Id Rather Be Blogging

Set The WayBack Machine To 1990 Sherman

2008-11-19T00:01:00.004-06:00

1990 Ah, yes. I remember it well. That was a time in my life, BC (Before Child) when I was asked to serve on the Board of Directors for our local Zoo. My proudest achievement there was my appointment as Chairman for our Zoo's Animal Adoption Program, a new fund-raising venture. Er, "Program" would infer that I had a slew of staff to supervise, but in reality there was one part-time secretary

It's Tradition

2008-11-16T00:01:00.000-06:00

It's that time of year once again. An occasion for tradition, customs and yes, even folklore. For the day has arrived to begin the long-drawn out process of decorating the outside of the house with Christmas lights. Over the years, hubby has developed his own, well, let's call it "routine" for this task involving numerous and inflexible steps: 1) Roll eyes at the mere suggestion from me that

I Took A Day Off For This?

2008-11-14T10:15:00.029-06:00

Ah Fridays! The only thing better than a Friday is a Friday-Off-Work. Yup, vacation days are the best! Er.... at least I THOUGHT it would be. Until I discovered the four resident furballs here had other plans: Furball #1: AKA Casey The Damn Dog: Within a few minutes of greeting the snowy morning, she decides it's the perfect time to get sick; on the rug under the living room coffee table of

The Office - In Winnipeg

2008-11-13T00:01:00.001-06:00

Tonight's the night. Don't even THINK of trying to contact me between 8:00 and 8:30 Central Time, 'cause I won't answer the phone, my cell or be checking emails. (I will however, be continually checking my blog and Twitter for comments before and after the show, as per my usual sad evening routine in a desperate search for recognition and acceptance ...) I'll be glued to the TV with the DVR

Sam's Trip to IKEA

2008-11-10T00:01:00.003-06:00

It was our last day in the Big City of Toronto. After trips to the CN Tower and the Hockey Hall of Fame, I had hoped that would mean sleeping in, relaxing, and waiting for our plane home... But once more I was too optimistic. Instead, I was shoved into the Dark Purse, endured another long shaky subway ride and found myself at a strange place crammed with crazy people rushing around, called "

Ho Ho Ho-ly Crap

2008-11-08T11:02:00.006-06:00

It's amazing what a difference a few hours makes. One minute the roads are clear, dry and covered in crunchy leaves. A perfect fall evening. Then I wake up the next morning to this: Makes me want to go Christmas shopping. Or at the very least, beginning to THINK about Christmas shopping. On the other hand, I think I'll take a nap first. Christmas shopping in early November is simply

It's A Shame Really

2008-11-06T00:01:00.005-06:00

Because it was Halloween, I took a vacation day last Friday to prepare for all the Trick or Treaters I was expecting that night. And I since I am sooo smart, I calculated we would have droves of kids aswe are in a fairly new sub-division with lots of young families it was the weekend, and the weather was unseasonably warm.Yeseree... all the ingredients for a wonderfully spooky night lay ahead.

Sam Goes To The Hockey Hall of Fame

2008-11-03T00:01:00.004-06:00

It was our second day in The Big City of Toronto. And I would have thought that after the experiences I had endured previously, I'd be treated to some relaxing time on the soft green pillow in our hotel room. How wrong I was. Of course, I was once again dragged to another event. This time to something called a "Wine and Cheese Reception" at the Hockey Hall of Fame, to eat, drink and meet some

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-30T00:01:00.009-05:00

Every Halloween we carve a few real pumpkins to set on our doorstep. I illuminate them with electric lights so we don't have to worry about candles and the kids love them. Oh, and I LOVE toasting the pumpkin seeds too. But for the past few years, I've also done foam ones so we can keep them to reuse year to year. Hey, if I am going to spend hours on these suckers, I want to keep them longer

Back From The Big City

2008-10-27T00:01:00.007-05:00

Gad it's good to be back home from my business trip to the big T.O. Tor-on-to... A nice place to visit, but with apologies to my Ontario readers, it's too damn big for this fraidy cat. Five frickin' million people; and I swear ALL of them were squeezed into Eaton Centre on Saturday. Shockingly, my presentation on Friday went extremely well. Mucho kudos were received from the GE Head Honcho,

Petula Clark Was Wrong

2008-10-20T11:55:00.058-05:00

"We can forget all our troubles, forget all our cares and go Downtown, things'll be great when you're Downtown, don't wait a minute more Downtown, everything's waiting for you." Yeah. Sure. On Saturday night we celebrated my parent's 60th Anniversary with a family dinner at a fancy-schmancy Downtown Hotel. We had them transported there earlier by stretch limo, with roses, champagne and music

Too Many Choices

2008-10-16T00:01:00.009-05:00

Damn kids. They have an uncanny knack for making you feel old. Take the other day. I actually found myself saying "Well, in MY day..." Oh. Gad. I sounded like my mother. What forced that ancient saying from my lips was a discussion about school rings. In 1975 I was in Grade 10. My parents agreed to buy my school ring that year to avoid the rising price of silver that was forecast to occur.

New Furniture

2008-10-14T00:01:00.000-05:00

Yikes! It's been a long week. With Canadian Thanksgiving (and of course I was stupid kind enough to offer to host the family dinner again this year), my parents 60th Anniversary coming up, a certain "talk" to prepare for and a dying laptop I have been sorely negligent in the blogosphere. But I DID get some new furniture this past weekend! Oh yeah. The old stuff was well worn; I've recovered it

I’m Pessimistically Optimistic

2008-10-07T08:53:00.011-05:00

Dealing with what the Gods of Fate have in store for me is simply a matter of perspective. After a sleepless night of cleaning up after a very sick dog (who is fine now), Monday didn't start out well. Like the early morning downpour. Sure, the Pessimist would have seen it as a dreary start to the day. The Optimist in me realized it could have been worse... it could have been snow. Then when

How Did I Get Myself Into This?

2008-10-05T13:09:00.039-05:00

For the past few years, my employer has sent me to the fall Canadian cardiac conference held in Montreal, Vancouver, Quebec City, and this year, Toronto. It's been a blast to travel, sightsee, relax, sit back and smugly watch others panic speak about their Programs at the annual User's Meeting. Several months ago though, I was called by the conference organizers asking if I would be a Presenter

Four Dozen

2008-10-03T00:01:00.000-05:00

4 Dozen Beer 4 Dozen Cookies 4 Dozen Roses 4 Dozen Eggs Oh yeah. And 4 Dozen years old today. Gah!

Thank you Morpheus

2008-10-01T00:01:00.009-05:00

Sometimes you just have to accept what happens and not question the reasons. Still, I can't help but wonder if my latest dream was somehow inspired by Jay's wonderful blog "The Depp Effect" (and her tantalizing "pale biscuit coloured trousers" photo in particular). Or perhaps it was from staring at this calendar over my desk at work for the past month: Then again, maybe it was the wallpaper on

Cat Scan

2008-09-29T00:01:00.012-05:00

Hold on.... hold on... something doesn't look right here. Tap. Tap. Tap. Nope. Not right AT ALL. Yeah, yeah. Birds pooped on her car. She still has clothes from the 70's. Toilets explode on her. Hilarious. Um hello??? Where am I? My photo hasn't adorned this insipid blog for 4 months! I mean really! She natters on and on about her pathetic life, when instead, she could garner thousands of

Birdie, Birdie In The Sky...

2008-09-24T00:01:00.008-05:00

Ah, Fall. My favorite time of the year. The crisp, cool night air. The crunch of warm-hued leaves under my feet. The honking of the Canada Geese as they fly low overhead. So close, I can hear the "flup, flup, flup" of their wings as they gather into huge V-shaped convoys. Hundreds of the majestic birds take to the skies from the lake across the street from our home, covering the sky during

Plum Good

2008-09-21T00:01:00.006-05:00

It's really amazing what happens when one steps away from the laptop. The other evening I actually got out of my comfy blogging chair in the livingroom and went "Outside". You know. That place beyond the front door where Canada Geese are honking overhead, leaves are falling and a breeze of crisp, fresh air fills your lungs. Shocked aren't you? I was. Whilst wandering around our backyard,

Closet Geek

2008-09-17T00:01:00.010-05:00

I have skeletons in my closet. Scratch that. I HAD skeletons in my closet. Last weekend I purged the buggars out. No seance, chanting or Ouija boards necessary. Just two huge green garbage bags. Thanks to my teenage daughter, I have been forced, kicking and screaming gradually updated my fashion style to a somewhat acceptable version of this millennium's look. However, I will openly admit

The Dog Days Of Summer

2008-09-13T00:01:00.006-05:00

Since I am prone to requiring medical assistance after thrill rides (okay, okay...perhaps even after not-so-thrillish rides), I have become "The Official Holder-Of-All-Things-That-Shall-Propel-From-Your-Pockets" when our family visits an amusement park. So it wasn't surprising to anyone that during our recent trip to Valley Fair I was planning to relax with both feet safely planted on terra firma

Never Tell Me The Odds

2008-09-09T20:32:00.007-05:00

"Sir! The possibility of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately 3,720 to 1." Threepio's high-pitched wail screamed in my head as we drove back from Minneapolis*. Why you ask? (Erm, you DID ask, didn't you? Otherwise, you may as well stop reading now. There isn't much of a reason to continue if you really aren't a curious lot now is there?) Okay then. Well, about two hours

We Eat Ham, And Jam And Spam A Lot

2008-09-07T09:30:00.006-05:00

Scratch that. We do eat ham and jam. But NEVER Spam. Ick. Ick. Ick. That title is the line from "Monty Python and The Holy Grail" movie that inspired "Spamalot". Even though I've been a MP fan since the 70's, I still will not eat Spam. Not even if they sing about it. I may receive Spam. I may delete Spam. But I will not EAT Spam. Someone must.... because THIS is a Lot Of Spam:

If I Only Had The Guts

2008-09-04T08:18:00.004-05:00

I got the weirdest reaction at work Tuesday. When asked what I did on my holidays last week, I told my co-worker that I travelled hundreds of miles to meet a man I met on the Internet. That stopped her in her tracks. Eyebrows raised. Her mouth dropped open, but words failed her. I was so tempted to regale her with a story of lust and daring... Man! If I only had the guts, I could have spun