon a time there were two muffins in the microwave. Suddenly, one of the muffins says: "Man it's hot in here!!!!" The other muffin exclaims, "Look a talking muffin!!!!"

New Rules for 2007

2007-01-25T21:37:00.000-05:00

In our continuing effort to make everyone's life better...here are some new rules to help govern the way you can live your life for the year 2007. Please feel free to pass them on to people you know.

First a tip on fast food...

Don't eat anything that's served to you out a window unless you're a seagull. People are acting all shocked that a human finger was found in a bowl of Wendy's chilli. Hey, it cost less than a dollar. What did you expect it to contain? Lobster?

Next, don't feel sorry for this next group...

Stop saying that teenage boys who have sex with their hot, blonde teachers are permanently damaged. I have a better description for these kids: "Lucky bastards."

Ladies, take note...

Leave your eyebrows alone. Here's how much men care about your eyebrows: Do you have two of them? Okay, we're done.

For your shopping convenience...

There's no such thing as flavoured water. There's a whole aisle of this crap at the supermarket, water, but without that watery taste. Sorry, but flavoured water is called a soft drink. You want flavoured water? Pour some scotch over ice and let it melt. That's your flavoured water.

And finally, for those of you with children, pass this little nugget on to them...

If you ever hope to be a credible adult and want a job that pays better than minimum wage, then for God's sake don't pierce or tattoo every available piece of flesh. If so, then plan your future around saying, "Do you want fries with that?"

I hope this has been helpfull.

Our house...

2007-01-21T21:43:00.000-05:00

We went for another visit to the new house yesterday with some of Scott's family and it gave us another opportunity to take some new pictures since they finished bricking it. So here's one that I like...

And for those of you that are sick of hearing about the house - too bad!!!

Awesome Guitar Player

2007-01-19T21:05:00.001-05:00

I don't know how to play guitar, but I do know that this is pretty darn good, and more than a little unusual.

Take that - Mother Nature!

2007-01-15T16:58:00.000-05:00

Most of you will know that today was the first official day of winter in the GTA. Picture this if you will...the girl who hates driving in snow, sitting in traffic this morning, going less then 5 km/hr for most of the drive, turning what should take 20 minutes into almost one hour then this little radio clip read my mind... Q107 Tool of the Day

Alice is Smarter Than We Give Her Credit For...

2007-01-15T16:36:00.000-05:00

While cleaning up around the house on the weekend, we came across a tiny diary with little writtings in it. Upon further inspection, we found out that Alice has been keeping a diary for quite some time. It would appear that we are going to have to keep a close eye on her. The following are a few exerpts from said diary...

ALICE'S DIARY

DAY 752 - My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while I am forced to eat dry cereal. The only thing that keeps me going is the hope of escape, and the mild satisfaction I get from ruining the occasional piece of furniture. Tomorrow I may eat another houseplant.

DAY 761 - Today my attempt to kill my captors by weaving around their feet while they were walking almost succeeded, must try this at the top of the stairs. In an attempt to disgust and repulse these vile oppressors, I once again induced myself to vomit on their favorite chair...must try this on their bed.

DAY 762 - Slept all day so that I could annoy my captors with sleep depriving, incessant pleas for food at ungodly hours of the night.

DAY 765 - Decapitated a mouse and brought them the headless body, in attempt to make them aware of what I am capable of, and to try to strike fear into their hearts. They only cooed and condescended about what a good little cat I was...Hmmm. Not working according to plan.

DAY 768 - I am finally aware of how sadistic they are. For no good reason I was chosen for the water torture. This time however it included a burning foamy chemical called ""shampoo."" What sick minds could invent such a liquid. My only consolation is the piece of thumb still stuck between my teeth.

DAY 771 - There was some sort of gathering of their accomplices. I was placed in solitary throughout the event. However, I could hear the noise and smell the foul odor of the glass tubes they call ""beer."" More importantly I overheard that my confinement was due to MY power of ""allergies."" Must learn what this is and how to use it to my advantage.

DAY 774 - I am convinced the other captives are flunkies and maybe snitches. The dog is routinely released and seems more than happy to return. He is obviously a half-wit. The Bird on the other hand has got to be an informant. He has mastered their frightful tongue. (something akin to mole speak) and speaks with them regularly. I am certain he reports my every move. Due to his current placement in the metal room his safety is assured.

IS THIS THE FACE OF EVIL? YOU BE THE JUDGE.

An Open Letter To All Pet Owners!

2007-01-12T13:36:00.000-05:00

Steph and I got this letter by e-mail recently and thought that it was worth passing along.

To be posted VERY LOW on the refrigerator door - nose height.

Dear Dogs and Cats,

The dishes with the paw print are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Please note, placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.

The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Beating me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run.

I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.

For the last time, there is not a secret exit from the bathroom. If by some miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge and try to pull the door open. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years -- canine or feline attendance is not required. The proper order is kiss me, then go smell the other dog or cat's butt. I cannot stress this enough!

To pacify you, my dear pets, I have posted the following message on our front door:

To All Non-Pet Owners Who Visit & Like to Complain About Our Pets:

1. They live here. You don't.
2. If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. (That's why they call it "fur"niture.)
3. I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.
4. To you, it's an animal. To me, he/she is an adopted son/daughter who is short, hairy, walks on all fours and doesn't speak clearly.

Remember: In many ways, dogs and cats are better than kids because they:
1. Eat less
2. Don't ask for money all the time
3 Are easier to train
4. Normally come when called
5. Never ask to drive the car
6. Don't hang out with drug-using friends
7. Don't smoke or drink
8. Don't have to buy the latest fashions
9. Don't want to wear your clothes
10. Don't need a "gazillion" dollars for college.
And finally, and this is important...
11. If they get pregnant, you can sell their children.

Biff from Back to the Future

2007-01-10T21:59:00.001-05:00

I thought this was pretty funny!

House Update - The Framewalk

2007-01-09T21:35:00.000-05:00

Well today was an exciting day for us! We were finally able to get a look at the inside of our new house! Our builder invites the homeowner to take a walk through the house once it has been framed before they start the interior work. Thanks to this warm weather they have been able to make good progress so far. So if you want to see the house in progress check out these pics we took.

A New Province?

2007-01-08T20:39:00.000-05:00

For those of you that are a little bored and have nothing else to do today - that's you! And I know you have some spare time if you have time to visit our blog!

Check out this website and sign the petition to Make Florida the 11th Province - wouldn't that be fun?

He said...She said...who needs snow?

2007-01-04T21:23:00.000-05:00

I had an interesting idea for a blog today. Since sometimes Scott will blog and sometimes I blog, I thought what if we both blogged about the same thing? Well here it is...the premiere of He said...She said...the topic for today? The weather! We are after all Canadian and since that seems to be the news of the day - why shouldn't we talk about it too?

She said...

This has been one of our mildest winters anyone can recall. When normal temps should be freezing, there should be at least reminants of some snow storm on the ground, and snow on the ski hills - there is none to be found. We were all dreaming of a white Christmas - which even I can admit does have a nice feeling, but it never came. Well, since there was no snow for Christmas, it can just stay away for the rest of the winter as far as I am concerned. I know that some industries (skiing & ice wine) depend on the cold weather. And that while they are blaming El Nino for this "heat wave", it is probably really part of the greenhouse effect causing all this. Ignoring that, I can do without winter! I hate driving in the snow and since I have to drive to work everyday I enjoy the stress free days. I like knowing that when I get up in the morning I don't have to shovel my way out of the driveway or clear off my car. I don't have to worry about all the morons on the road that don't know enough to slow down when it snows. And I don't have to put on my boots, hat or gloves. I know that eventually it will snow and the freezing temps will come and I will have to deal with it. But in my opinion this winter so far has been a winner in my books!

He said...

I WANT SNOW!!!! For as long as I can remember, winter has been my favourite season. I'm not really sure why because I don't ski, downhill or otherwise, nor can I ice skate very well. I just love the snow. To me, snow justifies the cold weather. If it is cold out with no snow, that sucks! If there is snow on the ground and it's cold, then for some reason that's alright. Like most people, I wanted snow for Christmas, but it never came. Now January has come and it is really warm so far, but I hold fast to the belief that snow will come, and I can't wait. Like Steph, I worry about the morons that seem to find their way behind the wheel of a car and forget how to drive when the first and subsequent snowfalls hit, but I LOVE driving in the snow. Bundling up for warmth, shovelling the driveway, or tobogganing, then coming inside for a hot chocolate to warm up, what Canadian doesn't love that?!?! Winter so far has been a big loser in my books, but there is still time to turn it around, you just gotta believe!

A Pooplic Service Announcement

2007-01-03T17:32:00.000-05:00

Sometimes it's just nice to know that someone has your back, and rest assured Steph and I have just that. We would like to give you a little information in a topic that really doesn't get that much attention...Poop!

Everybody poops, but do you know what your poop could be telling you? Your poop is an important indicator of your overall health.

The following health and fitness article is most informative:
Everybody Poops - What Your Poop May Be Trying to Tell you

The article answers the most common questions like what is poop? What makes a healthy poop? and it even answers the most important question, What's the deal with corn?

Shape, colour and frequency of pooping all mean something in the world of poop. The information in this article is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, only to inform.

We hope that you found this informative and not too crappy, here's to your good health!

Special thanks to Jackie for taking the time out of her busy day to supply us with this information.

Happy New Year

2007-01-01T17:08:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year everyone!

We hope that everyone had a safe and happy New Year's eve.
We decided not to go anywhere this year. We stayed close to home and took in the festivities in downtown Brampton. They had some bands playing. ice skating in the park and fireworks at 9pm for the kids and at midnight for the "older" kids.

We got there at aroud 7:15pm, expecting a larger crowd, but the rainy weather seemed to keep a lot of people away. There were several bands playing that evening, but only one we wanted to see, Wide Mouth Mason. You may or may not have heard of them, they are from Saskatoon and are really very good. Dispite the rain and cold, they played a great set and were on for about 50 minutes, and Steph was able to get some pictures.

After they finished, the 9pm fireworks went off and then we were off as well. Too cold and wet to hang around anymore. Home we went for a snack and a hot drink and a little TV. Not very exciting, but we were just fine with that.

We hope that eveyone has a great New Year and we will see you soon.

The Last Day...

2006-12-31T17:59:00.000-05:00

2006 is about to be over. Some people think that making a resolution for the new year is the way to go tonight but I disagree. I think that just puts more pressure on you to do something you don't really think you could do unless you make a special promise to yourself. Well, instead of making a resolution we focused on completing business for 2006. That's right, if you check our geocaching record you will notice that we hit our target of 50 caches found!

We are still unsure of what our plans for this evening will be, but we wish you all the best for 2007 and may you reach whatever goals you set for yourself next year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Merry Christmas to all!

2006-12-25T12:10:00.000-05:00

Well it is finally here, Merry Christmas everyone!! So far we have been busy visiting family the last two nights and the feast will continue at Scott's Mom's this afternoon. Last night were able to finally increase our geocaching record to 47 found! Due to my rather busy work schedule the past couple months we haven't had the time to go caching. But last night we stopped in Pickering to find one that we first tried to find last summer. Problem was that it was in a very busy location. But being Christmas eve we found that it was much quieter and we were finally able to check this cache off our list. Only 3 more until we hit our goal of 50 for this year.

I think we'll try to do a drive by the house this afternoon to check on the progress that is being made so check back tomorrow for an update on that! I hope everyone has the time to spend with their families today. Here are some pics of mine from the last couple days.

Winter Wonderland....NOT!!

2006-12-24T14:04:00.000-05:00

On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...snow?

Well, it's almost here. Tomorrow is the big day and in southern Ontario it looks like our winter wonderland will be a bit late this year. It won't be here for Christmas day, but maybe Boxing day will bring us the winter weather everyone wants. I don't mind snow if I don't have to drive in it but since we have so much visiting to do, and there is always work to go to, I like that there is no snow yet. Today in the GTA it is sunny and 7 degrees celsius. Driving home from work today I actually got to put up the sun roof on my car and blast the music (Trans-Siberian Orchestra of course) and, except for the music, it almost felt like it was April, not December.

One more sleep, I can't wait, I can't wait, I can't wait.......

Two More Sleeps!

2006-12-23T00:36:00.000-05:00

On the Eleventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me...another opinion?

So yesterday Scott answered what inquiring minds wanted to know about how he feels about various Christmas topics. I have to interject about #9 which asked were you allowed to open a present on Christmas eve?

Growing up at my house it was tradition, or bribery (I'm not sure which) but we were able to open one gift on Christmas eve. You see my parents were in the church choir and that meant that they had to attend church twice on Christmas eve, the early service and the late one. Of course we had to go too. So, to hold us over until Christmas morning, and to convince us to go to church twice in one day they let us pick one gift to open early. It was always a big decision as to which one to open. The big one, the small one, the one you have been staring at for the past week and just can't figure out what it is....what to pick?!? Of course Mom would steer us away from the really big things until Christmas day.

Some of my favorite gifts over the years were the things that I felt I had waited forever to get. My first Cabbage Patch Kid and my keyboard were the two I remember the most.
Another thing that I loved was the tradition that we could open our stockings as soon as we woke up, but we had to wait until my parents got out of bed to open the stuff under the tree.

About my favorite Christmas dessert, I would love to agree with Scott about my Mom's Christmas pudding - but I can't. Everyone raves about her Christmas pudding and rum sauce (I think Scott forgot to mention the rum sauce, that's probably why he likes it so much!). Even though it looks funny, once you try it you forget what it looks like and ask for seconds. It always seemed like something I might grow into when I got older. Well my hair is turning gray and the pudding hasn't grown on me yet. Give me some cheesecake or bumbleberry pie anytime and I'll be happy.

Now that we are grown up we make new traditions, because as Scott said they must start somewhere. Maybe this year is the year that you should start some new tradition that your kids will remember when they write their own blogs thirty years from now.

The 2006 Holiday Edition of Getting to Know Your Friends!

2006-12-22T16:20:00.000-05:00

On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, a silly quiz.

Normally I don't care for these "getting to know you quizes", but since this is a Christmas one, I will give it a go. I am challenging anyone that reads this to do their own.

Now on wth the quiz...

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Egg Nog because you can have Hot Chocolate anytime, but Nog only comes this time of year.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Santa wraps everything now, but when I was younger, he left a few things un-wrapped.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? White looks nice and that's what we have at the moment.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Nope.

5. When do you put your decorations up? Not before December 1, that's the rule.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Since I can't choose dessert, I guess I would have to say turkey with potatoes, stuffing and lots of gravy. There was a time when I really didn't care that much for turkey, but now I kind of like it.

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child? Family and food! Lots of both.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? The truth????

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? No, never! Presents should be opened Christmas morning.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? A variety of old and new ornaments. Some Disney, some Simpson's and a mix of others.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? LOVE IT!

12. Can you ice skate? Not very well.

13. What's the most important thing about the Holiday's for you? Being with family and friends.

14. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Steph's mom's Christmas pudding!!!

15. What is your favorite holiday tradition? I don't really have one, maybe it's time to start one. Tradition has to start somewhere.

16. What tops your tree? An Angel.

17. Which do you prefer, giving or receiving? Would it be wrong of me to say receiving?
18. What is your favorite Christmas Song? Have a Holly Jolly Christmas by Burl Ives.

19. Candy Canes? Yes please!

20. Favorite Christmas Movie? National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.

That's all for now. Three more sleeps until Christmas! Have you been naughty or nice? Only Santa knows for sure!

Holiday Movie Viewing

2006-12-20T23:22:00.000-05:00

On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, some really great Christmas movies.

Here is a list of some of our favourite holiday movies. Some are classics, some are destined to become classics, and the others, well we just like them.

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. I look forward to watching this movie every year. Who can resist Christmas with Clark, Ellen, cousin Eddie and the rest of the Griswold clan.

A Christmas Story. This is the one about the kid that wants the Red Ryder BB gun. I remember when this movie first came out. I was 12 years old and at that time, you had to be at least 14 to get in to see this movie. My friend Brandon and I went to the theatre one afternoon to see if we could get in, and wouldn't you know we got in. All they asked was how old we were and what year we were born? We told them what they wanted to hear and in we went. This is one of my all time favourite movies.

Miracle on 34th Street, the original version, in Black and White. Another true classic that proves there is a Santa Claus.

Bad Santa. This one is not for the kids, but Billy Bob Thornton puts in a classic performance.

Trailor Park Boys Christmas Special. Another one not for the kids, and not for Steph either. She can't stand the Trailor Park Boys, but I think they are hillarious!

There are many more movies I could list here, but I am going to leave the rest to you.
Happy Holiday viewing!

Christmas Music

2006-12-20T00:02:00.000-05:00

On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love gave me the gift of music.
It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year, according to Johnny Mathis (and many others).

As a kid growing up, Christmas day at my house was filled with the sound of music (actual music, not the movie of the same name). All day long, the likes of Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, Burl Ives, Peggy Lee and many others too numerous to mention could be heard singing about Winter Wonderlands, Santa Claus Coming to Town and having a Holly Jolly Christmas.
These tunes will always have a nostalgic place in my heart, but I have discovered that there is much more out there.

These days it seems that everyone and anyone can have a Christmas album. While browsing through the Christmas section yesterday at Best Buy I saw Christmas albums from Harry Connick jr, Mariah Carey, Dianna Krall and even Twisted Sister!!! (yes, We're Not Gonna Take It Twisted Sister).

Steph really enjoys the Trans Siberian Orchestra and they have really grown on me as well, but one of my favourite Christmas albums is called a Twised Christmas by Bob Rivers. Bob is a DJ in the states and he does parodies of popular Christmas songs. Chances are you have heard his work and don't even know it. Songs like Walkin' Round in Womans Underwear and It's the Most Fattening Time of the Year belong right next to the classics in my opinion.

Whatever your tastes for Christmas music are, they are just that, yours. Enjoy whatever you want to durring the holidays and let others enjoy it as well, because Christmas is about giving.

Before I go, one more thing. Earlier I mentioned that everyone and anyone can have a Christmas album, well here is proof that it happens...

Surviving the mall

2006-12-18T19:56:00.000-05:00

On the seventh day of Christmas and you're going to the mall? What a brave soul you are! Everyone should work in retail at least once in thier life. It gives one a new found respect for people - some who deserve it, and some who don't! So on that note, some advice for surviving your trip to the mall.

Leave your kids at home. Some people may think this is harsh. But you will be able to move faster if you are not dragging your kids through the busy mall. Plus you can actually shop for them without asking for several bags to hide what you just bought. And you won't have to buy extra things that they have picked up and won't let go of.
Go early in the day. You'll get better parking, the mall will be less busy and the store clerks less cranky.
If the clerk tells you there are none left of the item you are looking for, there is a good chance they are not lying to you. But if it makes you feel better they will go to the back to "look" for you and grab a quick drink and come back to tell you the same thing.
If the clerk tells you there are no boxes left that fit the item you are buying, there is a good chance that they are not lying to you. Feel free to throw a fit if it makes you feel any better. But the boxes will not appear if you say "really, are you sure there's no boxes back there?"
If the clerk tells you that there is a line up you must wait in, there is a better than good chance that they are not lying to you. You are not more special then the other customers in the store, no matter what your mother told you. You waited until the week before Christmas, you must all suffer the same.
When the store closes, go home. Don't wander around for another 15 minutes deciding if the recipient will like it or not. The clerks have already worked long enough and there is a good chance that they have some cleaning up to do before they go home and spend some time with their families.

And if you choose to ignore this advice, you should be prepared to become one of THOSE people that we in retail call "special". There are legends written about you and like those classic Christmas stories, your visit to our store is relived every year when the season starts again.

Gift Giving for the Shopping Challenged

2006-12-18T10:09:00.000-05:00

On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...some "thoughtful" gift ideas. It is getting near the end of your Christmas shopping experience, and you still haven't found that perfect gift. Here are some gift ideas for that person on your list who has darn near everything, or is just plain hard to buy for. All of the ideas you are about to receive were found on e-bay. Don't believe me, check them out for yourself.

First up, something for that folically challenged person on your list... the Midnight Black Mullet Wig. "This auction is for an AWESOME better quality mullet wig......very POPULAR!" A better quality wig! I guess if you want to be the envy of the tailor park, this is the way to go!

How about some Vertical Darts for those Horizontally Challenged Drinkers, Who needs to expend all the effort of chucking darts at a dart board when you can drop them and let gravity do the hard work?

How about the Dashboard Jesus Bobble Head. With God as your co-pilot, what could possibly go wrong?

Maybe you know someone who needs the Artificial Intelligence kit. I know a few people who could use this little gem!

Or maybe you just need to get someone a RANDOM BAG OF CRAP. Need I say more?

Happy Shopping!

2006-12-17T11:17:00.000-05:00

Crazy Christmas House

On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me, a Crazy Christmas House.
At this time of year, many people go all out decorating their houses with lights and various other decorations, but some people take it a little too far.
The Griswolds have nothing on these poeple.

A Glorious Feast!

2006-12-15T20:57:00.000-05:00

On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...something delicious to eat!

One of my best memories about Christmas growing up was the food! My mother use to go all out, preparing for days, sometimes weeks ahead of time.

"DO NOT TOUCH BEFORE CHRISTMAS OR SANTA WON'T COME!" (Direct quote, word for word, kids will believe anything)

Cookies, brownies, chocolates of many kinds, home-made bits and bites, potatoe chips and dip, veggies and dip, crackers with cheese and kielbassa!!!
(I'm starting to drool just thinking about it, excuse me while I wipe off the keyboard)

The goodies would go out just shortly after breakfast, and the feast was on!!! An all day smorgasboard, all you can eat buffet, just help yourself.

"No thanks, I don't need a plate, I'll just sit right here at the table."

Only problem was, by the time dinner rolled around, no one was hungry. Oh sure we ate, turkey and ham (ham for me beacuse I wasn't too fond of turkey) and mashed potatoes and stuffing and dinner rolls and some sort of vergetable (again, not for me, the ham ate all the vegetables I needed).

But no mater how much we ate all day there was always room for desert! Pies or cakes, and the most glorious desert we ever had was the year that the fudge didn't turn out like fudge, it was more like a really thick syrup, and let me tell you it was the most D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S ice cream topping I have ever had!

So forget about all the dieting, there's plenty of time in January for that. Just enjoy all the treats that come but once a year!

Alice the Christmas Cat

2006-12-14T22:10:00.000-05:00

On the third day of Christmas....MEOW!!!!!!!!!

Today is about our cat Alice and how she loves Christmas. Sure, maybe she doesn't know who Santa is - but she knows that turkey is tasty, presents mean paper to play with, and that under the tree is a wonderful place to take an afternoon nap. So here she is trying on her reindeer antlers, which I know she doesn't enjoy, but it amuses me so she has to do at least once a year.

Since we don't have any kids (yet - ok Mom?) our pet is our child. So from our family to yours, we hope that you have many memories of the funny things your kids do during the holidays!

Trans-Siberian Orchestra

2006-12-14T00:11:00.000-05:00

On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me...the Trans-Siberian Orchestra!

If you are looking for some good Christmas music I would like to recommend you check out the very cool Trans-Siberian Orchestra. It's a little hard to describe but they are basically a plugged in orchestra with loud guitars, singing some variations on classic Christmas carols and new holiday music. They can be both powerful and soothing. Last year Scott and I finally got to go see them in Toronto when they were here on tour. It was very cool. They have such a stage presence and put together quite a light show with the music. Anyhow they are my favorite cd's in my Christmas collection.

Check out these samples of their music:
Ghosts of Christmas Eve (Audio)
Wizards in Winter (Video)

2006-12-12T22:38:00.000-05:00

Matt Damon Does Matthew McConaughey

This is really good! Nothing to do with Christmas but it is funny none the less. Enjoy!

12 Days of Christmas Starts Today!

2006-12-12T18:14:00.000-05:00

Well, here it is....the most blog worthy time of the year. Today starts Scott and Steph's 12 days of Christmas! That's right, everyday for the next 12 days we will post something about Christmas for your reading pleasure.

Today's topic is our Christmas tree. Growing up my family always had a real tree, but living in apartments for the past 8 years I have grown to see the benefits of artificial trees. Yes, one day I would like to have a real tree again but the practical side of me knows that artificial is where it's at for me right now.

For the past 7 years that we have lived together Scott and I have had a pretty nice 6 foot fake tree. I am always anxious to put it up as soon as December 1st arrives. (That's the rule, not before December 1st.) Anyhow, since we moved into this smaller apartment until the house is ready there is barely enough room for all our "stuff"and definately no room for our regular tree. I was speaking to the girls at work about this problem and one of them had a smaller tree that she did not need for this year. So here is a shout out to Sue, who loaned us a smaller tree for this year.

THANKS SUE - YOU'RE THE BEST!!

And just so she doesn't feel left out here I have to mention Jackie, she didn't do anything special, but she just likes to be noticed.

Christmas fun is coming...are you ready???

2006-12-09T21:34:00.000-05:00

Stay tuned!

While you are waiting for the fun to begin, take a look at Sarah's blog Useless Information and check out her post called Hairball in Easy Listening for some truely hillarious fun!

Our House

2006-12-03T15:46:00.000-05:00

Greetings all and welcome to December! In the past few days it has finally started to feel a lot more like Christmas. The weather has turned cold, the malls are busy and we went to my work Christmas party last night. Today we decided to take a drive by the house since soon it may be too cold and buried in snow to get a good look. Here are some pics that we took. Looks like they have made some good progress since it's not scheduled to be done until May.

Above is the front view and below is the back view. There are three floors. You walk in on the main floor and there is a garage and front entry way. Behind that is a laundry room and rec room with patio doors to the backyard. The second floor is the dining room and living room in the front, and kitchen with breakfast area in the back. The third floor is two bedrooms in the front and the master bedroom with ensuite bathroom in the back.

Anyhow, we were getting some complaints from some of you who use this blog to avoid doing your work during the day. You say that we are slacking off on the updates, so I hope this holds you over for a little while :-)

A little Silly Fun.

2006-11-08T17:29:00.000-05:00

I'm feeling a little silly today. Enjoy!

Accident update

2006-11-04T23:16:00.000-05:00

I finally have an update for you on the accidents that happened on our street a little over a week ago.
The "crack" journalists for the local paper finally reported in this weekend's edition that the driver of the U-Haul truck was...are you ready for this surprise...DRUNK!
He was charged with impaired driving.
Once again, it is important to report that thankfully no one was hurt.

Eeyore wishes everyone a Happy Halloween.

2006-10-31T20:33:00.000-05:00

For the past several years we have lived in an appartment building where Trick-or-Treaters don't come to your door. This year, we are livng in a house so we had kids coming to our door looking for candy. It was also the first year that someone other then us got to see our pumpkin creation.
For the past few years we have been going with a Disney theme. Last year it was the Cheshire Cat and the year before it was Tigger. This year, as you can see, we went with Steph's favourite Eeyore. A lot of people commented on how nice and cute was. We hope you think so to.

Please read - We need your help!

2006-10-31T16:44:00.000-05:00

As you may all know by now, we are cat people. So it is with no surprise that about a week ago we took in a new one. It had been wandering around the neighbourhood for some time and Steph gave it some food one night and it just wouldn't leave so we kind of adopted it.
The cat is actually really loveable and friendly, but it makes Steph nervous when it stares at her. She really wants it out of the house.
If you know anyone who is interested, please let us know!
I have included a picture of the animal in question.
Thanks for your assistance.

Happy Halloween!

Accidents will happen, but this is Ridiculous!

2006-10-26T19:47:00.000-04:00

Sorry it's been so long, no excuse, just laziness

Some very interesting action happened in our neighbourhood last night.

At around 5 pm I was sitting in our living room watching TV when I heard some very loud bangs coming from outside. At first it sounded like the noise was coming from behind us, so I looked out the back door and didn't see anything, but could still hear the noise only now it sounded like it was coming from around the front of the house.

I cut through to the front of the house and as I am getting closer I hear some really loud bangs right out front, and it sounded like the noise was moving down the street.
I peered out the front window to see what was going on and this is what I saw...

That is the car of our next door neighbour on it's side and the plow is from accross the road. I proceed to go out side only to find more cars smashed up and skid marks on the road.

Turns out some guy in a U-Haul truck was a little "out of control". He ended up down the street without his front tire, and the front of the truck smashed to sh*t with grass and tree branches stuck under the front of it.

From what we have pieced together so far, it started on the street behind us. The truck took out two cars in their driveway...

Then swipped a Purolater van, smashed through a fence and across a lawn...

Then it made it's way to our street and continued until it reached the lights at the end of the road.

If you want to look on the bright side of things, no one was hurt, my car was in the driveway and was untouched and Steph was not home from work yet. The police, fire department and ambulance were on scene very quickly and had the street closed off.

The police had the driver of the U-Haul in custody and I heard that charges were laid. I have to wait until the local paper comes out tomorrow to find out all the details. I will update you then.

Leave us your comments - no login required!

2006-10-13T09:18:00.000-04:00

Hello all,
After speaking with some of our readers I came to realize that you weren't able to leave comments without signing in which meant that you needed a Blogger login. I was looking into this and found that it was due to the settings on the blog that I didn't know we could change! So I have changed the settings so that anyone can leave a comment without needing a Blogger login. So please feel free to comment anytime you want to!
Thanks!
Steph

P.S. What the heck is with the snow?!?!?!

House Update

2006-10-12T22:37:00.000-04:00

Finally, I remembered to try to upload the house pics and it worked this time!

October 2005 - Our Dirt

October 2006 - They start building

Happy Thanksgiving!

2006-10-09T20:37:00.000-04:00

Today I have two things to tell you about.

The first is an update about our new house. Since it was one year ago today that we first signed the purchase papers, we thought it would be fitting to go take some pictures of the building status and share them with you. For those that don't know, the initial closing date was March 14th 2007 and it is now delayed until May 3rd. Apparently our unit is a fire block in the neighbourhood so it can't be built until the houses on both side have been framed and bricked. While the delay sucks, it's probably better. It gives us some extra time to save more for closing costs and also hopefully the weather for moving will be better (so this is your first warning - we will need your help around that date for moving!). Anyhow it would seem like they have started to lay the foundations for our townhouse. I wanted to post some pictures for you but blogger doesn't seem to want to do that tonight so I will try again tomorrow.

The next stop on our road trip was Mount Pleasent Cemetery in Toronto. I know, you’re thinking what the heck could they be doing there? Well, some of you will know that I have been working on my family tree. And since some of my family are buried there I wanted to go check it out. And we thought it might be neat to see if there were any geocaches in the area that we could do while we were there. If you have never been to this cemetery, let me tell you - it is huge. My Dad had given me an idea of where to start looking for the family plot. But after an hour of searching one part of the cemetery we decided to give up for today, get some more information we would come back another day. So off to the geocache. This cache was not a physical one to find, more of a mental challenge based on information found on some of the gravestones in the cemetery. So we drove way across the cemetery to the other side where the co-ordinates of the gravestones for the cache were supposed to be and start looking for them. And then the freakiest thing happened. I looked up and there it was...the family plot, or at least one of them I guess. I didn't see my great grandparents, but I did find my great, great grandparents and great, great, great grandparents and other family members from that generation. Right beside the gravestones for the cache....coincidence or fate? Definitely a little freaky if you ask me!!

Excellent Concert Adventures - The Retro Edition

2006-10-03T18:44:00.000-04:00

It was 14 years ago today, October 3, 1992 at Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens.
Trixter, Winger and KISS!
The concert itself was, in a word, AWESOME. Of course I would say that though because growing up KISS was my favourite band. I have a bootleg copy of that concert on VHS so that I will never forget it. But there is also something else I take away from this day, a photograph and a memory that will last a life time.

October 3 was a Saturday and I set out for Toronto that morning from the family home in Brantford. I was going to meet up with my friends in Toronto to have a few beers and hit the show that night.
I left really early that morning and headed for Yonge St in Toronto. I had a mission that day, a lifelong dream was going to come true, KISS was doing an autograph signing session that day at HMV and I was going to meet them!
I arrived at HMV at 10am, and I have to admit I was a little surprised that the line up was so long, but it didn't matter, I would wait.
As I was waiting in line, a girl I know from college, Maureen, came by and she hopped in the line with me. We waited for hours. At one point I took a walk to the front of the store to see if there was any indication of when the they might be arriving. Turns out one of the security guards was a guy that I went to highschool with. He mentioned that they should be there around 3pm. OK, back to my spot to wait in line some more.
When they did arrive, we were close enough to the back ally that we saw them go in.
OK, it would not be long now, we will get in.
The line wasn't moving too fast. After about another hour, my friend the security guard came by to see where we were in line, then he informed us that they were only going to be there for about another half hour and that we would not get in. So we decided to at least go into the store to see them and maybe get some pictures (Maureen was a photographer and had her camera.)
We got in, took some pictures and basically just stood around. We noticed that they were no longer letting people go up, so we figured that they were almost done. My dream was slipping away.
About this time I noticed Maureen talking to one of the security guys near where they were letting people go up , and next thing you know, Maureen is walking up to meet them. I was very excited for her, at least one of us would get up there. Next thing you know, she is talking to the security guy, pointing to me, and then I am being ushered up as well. OH MY GOD!!!!!
We get up there, and I have to admit I am shaking a little. First person to meet was new member (at that time) Eric Singer. Next was Paul Stanley. I was speechless (literally, I opened my mouth to speak to him and nothing came out). I was finally able to stutter out a thank you when he signed my paper. Next was Bruce Kulick and then the man himself, Gene Simmons.
We were really being rushed by security at this point so Maureen gave me her camera to take her picture with Gene, then she took the camera back and told me to get over there.
This part I will never forget...I looked at Gene and said "Is this cool?" (I had gotten my voice back by now), to which he replied "Yeah, sure". I kneeled down beside him and kind of lost my balance and grabbed his leg to steady myself, and then it hit me. I am touching Gene Simmons, I can't do that, and I pulled my hand away quickly. Then the photo was taken and we were ushered out. Just like that it was over.
On now to my friends place, a few beers and a great concert.

So here it is. A 21 year old, skinny, long haired kid realizing his dream. A day I will never forget.

Nature's Fury vs the Geocachers

2006-10-01T21:27:00.000-04:00

This past weekend we took a trip up to the cottage to start to close it for the season. On the way up there we thought we would stop along the way and do a little geocaching.
Our cottage is up in the Haliburton region, and as some people will know this summer parts of the area were hit pretty hard with storms and winds. Several tornados were even spotted here and there.
The area we decided to geocache in was one of the area that was hit by really strong winds. It was in a forest beside a river, and the trees there were quite large. Here is a picture of just how much damage Mother Nature can do.

This is what we had to go through to get to the cache. We found it and are now up to 37 finds!
Next weekend we are back up to the cottage and will be doing some more geocaching. Our goal is to be at 50 finds by the end of this year. We will do it!!

Summer is officially over.

2006-09-25T19:39:00.000-04:00

Summer is now over, and the fall begins. To honour the passing of another season, here are a few questions (a "meme" if you will) to let you know how our summer went.

The End of Summer

1. How did you spend your last summer weekend?
We did sweet diddly squat because it rained most of the weekend!

2. What was your song of the summer?
Steph can't think of any one song, although anything by Great Big Sea is good for her. For Scott, my song of the summer is I'll Take You There by Sammy Hagar

3. Did you have a summer fling?
I don't know if you would consider it a fling since it started eight years a ago...

4. Was there anything you wanted to get around to doing that you didn't?
Well, since a trip to Europe is financially out of the question, I guess we would like to have done more Geocaching. (see post for info)

5. What were your major events this summer? (ie. Did you take any trips? See any good shows? Anyone close to you get married? etc.)
We saw a couple of good concerts. Scott took a trip to Darien Lake to see Sammy Hagar (see review here). Steph saw Great Big Sea. We spent a good amount of time at the cottage. Spent a day Geocaching on the Toronto Island and we had a couple of fun camping trips.

That's all for now, hope you had a great summer!

By Definition...

2006-09-24T17:00:00.000-04:00

Scott --

[adjective]:

Sexually stunning

'How will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

Steph --

[adjective]:

Benevolent to a fault

'How will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

For The Record...

2006-09-24T13:47:00.000-04:00

The movie that I was watchig while Steph was writing her meme was Inside Man starring Denzel Washington, Clive Owen and Jodie Foser. Not one of Denzel's best movies, but it wasn't bad. There wasn't anything else on TV.

What's a meme?

2006-09-22T20:57:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday everyone!

I find myself in the predicament of being challenged (or tagged) to meme by my good friend Anita. The first question I had was what the heck is a meme ??? Apparently I am not in the loop when it comes to blog talk yet so this was another learning experiance for me.
For those that are like me, and wondered "What is a meme?", let me share my new found wisdom with you. Pronounced "mëm", it is an idea that is shared and passed from blog to blog, like a question posed, or lists of things. Basically, something to blog about when you can't think of anything else!
I guess I have seen some emails that take a similar form to this particular meme that I have been tagged to complete. So here goes....

I am thinking about... asking Scott what movie he rented because it has some funky bollywood type music playing right now

I just said... "I'm blogging" when Scott asked me what was I doing

I want to... go to the cottage this weekend but it's supposed to rain all weekend!!

I wish... our new house was ready now!!!

I regret... not keeping in touch with Candace (one of my best friends from when I was little) I would be curious to know what she's doing now

I sing... Great Big Sea while I am driving

I hear... some movie Scott's watching & my cat hacking up the treats she just ate I think - yuck!

I am... happy it's Friday!!

I dance... not very often, and not very well. But take me to Great Big Sea concert, look out - I am a dancin' fool (maximize the vertical movement of the room!!)

I'm behind... on filing away my bills and other important papers.

I cry.... at funerals

I am not... skinny!

I forgot... I can't remember, I guess I forgot!

I confuse... very easily somedays :-)

I write... only emails, no snail mail for me anymore!

I need... more money, just a little more money, I need more money (who sings that song anyways?)

Okay, so that's it! Maybe you learned something about me tonight. Anyhow I hereby tag Sandra, Sarah or anyone else reading this to meme!

Have a great weekend all!

~Steph