Like a Kid in a Camera Store

The call finaly came this week - the go ahead to replace all the camera gear that was stolen in Cancun. Finally. After almost 2 months, I was going to be all decked out, and everything was going to be right with the world. The trip to Henry’s was magical. Just like christmas. Yes, some things simply had to be upgraded.  That’s just the way these things work. And my favourite Henry’s superhero took care of me.

“Now Julie, we’ve got to change some of these things around. You’ve got to trust me, I want ti fix this for you.” Holy cow, can it get any better than this, I thought? We added, removed, upgraded and swapped. She wouldn’t let me get a red camera bag, it didn’t have a good history, and people had complained about it before. I’ve got a sexy black one now. My wee point and shoot digicam - upgraded. One lens, swapped out. It was the best hour ever.


And now - the sun is out, the snow has the faintest sparkle. And I’m ready. Again.




Technorati Tags: camera, Canon, Henry’s

In the Market for a New Set of Wheels

The wiz and I are die hard lease-take-over people. After being burned more times than we can count on purchases and repairs and silliness, we have become fans of sites such as releaseme.ca and leasebusters.

These 2 Canadian sites are fantastic for pairing up folks who need to get out of a lease with folks who want to get into a lease, with less contract, less upfront cost... you get the picture.  We've re-leased an Xterra, a Jetta and a Pathfinder. Because the vehicles have low mileage, we haven't had to do more than an oil change and a tire rotation during the term of the new lease. It's perfect. And it keeps us from being committed to a vehicle for a long time.  Cars are becoming more and more disposable (akin to the iPod, I suppose), and unless you are getting a Volvo, their aftermarket resale value leaves little to be desired.

We are on our 3rd vehicle, and are looking for the 4th. It's perfect. Let someone else pay a down payment on a leased vehicle, and then decide 16 months later that they don't want it any more, and we prance in. The lease on our 2004 Jetta is up in another month. The trick is all in paying attention and being focused. For the past month we've been looking, but not with any sort of consistency. Now, with  only 3 weeks left, we have to be dedicated, disciplined and QUICK.

It's like a automobile taste test, with no extra calories.

powered by performancing firefox

Plagued By Work Dreams

Two blissful, non-working days. Heaven. Plagued by working dreams each night. Hellish.  Is it possible that there are more than just the standard side effects of working 12 hour days? The dreams are so real that I can sit up in bed and wonder if I should be checking my email, that I’m missing out on some deadline, some response that needs attention. Something.

They aren’t bad dreams, but then again, any dream about work - on the weekend, can’t possibly be good, can it? 

How to French Kiss - Valentine's Day Appropriate

Happy Valentine’s Day to all, wiki style. After you brush up on the kissing, don’t forget to also check out How Not to be an Obsessive Girlfriend. You never know.


How to French Kiss - WikiHow

You have seen it done often in the movies and probably on the street in darkened corners. The French kiss is a timeless and passionate gesture of romantic affection. Whether you live in Paris, France or Paris, Texas, you can learn how to kiss like the French do without an embarrassing faux pas!

Technorati Tags: Valentine’s Day, French Kissing

I Called Them Hummingbirds

While south of the borders, relaxing for a few days, I had a chance to really slow down time, and enjoy the surroundings; if 72 hours counts as relaxing. :-)
At the resort we happened to be at, the Fiesta Americana Condesa
there seemed to be hundreds of different employees, zooming and zipping, taking care of the property, the guests and the services. Instead of 3 bartenders, there would be three times that many, flitting around, changing ashtrays, bringing napkins, spiriting empty glasses away. Something on the ground? An outside worker would zip in, remove the offending trash and zip out again. grass cutters, pool skimmers, sweepers, washers, people with carts and cloths and rakes. It was a veritable beehive of activity from before 6am until after 9 pm.

And so we wondered, the wiz and I - is there so many people, with so many inconsequential tasks because the labour is so very cheap? Is it because an individual's productivity is low, and by extension, they can only be counted on to do one thing, and one thing only? There were so very many workers, and they were so darting and zipping, I crowned them the Hummingbirds of the resort.

After our room was broken into, I realized the gravity of having so many different employees working in one place.  So many hummingbirds were flitting around every day, each time i left the room, or used the balcony, or walked from the balcony to the beach and back. So many eyes, so many conections. Perhaps the hummingbirds had us staked out. It's likely. It's unfortunate.


Technorati Tags: Cancun, Hummingbirds, Fiesta Americana Condesa

What happens in Cancun....

.... doesn't necessarily need to stay in Cancun.  It was an outstanding trip. 4 days, all the sun you can take, and all the marguerittas one can sip.  Mango marguerittas are perhaps a better invention than sliced bread. Dangerous.

I met the Wiz on wednesday; he had gone done early for an AT&T conference, and by Wednesday, it was just rapping up.  Thursday was blissfully uneventful, nothing more strenuous than the ocean, the beach and the swim-up bar at the pool. :-) The resort was beautiful.  Simply stunning. The Fiesta Americana Condesa.

Tourist days happened on Friday and Saturday, where we played around in the ocean snorkeling, visited aquariums and shopped. Curiously enough, Cancun is EXPENSIVE. No fooling. Pesos are easy to come by, and EASY to spend. The economic basis of Cancun's existence is tourists willing to part with their dollars to buy memories. The economic imbalance between the tourists and the inhabitants is significant, and it's hard to block that imbalance when the cost of the drink you are sipping is equal the the daily wage of the person serving it to you. I'm not sure how many other vacationers are challenged with this ethical dilemma, but we were.


Saturday night, our last night in Mexico, and we didn't want to do anything too silly - a dinner on the water, a few gentle beverages; we were pleased to return to the resort - only to discover our room had been broken into. We lost both cameras, a Rogers Blackberry and a few Canadian dollars. The kicker was the loss of the almost full memory cards in the cameras. Damn. That hurt the most.

Funnily enough, my TELUS Blackberry remained behind in the carnage. Even Mexicans realize that my stupid Suretype keyboard is crap. :-)
The concierge from the hotel was outstanding, and took charge - taking us to the Policia, doing the translating and making sure that all the documentation was completed and signed off. Insurance, thank god. Despite the loss of the excessive number of photograps, it was a fantastic trip. Just what we needed for a few days. The coming days, weeks and months are going to make us thankful that we were able to get away, if only for a moment.


Technorati Tags: Cancun, Fiesta Americana Condesa, Mexico

powered by performancing firefox

Back in Canada

loads to update.
apologies for tardiness.

Stay tuned - what happens in Cancun doesn’t need to stay in Cancun, but what you bring to Cancun doesn’t always come back with you either.
Adrien - I need some camera advice now.

;-)


Technorati Tags: Cancun, cameras

Winter Ice and Snow - Ontario Gets Come Uppance

Imagine - the winter wonderland.  Not good timing. But of  course, bad weather rarely comes at a good time.All of Ontario is being hit by ice, show, sleet and rain. I am stranded in London.  The freezing rain has rendered most of the major highways as accident magnets. Our collective giggling over seasonal temperatures - we might have well said "Shutout" in the 3rd period.

Somehow, I've got to get back to Toronto in the next 24 hours in one piece. Thank Nissan for 4 wheel drive.

powered by performancing firefox

Common Sense - Not So Common in BC Anymore

From The Zero Boss

B.C. school yoga classes slammed
Yes - Really.  The province notoriously know for new age, granola munching, and the ever popular tree hugging has now gotten some bad mojo from a few insane Christians. Sad but true. It’s the uneducated ones that may be the worst. I have a feeling that the Devil is having alot more fun stirring up the dust in Afghanistan than using Yoga to trick kids to “let them into their souls”.
Some of the quotes provided in the CBC report sound so very backwoodsy and (Religious-Right American, sorry about that) that it makes me shudder that Canadian can appear so creepy as well.
Where are the hungry lions when you need them?
Yeow.





Technorati Tags: yoga, christians

Building A New Year's Theme

I took a few minutes off work tonight (yes, working at night - that's another story) and stopped by Back in Skinny Jeans where there was an outstanding post that resonated deep within me - likely in the sub-cockles of the heart - about having a New Year's Theme, instead of the oft-abandonned New Year's Resolutions.

What a stunning idea. I'm thinking of themes that can rap up these initiatives:

• personal growth and a deeper self awareness of who i am and where i want to be
  
• reconnecting with friends and family
  
• improved ability to be *tough*
  
• improved health
• de-stressing
• balancing work and life
• developing more photographic skill
• developing more patience
• building and encouraging creativity
  

Now - I need to come up with an over-arching theme that can encompass all these pieces....

I toy with the idea of "decluttering".. but that's seeming fairly static. Authenticity and Vibrancy are suggestions of Skinny Jeans, and they feel close, but not exact either. I would imagine that deciding on a theme for a year is something that one may not be able to nail down in one blog post.
Suggestions welcome :-)

Thanks Skinny Jeans!


Technorati Tags: New Year's Theme, Back in Skinny Jeans

On the Trail of the PufferFish - or How to Spend $500 Quickly

PufferFish
Originally uploaded by sinned4ohio.

It’s hard to find a good pufferfish. Thanks to sinned4ohio for capturing this perfect wee devil.
There’s something mildly human about his face, and the interest in his eyes suggest some level of floobergeist.

I am so close to wanting to get one. I can almost feel him.

Starting to feel the same about the Blackberry Crimson, since the wiz has been stalking the illusive Indigo since before Christmas.  I have him convinced that the Suretype keyboard is for sh&t. :-) And it is.  

Im also feeling a wee bit woozy about the Canon SD700. 

I’ve got a cash christmas pressie burning a hole in the proverbial wallet. Can’t decide what angle I want to pursue. No Adrien, it’s not going to be a Mac. A fish? A berry? A camera?

What sort of interesting thing would you pick up if you had $500 (and no - you can’t pay off a bill with it). 

Experimenting with Technorati Tags: Daniela Cicarelli, Saddam, Studivz, Youtube,

Still Life with Goalie...

It's 8:20 am, and I'm awoken to a plea, "promise you won't be mad"? I roll over, realizing it's 8:20.

Sure, I promise.

All my hockey gear is downstairs.

So? it's usually downstairs. At the front door. I trip over it, I'm used to it.

No....it's downstairs, and all spread out, trying to dry.

Oh. That's different. That means that the smell of hockey equipment has had all night to invade the the house. That's just not right. That equipment does *not* smell like daisies. Not at all. My Christmas tree smell doesn't stand a chance against hockey equipment. Goalie equipment is the worst.

Assmonkey.


Technorati Tags: goalie, hockey, ass monkey

Tree Sheds Faster than Golden Retriever in Nevada...

And the stockings are hung by the gas fireplace with care.

So much to buy still, and so little time. What with work tid bits and cleaning the house and figuring out christmas eve nibblies and boxing day nibblies and wrapping every present under the sun. It’s beginning to feel alot like christmas.

If only the tree manages to hold its remaining needles for another 5 days, we are golden.  Now, if the dog even *looks* at the tree, the tree sheds a few more. It may be easier to rake than vacuum. Mmmm, nothing says christmas like a good old fashioned needle rake-up.


To be wrapped:

1. One Calgary flames Jersey
2. 2 TELUS Balls
3. 3 TELUS Flamingoes
4. 4 Blocks of Floam

(i get points for *attempting* to twist this post into a 12 days of christmas them, but really, who needs *5* of ANYTHING?

;-)
No, this is not my tree. It’s Timmy and Georgie’s masterpiece. It looks amazing. And I checked, it’s got all its needles.



Technorati Tags: christmas, presents

I Covet My Privacy in Strange Ways

The other day I bought a LaSenza gift certificate for someone, and was asked for my phone number. Nope, no thank you, I'm not interested in giving you my phone number. Same for ANY store who asks me for a phone number. Now, a postal code, ehh, fine, I'll give you a postal code of the house I lived in... in the 90's.

The phone rang, and it was someone from Canada Trust, wanting to sell something, but wanted to confirm personal bits about me - nope, no thank you. If I want something, I will call *you* and be thrilled to provide you with personal bits.
Martin Geddes had this same problem! Telemarketers who want to confirm pieces of my life? No thanks, you aren't bonded, you aren't reqired to take an ethics course; there is NO WAY i am telling someone who makes an hourly wage anything private about myself. No offence.


On the other hand - I'm RIGHT HERE.  Right out here. Which, by virtue of being on the net 7/24 isn't all that private. Still. I'm not going to tell you anything like where my bothmark is , or what the balance is on my line of credit, or what rewards program I use.

1.  On my left leg
2.  $0.00
3.  aeroplan

Oh. Ok.
That was easy.



Technorati Tags: privacy, martin geddes, blogging

powered by performancing firefox

Thursday is Garbage Day

Thursday is garbage day on my street.  The neighbourhood is very regimented on when you *put out* the garbage.  It's got to be done between 10:00 pm wednesday night and 7:00 am thursday morning. Heaven help you if you are late.

And I am.

I'm the nerd shuffling out in her jammies and headset at 11:30 Thursday morning, usually engrossed in a conference call, trying to beat the recycling truck to the curb. Classy, I know. It's not easy, this garbage thing. The pressure grows every week to conform to the neighbourhood. Trying to keep up with the Jones' has taken on a whole new meaning.

Next week, I'm going to set my alarm clock earlier.

There are days when I miss the old familiar "garbage chute".  Back then, any day you needed to get rid of a Hefty Bag was garbage day.

Technorati Tags: garbage, Oak Ridges

powered by performancing firefox

Angry MADD Volunteers

Sort of ironic, don't you think?  That the volunteers who support MADD, are angry at the charity for squandering millions in donations?
I've always been suspicious of MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving). It's not what you are thinking... Way back in the late '80s, I was one of the eager highschool kids who helped bring SADD (Students against Drunk Driving) into high schools in Ontario, and specifically into my own. It was outstanding, the support, the fundraising we did on our own, the awareness, especially in a town where "crop touring" was easily the easiest entertainment on a Friday night. We made our own public service annoncements, arranged theatrical performances.

And then MADD Canada showed up.

It was a battle royale of the anti-drinking and driving charities. MADD claimed that we were infringing on their name, and we had to cease and desist. SADD had to be come OSAID, and any good marketer knows, that's just not the same. There's still a SADD USA, but now SADD stands for Students Against Destructive Decisions.  I guess they didn't want to get lumped in with the MADD folks.

It's amazing how such a great idea, with grass roots support can be turned into a corporate monster.

TheStar.com - MADD's `exorbitant costs' anger charity's volunteers

Technorati Tags: MADD, SADD, OSAID, GDHS

powered by performancing firefox

Urban Myths: Bullsh&t?

This month's Maxim Online has nailed down some of the more famous Urban Legends, and tracked down, using somewhat scientific methodology, the truth or lack thereof behind them. There is a debunking of the "cellphone will cause cancer" myth, which is also nicely supported by a research report that was released out of Denmark this week, (thanks mark).  The twist to the "cell phone will cause cancer" challenge is that all studies seem to only deal with adults will fully grown brains, not with children.  I'd like to see a study of how high cell phone usage affects kids from 12 to 18.  But who want's to donate their child's brain to research?
Ever had to touch a baby bird, knowing full well you might be sentencing it to death-by-mother-abandonment? According to Maxim, and the environmental expert it found, baby birds are safe to touch, but baby rabbits, now that's another story.
:-)


Technorati Tags: maxim, urban legends

powered by performancing firefox

The Garage: The Last Bastion for Smokers

It's that time of the year.
It's too cold to hang out on the back deck, too cold to pop out on the front porch.
It's that time of the year when hundreds of garage lights turn on and off, seamingly magically, at all hours of the day and night.

It's winter for the smokers. All over Canada, people are bundling up to head out to their garages for a quick one. Not to be confused with the quickie, which, as far as I can tell, is still allowed inside the house. The Ministry of Health in Saskatchewan (where it's BITTER cold, even recommends smoking in the garage. Odd for a health Agency, but with winter windchills of -30, who can complain? However, this credo (and the complete ban on public smoking in Saskatchewan) has caused a new trend, that of the "garage bar" where hundreds of bar patrons now congregate in parking garages, parking lots, and in the back of the farm machinery dealership, just to have a smoke and perhaps a beer before "heading back" into the licenced liquor establishments.

I'm actually starting to see a resurgence in people putting in couches in their garages, just to have a place to sit, for when smoking guests need to be accomodated, not for an audience for the "garage band". Of course, this also leads to more cars being parked outside again ;-).

Have you been to a party lately where half the guests troup out enmass, only to return 9 minutes later, again en masse?  Are we creating a societal division?

It's a curious phenomenon.
The Smoking Garage.

powered by performancing firefox

I Lead a Sheltered Blogging Life

Yesterday i rhymed off a dozen or so blogs i read regularly. Today I stumble across Trainwrecks and realize i've been completely missing the seedy underbelly of the blog-o-whore-osphere.

My life is now complete. Seediness and all.




Technorati Tags: trainwrecks, blog-o-whore-osphere

powered by performancing firefox

The Bedazzler - I'm Not Kidding!

The Original Bedazzler
BeDazzler - The Official Site of AsSeenOnTV.com
Isn't it something you always dreamed about when you were a little girl (if you were a little girl). And now, just like back then, it sends shivers down my neck.  I think I know an 8 year old who is going to have a heck of a time mutilating a jean jacket for the sake of fashion.  Heck, I might even know a 30-something who will do the same!!!

And now, even available to ship to Canada! What more could you ask for!


Technorati Tags: Bedazzler

powered by performancing firefox