Friday, May 29, 2009

"Lights, Camera, Fashion" in support of Jeremy's Challenge and the Grade Eight Graduating Class at Bishop E.Q. Jennings School was held at St. Ignatius last night.

Jeremy is an 18 year old who is dealing with crohns/colitis. The money raised will go towards helping his family travel with him and to help as they do take time off work to be with him..that's important when you are have to go elsewhere for treatment, you need your support system with you.

So, we'll have a tally as soon as they've got it all together, hopefully Monday.

The organizers did a great job and the models were also fabulous last night...especially the mini models...they were so adorable! And...of course the stores that got involved...provided some great fashion ideas...everyone did awesome.

I also cannot believe the talent! The singers and the entertainment were amazing!The singing and dancing...all fabulous!!

Events like this cannot come together without the people who are brave enough to take on the task and that includes the people working backstage. There were even parents of teachers involved in the show last night. It's wonderful that people take time out of their lives to be so giving.




WATER COOLER CONVERSATIONS!!!

You may have seen these in your emails - forwarded by friends - they're rumours....that simply are not true:

...the planet Mars will make a once in our lifetime, remarkably close approach to Earth this August. The truth: that won't happen until 2287. Last time that happend....just 6 years ago. We have to wait another 278 years!!!

...and this rumour: placing Lemon Fresh Joy dishwashing liquid in a saucer or spraying Listerine in the air will kill off all those pesky mosquitoes in your yard!! No!!! The truth: either may work on a few mosquitoes - but - neither has any long-term effect.

It was on this day, 5 years ago…. In 2004 a women was detained in the Athens, Greece airport after her chastity belt set off the metal detector. Apparently, her husband was trying to keep her from straying while on vacation.

Russian police have discovered a five-year-old girl who lived her entire life shut up in an apartment with dogs and cats and who acted like a dog when police removed her. The girl found in an Eastern Siberian city looks three years younger than her actual age, can't speak Russian, doesn't eat with utensils, and has taken on many of the gestures of the animals she lived with in the apartment that had no heat, water or sewage system

Have you heard the rumors? Three of the brothers in the Molson family are now suggesting they want to buy the Montreal Canadians back.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

One of my favorite days this week was spent with my daughter Kayla and her two little boys. She came to pick me up the other day and when I opened the door, the two boys were in the back in their carseats...frozen...with these fabulous little smiles on their faces. Instant heart warmer! They had both kicked of their shoes and socks as is tradition for these little men as soon as the van starts moving, even in the winter. And they were both happy to see me!!!

As we drove Brandon, the oldest kept chatting with me...I cannot believe how much and how clear he can talk for a two and a half year old. Garrett, while you can understand some of the words he says, babbles as if he's carrying on a conversation with you.

It didn't end with a ride though, when Kayla dropped me off, Brandon insisted on coming into the house to see uncle Matthew. I guess we're at the stage where he'll be hanging around anytime he likes, and not just when mom and dad need a sitter. Kids are just so fabulous.


WATER COOLER CONVERSATIONS.......

Did you know....that in 1934, a then 17 year old named Joe Shuster - created the comic-book hero....Superman!!! He modelled the imaginary gangster ridden city Metropolis on his hometown of....Toronto. The 'Daily Planet' where Clark Kent worked as a reporter, was based on the Toronto Daily Star newspaper.
AND....by around 1950....Joe sold control of his superhero to DC Comics - the selling price: $130. Some years later, Shuster sued the company unsuccessfully!!!


It was this week back in 1969....John Lennon and Yoko Ono started their 2nd 'bed in for peace'...in Montreal. AND...it was during THIS bed-in, that they recorded "Give Peace A Chance"

The social net-working site Facebook now has 200 million users worldwide. The CEO / invetor of Facebook is 25 years old, his name is Mark Zuckerberg. He has many offers to sell Facebook - but he won't. If he did want to....the asking price is rumored to be closed to $5 billion.



WHY, WHY, WHY
(from John Fitzgibbon in Ballarat)

Do we press harder on a remote control when we know the batteries are getting dead?

Are lemon pies made from lemons, and meat pies are made from meat, yet cottage pie is not made from cottages?

Do pedestrians push the button more than once when wanting the lights to change?

Why do banks charge a fee on 'insufficient funds' when they know there is not enough money?

Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but check when you say the paint is wet?

Why doesn't glue stick to the bottle?

Why does Superman stop bullets with his chest, but ducks when you throw a revolver at him?

Why do Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?

If people evolved from apes, why are there still apes?

Why is it that no matter what colour bubble bath you use the bubbles are always white?

Is there ever a day that mattresses are not on sale?

Why do people constantly return to the refrigerator with hopes that something new to eat will have materialized?

Why do people keep running over a string a dozen times with their vacuum cleaner, then reach down, pick it up, examine it, then put it down to give the vacuum one more chance?

Why is it that no plastic bag will open from the end on your first try?

How do those dead bugs get into those enclosed light fixtures?

When we are in the supermarket and someone rams our ankle with a shopping cart then apologizes for doing so, why do we say, 'It's all right?' When it really isn't.

Why is it that whenever you attempt to catch something that's falling off the table you always manage to knock something else over?

In winter why do we try to keep the house as warm as it was in summer when we complained about the heat?

How come you never hear father-in-law jokes?

How do you know when you're behind a tree?

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

What day is it? It's been very busy...what with all the contests and excursions outside the building lately it's hard to keep track of the days.

We are having a blast though!! And uh, by the way, I was NOT checking out Danny's Badunkadunk...he made that up! LOL!!!


WATER COOLER CONVERSATIONS

Canadian taxpayers found out late last week, that we’re on the hook for Brian Mulroney’s $2 million dollar legal bill….this is on top of the $14 million dollar inquiry cost….of course when he sued the government over Airbus allegations… we paid out over $2 million in lawyer fees for him then as well.

The astronauts landed the Atlantis Shuttle over the weekend. But…the astronauts on the International Space Station had an interesting Wednesday in space. No soda or milk or water for them (at least for a few days) – last Wednesday, astronauts started drinking their own urine!!!

Several neighbors of a German prostitute are asking a judge to put her out of business because of the shaking of her apartment. Tenants of the building where the prostitue lives say her lovemaking causes their apartments to shake, one neighbor said once several valuable crystal glasses fell from a shelf because of the shaking. Another neighbor compared his living situation to "that film Earthquake. I don't know if the earth moved for her clients but it did for us. The neighbor goes on to say….When you have a 252 pound woman grappling like a wild beast with her clients then you know about it, you really do. She's a one woman demolition job."

Friday, May 22, 2009

Finally a forecast that looks good for a spring weekend. With sunshine and high's up to 18, there's plenty of opportunity to get out and enjoy life. Go for a walk, run, play some sports, hang out with the kids at the park or the back yard. Make the most of it!!

Tonight, after working here, then the MS office, I think I may just lay back in a zombie state on the couch and watch some television...of course comprehending what's going on may be tough...being so sleepy makes it hard to concentrate. I'm not always this tired, I've found myself awake at 2:30 for two days in a row now. Not sure why, but I am sure a great sleep awaits tonight.


Monday, I am on the street with some crossing guards. It's all part of a program to keep our kids safe!! Kids that ride bikes, scooters, skateboard or rollerblade that are wearing helmets properly have been rewarded by crossing guards and police officers. The kids receive a coupon for a white or chocolate milk from any Mac's store. All they have to do is write on the back what school they go to and why they got the good ticket.

Talk to you Monday!!!

Thursday, May 21, 2009

WATER COOLER CONVERSATIONS.......

On Tuesday, the Public Health Agency of Canada lifted its travel advisory to Mexico. Doctors who are testing patients for the H1N1 flu have found…lots of cases of other flu….which is weird this late in the flu season.

10 workers with the LCBO in Ontario (no exact locations revealed)….have been let go for pilfering Air Miles

There’s a new book called “World’s End: 2009” – and it uses a quote, “new understanding” of the Bible. The author, predicts Christ will return to Earth this year!!!!

Polar bears can eat as many as 86 penguins in a single sitting!!!

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

After checking out pics and video from the weekend's "Vindictive" Sea Cadet Reunion...I gotta say...thank goodness for Facebook!

If it weren't for this creation...I am not sure we would have reached the number of people we drew in for the 90th Celebration. The cadet site was created over a year ago, with a number of us connecting and sharing memories.

And, for those not able to make it to Thunder Bay for the celebrations, it gave them opportunity to view video and pics of our antics.

I was reluctant to join Facebook but am so happy I did.





WATER COOLER CONVERSATIONS


Researchers at Oxford University have found that fish…may be more intelligent than dogs. The public perception according to theses scientists, is quote: “humans believe that fish are pea-brained numbskulls, that can’t remember things for more than a few seconds”. Studies show that fish can complete complex mental tasks, and that fish can remember their owners and go into a sulk when someone tries to feed them.

Have you heard much more about this? It was this week last year that the Ontario gov’t announced it was planning to aggressively go after the underground construction business – which is estimated to be worth $2 billion a year.

File this under “too weird for us to make up”: a 56 year old, avid Star Trek fan in Hinckley, England has transformed his entire apartment into a replica of starship. He spent 8 years building the life-size copy of the Star Trek Voyager, including the ships command console. He started it as a therapeutic hobby following a divorce.

Lots of people started working the garden over the weekend – and the most common gardening injuries: rakers wrist; bulb planters back; shoveller’s shoulder; and gardeners knee.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

If you are given the chance to attend a reunion of any sort, I highly recommend you go! This weekend we held the 90th Anniversary Celebrations for the Royal Canadian Sea Cadet "Vindictive" Corps. It was much more than any of us imagined...hoped, but had not imagined.

The turnout was spectacular with people from across the country, Georgia and even Finland. It was so good to see the people we had grown up with. Of course, there were ex-cadets and officers there of all ages and we all joined together to form up the guard and band and march around the deck. We did pretty good considering it had been probably a couple of decades for most of us since we had last participated in a "March past".

Then the drill team formed up...and were given orders to march and do turns and maneuvers they had not done for a very, very long time. It hardly showed...and when it did, it was a good laugh.

We gathered at the Italian Cultural Centre for dinner and a dance. Our MC's Trevor Whitehouse and Bob Newton were both cadets who went on to be officers and they did a fabulous job. We heard stories about things that happened on cadet excursions, stopped for a moment of silence to remember friends who were no longer with us, then told more stories. We laughed, choked back tears and laughed some more. It truly was an event I was so proud to be a part of.

Hopefully we won't wait until the 100th anniversary and hold another one in five years to celebrate the 95th.



WATER COOLER CONVERSATIONS.........

Interesting phenomenon going on in a place called Oyster Bay – it’s along the north shore of Long Island, NY. Moms are starting to dress up more…when they are picking up their kids at a particular school in Oyster Bay. Why? Because…they want to make sure they look good – just in case they happen to bump into Brad Pitt – when he’s picking up his kids at the same school.

Believe it or not: ‘swearing’ is not the most offensive thing an office worker can do to his co-worker. #1 on the list at 98% is: eating someone else’s food from the staff fridge. Bad hygiene was 2nd on the list.

Over the weekend, the movie Angels & Demons studied the ‘big bang theory’….and talked about an organization called CERN. Believe it or not – CERN actually exists. It’s the European Organization for Nuclear Research – and is one of the worlds largest and most respected centers for scientific research. It has 2,600 full time employees, as well as almost 8,000 scientists and engineers. Countries who are members of CERN contributed almost $1 billion last year to fund research.