Showing some appreciation

You know how 'significant others' tend to take each other for granted, and even occasionally make one another feel insignificant? Scott and I are particularly skilled at this. So, for the record, I would like to say:

Scott, I appreciate you.

BAD owner, BAD!

For shame! I forgot that today is Ferris' second birthday (and my first blogiversary). If Dogster hadn't sent Ferris a birthday greeting via e-mail, I wouldn't have remembered at all. I don't believe in corporal punishment, but I'll give myself three whacks with a rolled-up newspaper anyway for my thoughtlessness.

I think a trip to Bark & Fitz is in order.

We did it!

We lost our final regular-season game. Now on to the playoffs. If we lose both playoff games, we'll have a solid 0-and-12 record.


The 0-and-10 Noogles On Ice

Disaster

I got shot today. Just grazed, really.

The ETF did a bang-up job (sorry) of taking down the gunman and releasing the hostages. There were some tense moments after they realized that one of the hostages had explosives strapped to his body, but those of us who were ambulatory were successfully evacuated and brought to a group of waiting paramedics.

My euphoria at having survived was mistaken for shock, so I was made to lie down on the ground and asked to await medical attention. I wandered off while the paramedics were busy with more seriously injured victims. I wasn't missed, but another EMT spotted me a while later and forced me to sit down and control my breathing. Eventually everyone with minor injuries was taken to the ER. Since a bomb had exploded on a school bus and there had been a terrorist attack on the subway system, the ER was swamped. I was sent to a family practice for sutures.

A kindly nurse stitched up my forehead and then rushed off, leaving a physician to bandage my wound. He fumbled with the gauze and apologetically explained that doctors are not trained to apply bandages. He instructed me not to tell anyone who had wrapped my wound, since he had done such an awkward job of it. My lips are sealed, Dr. Hebert.

My wound healed within a half hour, and I then became a diabetic having a heart attack. I tried to make it to the ER but collapsed at the front doors. I lay on the ground for several minutes, paramedics shoving my body out of the way as they rushed by with gurneys, until someone figured out that I needed help. To my great surprise and dismay, the ER staff determined that I was a cocaine addict.

Later on I became the wife of a man whose throat and lungs were burning after he had inhaled fumes at the scene of the bus bombing. We got into an argument over whether the real cause of his distress was the chili dog he'd had for breakfast. The nurse sided with me; it was probably the chili dog.

What's that? No no, it's wasn't a dream. It was part of a:

Lord help us if this city ever experiences a real disaster with mass casualties.

Reconnecting

Thanks to one of the many social networking sites on the web, I've just reconnected with my old friend Mikki from grade school, as well as a few other friends. I also happened across the profile of someone I used to babysit. She's a grad student now. I'm feeling very old, but I'm enjoying catching up.

Fetch!

My brother and his girlfriend, Laura, recently returned from a trip to California. While they were there they spent time with relatives, visited the Ghirardelli chocolate factory, toured Alcatraz and had travel nightmares that make my Air Canada diatribe seem very petty. They also saw this:

Hey sea lion, go fetch!

Distortion

Today Scott discovered the "effects" features of our computer's photo software. Behold his creations.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

From "Irish Need Not Apply"

to "Everyone's Irish on St. Paddy's Day..."









...we've come a long way.

It's MARCH, people!

I'm no different from most people; I dislike taking down decorations after the holidays. But please....

...waiting until March 15th to throw out your Christmas tree? Please.

How people without kids spend their time

Isn't this a great shot? I happened across it on Catster while idling away the evening looking for pets with the same names as mine. (What better way to unwind after yet another humiliating floor hockey loss?) I only recently learned of Dogster from Libby's blog and from my brother, who has set up a page for Kody.

Pity party

Heather and I were exchanging e-mail about our weight-related woes (she having short-sightedly thrown away her "proverbial fat pants" and me having outgrown mine) and Heather wrote:

"ugh. we need to have ourselves a pity party and gorge ourselves on crap food - I know, I know that only contributes to the issues but we'd feel better because we'd be drunk."

Cheers to that!

Meme by threes

I've been ruthlessly tagged by Katy, and so you are being treated to another meme.

3 Things That Scare Me:
-sociopathy
-changing lanes
-loss

3 People Who Make Me Laugh:
-Scott
-Ralph
-my brother

3 Things I Love:
-compassion
-humour
-thinking outside the box

3 Things I Hate:
-ignorance
-selfishness
-cruelty

3 Things I Don't Understand:
-politics
-numbers
-Microsoft

3 Things On My Desk:
-fireman troll
-cocktail umbrella
-Happy Bunny mints

3 Things I'm Doing Right Now:
-solo brainstorming
-checking my voicemail
-picking dog hair out of my leftovers

3 Things I Want To Do Before I Die:
-visit Ireland
-see the Northern Lights
-save someone's life

3 Things I Can Do:
-care
-write
-reduce/reuse/recycle

3 Things I Can't Do:
-judge distances
-hit a baseball
-save the world

3 Things I Think You Should Listen To:
-a cat purring
-loved ones laughing
-outdoor sounds on a summer afternoon

3 Things You Should Never Listen To:
-offensive jokes
-insults
-irrational discouragement

3 Things I'd Like To Learn:
-to drive
-to speak French fluently
-first aid

3 Favourite Foods:
-Mom's cooking
-siu mai
-cannolis

3 Shows I Watched As A Kid:
-Battle of the Planets (G-Force)
-Hammy Hamster
-Donny and Marie (should I have admitted to that?)

A reader writes...

In response to yesterday's post about Pooh lip balm, my faithful reader Ralph wrote, "Could be worse" and submitted the following image:

Excellent observation, Ralph. Thank you.

Lip-smackin'

I like Winnie the Pooh as much as the next person, but I firmly believe that there are some products with which Pooh-Bear's name should not be associated. I think you'll agree with me on this one.

Twin tongues

This is my new favourite photo of Ava and Alexa.