Category Archives: Random Thoughts

Vacation Cereal!

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Chocapic

This is a picture of one of the cereal’s available on the Galapagos cruise.

Just looking at it makes me smile. First sugar cereals always have cute boxes and second sugar cereals always remind me of vacation. When I was growing up we weren’t allowed to have any sugar cereals until we went of vacation. Then if we were staying somewhere with a kitchen we were allowed to choose one box. Often Captain Crunch with crunchberries because they weren’t available in Canada.

It was an exciting time going to the supermarket knowing that we would get CEREAL! We were so easy to please and would practically hug the box all the way back to the hotel.

After a long day and being tired from trying to figure out how to transition into the next phase of my life a box of cereal can still make me smile.

Perhaps I’m still easy to please.

The Oscars!

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I love the Oscars, I look forward to them every year.

Seth Macfarlane did a pretty good job I thought. I wonder if Chris Brown and Mel Gibson are going to hold a grudge. Few could throw the jokes like Macfarlane did without fear of retribution. Although I agreed with William Shatner Tina and Amy should host everything!

The dresses were as always beautiful, loved Jennifer Lawrence’s and Halle Berry OMG she is just amazing. Charlize Theron with the short hair, love. Although I hear a little crazy. Clooney always a handsome man and is it just me or is Stacey looking less trashy these days?

The Les Miserables song one of my favourite parts, partially because I love Helena Bonham Carter, she’ll always be Lucy Honeychurch to me. Also confirmed that Russell Crowe really can’t sing.

I don’t really care who wins and there were no big surprises. Anne Hathaway’s acceptance speech was much less annoying than I thought it would be. If she could just learn to cut it off just a moment sooner. Anybody else find the darts on her dress really distracting? Loved her hair though, really suits her.

Really liked Adele, loved her dress. What a voice it must be amazing to be able to sing like that. I’m more in the Russell Crowe category of please, please don’t sing, you’ll upset the dog. Love Adele accepting awards, seems like the kinda gal that would be fun to hang out with.

Barbara singing Memories, that song always brings back the memory of my Mother bawling during The Way We Were. My Mother was pretty much inconsolable when watching that film from start to finish just hand her a box of kleenex.

Chicago was ten years ago? Really? I feel old.

Jennifer Lawrence! Happy for her but that was a tough category, lot of great performances this year.

DDL great acceptance speech. Would love to see DDL as Maggie Thatcher.

Is anybody cooler than Jack Nicholson? Michele Obama, really? Love that Jack called her Obama “Obama do you have the envelope?”

Argo best picture, best thing that ever happened was Ben not getting nominated for best director. With best picture we George on stage as well!

So for the next week we get best and worst dressed, reactions from the winners and losers. Very unproductive couple of days at work coming up. Then the race starts up again for next year when maybe Tina and Amy will host!

Big Brother

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Well this week has just been sucked up by bad TV.

Tonight I had plans but got sidetracked by the premier of Survivor and the finale of Big Brother. Survivor looks like it might be good, enough ruthless people and stupid people to get me to yell at the TV.

Big Brother though I was routing for Ian. How can you not like Ian? The socially awkward Big Brother fan who kept to his original alliance, the Quack Pack, till the end. Also although I think Dan played a really good game, he annoys me. If I was on the jury I would vote for Ian. I was actually really anxious this time waiting for the winner to be announced. The last couple of Big Brother’s, although I enjoyed the show I didn’t in the end really care who won.

I love Big Brother, more than Survivor. Stuck in a house with NOTHING to do but get on each others nerves. Both I love for the people who think they have it in the bag and get all cocky. Cocky is s sure way to get voted off. My favourite player was Britney, she is funny! Very entertaining and a good player. Her downfall like so many others on the show was trusting Dan. A side note Jen annoyed the hell out of me.

In the end I think the jury was sick of Dan talking. Maybe Dan did play an amazing game but like Russell from Survivor there is only so ruthless you can be and have people forgive you. Ian WON! YAY! I’m really happy about that!

Also I saw a clip for an upcoming Dr. Phil with Robert Blake, until they said his name I didn’t even realize it was Barreta, remember Barreta? Wow Dr. Phil is really bringing the crazy this season and suddenly it looks like Dr. Phil is making a difference in my life. After the interview with Dina Lohan I’m really happy I have my Mom and now I think that after the Robert Blake episode I won’t feel crazy anymore.

I Love My Mom

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What did I see that made me think that maybe, just maybe my Mom might be in the running for Mom of the year and stopped my complaining?

I may never complain about my Mom again, well okay I will but you know she’s gonna say something to get a little dig in and I’ll take it way to personally. Maybe the goodwill will last to and perhaps beyond vacationing with her in December. Probably not.

What brought about this feeling?

Dr. Phil’s interview with Dina Lohan. OMG You think she’s a mess and before the interview begins you’re expecting a train wreck but what a train wreck. The woman seems drunk or high or something. She can’t focus and she doesn’t want to answer questions. Ummm…. do you know what show you signed up for? She keeps ignoring the questions, commenting on the camera’s, looking around, asking Dr. Phil what he thinks.

I don’t think she gave one good answer. I think momentarily she tried but is incapable of giving an honest answer because maybe she has never taken the time for introspection? To figure out her role in her life? I’m not sure.

She is also not very articulate and uses the wrong words on a couple of occasions and fights Dr. Phil on the meaning. At one point she gives the camera the finger. OMG I can’t imagine my Mom doing that. I thought my Mom was queen of denial but she isn’t even close compared to Dina Lohan. Even talking about her daughter and her other kids there was no substance to anything she had to say.

Was it a good interview? No. Dr. Phil looked like he wanted to shut it down from the moment it started and I wonder if some of the other was put together after as filler. Was it entertaining in a train wreck, is this woman for real kind of way? Yes. They did talk to Michael Lohan as well, who tries to portray himself in the best light but still comes off as a total ass.

Ever wonder how Lindsay became so f-cked up? Look at her parents. No responsibility, both finger pointers, nothing their fault, there is no feeling for others. I’m sure Dina has been through some very hard times but after watching the interview it’s very hard to feel compassion for her. She needs help, that much is obvious and I hope in the next few weeks we see her going into rehab. Something needs to happen.

I don’t think she thinks anything is wrong and will still say it was editing that made her look bad. There is no way to edit that to look good. Now I feel like I have a sense of why Lindsay is the way she is and with her family unwilling to change I doubt she will.

My favourite quote from the interview “Look at you in your little tie and your little shoes…..”

I’m gonna try and use that at work, see how well it goes over.

 

A Lovely BBQ And I Drove

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Two good friends moved earlier this year and I missed the first BBQ they had because I had my dog and I didn’t have a car to get to their place. They moved to just outside of Calgary close to Bragg Creek. I’d seen pictures of their beautiful new home and pictures of their dogs but had yet to see the place and dogs in person.

This weekend they had another bbq and I wasn’t going to miss it! I really wanted to go and see them, the place and also meet some new people. Have a nice night out. They had also graciously said I could stay overnight!

All I needed was a way to get there. Enter car2go! I signed up a few weeks ago for a membership and now I have access to a car! Several cars, they are a fleet of smart cars and when you need one you can look online to see where they are and then reserve on online. You can also just find one on the street and take it if it’s available.

On Saturday I used if for the first time and booked it online walked up to the car on the street and got in. I haven’t driven a car in over a decade and was a little nervous but the smart car is small and easy to drive. I had also memorized the route to my friends house. I put the car into drive and set off. Immediately I realized a few things that I needed to do. I needed to move the seat forward as I was too far away from the pedals and I needed to adjust the rearview mirror. Once that was done I set off again and white knuckled the steering wheel but once I got onto Glenmore and survived merging I started to relax.

By the time I got out on the highway I was enjoying it. Driving along, listening to the radio it went very well and I stopped gripping the steering wheel for dear life. The directions were great and I found the place no problem! I felt like doing a victory dance, I MADE IT!

Many at the BBQ were curious about the car2go. The main question was what if another person with a membership wanted to take the car? Well they can’t while I have the car, until you end your time and return the car to the home area the car is yours. If you need to fill up, the cars come with gas cards for you to use. It is pretty reasonably priced by the minute I think it’s thirty five cents, just over twelve dollars for an hour and sixty-five for twenty four hours. It’s great for somebody like me who doesn’t need a car all the time but occasionally would like to have one to use. Especially for toilet paper, toilet paper is the most awkward stuff to carry home.

The bbq was great! Good food, good company, gracious hosts! Jasper their husky is full of life and just a wonderful dog. Saturn their new edition is a white dog and very shy. She doing better than she was when they first got her but she is still a little weary of people. Both are great and they love running around outside and Jasper will fetch a stick or ball forever.

Their new home is GORGEOUS on a big piece of land and surrounded by forest. So quiet and at night you can really see the stars. I can’t wait to go out again!

This time I had to leave early the next morning because I had to meet my Mom. Next time though I’ll stay longer and go for brunch in Bragg Creek (yes i’m inviting myself and making plans for you). Also next time I will help you clean up! Promise!

Long Weekend!

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It’s a long weekend and I have the basset.

My plan is to clean up a bit around the house, grocery shopping, a bike ride or two and a nap or three. I love a good nap. Read for a bit, have a few smarties and then curl up with the basset. One of my favourite things in life is a good nap with the basset.

The basset is a good napper as he is demonstrating here:

Evil Dead The Musical!

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Saturday was a GREAT night!

It started with a good dinner with a great friend and ended with “Evil Dead The Musical”, actually it ended with the best pepsi ever but Evil Dead was definitely the highlight.

We went for sushi first and really ate A LOT, it was soooo good also had a few glasses of wine and really good conversation. She told me one story that made me laugh and I’m still laughing about it. (Can I tell your story? It really is funny!)

Then it was off to the Pumphouse Theatre for “Evil Dead The Musical”!

I’d seen it before but my friend had not. We were pretty excited until it turns out that I bought tickets for the wrong day. Oooops! Yes my muddled brain had purchased the wrong date, although I am doing way better than I was back in March I still find my brain lacks attention to detail and I still get muddled. Not sure if thats me or the medication but the end result is we don’t have tickets. Oh No!

Back to the box office where they have two tickets that somebody is trying to sell! YAY!

Oh wait there is a couple who is celebrating their anniversary and they want the tickets because they have tickets but they aren’t seated together. Hmmmmm. Okay lets up the karma and we’ll take the two tickets (at a discount) that aren’t together so the couple can sit together.

The musical is hilarious, the songs are fun, the plot actually does follow the Evil Dead story. Even though not sitting together we really enjoyed it. How can you not with songs like “WTF Was That?” and “Do The Necronomicon”. I totally recommend going if you haven’t seen it! Also if you want to up your enjoyment you can sit in the splatter zone. Yep, you can get splattered with blood during the show. It’s pretty funny and the people in the splatter zone seemed to really enjoy it but do get a plastic bag to put anything you don’t want to get blood on.

My friend was one row behind the splatter zone, where they nicely offered ponchos to anybody sitting there. She was glad she got one as some splatter did drift into her zone. Later a message on facebook said “That blood is a bitch to get out from under your nails”. Yeah that looks good. We laughed all the way to the car and in the car ride home.

Part way home all I wanted was a Pepsi (just a Pepsi) …………. and so we had to stop. I rarely drink pop of any kind but at that moment in life I would have killed for a Pepsi. Best Pepsi ever and a great way to end the night!

Sushi, Evil Dead and Pepsi with great company = GREAT SATURDAY!

Bobsled!

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After the personality assessment at Canada Olympic Park in the morning and after lunch we got to go and ride the bobsled!

Very exciting, we had to pick out a helmut and then four go at a time. You figure out who you’re riding with and then where you get to sit. I got to sit in the front YAY! Then the one guy who actually knows what he is doing tells you to hold on keep your head up and hold on.

The bobsled reaches speeds up to ninety km an hour, the ride goes by SO fast and the corners are crazy. It’s a bumpy ride and you do get jostled around quite a bit. All I could think of is the scene in “Cool Runnings” about the Jamaica Bobsled team where they are all sitting in the tub practicing and now that scene makes a lot more sense!

You have no time to react you just go with it and get knocked about a bit from side to side.

It was fun and I’d totally do it again!

At the start:

In the bobsled:

Ready to go!

We were suppose to do the zipline as well which I was REALLY looking forward to but the wind picked up and they shut it down for the day : (

The good news is that we do get to go back and do the zipline in September so all is not lost, I’m really looking forward to it! I went ziplining in Costa Rica and it was really fun, I wrote about it here Ziiplining Costa Rica.