deal or no deal?

june 25 - 2007

was at the casino on the weekend and walked away a winner - yeah - forked out 60 bucks to win 60 dollars and 50 cents - hey - i said i was a winner, not a big winner - they’ve got 4 new machines that have been there for about a week and they are deal or no deal - with game show music and everything - so i was entertained for over an hour and if you get 3 cash boxes - you get to play deal or no deal for credits - don’t you just love that game show? not sure about howie mandel’s bald look - why is the game so popular? is it for the possibility of big money? or the wierd people they have on - i mean come on - who brings their lizard, parot, iguana and other animals from home - all i know is that guy must be single - and probably will be for quite some time!

crazy corn and what the hail?

june 18 - 2007

i hope you are having a fantastic weekend as as i am. yesterday after checking out the show and shine at lions park for redcliff days, the rest of the day was spent at 40 mile park- nothing like dinner on the barbeque with steak, porkchops, tinfoiled potatoes and corn on the cob (which was big and yellow and succulant but the rows weren’t all lined up for the typewriter type eaters at the table - ha ha tracey) and the night was topped off with a campfire and a minimum amount of rain.

back tracking a bit - just getting to 40 mile that afternoon was a challenge. we were headed west on township road 84 (the road, not the band) and were just at the solberg’s farm when hail hit and hit big - the size of large marbles - so i suggested pulling in and getting behind a large tree…. is that really safe when lightning was on the horizon? anyhoo, ray decided it wasn’t enough protection and headed back east to try to get out of it - but we seemed to be going INTO it - which way was it coming from? so we hung a left and headed north and then it got even worse. no matter which direction we went - nothing could get us out of it so he gave up and headed back to where we started - and by the time we where back there - it was over and done! no damage done to the truck thankfully but i kinda felt like it was getting in line at the check out at the store and you think you pick the shortest line, but end up getting behind someone with something that won’t ring through or has no price tag and they have to call a manager and it ends up taking the longest. ain’t that the way!

hopefully there will be no hail to be found on the golf course this afternoon. i am a fairweather golfer but will brave the elements just to see ray having fun with his kids because i don’t think anything would put a damper on an afternoon a father with his children no matter what they are doing - rain or shine! happy fathers day dads!

wonderful weekends

june 12 - 2007

i absolutely love working in medicine hat - it’s such a great place with such great people. a big city with small town values. my fun began in even smaller town bow island. friday night we went to the tavern where my fiance ray usually plays crib against JC the bartender when it’s not busy. first ray helped her load up some empties in the back, so i helped out behind the bar. now i have never worked in a bar before, restaurants yes, but this was my first experience as a tar bender and what a blast i had. well it started to get busy and rather than have her get up down to wait on cutomers, i continued serving! i was literally SKIPPING across the dance floor (not with drinks in hand) i was having so much fun - and not only did i make over 10 bucks in tips, but i even got a bouquet of flowers from the flower shop next door (thanks tina :)

saturday afternoon while working - a listener called to say they had 17 yards of sod to give away, would i announce it on the radio? hmmmm - this girl could use some sod herself, so they actually DELIVERED it to my home!!! thanks so much travis - that night we went out at 40 mile to visit friends and then after solid gold sunday (before heading back to 40 mile) we laid the sod. that’s after hand digging up part of the yard with a weed popper and a spade. ow my aching back - but does it ever look great! now just to remind my daughter not to pull up past the driveway to make room for a car behind her - oops - too late - she knew about the sod, just not the whereabouts - i was back today re-doing a couple of strips. ack!

i’m a little disappointed about the chucks being cancelled because it would have been my first time seeing them, so hopefully i will be able to go when they are rescheduled. humps and horns bullriding classic is tomorrow night but i am working, so next on the agenda - REDCLIFF DAYS!!!

baseball, fishing and redneck golfing

june 5 - 2007

what an awesome weekend this was! could the weather have not been more perfect? i was busy for 5 days straight. thursday (the start of my weekend) i was in bow island volunteering for the canadian cancer society, picking up the kits from the door to door canvassers and what wonderful people the volunteers were. i think this is the most successful year ever! we topped it off at athens catching up with old and new friends. friday was spent just running errands but that makes me happy when i get everything accomplished. saturday after work, we went fishing at 40 mile with lots of bites but only one keeper. after solid gold sunday i was off to spectrum in kin coulee park to give away prizes and was entertained by some crazy clowns and then it was out conquerville to our friends the solbergs for golfing on the farm. they created 5 holes with fairways they used to swath but since the swather broke down, judy actually mowed several acres. the rough was a field of dandilions that have gone to seed. try finding a white ball in that! and to top it all off, monday was pack the park night at athletic field as the mavericks took on the st albert big river prospects. no win unfortunately, but a great night for baseball. busy and happy is what it’s all about! how was your weekend?

desperate housewives and hockey fans

may 28 - 2007

ever have one of those days that starts out good and then goes from bad to worse? yesterday i had an appointment right after hosting my favourite show - solid gold sunday - but i needed to stop at my house in town first. after checking on my daughter’s dog, i decided to do her (’liz’ not ‘izzy’) a favour and return her recycling. after gathering the empties, and climbing over the baby gate that keeps izzy upstairs where she can do the least amount of damage (grrr - puppies) i fumble with a several other loads and lock the door, load up the car, get in …. and…. and….. no keys. now i don’t keep a key hidden on the property because i think that’s unsafe - so i have just locked not only the house keys inside the house, but the car keys too and the SPARE! - now I’ve had enter my house from the balcony before - in broad daylight - in full view of neighbours and onlookers - twice in the last 6 months but guess what? - after nagging liz to secure the balcony doors before she leaves the house - she finally does it! which is a good thing! but me without money (a normal thing) - i’m unable to call a cab and get the keys from her at work. so i call a friend to get them and run them up to me - but that will take time - and it’s getting close to game time and i can’t even listen to our tigers play in the final game of the memorial cup on the car radio!! so i may as well be productive - i may as well mow the lawn - even though i’m not really dressed for mowing the lawn. Remember that scene from desperate houswives when Eva Longoria mows the lawn in an evening gown and heels to cover the fact that she is having a fling with the gardener? well, that was how i felt - minus the fling and the evening gown mind you - just the high heels. the only thing worse that could happen was it would have started to rain - and then i hear thunder - could it get any worse? but i finish the lawn before the storm and head out to the farm to watch the tigers (as hard as it is for me without bob ridley making the call) so then - it does go from bad to worse - i have to watch them them lose - but you know what? it could have been worse, they could have got trounced on 8 - 1 (highly unlikely but possible) they could have never made it there at all. they could have been eliminated long ago but the two best canadian teams in the WHL fought a valiant fight til the bitter end - bitter sweet for our very own WHL champs - you took it to the end without giving up and making your hometown proud. way to go tigers. i can’t wait til the season next year!

first jobs

may 22 - 2007

my sister and i have signed up for facebook.com and she is looking for incriminating photo's of the family to post - she's already got a picture of me around grade 7 with buck teeth before braces and goofy glasses - i'm thinking of posting one from my first job - what was your first job? first jobs don't often predict future careers. did you know that Johnny Depp donned makeup in a Kiss tribute band? Jim Carrey mopped floors and was a security guard and Danny DeVito began his career as a hair dresser at his sister salon - now, me in my mcdonald's uniform when i was 18 was not the first job i had - i guess you could consider babysiting my first job - and i still feel like i am doing that here at the station with some of the guys i work with!

happy mother's day

may 13 - 2007

I’ve had an absolutely wonderful mothers day weekend so far - friday ray took me golfing at cottonwood and then i went to the chocolate fastasy buffet at the medicine hat lodge with my daughter - we had fun blowing bubbles, sharing stories and the guest speaker Dr. Dembe was inspiring - then on saturday i went fishing with family and friends out at 40 mile and i got hand picked wild flowers in a recycled vase - that was for our anniversary - but i have been waiting for days to open a mother’s day present that my daughter has been tormenting me with by leaving out on the kitchen table - i really don’t care what’s inside - it’s the wrapping paper that i can’t wait to frame and hang up - she made a collage of pictures of her and her brother from when they were babies, toddlers and teens - and a few pictures with me in them too - from the 80’s, 90’s and this year’s annual ski trip. after work we’ll be going to dinner with ray’s mum and dad and then the evening will be spent on the phone with my sisters and own mother - oh - and i forgot to mention - thursday was spent doing yard work and ray got me a lawnmower - i consider it a mothers day gift - now that may not be romantic and is up there with getting a vaccum or kitchen utensils - but it’s what i needed - and now i just got this email from my friend tracey - that makes me laugh - in the middle of an extra long day spent at work - on a day when i would really rather not be here.

The Broken Mower

When our lawn mower broke and wouldn’t run, my wife kept hinting to me that I should get it fixed. But, somehow I always had something else to take care of first, the truck, the car, playing golf - always something more important to me.

Finally she thought of a clever way to make her point. When I arrived home one day, I found her seated in the tall grass, busily snipping away with a tiny pair of sewing scissors. I watched silently for a short time and then went into the house. I was gone only a minute, and when I came out again I handed her a toothbrush.

I said, “When you finish cutting the grass, you might as well sweep the driveway.”

The doctors say I will walk again, but I will always have a limp.

Moral to this story : Marriage is a relationship in which one person is always right, and the other is the husband.

easy come, easy go

may 5 - 2007

ray and i went to the northern winz casino outside of Havre last week and had a blast - i’m wondering who made up the saying “easy come, easy go” - cuz that saying is only half true - the easy go part - the one nice thing is that they take canadian money at par - i had 25 US dollars of my own - gone in a matter of minutes - ray had 250 canadian so he gave me some money - gone - so we sat down at these two machines which were more like car video games than VLT’s - they had their own chairs and consoles so we had a race - both putting 20 dollars in at the same time - and seeing who would get to zero first - whoever lost the 20 - won - and the other person would have to drive home - well - isn’t that the way - when you are trying to lose money - you start winning - ray was getting a little excited whenever he won - saying stupid witch - that was because he was on a halloween theme VLT and whenever he got 2 or more witches - he won - I was on the gift from the Gods game - and there was zues, medusa and pegasus - the staff would stop and see how we were doing - seeing if i got the horse - that was good - but for us - BAD - so i suggest 20 dollars EITHER way - the first one to zero OR 40 bucks - wins - within 5 minutes - ray was at 40 and won -i was at about 33 - so i say double or nothing - loser drives home - first one to 60 or zero wins - well, by this time - all the ladies are standing around watching - rooting for us - and ta da - i win!! and cash out - i am such a wuss when it comes to gambling but - i made the 20 back ray lost - and the 20 i put in - and was still up 20 - it was the most fun we had all day - and the longest we lasted on a machine - and i spent my winnings on a fleece jacket for a souvenir - not a penny left - easy go? easy gone!

what's in a name?

april 21 - 2007

i just read a story that reminds me of the song “a boy named sue” because a boy named Justin Brady wanted a new name, and a New Mexico judge has granted his request. Justin’s new name is Ynot Bubba. He asked to change his name because he no longer has a relationship with his adoptive parents. His first name, Ynot, comes from communities around the county named whynot and his last name is from the people he now considers family; they nicknamed him Bubba not for any particular reason. - however - Ynot Bubba was one of 3 choices. He had considered Lacon Marlboro, after the town of Lacon, Alabama, and his preferred choice of cigarette. He also considered More Chek, from his desire for more money. if it were me - my name would be Win Lottery. either that or Retire Early!

dirty girl

april 21 - 2007
i like terri clark’s new song - as close as i would come to getting dirty would be in a mud bath at a spa - and i’ve never had a mud bath in a spa - yet - but i just had a mud bath at a gas field - i went to work with ray today and we had to take the quads into two of the wells - after riding on the back of his quad for the first well, i was pelted with mud from head to toe and back again - what a dirty girl i was - at the next well, he unloaded a second quad that i drove behind - down a trail, into a running creek 2 feet deep and 12 feet across - thru a field of cows (and i am afraid of cows) through a gate to the well to launch a pig. (pigging a well is putting a foam shell into the pipeline to force the water out) i felt like a mail carrier - thru wind and rain and sleet and hail we went - i was barely able to see thru fogged up glasses, snow pelting my eyes, slipping and sliding in the mud and cows running along side me and across my path as i ventured causiously along - did i mention i am afraid of cows? we lauched the pig and headed back, ray letting me lead this time - this time i was not afraid of the cows - for he mentioned they were not cows - they were BULLS!! did i mention i am even MORE afraid of bulls? so there was no venturing this time - i grit my teeth (more like i grit the GRIT in my teeth) and it was full out and full speed ahead only to slow down a bit for the creek and back to the safety of his truck - did he save the solo quad ride for the bull field on purpose??? he says nooooo - but i’m sure it was definitely a bonus.

solid gold soup

april 18 - 2007

hey there - ran across this recipe that fits my Solid Gold Sunday classic country show perfectly… tune in this weekend between 9 and noon. listen for "now and then" for your chance to win tanning certificates from fabutan. I play a new artist with a cover of a classic song and if you guess the original artist - you win!!!


Solid Gold Squash Soup from better homes and gardens
prep: 5 mins
cook: 10 mins
carbs: 26g
ingredients
1 1/2 tsp canola or vegetable oil
1/4 c finely chopped onion
1-2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2-12 oz pkgs frozen cooked winter squash - thawed
1 c reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 c apple juice or cider
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 c plain nonfat yogurt or sour cream
1-2 tb finely chopped pistachio nuts (opt)

directions
in a medium saucepan heat oil over medium heat. add onion, curry powder and ground ginger. cook and stir for 2 minutes. add squash, chicken broth, apple juice and salt. heat through. laddle into soup bowls. top each serving with a swirl of yogurt or sour cream. if desired, sprinkle with pistachio nuts. makes 4 side-dish servings.

http://lifestyle.msn.com/foodandentertaining/recipes/recipe_detailbhg.aspx?st=k&q=solid&rid=2300&pn=0&ps=10

cat tales

april 16 - 2007

we went to the performance of CATS last night at the arena - i took my 20 year old daughter and ray took his 2 daughters and 9 year old granddaughter. it will go down in history as a memorable evening. it was a combination of weird and wonderful, it was a combination of ballet, tap, rock, opera, burlesque, disco and pop. it was a combination of hockey sweat, vomit and popcorn and had the circus been there the day before, i am sure it would have smelt like elephant dung. it was an assault to the senses both good and bad, from the stunning set and resonant, pure and perfect voice of angie smith - grizabella (when you could hear her) to the poor sound and terrible seats (who on earth would sell tickets in a section BEHIND the curtain and then have to move said ticketholders?) i don’t even want to get into wishing or wondering why the esplanade would not have constructed a decent size theatre but after all is said and done, i can cross if off my list of things to do - i saw CATS - the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical based on poems by TS Eliot - where each cat had it’s own story - just as each of my own cats have their’s - their own personality and quirks - but have never danced and pranced and sang on stage.

my first cat was a tom cat by the name of munchkin - he was tiny and fluffy and playfull - and a handfull - i got him a playmate - a short haired tabby i named tigger - these two would dig their claws into the screen of the window of my basement appartment and slide it open to prowl at night. in the morning they would return - sometimes with gifts, like on my wedding day. one with a bird and one with a mouse. one deposited on the floor and the other on my bed. were they gifts of joy or an omen? we moved to a little house on fairford street in moosejaw where they came and went as they pleased. a year later we were transfered to halifax and told that pets were not allowed in PMQ’s so the were shipped off to the SPCA. i visited them each day and left in tears the day we moved. I found out later our next door neighbour (who lived on our left) sent his sister (who lived on our right) to fetch them. apparently they used to visit him daily and he would feed them tuna. they would follow him on his daily walks. he walked with a walker - he was old and suffered from cancer and the cats comforted him. one halloween munchkin came home covered in oil - apparently kids had doused him in it and were going to set him on fire but he escaped. he was taken to the vet and cleaned up and nursed back to health. we went back a year later to visit and called both their names. tigger came running as soon as we called - but munchkin was not to be found - appparently the first day of spring he was finally allowed outside and unfortunately hit by a car and was buried in the garden. tigger was still fed tuna - still went for his daily walks - still wailed for his missing friend. tigger still had a few lives left.

halifax proved NOT to be a pet free zone. every dog in it’s day had a dog in it’s day. our friends had one so when they found a cat trying to crawl in the kitchen window of their basement appartment - they couldn’t keep him. on our son’s first birthday, we introduced him to the household. he was an orange and white shorthaired and the most patient cat i have ever seen. he didn’t mind being sat on, pulled on, stepped on and squeezed - or put in a doll stroller, dressed up - tortured. one year olds need to be taught how to be nice to a kitty. when we moved to manitoba, that kitty tried to sit on the dashboard of the car until we showed him the safest place in the car was on the armrest between us. when we moved to bango maine a few years later - with 2 kids and the cat in a camaro - the carrying cage was his haven. felix was the most well travelled cat i know, probably better travelled than most people. we travelled 22 stated in 12 days, from maine via route 66 to the grand canyon, las vegas, oregon and washington to victoria bc. felix was fixed and declawed and had two strange habits. he would sit on the back of the couch behind you and put a paw on either side or your head and groom you - either that or he was addicted to the hair products. he also had a penchant for deodorant - or lack there of - and would nuzzle the armpits of odorous men - names withheld to protect the guilty - felix escaped once. it was the longest 3 days of our lives. felix lived for 15 healthy years before he got non- metastacizing cancer. twice we operated. once would have been enough. he was the first pet i ever had to euthanize.

growing up with cats is different from growing up with dogs - cat people are not the same as dog people. i was a cat person as were my children. but they had always wanted a dog. we said one pet was enough and not until the cat was gone would we get a dog. it wasn’t long before the children started bugging us about getting one. we delayed it - we avoided it - we went through a bird and several fish (the last one being named 7 of 9 - ‘cuz 9 was the max i was going to buy) til we found a dog - or a dog found us. but that is a story for a different time - this story is about cats, which is turning into quite the essay - sorry about that - but blogging is just that - a letter to ourselves, for ourselves, about ourselves - so i continue to today where our cats are now farm cats. farm cats are different from city cats. the kids named the cats Pepsi, Cola and Rootbeer among others and they started indoors at the farm as house pets. farm cats don’t belong inside but since farm cats use up their 9 lives faster than city cats. well, any cat that lives indoors - cola and pepsi only remain. so we were given josie for indoors - i tiny little tabby female - who looks like my tigger - who was pregnant when we got her. she had 3 kittens - larry curly and moe - the first two were given away to a friends farm - the runt didn’t make it no thanks to my dog. Josie rules the roost and is the only cat allowed indoors. Pepsi is a fat cat the either eats or hides, and Pepsi is an orange tabby that suns himself on the bbq on the back deck and then jumps from the rail to the roof. some days i am greeted when i fill their food dish and others they are off mousing or birding and leaving their gifts on the front deck. sometimes the are underfoot and other seldom found - but they are the cats in my life and i love them. and boy if you read all this - you musta been REALLY bored - but thank you - cb

past, present and future

april 10 - 2007

question - When a marriage dies, what should be done with the wedding ring? Until now, millions of wedding rings have been banished to remote corners of sock drawers. but Now you can give these wedding rings the proper final resting place they deserve. A New York divorcee, Jill Testa has come up with a solution -- a miniature coffin to lay those unwanted wedding rings to rest. The website WeddingRingCoffin.com says, "Give a dead marriage its proper, final resting place. The Wedding Ring Coffin is the perfect gift for yourself or a loved one to bring closure after a divorce. It's time to bury the past and move on to a new tomorrow." The 2 by 6-inch solid wood coffin has a black velvet ring insert, a brass plaque that you can inscribe with messages like "I do NOT!'' - "Six feet isn't deep enough,'' - "gone and forgotton" – Rest in peace or just RIP - AND it only costs 30 bucks - the company even offers cards inviting people to join in your marriage wake - and their slogan: "You're invited to my divorce party. Join me as I close the lid on my marriage." i think that is so cool, a little ecentric - is it better than getting 30 bucks for it at a pawn shop? how about melting it down into another ring - i did that with ray's old wedding band but i bought new diamonds with the thought that - it's all about melding together the past, the present and the future. do you think that's weird? cuz he's technically still wearing his old ring - but oh well, it doesn't look at all like the old one and it's now a new ring symbolizing our new life together. I wouldn't be who i am today had i not gone through what i did - how about you?

sing sing

april 7 - 2007

my weekends start on wednesday nights because my days off are thursday and friday - after work wednesday we went out for my daughter's birthday - Liz is 20 now, not quite legal in all states but getting there। we went to ralphs for karaoke - she has been in musical theatre since highschool and i just love to watch and listen to her sing। my ray actually got up and sang - his very first time at ralph's!!! he sang 3 songs too! i even got it on video - then thursday night we were at sidestreet for karaoke with my friend monika - and ray sang again! he's really got josh turner's your man down pat। he wants to learn alan jackson's "a woman's love" next so the cd is in his truck and he will be listening to it over and over and over til he nails it। then it was back to ralphs because this weekend, my friend colleen rae and her band cornerstone is performing - what a great show - if you want to go out and kick up your heels tonight - check it out! well worth it! then friday was spent house cleaning - 15 people are coming out at the farm for easter dinner today so it will be a busy evening for me। i will try not to stay up too late celebrating because i have to be up bright eyed and bushy tailed for solid gold sunday the next morning! the one day of the week i LOVE getting up before the crack of 10!

give it away

march 27 - 2007

you know that george strait song? well give it away i did - but not even money i had. i had to charge it and not even for one of those priceless moments. well, two moments - this afternoon i went to the dentist - ouch - both on the mouth and pocket book. and that was followed by filing my taxes - oucher - it cost me more money to have them done than how much i am getting back - so with a few hours to spare before work - i asked the receptionist at the account’s office. “what do you think i should do next? go see the mortician? plan my funeral? ha ha. benjamin franklin said “in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes”. and for me - mastercard bills - for times when you need to get ahead and just get you further behind. today was just that kind of day for me.

someday

march 27 - 2007

if your parents call you by all your names, it usually means you’ve done something wrong - you’re in trouble. my mother did that a few years back. she called me my first middle and MAIDEN name - corinne ann laval. that was when she saw my belly button ring. i just laughed cuz “i’m like 40 years old mum. it’s not like i got a tatoo.” well, not yet. i’m not sure what she will call me when i do. I’m just hoping she doesn’t faint, or disown me, or write me out of her will - ‘cuz i really do want her prom dress she promised me. maybe i shouldn’t risk it - maybe i should just get the music clef where she can’t see it. it’s not like i want one in full view - on my arm, shoulder or neck. i can’t see myself in a yellow tule and tafetta ball gown with a tattoo visible. someday i hope to wear the dress. I wore her wedding dress when i was 17 in a school play. I’ve always wanted to wear her prom dress for ball room dancing - not that i know how or have taken a lesson, but it’s just one of those things i’ve always wanted to do. either that or get on dancing with the stars - seems to be the rave. hey - they have media idol along with canadian idol now, maybe they’ll have dancing with the media. maybe i better lose 30 lbs to fit into the dress. probably have a better chance of getting a tattoo than getting into the dress. who knows. maybe someday.

murphy's law

march 27 - 2007

i’m a little tired this afternoon even though i was a good girl last night. i was at the boars nest in seven persons and they let me be the dj and pick the songs on the jukebox near the end of the night - well, MY end of the night . i was home and in bed at midnight - which is always the plan but some fridays it doesn’t happen. but the night it does! i can’t sleep. i fell asleep quickly but awoke at 3:41 and watched the clock until 6:16 and the alarm goes off at 6:45. don’t you just hate that when that happens? must be a murphy’s law of sleeping. the murphy’s law of driving when your’e running late is when you get behind a slow driver, snow plow or street cleaner or something, and the nights you need to get up early and need a good nights sleep…you watch the clock - or is that a catch 22 - not sure. what i am sure of is - i’m tired.

%^$#@& black cats

march 19 - 2007

so my bad luck saga continues - it started with a speeding ticket and i was lucky to win $50 the same day that would pay for it, so i guess that doesn't count - cuz that was before the black cat crossed my path - but I dropped my car off at the garage for an oil change - cuz that's all i can afford... what's an oil change - 35 or 40 bucks right? but i know it needs a tune up, but maybe i better wait til the old mastercard is down a bit more - but the car hasn't been starting very well these days, so i say fine - if you have time do a tune up - may as well, cuz it hasn't been starting well.... WELL... one thing leads to another and my cars not ready on friday when we get back from calgary - and i get a message on friday at 5:40, that they've run into some snags and the shop closed at 5:30 and now i have no car - so after much running around - and not even on my part, but my fiance ray's, so now i've got a sweet g5 to rent from enterprise for the weekend and i'm not paying for it - so does that mean that it's just a bad luck good luck thing? get one bad thing - yet there's something good too? i guess there's always a silver lining - except the car still has some strange codes showing up and i need to take it to a dealership - but now i have empty linings after a 700 dollar bill. that's a pretty expensive oil change dontcha think?

superstitions

march 14 - 2007

just wondering if you are superstitious and if you are - what is it? for me it's black cats, among other things - i am driving into work today on the number 3 highway and at the 120 turnoff - i see this black cat making a b-line for the road - now my first reaction is to brake - even tho i know i am not supposed to brake for animals on the highway - but i'm thinkin - if i speed up - i'm not exactly going to miss it - and it wouldn't be very nice to make someone elses cat go splat - so i brake - and watch it whiz across the road in front of me - what i am to do? - how does one undo a bad luck omen? so when i get to work - i did what i usually do - i googled it - and in wikepedia it says: "A superstition is the irrational belief that future events are influenced by specific behaviors, without having a causal relationship." yet - it goes on to point out that - "When a black cat crosses the path you need to take, something will happen if you cross the line where cat passed. To "undo" - you either have to wait for someone who didn't know about the black cat to cross the path or think of another route." well, i guess i could have just taken the 120 - but at 100 klicks - what did i do? -flipped the cat the bird.

leadfoot lucy

march 6 - 2007

just wondering what the first thing YOU do after getting a speeding ticket. I asked around the radio station and most said swear, one even said she walked into a bar room, waved the ticket in her fist and cursed the cop - well me - i always pick up the phone and call my fiance ray to repeat the entire episode that transpired, so when i said constable wainwright was the one who caught me - ray's like - hey, i know him, he's from bow island. Well he's also a listener too, and said what great music we played on CHAT (so he's an honest officer too - ha ha - not really, he lowered the ticket down to $57 and didn't take 2 points off my licence)- Anyhoo, not that i was making excuses, it's just that i don't have cruise control. If i did, i would just set it on 100 km/hr and tap my foot to the great music. But the faster the music, the faster i go, and he said, yeah, it's hard not to. Especially when charlie daniels' "the devil went down to georgia" is on... well thanks BJ, now every time i hear that song, i am going to think of you - which might not be a bad thing, cuz it might just stop me from being leadfoot lucy in the future.

the bad, the good, and the better

march 7 - 2007

so i wrote my friend an email today - a bad news, good news, better news one - bad news was i got a speeding ticket yesterday, good news was the constable only fined me 57 dollars and it really should have been more - a hundred more but the better news - i went to the blue turtle club last night after work for their tuesday night jam session - got up on stage, sang 3 songs, and got my name put in a draw for 50 dollar cash - well - guess who won the 50!!! - so ray said all i have to do now is go out and play my guitar with the case open and make 7 more bucks and i break even... but i'm afraid to find out what the fine would be for busking without a licence so i think i'll just scour the ditch for empties - or take up a collection - hint hint - lol

bare naked ladies rock

march 2 - 2007

it's november 14 - meh - board at work again but the tigers are winning and rids' is on intermission, so am going to whine while I have a break in producing the whl hockey game for chat 94.5 fmi was just reading the barenakedladies blogs - steve - ed http://bnled.spaces.live.com/ (hubba hubba) and fin's and thought - hey - if those guys can just let it all hang out, so can I. On a barenakedladies music related note - have you heard the new song from Doc Walker called "Maria"? it has such a barenakedladies sound to it - tight harmonies and great beat and since imitation is the highest form of flattery - I am thinking that Doc Walker thinks as highly of the barenakedladies as i do - but that is just my opinion, not theirs.
Anyhoo - I jumped on here to whine - bemoan and biatch about being over worked - under paid and under appreciated - which happens only once in a while - and through fault of only mine. everyone calls me sweet - which to me translates into being a doormat - but I am the one that let's everyone walk all over me - i have to learn to say no - I switched shifts this weekend with a coworker so that he could get 4 days off in a row - i have to work 7 and it's my fiancee's days off (which we only get 2 of them off at the same time every 10 days) so i work thursday/friday evenings until after 10 pm and then saturday i was to work from 8 am til 3 - but someone else couldn't work, there was an error in scheduling so I offered and adjusted the clocks so that i would come in and work 11 - 6, therefore making me late for a dinner party and missing precious time with my ray of sunshine, my ray of hope (ray is my fiancee fyi) At least that evening we were able to spend together and - after ray won over a thousand at the casino - he swept me away to a jacuzzi suite and after lots of bubbles and little sleep and worked AGAIN today - all day - double shift - split shift - 8 am to whenever this game ends (tigers better darn well win or will be REALLY cranky - they are ahead 2 - 0 mid second period) which will be around 9 pm.
but the piece de resistance is (forget the fact that my voice has been the only local voice heard on this radio station since midnight - 16 hours of ME in a 24 hour period - poor listeners) i work again tomorrow - filling in on the long weekend - at 6 am - SIX A FREAKIN M !!! I think i will collapse when i get done work at noon tomorrow - either that or just sleep in the radio station tonight - i have a blanket in the car and a couple of jackets for a pillow - not like it would be the first time i've had a lie down on this floor (wish the carpet was a little plusher) but naawwwww - i will drive the 45 minutes to be in the arms of my ray of reason and crawl into the king size bed beneath the heavy duvet and let my heavier lids drop down into oblivion and bliss of sleep wrapped in the arms of the one i love - see - every cloud has a silver lining - ray is mine

soak up the sun

feb 3 - 2007

Just wanted to add my two cents (more like 2 dollars) to a comment i heard recently about looking forward to being 28 years old. I certainly struck a chord with me as i can remember looking forward to being 28 and for years i have been making a mental note of my wants but never writing them down. so here i write and ponder. Doesn't it seem we always yearn for the future and it's promises and not fully enjoy the here and now?I remember being a teenager and saying i was never getting married, never having kids, and wasn't going to be my mother, who waited hand and foot on our father and us 4 girls. I could hardly wait until i was 18. When i was 18 I would be on my own with a job and money and my own place. When the time came, it wasn't exactly so. I was living in residence at the university of winnipeg, going to classes and working at mcdonalds. I could hardly wait til i turned 28.when i turned 28 i would have a career and maybe a hubby and 2.2 kids, 2 cars, a dog and a house with a white picket fence. after all, wasn't that what all women wanted. when i turned 28, that wasn't exactly true. i did have the hubby and 2 kids. there was no career but a job that changed every 4 years when ever we moved (i was a military wife) a cat and a rented house. I could hardly wait til i was 38.When i was 38 i would have it all. and once again, i almost did. just a few years off target. I went back to college to get the career and we would be moving once again. this time to edmonton, and soon we had a house in the park with the grey 6 foot fence and a dog that arrived soon there after. And so did the divorce. and the selling of the house. the moving of the kids and the changing jobs for my career - and all i was left with was the dog, who has since gone to heaven from cancer.After having it all and losing it all, I picked myself up and dusted myself off and started all over again. for I have bought my own 1/2 duplex with a chain link fence, my own car, a new dog, a promotion and even one child has moved back home, and i don't even want to think about turning 48.That's two years away and i want to enjoy the now. Enjoy the freedom of independance and the pride of accomplishments and be grateful for every little thing life has to offer. Sheryl Crow's song "Soak up the Sun." says it perfectly. "It's not having what you want. It's wanting what you've got".ironically, by 48 i will have come full circle and will have a new hubby, with FIVE children, a grandchild, two houses, several cars (not to mention hot tub and above ground pool) and a dog on a farm with no fences. NO FENCES!! but that is another story in itself.

memorable movie moments

jan 21 - 2007

I love alliterations! But that's not the point. While I drive home from work on weekends, I usually surf the air waves (yes, one has to listen to the competition to know what they are doing) and now I am in the habit of tuning into CBC Radio One's "Lost and Found"on Saturday's at 3 as well as "WireTap"on Sunday's at 1. Yesterday it was not their usual programming and the substitute host, along with a movie reviewer, encouraged listeners to call and discuss their favourite movies or movies in theatres they would recommend. Usually I'm on the other end of the phones in radio, but I still enjoy calling in to radio stations. Not to hear the sound of my own voice, since one has to turn the radio OFF to eliminate feedback plus, I hear my own voice enough on the radio on the weekends, but sometimes I get the urge to just talk and be heard. Not announce, not entertain, not be dismissed as chatter between songs, but to be able to tell my story and really be heard. As I was driving and listening intently to callers from each province across canada, had I been able to get through their triple 8 toll free number, this would have been MY story.... I am not really one who watches movies. I prefer sit coms. Probably because I have a such a short attention span. But when I do, they are more than just movies I am watching, they are events. Not just for the fact they were unforgetable movies, but who I was with when I watched them. I have 6 movies that I consider memorable. I remember The Sound of Music". It was the very first movie I saw in a theatre. I was 5 years old and went to see it with my grandmother. (It's also the reason I play guitar and never became a nun) I remember "The Exorsist". I saw it in the drive-in theatre at the age of 16 with my 3 best friends (jan, val and nancy)I remember "Black Sunday". I saw it at the drive-in from our tent trailer from the campground next door . There was no sound but I shared binnoculars with my 3 sisters to see better. I remember "The Poseidon Adventure". It was the only movie I had nightmares after watching. Poor Shelly Winters. After seeing the trailor for the 2006 Kurt Russell version,  I accidently bought the 2005 Australian mini series version with Steve Guttenberg. I pretty much rolled my eyes throughout it was so lame. I remember "Amityville Horror". I was 19 and living at the University of Winnipeg. I returned to the dorm late at night and someone had left garbage bags beneath the stairwell. A swarm of flies surrounded me as I tried to enter the door. I was alone and I was scared. I moved fast. I remember "Rocky Horror Picture Show" but not til after it became a cult classic. How can you not forget people dressed up like the characters when it's wasn't Halloween and throwing things at the screen but not getting thrown out? It was another unforgettable experience with my new found friends in my first year of University. The last movie i saw in the theatre was "Shrek II". I, a 34 year old dyslexic, went with my 34 year old friend Tami. Just us. No kids. It was another memorable evening. I miss you Tami.