Welcome Why to the World of Blogging

My best friend, Yvette, has recently started a blog of her own. I've included a link on the right side under Blog Links, see Swiss Miss.

Welcome, Why!

Walk to End Breast Cancer

This weekend about 3,000 Montrealers walked 60 kilometres over 2 days in effort to raise awareness and funds for research about Breast Cancer. Altogether C$9.2 million raised! A truly awesome feat!

Three co-workers participated in this walk and I was there on Saturday to cheer them on. Check out their smiling faces here.

Congratulations to Sina, Viviane and Mark. I'm proud of your incredible energy and determination. You guys ROCK!!!

Muchos photos

Check out my flickr page for a whole whack o' pictures. Thanks to The Muddler for my birthday present which gives me the ability to upload up to 2 gigs of pictures every month for the next year!

Hope you're ready for muchos photos!!!

Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans

For those Harry Potter fans out there, you may have come across a little novelty item called "Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans". Those that have read or seen the Harry Potter series know that they mean every flavour.

Special thanks to my friendly Angry Gnome for this little pre-non-Birthday present. We tried a couple out at lunchtime today and I just ate the remaining "normal" flavoured beans.

So here's the breakdown: Black Pepper (too scared to try), Blueberry (just tastes like fake jelly bean or something), Booger (too scared to try), Earthworm (a little bit chocolatey, but made me gag), Cherry (Best one - yummy!), Cinnamon (nice, not too hot), Dirt (tastes like dirt without the grainy bits), Ear Wax (Angry Gnome will have to comment, I too scared), Grape Jelly (just like grape jelly!), Grass (just like grass ...), Green Apple (nice, good tart factor), Lemon Drop (lemony), Toasted Marshmallow (Yummy!!!), Buttered Popcorn (very buttery), Sardine (too scared to try), Soap (too scared to try), Spaghetti (exactly like you would expect a spaghetti jelly bean to taste - kinda gross), Spinach (too scared to try), Tutti-Frutti (just like bubble gum), Vomit (WAY too scared to try).

There you have it. If you've tried the really horrible ones, let me know just how gross they were.

Funny kid story #3

This is a story Why sent me ages ago. I've been saving it for a day when I really had nothing else to say. Here you go.

Dylan's best friend, Nico, is 6. At some recent family gathering, all the cousins were fooling around with Grandpa, wrestling, tickling, etc. After awhile, Grandpa had rightly had enough and told the kids to stop. Nico asked him "Grandpa, are you gay? You have no muscles!"

Stooopid Monday

Who else has an issue with Mondays? Today I'm having a particularly stooopid Monday. I suppose the problems started with not doing my ironing last night (but I was just too tired). Anyway, this is what happened this morning.

Got up half an hour late so spent the next 40 minutes running around like a chicken with my head cut off (trying to find clothes that could be worn without ironing - my shirt is ok but don't look at the collar and my pants are ok if you don't look below the knees), managed to catch the early bus and noticed that I'd forgotten to put my watch on, arrived at work and found out that 2 of the guys I work for wouldn't be in today, so in fact I didn't need to worry about getting to work early (or on time), then I found out that I only brought one running shoe with me (so I won't be walking home) and I also forgot my mango (but I brought the knife to cut it with).

Sheesh ... is this day over yet?

I love lists

For those of you who know me, and know me well, you know that I love lists. Writing them, thinking about them, crossing stuff off of them, making different lists for different activities ... I could go on.

Check out McSweeney's. They have some great lists that make me laugh. Plenty of other interesting reading there too.

I should put together that meat cereal list. Remember that, Eric, Nick & Marc?

What I actually spent a long time thinking about between 2:30 and 5:30am

Last night I went to a party after work. Managed to be home by 11pm. After a quick wash, pulled out some clothes for work and jumped into bed. Slept well until 2:30am. Then spent a considerable part of the next 3 hours thinking about hydrogen-cell cars and how will it be possible to make them safe and affordable for consumers so we can stop polluting the planet.

I kid you not. This is what keeps me up at night.

Call me crazy. It's OK. Really.

Parents and Technology

For some time now I have been aware that my mom is a little confused when it comes to technology (not knowing how to turn off her new cell phone during a church service is just one example ...). This weekend I found out that she has some trouble with recognizing the difference between a blog and a flickr site, and also how to make an appropriate user name and password for all these sites.

What happened was this. She explained to me that she had wanted to post a comment on Nick's flickr page, but kept getting a user name of "Little Princess 3". Seriously. She couldn't understand how that happened. I don't know what Mom or Dad did to get that user name, but boy was it funny to see Little Princess 3 appear when she tried to post a comment. After a little explaining and a quick search we managed to change their user name on flickr to something a little more age appropriate. They are now Bill&Gigi.

Still it's worth a good giggle.

Many thanks to Eric and The Wedge

Some time ago my brother Eric posted an entry on his blog about a music video show called The Wedge on Much Music. Friday night I finally watched and guess what?! I saw 2, count 'em 2 videos by M83 (also a band that said brother introduced me to for much listening pleasure)!

Now I'm asking myself why did I wait so long?

What to say and when to just shut up

A close is friend is going through quite a life crisis at the moment. Last night we were able to get together and talk things through. Well, mostly I tried to let her talk it all out. I just hope I provided enough of a listening ear, shoulder to cry on, and some pertinent advice to balance it all out. It's hard knowing what to say, when and how to say it, and when to just shut up and listen.

Woman, hope it helped. I'm always there for you.

Pictures up on flickr

Have posted a few pictures from my vacation. Enjoy!

PVD has officially set in

Post Vacation Depression (PVD) has hit. Big time. I hate, hate, hate the end of vacation. As much as I love being back in my own home, with my own stuff again - I really miss my friends in Europe.

Dancing in Why's kitchen like a fool, screaming my head off (and dancing like a fool) at the mention of a snake, eating piles and piles of chocolate, laughing until I cry, impressing Why's kids into silence with the power of my burps - these things, I tell ya, just don't happen in my everyday life. Guess maybe that's why I appreciate Why all that much more when we do get together.

PS - Why, you make sure you come over in two years or less. Anna's wedding or not.

Back to my roots

Have spent the last 10 days in Switzerland, returning to my roots, so to speak. Had a great week in the Emmental Valley with Yvette, Andy, Kolina and Dylan. Spent the last 4 days running all over visiting with Grandmaman, aunts, uncles and the many cousins, their spouses and children. Now in Zurich for a little bestestfriend time (i.e. girls day shopping!) and of course the essential stocking up of chocolate!!!

Can't believe 3 weeks is almost over. It's been wonderful.