Alright, I am back online, albeit temporarily. This is not a photo of my place, however it definitely is FEELING like this! I have partial walls (which the bottom 2 feet were cut off), cement floors, no kitchen whatsoever (all cabinets and counters removed) and one completely brick wall. The good news is I have at least this weekend with NO people trapsing through my place. Literally every day there have been anywhere from three to six people in my condo from 8am to some days 11pm. Very, very invasive process. Yes, it's necessary to remove everything to prevent mold. But omg, I really need SOME privacy at times dudes! Seriously!! And what TOTALLY blew me away today was first of all the fact that I had a small HERD of tradespeople in my place by 10am. By 1015 I had one guy mistake ME for one of THEM and was going on and on about what he was doing in other suites and was letting me know what he was doing. I just listened and when he was done I said, so what's that got to do with me? He was confused, it was hilarious. But then one dude apparently felt entitled to my FRIDGE which he (without asking) stuffed his LUNCH BAG into and MOVED ALL MY STUFF TO MAKE ROOM FOR IT!!! Um, EXCUSE ME mister worker dude, but I STILL LIVE HERE!!! ARGH!!! Now, perhaps I should be more receptive to sharing my space(?) I mean, I found it uncomfortable today when they all stopped for break about 30 minutes later and sat around chatting at my patio table set out on my porch. Maybe I should be glad they like my things... or something(?) Personally I was like, are they seriously having a little picnic at my PATIO TABLE?! While I'm here trapped like a sardine in my bedroom with my cat while several strangers make themselves at home in my place?! WTF!! Anyways this whole experience is pretty trying if not completely showing my apparently very territorial nature LOL!! Everyone's saying how fantastic it will be to "get new things" like what a deal that I "get new flooring" or essentially have this great opportunity to renovate my condo. And sure, I am thankful for this forced opportunity... Oh, for sure- and I'm not just being sarcastic either! Part of me REALLY believes that! (I think it's the same part that believes in Santy Clause) For real this is a GREAT BLESSING. It's one of this "when I look back on this" moments. Sucks when you're IN THE EXPERIENCE but will this ever be GREAT one day, oh FOR SURE...!!! I mean, I bet in October when the renovations are expected to be complete I will be glad to have a peaceful, pleasant place. Meanwhile I am entertaining myself by thinking about what I would LIKE to see in here; what kind of flooring, what kind of cabinets, what paint color, etc. Yes, yes I see how GREAT this is already!!! =)

FLOOD

A pipe burst in our condo 2 floors up a few hours ago. Our place is completely soaked and in totally in disarray! Currently I am typing to you from my makeshift desk in my bedroom, where the carpet is also wet but to a lesser degree than the remainder of the place. Needless to say I won't be posting much! Please stand by.

Have to send some thanks to Mortgage Man (who's real identity is Neil McJannet, but I really dig his alter ego name). Neil's a mortgage broker in BC who formerly resided in Winnipeg. He was able to talk me down off the ledge regarding my fairly recent financial concerns. I guess it feels worse than it is and I'm making a mountain out of a molehill. I guess I must REALLY miss BC if I'm making my own mountains (*grin*). Nice to know that when things feel like crap a knowledgable, reliable mortgage broker like Neil can look at your numbers and make sense of my messy chequebook.
Thanks, Mortgage Man !!

34 Things You May Not Know !

1. Money isn't made out of paper, it's made out of cotton.
2. The Declaration of Independence was written on hemp (marijuana) paper.
3. The dot over the letter 'i' is called a 'tittle'.
4. A raisin dropped in a glass of fresh champagne will bounce up and down continuously from the bottom of the glass to the top.
5. Susan Lucci is the daughter of Phyllis Diller. (actually this is not true)
6. 40% of McDonald's profits come from the sales of Happy Meals.
7. 315 entries in Webster's 1996 Dictionary were misspelled.
8. The 'spot' on 7UP comes from its inventor, who had red eyes.He was albino.
9. On average, 12 newborns will be given to the wrong parents, daily.
10. Warren Beatty and Shirley MacLaine are brother and sister (true)
11. Chocolate affects a dog's heart and nervous system; a few ounces will kill a small sized dog
12. Orcas (killer whales) kill sharks by torpedoing up into the shark's stomach from underneath, causing the shark to explode.
13. Most lipstick contains fish scales (eeww).
14. Donald Duck comics were banned from Finland because he doesn't wear pants.
15. Ketchup was sold in the 1830's as medicine.
16. Upper and lower case letters are named 'upper' and 'lower'because in the time when all original print had to be set in individual letters, the upper case' letters were stored in the case on top of the case that stored the smaller, 'lower case' letters (true)
17. Leonardo Da Vinci could write with one hand and draw with the other at the same time, hence, multi-tasking was invented.)
18. Because metal was scarce, the Oscars given out during World War II were made of wood.
19. There are no clocks in Las Vegas gambling casinos.
20. The name Wendy was made up for the book Peter Pan; there was never a recorded Wendy before!
21. There are no words in the dictionary that rhyme with: orange, purple, and silver!
22. Leonardo Da Vinci invented scissors. Also, it took him 10 years to paint Mona Lisa's lips.
23. A tiny amount of liquor on a scorpion will make it instantly go mad and sting itself to death.
24. The mask used by Michael Myers in the original 'Halloween' was a Captain Kirk's mask painted white.
25. If you have three quarters, four dimes, and four pennies, you have $1.19. You also have the largest amount of money in coins without being able to make change for a dollar (good to know.)
26. By raising your legs slowly and lying on your back, you can't sink in quicksand (and you thought this list was completely useless.)
27. The phrase 'rule of thumb' is derived from an old English law, which stated that you couldn't beat your wife with anything wider than your thumb.
28. The first product Motorola started to develop was a record player for automobiles. At that time, the most known player on the market was the Victrola, so they called themselves Motorola.
29. Celery has negative calories! It takes more calories to eat a piece of celery than the celery has in it to begin with. It's the same with apples
30. Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying!
31. The glue on Israeli postage stamps is certified kosher..
32. Guinness Book of Records holds the record for being the book most often stolen from Public Libraries.
33. Astronauts are not allowed to eat beans before they go into space because passing wind in a space suit damages it. I NEED TO REMEMBER THIS.
34.. George Carlin said it best about Martha Stewart. 'Boy, I feel a lot safer now that she's behind bars. O. J. Simpson and Kobe Bryant are still walking around; Osama Bin Laden too, but they take the ONE woman in America willing to cook, clean, and work in the yard, and they haul her fanny off to jail.'

Although China is the BEST place to see tomorrow's eclipse, you CAN see it online HERE. It should be about 7pm (Shanghai time) and last 2 and a half minutes. We get a treat next year July 22, 2009 when we get the longest eclipse of the CENTURY lasting 6 minutes and 39 seconds! If the weather co-operates it will be visible from India, Nepal, China etc and parts of the Pacific Ocean. Looks like China gets all the good viewing on these!!
Seen a few eclipses, like the last lunar eclipse I watched from my porch here. Back at home I used to see meteor shower viewings around Cultus Lake BC. Usually August is a wicked time to see these in a good open field away from the city where there's no light poisoning. I still have yet to see Northern Lights here on the prairies which apparently is a September phenomenon. Everyone at work talks about seeing the polar bears in Churchill and taking the train up there. I should really go check these things out. When John came to BC I made him do BC things like walk across the Capilano Suspension Bridge, visit Whistler and go on the BC Ferries to explore the Gulf Islands. (And I HATED the ferries when I lived there. HATED THEM!! Never on time, slow to leave the dock, expensive, filled with screaming children *GROAN! But now that I'm on flat, prairie land omg do I wish I could be on those boats, floating on the ocean!! I think I visualize it every day. In fact lately when I hear the trains go by I reflect on the sounds of the ferries. The way they shudder when the propellers start or stop or reverse...the bad green carpet...the 5 dollar newspapers (kidding but dude, everything is so expensive on the ferries). The sound of the horn... omg I miss that.)
In the next 5 years ish I would like my next move to be onto Vancouver Island. Either Nanaimo or Langford or Comox if it ever opens. If I transferred to Langford (Victoria area) I would totally live in Sooke. Feasible commute and way less costly real estate than in Victoria, plus I like the smaller community feeling. In Nanaimo I could manage a condo or townhouse no prob. Comox would be great, especially to be part of another warehouse opening (if it ever materializes. Australia is the next market to open in the next few months and over the next year.) No matter what location I would be close to someone- parents are on Pender Island, sister's near French Beach (possibly heading to Tofino?) EN is in Victoria and Mireille's in Duncan. We shall see!
Meanwhile Winnipeg is a great place to be, to start over and learn a lot.

Oy.
I was going to post a 10 of wands but this sums it up better.
Somewhat burdened at the moment.
Read my cards; have to say I see that I feel muddled. Trying to organize myself in small ways (spent some time this morning and sorted out my photobucket album online) but it isn't the small, manageable issues that are the problem. It's the larger, looming ones that are consuming my brain. Mom and Dad both are having some health issues, and of course I balloon this by dwelling on July 23, 2005 -the day my father in law Wayne died of colon cancer. We watched him digress for months, stayed with him and my MIL for the last 2 months of his life. I, being the one to find him after he passed that morning around 6am, had to wake my husband and MIL to let them know he had finally died. That was a very hard moment. That was the second time I had to tell my husband that kind of news. In September 1992 it was my FIL and I that had to tell him his sister had died.

Financially it's been really tough since the divorce, having to rebuild. I had to buy a new car, get a new condo and new things in it and paid over 3 grand to move my things across 4 provinces, yada yada. It'll work itself out I guess (the belt is tight) but right now the list of financial responsibilities feels pretty overwhelming. Car insurance is due, condo fees due in a few days, couple hundred for the deductible for work on the car will be due pretty soon. Almost 6 hundred in bills due this week, and where will it come from, she asks. Plus I have a trip to BC to figure out how to manage (which is probably why the 7 of cups popped up for my physical space).

So anyways, Pollyanna, let's talk about something more entertaining.

Like grass flip flops that I read about on Presurfer. How can you go wrong?! It's like walking on grass but in thongs. Or something. (Seriously what idiot thought this up?!)

Or how about we RULE THE UNIVERSE together.

And lastly let us enjoy some ZEN HABITS. Like accomplishing some feasible, simple tasks that give you a sense of completion! There's nothing I enjoy more than checking off a list! WOO! That feels WAY better !!
=)

Richie and Adala were here today! (With mom Nicole of course...) out visiting from Sooke BC. We had a great time at The Forks on the 30 minute boat tour that takes you up and down the Red and Assiniboine Rivers. Kind of a neat tour. Since I got here last summer I have to admit I haven't taken advantage of any of the tourist stuff that would help me learn more about Winnipeg. Until we were on the little boat tour (called the Splash Dash or something) I had no idea there was a cathedral in St Boniface or anything about it bursting into flames and its huge rose window blasting across the river. Also hadn't really taken a good look at that new bridge with the Salsbury restaurant oddly placed on it. Actually I think I might want to eat there just to check out the water view from the restaurant. Too bad I missed the White Stripes when they played live on the bridge last summer. Bummer dude!

Our tour guide (really nice guy probably roughly 30ish) was talking about the river front and how more condos were going in, and what the plans were for development. He says (and I could see it one day too) that the future plans are to create (or continue) the development that the Forks has. The only issue, he concedes, is whether the people will come here to populate it. He told us about the history of Winnipeg, and how it was pegged ('scuse the pun LOL) to become the Chicago of the North when the train industry was at its peak. Post 1920s, however, the train as primary transport module had died out and Winnipeg never did achieve the 3 million population that it had hoped for. I believe currently the population is around 625,000 or so. Wonder what Winnipeg will do to draw more people here, short of changing the weather?!!

Mercury enters Leo today and stays in this playful sign until August 10th. During this cycle, our thinking is more confident and grand. The focus is now on the goal--and the more grand the goal the better! The details may not be quite as important now. We are more expressive, even theatrical and given to speech-giving and story-telling under this influence. (HA!! That's what I'm doing this evening!!!) We are also more convincing and persuasive, as we exude confidence when we speak or write. We may not listen as well as we normally do under Mercury in Leo. Mercury in hard aspect to Mars today suggests quick-wittedness. Mars trines Jupiter, adding more drama to the day. Decisive action comes naturally now. We possess willpower, verve, and energy that we can direct toward achieving our goals. Success in contracts, negotiations, and business deals comes more easily, as long as we watch our tongues. We want to branch out and take on more challenges. Optimism, enthusiasm, and spiritedness are themes today. Positive attitudes create winning situations now. A spirit of friendly competition prevails, as well as the desire to take beneficial action. The Moon is in solid Taurus all day.




And Happy birthday DAD!!!

(...for tomorrow, July 25, 2008 from Cafe Astrology for All Signs)

The Last Quarter Moon is exact today, with the Sun in Leo squaring off with the Moon in Taurus at 2:43 PM EDT. The Last Quarter Moon phase points to some sort of crisis of consciousness. After basking in the awareness symbolized by the full light of the Moon at the time of last week's Full Moon, we disperse our knowledge and come to a point when we need to sort out what works for us—and what doesn't—in preparation for next week's New Moon, when something new is born once again. This is not the best time to start a major project, as the decreasing light of the Moon symbolizes a descent into unconsciousness. It's time to begin finishing up the details of that which was conceived at the last New Moon on July 2nd. Venus in awkward aspect to Jupiter and Mercury in awkward aspect to Pluto today suggests possible social blunders. A strong desire for the pleasures of life is emphasized now, although our eyes are often bigger than our stomach. Challenges in relationships encountered today are likely due to overblown expectations. It can be challenging to find a balance between responsibilities and the desire for self-gratification. Something we write or say could trigger power struggles or hostility from others. Decisions made now are unlikely to be objective. Re-assessing decisions we have made already, or adjusting our plans, may be in order. The Moon enters Taurus at 9:15 AM.

Translation: not that it is always true, or that it always comes to pass, but I will always refer to astrology. Why? Because it often has sage advice if anything.

Anyways I have unfortunately no time to write this evening. Big day tomorrow and the day after that, and the day after that. I only have time to bimbo , have some tea and get ready for the next day!! I'll write more meaningful posts in a few day!!

Update on a few things:
* the sinners got told by the condo board that further disturbances would warrant police interaction. 2 days now and they're doing considerably better. At 3am this morning (and now at 5am again) they were reverting to their old habits as they again perched on their porch to preach. However within minutes (and probably the sound of our patio sliding door open) the noice ceased. Still idiots, just to a slightly less annoying degree.
* the car is STILL waiting for parts to be fixed from when it was vandalized 3 weeks ago. Oy, with buying a fairly rare (and older model) car. Seriously painfully long wait here with a plastic ziploc window.
* Wednesday it was 3 yrs ago that I lost someone very dear to me to colon cancer. Sad day, but found comfort talking to my BF about the loss of his mother who died only months prior the same year. He says he has never really absorbed it or let it out but did so prior to her death, praying feverishly to god to let her live. Immediately following her death he said he became numb and unresponsive, going through the motions of day to day life. I know exactly what he means.
* good news is, 27 pounds now in 50 days (June 5-today). Pretty impressed with myself so far and definitely teaching myself new eating habits. Lots of temptation around but nay, I cannot be dissuaded! Getting compliments from people (which at first was depressing. I lost 20 pounds and I swear nobody noticed! On the other hand maybe people aren't sure if they should say something? I was like man, am I so fat that the loss 20 pounds isn't visible?! Smaller fat people are orbiting around me, drawn into my gravitational pull...LOL)

Neighbours: I think I have an acronym for the ones that suck... S.I.N. Meaning Super Ignorant Neighbours. I have a couple sinners that live right above us and they are complete pricks to live anywhere near. Literally since I moved in here last November the 2 guys that live in the suite have been loud party animals. At all hours of the night, on any given night, they party. One guy has the LOUDEST most boisterous laugh I have ever had to listen to. I think they wrestle also based on the noises, and I swear they drop marbles onto their wood floors because that is EXACTLY the noise I have heard many times. Their most recent ignorance started Friday night as they partied into the late wee hours of Saturday (try 5am). I brushed it off thinking, hey, maybe they have weekends off- good for them. They're young, let's try to be receptive, sympathetic people... But this happened again on Saturday, then on Sunday and again this morning. I had enough by 4am this morning. They came out onto their balcony above us and started a loud, hearty conversation about some girl. I got up, put my robe on and wandered onto my balcony just as the guy above was horking a loogie down to the lawn below. I made eye contact as he did it and said, "You guys better STFU, seriously". He said nothing but quickly retreated back onto his porch. About 10 minutes later- conversation continues. Oh, I am PISSED now, you little bastards. Again, robe on, wander out and MUCH louder I declare war. "SERIOUSLY, STFU PEOPLE". I see him literally peek at me through the railing and retreat again. Quiets down for about 10 minutes. But again, it repeats. By this time the boyfriend is up ready to fire off some words. He opens the bedroom window and gives a solid, loud "HEY!!!" Apparently a deep, angry man's voice is what it required. 5am the noise level drops from the porch, but as soon as we shut our window some litter finds its way onto my porch from the one above. Interesting.... So by this time, quite wide awake I email my condo board everything that's ever pissed me off about these knobs. Like the fact the nighbour below us came up a few weeks back inquiring if the noise was from US (you know its bad when 2 floors DOWN someone can hear and complains). Like the construction in March. Like the complaint from the neighbour below us. Like this weekend and the litter. Like hell I am putting up with this shit.

This is war, people.

WAR........

I really dig sales and marketing, communications and people. Maybe having Gemini as my Rising Sign makes me a little more interested in communicating. People have told me I am a wee tad verbose (*grin*) which is why I blog, bien sur...! Today I was reading Dooley Noted, the blog of a Winnipeg media and communications firm that handled my company's press releases last Fall. Dooley notes on his blog that the City of Winnipeg over the past years has reduced its communications department from 20 people to oh... four. By doing so, however, the City risks the ability to effectively communicate policy changes within its own departments and to the general public. I can't help but agree with him when he says (and this is my translation of the article) hey, communications aren't the be-all end-all but they sure help.

Flipping over to the marketing and sales side of communications, I stumble upon Marc Ecko and his marketing genius of Ecko Manufacturing. At first I thought the website was a joke, being that there were half naked women making jeans (?!) (Like, is this a beer ad or something??) But, no, it is for real. Just marketing - and what gets noticed more than half naked women. Marc is a former graffiti artist from Jersey who launched his own fashion line of tshirts, grass-roots style, right out of his own garage. After struggling with a 6 million dollar debt attempting to launch his media empire he has since achieved success with his various businesses that stem from Ecko Manufacturing. Marc has launched his products into video games and websites, created several clothing lines to capitalize on various markets and worked his connections with celebrities and stars to wear his designs. Much like other successful marketing ventures (let's cite Madonna as the Ultimate Genius here) Marc reads the times, sees what is captivating his target audience and sells to the demographic. Look at the 30something crowd: technology, video games, he has websites and is internet savvy, he has rappers and celebs wearing his stuff, yada yada. He markets to his target audience. It's that old Go Where The People Are rather than trying to find them. Have them find you; it's why we have fashion magazines, TV, internet, media and communication !!!

Ever watch Women On Top? One of my favorite shows, everrrr. Marc's story is exactly what you'd see on that show, were he a female. What I love about Women on Top isn't necessarily the success they achieve but the struggle they have GETTING there. I enjoy the story behind it; the lives they lead getting where they need to go. Much like Ashley Paige, my latest favorite reality tv show about the struggle for success. How very cool- here's Ashley Paige, an amazing artist with apparently little (?) business sense (hmmm, but smart enough to have her own TV show...) I love knowing who people are, what makes them tick, why they have the passions they do. I need to understand people and their journey. Better yet, I like to communicate with them which is why I have an interest in learning langauges. (You should hear me speak Punjabi to cab drivers, it's hilarious!) I'll leave that topic for my next post.... !!

Did you catch the news on CBC? I just watched it. Apparently in Virginia a lovely Indian doctor is paying patients to LOSE WEIGHT. Yup, a buck a pound. (Somebody owes me $25 bucks, dammit!) Actually the idea behind it is (a) the area where this physician has his practice is extemely low income and extremely overweight. And (b) people are simply more inclined to lose weight if they have an incentive. See The Biggest Loser as an example of this, at a $250,000 reward for the most weight loss per season. The only downside to the Dollars For Pounds theory is, of course, will people CONTINUE to keep their weight off in the future when the incentive ends? Perhaps this is why X-Weighted and Last 10 pound Boot Camp or any of the Slice programs do not follow this line of thinking.
Course there have been WAY weirder fads and weight loss gimmicks out there besides paying people to lose weight. Remember Doctor Ho?! His muscle massage system promised to give you abs of steel with no work at all. Or how about the fat patch?!
Yup, WAY weirder things...

...And It's The Full Moon (cafe astrology)

Early morning, the Full Moon occurs with the Cancer Sun in opposition to the Moon in Capricorn. A Full Moon is a time of culmination and the promise of fulfillment of that which was started at the New Moon. It is an emotional time—a time of romance, fertilization, and relationships. The Cancer-Capricorn polarity concerns the balance between the private life, domesticity, the need for a home base, and nurturance (represented by Cancer) versus the public life, career, reputation, and accountability (represented by Capricorn). Attachments and love are ruled by Cancer, while achievements and rewards/punishments are ruled by Capricorn. Ideally, a balance should be found between the two energies, and this is what the Full Moon invites us to do. This Full Moon is about balancing our commitment to our career and families. A hard aspect between Venus and Uranus today indicates unusual attractions (to people and things) that can have us acting on a whim, particularly with the spur-of-the-moment energy of the Full Moon also in play. We may deal with freedom versus closeness issues in our relationships.

AND ONTO TODAY'S POST....
Moving on from the topic of GOLD I ended up looking up the gold rush and the ghost towns that it left behind. When I was a kid my parents took me to Fort Steele in the Kootenays of BC. I remember being freaked out that we were going to a ghost town (WHY are we visiting ghosts?!) However I remember clearly seeing the fort in Fort Steele and seeing a lot of worn, weathered wood. Didn't realize there were so many ghost towns in Canada, and around the world also. So, like, can you re-inhabit these places if you wanted?! It would be quiet, right?! No neighbours... Ha! You could be the new sherrif in town! HA! I have ALWAYS wanted an old, derelict abandoned church in a rural setting that I could paint deep red and have a lovely garden around, with a mailbox and sign that says HOLYMOTHEROFGOD... !
One day, I tell you... Anyhoo, I digress...

Have you had your coffee today? How much? Click here to see how jittery you are...I made it to GOD LIKE POWERS Mu haw haw haw haw! How appropriate for holy mother of god ... Looooove my java, though. I have tea on occasion, like last night I had some Indian chai which was nice. But in the morning I have to start with the real McCoy and have a good, strong, potent cuppa joe. If I could have an espresso maker I would hit that up every morning. My favorite is espresso macchiato- double espresso with frothed milk (less fattening than whip cream, although whip cream is delicioso on espresso). Course if you want fattening, Cafe Mocha, hands down. Chocolate milk, whip cream and espresso? Hell yeah. And about 1500 calories and 80 grams of fat per sip LOL!! Obesity in a cup... NICE!

Gold.

Five years ago you could buy an ounce for about 300 dollars. Today? $934 per ounce. I was reading Garth Turner's Greater Fool this morning about real estate, the bubble, the burst, the US economy and it's difficulties at this time and how real estate in Canada has thusly been affected. In Vancouver real estate listings are up 20%, he says, and sales down 42%. This is echoed elsewhere in Canada with other major cities also seeing less sales (20% less sales across the board in Canada). I'm thinking that buying this affordable condo was a good idea now... Depending on interest rates I'm wondering, though, if this decrease in the real estate market won't work out for potential buyers like myself who may be interested next year in upgrading to a house?? I think in order for that to happen (housing to be "affordable") mortgage rates would have to climb to around 7-8% like they did back in 1995. Right now a good deal on a 5 yr closed is at about 5.6%. No wonder we have this "bubble" - I recall just 4-5 years ago the 10 year rates were roughly that much and 3yr rates were around 4% which was unheard of. Everyone plugged in to low rates, for 30 and 40 year mortgages and bought the biggest, most expensive house they could afford because "you can't lose on real estate".

They've always said that gold and silver and resources that are "finite" are solid investments. (Hence oil and gas prices increasing? Right?) Being that I live in the same city as the Mint I've been thinking perhaps I should be purchasing gold and silver coins, wafers and or bars (based on what I can afford of course). Likewise it's almost time to get involved in the Canada Savings Bonds program and purchase them. Time to get into some investments that offer protection against "market bubbles" and have longevity, reliability and are mainstays...

Never in my life have I ever heard the term PINK COLLAR WORKER. I am familiar with blue collar and white collar workers (whose payscales have perhaps reversed over the years) but not PINK or GREEN or GREY or GOLD Collar Workers. I sort of stumbled on these links this morning over coffee while doing my usual diddling around online. Funny, when I read about the Gold Collar Workers OMG I think I've hired some of those before!! TOTALLY!!! Interesting how the younger generation that choose to live at home and spend their money on BLING and yet own nothing can get coined gold collar LOL!! Word!!! HA! Who knew they had a label (but what doesn't these days ...) Anyhoo, what started the whole stumbling process was my quest to look up the oil field jobs online and what they pay. Seriously, how does Alberta manage to retain ANY jobs at ALL in the retail and hospitality sectors (or ANY other areas) when you can wander out onto the oil rigs and get 100 grand a year? I honestly don't know. Not anyone can (or will, or is qualified to) work in that dangerous and isolated environment hence the pay. And hence "pink collar jobs" (like receptionists, hairstylists, florists, maids, waitresses) being paid less as they require less training- increasing the number of qualified applicants and reducing the pay. I recall in highschool them ranting about how trades were the way to go, but just couldn't visualize myself as a plumber, what with owning such a petite and svelte little butt crack at the time... (*grin*)

So the Next Generation is coming to visit YAY! Actually the whole herd of nephews and niece are out in full force in a few weeks here, which will be great. We have Milan here on the left, Mischa here - both my brother Darren's and GF Sandy's kids who are visiting from the Cayman Islands in August. And sister Nicole from just outside Sooke BC (actually French Beach if you know where that is) is bringing her kids Richie and Adala who of course I don't have an uploaded photo of.. (I'll find one and edit this post) But SO excited to see them all! So weird how as an adult a year or two can fly by and you sorta shrug it off. Then you see a child GROW in 2 years and you realize how much can HAPPEN in that time... Gonna be a great trip home this year....just a few more weeks!

Well it LOOKS nice outside right now but apparently thunderstorms and chance of rain this afternoon. Tomorrow, however, 100% sun as is Thursday. Figures since I've been looking forward to a few Friday Saturdays off that the forecast for THOSE days is RAIN RAIN RAIN!!! Same thing last week and this week !!! (Not that I'm not used to rain from BC; just spoiled with daily sunshine living in Manitoba!!)
Speaking of which- why doesn't Manitoba farm sunshine?! Seriously, if it's one of the sunniest places in Canada (Medicine Hat is #1 and Estevan Saskatchewan is #2) with flat open spaces why not have solar panels everywhere?? Anyone? Anyone know why?? They farm wind here, but I've never seen acres of solar panels. The wind farms are awesome- those 3 bladed tower thingies are freakin huge. Odd against a prairie landscape to see these objects that look like they belong in a Terminator movie or something...
Lots to do this week: still ordering parts to have the car fixed, lots of preparation at work for inventory on the 26th among other tasks on my to-do list. Then the following week my sister and her kids will be here to visit for a few days - YAY! That same Monday or Tuesday is also when I have to see a notary out here to finalize the divorce (or I should say MY divorce since I am evidently paying for it in full, which makes me extremely angry. I will stop short of discussing my list of what is considered "unfair" ...) Anyhoo must get ready and put on my pants that now fit!

ps. My heart goes out to Aleesha and Kelly. Aleesha lost a good friend yesterday- I really, really feel for her and all those that are affected by this tragic loss. Kelly, I just found out, was in a horrible car accident a few weeks ago, breaking her ankle and suffering other soft tissue injuries. Having been in both these situations myself (losing someone the same way and being in two car accidents) I HATE to hear of people I love going through these situations also. But that's why we go through things is to help us undertand others and appreciate their pain when they face the same difficulties. Amen.

Sometimes I miss things that Presurfer posts, but I have no idea how I missed his Bulletproof Baby post. Omg. Then he shows the rash that is known as Walmart developing across North American, check this out... Ack! On a more pleasant note if you look today you'll see the bear scratch which is more humorous than horrifying.
Crappy forecast this weekend- funnel clouds over Alberta, hail and thunderstorms in Saskatchewan and southern Manitoba... *groan* Seven day forecast calls for the same next Friday Saturday although Sunday Monday are expected to be super nice. Might be a "raincheck" on the fishing trip ?!

Tomorrow I think this is where I'm going; Whiteshell. It's FISHING TIME! WOOT! I always thought I wouldn't enjoy fishing. Since I've been river fishing and ice fishing I discovered I LOVE IT! Who knew!! In the river there are catfish. The one I caught last summer was about 7 inches long or something. I think when we went ice fishing there were pike or something. Anyways it's just an overnight trip and I'm really looking forward to it!

Note to self: sunblock and bugspray!

Latest links of interest for me...

Calorie King
What's a BMR?!
BMR Calculator
Fabulous Fiber
You can cook with All Bran?!?
The Macrobiotic Diet

Little worn out... I've been getting up, heading to the car insurance adjuster appointments the last few days, running errands, returning briefly home and minutes later heading to work to do some prep work for inventory which is in 17 days. I still have to take the car in to the repair shop this morning and arrange for a rental while parts are being ordered etc. I suspect it will take some time to fix since it's not a commonplace vehicle and its a 1992.

I was driving home last night trying to focus myself on playing the Glad Game. I guess the good things are that Autopac is a painless system, the car didn't get completely stolen or suffer irreparable damage, nobody got maimed, I got a lovely new phone and in one month I'm on vacation =)
There!
Good things!
HA! That makes me smile...

Very tired.


Quick post.


My life in pictures at this moment...


New phone- KRZR ... ah very nice.... must learn how to use it...




Lost 20 pounds... :P

Car is getting fixed after being vandalized; this is good. Extremely happy that the process here is fast and painless. Just have to find a good bodyshop now that will do the work...



Okay I'm outtie. Tired. Sleep. Go bye bye...

Great Scott ... now I'm revisiting my own personal obsession with personal finance blogs LOL!! Actually blogging can be rewarding for just that reason. I can credit other bloggers with sending me links to see if those sites have information that resonate with me and my life. It's probably because many of us bloggers are from the same generation that we often do share the same interests.

Click here to see how rich YOU are...

At any rate I really enjoyed reading Give Me My Five Bucks Back. She had some good tips on saving money and really dedicating yourself to getting out of debt. I've been interested in selling my cars for oh... a year. I know that this is the only financial vehicle (pun intended) I have to drive the debt down (again, intended!). My question is whether to LEASE or BUY when I get into another car, since of course I still need transportation to and from work. Luckily my work is only 4km away. (In theory I could walk or bike in the summer although doing so would require me to walk on the side of a freeway both ways -not so safe). I am actually leaning towards leasing because (a) monthly payments are lower, (b) I will be well within the allotted 20,000 kilometres you are allowed annually lest you pay for mileage at the end of your lease and (c) at the end of the one or two year lease I can trade up to another new car as opposed to owning and paying for a depreciating-now-used-car. I cannot say I have loyalty to a make or model nor do I feel an attachment to owning a vehicle, or any liquid asset (including real estate). I feel these are merely things we invest in. I can't say I know any cars that appreciate or hold their value (are there?) or I would invest in them. I dare say renting a car at low monthly lease payment seems more logical. No, you don't own anything in the end but you are not pouring your money into owning a depreciating asset. Your thoughts??

One great tip that I read on a finance blog a while back is about zero interest cards. So I immediately went out and got some. I transferred all my debt (okay, most of it) to zero interest cards. Obviously these are short term offers (one card is 12 months and the other 18 months zero interest) however this still saves thousands in interest over this amount of time and lowers the monthly payments. I have it noted when I have to transfer the remaining balance from each card to save an unwelcome lump at the end when the zero interest offer runs out. In addition, once my debt is paid you can then use these zero interest cards to BORROW and INVEST with. Withdraw money from the zero interest card and put it into RRSP, then repay your zero interest loan back to your zero interest credit card. Free RRSP loan! How intelligent! I also switched to no-fee banking, got a good savings account, maxed out my rrsp and pension contributions and at the very least: I have a plan.
Still lots to do, but there's still a plan.

Although this is just a graphic I found online and aren't my exact personal debts I fully appreciate the sentiment. It's been a costly last 18 months between selling the house, moving out & in with a friend, putting everything into storage then moving again across the country. Gas is at an all time high at the pump (what is it, a buck 33 a liter?) and man, I am seeing red. Tough gig, man...

UPDATE: Speaking of tough gigs and seeing red in the ANGRY sense, my car got completely vandalized today at work. I wasn't there more than 40 minutes and some asshole broke in to it and another co-worker's car. They attempted to steal my stereo/dvd player which of course was installed well and is bolted in. Made a quick attempt to pull down my back seat and check for speakers but found the same problem: everything hard mounted. This is the ninth issue this year of vehicles either being vandalized or completely stolen from the parking lot. My deck is broken, my dash ripped apart, the glove box doesn't close and my passenger window is shattered. Good news is I see an adjuster Monday to get it fixed. I just don't understand why people need to entertain themselves by vandalizing property. Karma will definitely bite them in the ass one day.

So am I nuts?! It is July 4th right? Does Google.com (the USA site) not have a holiday logo either?! Maybe I can't see it.. Not to beat a dead horse just that they normally celebrate these kinds of things! Odd... guess everyone's on holidays this week or something.

Vampires Among Us
Yes, I mean mosquitos. They are proliferous. And ubiquitous. Omnipresent. They're everywhere!!!! Ack! I lay in bed last night and I was almost there- right in that deep, hazy non-coherent almost asleep mode. Completely comfortable and snuggled in with my favorite bodypillow. Then I felt the itch. And I scratched it. My eyes fluttered and weakly opened. To my horror I spotted the absolute TUMOR that had erupted on my skin from a MOSQUITO BITE!!! OMG!!! Well, shit, then I'm awake and if every inch of my skin didn't suddenly crawl and itch simultaneously!! I think every two hours I woke up with itches and cratches, feeling the creepy crawlies all night long!! Gah! I need a team of Mosquito Hunters.
I've decided in Winnipeg you have 2 concerns about being outdoors at this time- sunburn or mosquito bites. Having now succumbed to both, I have decided sunburn is my favorite and I will accept it in order to participate in anything outside! At least a minor sunburn leaves a tan afterwards (let's call it nature's skin peel) as opposed to itchy welts ... Course then I have to choose between West Nile Virus and skin cancer... Hmmm... maybe I should stay inside for the summer and remain pasty white.
=)

Last night somehow I got sucked into watching Turner Entertainment, and the 1939 movie "The Women". I love black and whites (note that this movie had a "fashion show" segment in it completely in color). 1939 was such a great year in movies- color in movies was fairly new (like Wizard of Oz and Gone With The Wind) . Amazing leaps in technology in the 30s - sound in film, color in film and suddenly SUPERSTARS on film like Joan Crawford, Norma Shearer and Rosalind Russell. Now, there are a multitude of reasons I loved this flick. First- in the 30s... WOMEN WEARING PANTS. How startling!! Not common practice quite yet in the late 30s. In the 40s when they entered the workforce for the World War, yes- this was more common. (Sidenote: did you know the number of married women in the workforce increased 50% between 1930 and 1940?) But here they are in movies in 1939 with neck scarves and blazers wearing "man clothes"? This was new and bold! Daring, even! So this movie is about a group of women getting divorces and discussing a woman's role in marriage. Do we tolerate affairs? Do we leave him? Are we liberated, equal women with our partners? Ultimately, Mrs. Stephen Haines decides, while in a conversation with her mother who urges her to be sensible and stick her head in the sand, NO- I will not tolerate this and I'm leaving for Reno to get a divorce. Next thing you know, half her girlfriends are with her doing the same thing as they, too, discover their husbands to be cheating bastards!

Made me laugh this morning as I read Spiritual Business over coffee. Evidently the New Moon today is in Cancer - hello, DRAMA !!!! LOL..!! Cancer and the moon (Cancer's ruler is the moon, fyi) are explained as feminine energy, intuition and care-giving which makes me smile having watched this essentially feminist movie last night about women, their power, their role and their emotional lives. Today, Jupiter in Capricorn asks for a willingness to see the reality and deeper meaning of a relationship. Venus, Sun and Moon in Cancer ask us to assess our own emotional agendas. Saturn in Virgo adds the energy of the archetypal father to this New Moon. Cancer represents the archetypal nurturing Mother. This New Moon asks us to be cautious and careful in our interactions, have compassion with our Selves and others.

Have a great day, drama-free!!

ps.. Regarding the Google logo yesterday for Canada Day... Some drama: in case you don't have your own borrow this. The post from Globe and Mail was nice. The comments - unnecessary. There's no need to be like that. It's a holiday. It's to be celebrated, that's all. No need for sarcasm people.

HAPPY CANADA DAY
(click these for links)
O Canada and hockey- now THAT is Canadian.
I was just reading some history about Canada Day; I guess being a 73 baby I never really noticed before age 9 that it was called Dominion Day first! In 1982 it was "officially" changed to Canada Day... In fact our parents and grandparents may remember that the holiday didn't really gain momentum or popularity until after the World Wars. It wasn't until 1958 that the government began running celebrations...

Very disappointed in Google, though... don't they usually have neat graphics to celebrate things like this? I thought Google Canada would at least link to some Canada Day sites and or have some nice graphics like they do EVERY year for Canada Day .... Except, apparently, TODAY!!!
Who's driving Google's bus?!?!?!?!? tsk tsk tsk. Very unprofessional, Google.

Hear me now und believe me later, but don't think about it ever, because, if you try to think, you might cause a flab-alanche! I now haf weights, and I am going to PUMP.... ME UP !!!
Well, I'm not exactly shooting for Arnie pipes but if small children and grannies can get ripped I figure I can at least gain definition. I enjoy weights actually. My favorites are dumbell exercises; the bicep-tricep-shoulder routine especially... I'd really love to learn pilates and yoga at some point this year, too. I actually watched Adam Sandler's Spanglish last night with Tea Leoni in it. Man, she is FIT. Dude! Abs of steel and the funniest sex scene ever LOL... In the movie she does some yoga moves that caught my attention- I think it's called Eight Crooked Limbs. If I tried it I would have Eight Crooked Limbs... oy...

They say everyone has their 15 minutes of fame. Our family's famous time was right here, in the pages of 1987 BC Woman To Woman Magazine LOL!! Mom submitted us for a family makeover, which we got courtesy of Guildford Shopping Mall in Surrey BC. For me, I was heading into Grade 9 so it was kind of cool at 14 or 15 yrs old to get a makeover... And hey, in case you're wondering, in the BEFORE picture my brother spilled pop on his lap RIGHT before we got the picture done!! They could have at least CROPPED the picture to save him the embarrassment!!!

I think it's appropriate that on the cover here the bottom left has an article labelled Your Most Embarrassing Moments ROFL!!!!!

Hilarious flashback eh?!

=)

Good news is it has been literally a few years since I got some decent back pain. Bad news is oy, the last few days it's been steadily increasing. Right now I can stand up almost 90% straight but if I force myself to completely straighten my spine I get spasms and pain...
It's always my lower, lower back in the "sacral" area. If I'm not mistaken it's like S1 or L5 that are affected, as well as somewhere around T5 and 6 and C1 ... Most of the damage I incurred my my 2 car accidents. The first was in 1993 (we were going about 90km an hour and T-boned another vehicle that pulled out in front of us which was NOT our fault). This accident caused the MOST damage to us. Terrible spams for months, difficulty walking for months, sleepless, etc. To add insult to injury the insurance adjuster, seeing we were young and vulnerable, was an absolute jerk when discussing compensation for the accident. When I talked about my back pain and what I had gone through he said his back was also sore every day from sitting in a chair, and that back pain was part of normal everyday life. I was stunned and unable to defend myself. Should've got a lawyer, because that accident screwed our backs up FOR LIFE. The next accident in 1998 was just me in my tiny car; the same exact accident again at an intersection. A kid who had JUST got his licence 2 weeks before gunned it to turn left in front of me and I creamed him (again, 100% his fault). I had nowhere to swerve, trust me. This accident was 80km to zero and wrote off my car. Again, same insurance company, same ridiculous practices. But that's what happens when you have insurance that blankets the province and the SAME insurance company covers you AND the guy responsible for your accident. It's the same crap in Manitoba with Autopac. How is this system SUPPOSED TO WORK FAIRLY !?!? Evidently you CAN get insurance from other agencies in BC however my understanding is that BASIC insurance MUST be provided by ICBC by law. But I tell you what, I fully welcome private insurance having had these poor experiences that cause me back pain to this day. And this is 10 and 15 years LATER. No way I could've known that at the time, but certainly in retrospect I continue to feel pain, not to mention ripped off and insulted.
Anyways, that's my rant for today !!
Summary : my back hurts and I hate insurance LOL !!!
Enjoy your Canadian long weekend and hey- think about donating blood. Long weekends are notorious for car accidents and people need your blood!! I've been a donor for a few years now and give regularly every 56 days. Being an O Positive means my blood goes with anyones, so that makes me popular with them !!! Think about it- blood is "in you to give"...

Dude ! One week stuck at the same weight but TODAY... today that bastard scale moved. And in the right direction! YES!!

AND my sunburn is somewhat going away. Just the tops of my feet and my shoulders that are still really quite in an unfortunate condition. Makes wearing runners really painful.. and clothes. Clothes are painful. However, I refuse to go to work nude so I pack that Aloe spray with me. Hopefully by Sunday it will be more manageable and turn into a lovely tan.

Holymotherofgod was it busy at work yesterday. Everyone and their dog shopping for long weekend groceries.. Supposed to rain later today and have thunderstorms either late this afternoon or evening. Kind of wondering if this means people will shop earlier today and get to their cabins TONIGHT or will they wait and go tomorrow? Will it be busy this weekend? Slow? I dunno.

Okay so back in the day I used to wear one of these buttons. I was an Herbalife Distributor. I did this on and off for about 6 years. I will say that yes, they are good products. And yes, proper absorption of good nutrients is a key part of being healthy. However the downside to Herbalife systems are (a) the cost. These are very costly programs as many weight loss programs are, whether they be Jenny Craig, or Nutri System, or Herbal Magic or whatever. Then we have (b) the fact that they give false hope. These products claim to cure illnesses, or let you eat whatever you like and still lose weight, yada yada. Does this teach you proper eating? Does this correct what got you obese in the first place? Does this create a new healthier pattern going forward? Nope. In fact the traditional Herbalife systems include weight loss shakes (which I lived on for a few years while modelling way back in the day) for 2 meals a day while ingesting a fistful of vitamin horsepills to encourage proper absorption and fiber intake. Lastly I will complain about (c) which is the business aspect of it. You are motivated to become a distributor because in order to afford the program you will want a discount. You get 25% off by becoming a distributor which earns your upline 25% on whatever product they sell you for you to resell. In fact if you buy LOTS of product (say, $1000 - $2000) you will qualify for 42- 50% discounts on items. Sometimes they ask you for a list of your family and friends and then have you call all of them to market the products to them to "start your business". No ifs, ands or buts- Herbalife is Multi Level Marketing and Sales. I will admit that I did well at this business for short periods of time. My success, however, was dependant completely on who I signed up "below me", how well they did, and if I could possibly continue a decent sales pace each and every month.

My advice, personally, to anyone seeking to lose weight is to steadily increase your exercise to constantly challenge yourself, drink lots of water and eat healthy, well balanced meals. Period. Take it from someone who knows. No shakes, no tablets, no bullshit and no gimmicks to lose weight over 6 weeks with the chance of winning weekly prizes. That's called fishing for business.

Nice try, Herbalife. I see you.

Beautiful day to get a sunburn! Been hosing myself down with that Aloe spray ever since I got home this afternoon!! Thanks to Tara for having me out to her little piece of paradise on the lake, though, I totally enjoyed myself. It's a tough gig to get me to sit still and relax!!! I took my camera, of course, and got loads of shots of her place and all the great things about it. Which includes her multiple animal friends who accompany her there all the time! Certainly is a gorgeous spot- quiet, unspoiled and amazingly vast water. The beach is absolutely full of clam shells and visited regularly by pelicans which inhabit the area, oddly enough. At least I found it odd when I got here last year. I thought Pelicans were from the warmer states in the South; it's not a bird that hangs out in Manitoba.. is it?! What the hell!

Oy, the cats are acting weird. Pepper (7 months old) has this need to camp out in various undercover locations and attack poor Old Mister Bob (12 yrs old). Bob's way to old for this crap! Here's Pepper in total commando mode, literally completing head over heels rolls on the carpet, prancing around with her back arched and tail fluffed, hopping towards him on all four feet simultaneously sideways. Lke she's saying, "My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father prepare to die..." LOL !!! Although hilarious to watch, I'm like, helloooo there little 2 pound retard, you are SMALLER than 7 pound Grandpa Bob there who can kick your ass with one swat... !!! One day she is going to seriously get pounded by him.

So my bad with the math the last post there about how many kilometres I'm managing in a week. 28km a week, not 25 (duh!!) Here I am ripping myself off on my efforts! My scale's obviously broken, though, it hasn't moved in four days no matter where I put it on the floor. Seriously, I know the floor is concrete but isn't there a freakin' low spot that makes the scale move even a smidge?! WTF. I miss the old dial scales that you could manipulate to lose weight !! These damn digital ones SUCK !! Who needs accuracy? I just want an ego boost!! Something to be said for old school technology (or lack thereof)...

The problem is I keep playing this stupid Bimbo game and it's seeping into reality! (Actually it's quite fun, if not completely undermining the accomplishments and capabilities of my gender. Taken with a heavy dose of humor it is actually quite silly!!!) However it is a commentary on the times and indicative of what we see in the media. Sad that the bimbo broads get featured on TV and in media more than legendary women and the Forbes List of Women CEO's. But I guess that isn't as interesting as the train wreck celebrities...

WALKING...
25 kilometres a week.
For 2 weeks now !
Not bad, not bad...
Day 16 and I'm definitely feeling it in my legs these days; especially the hamstrings. Although walking up 10 flights of stairs daily helps (okay it's a 5 story building, but doesn't it count that there are 2 flights of stairs per story ?!!?) My next gig is to pick up some free weights and get back into working the barbells. Work it, baby, work it !!!
What else is new, hmmm...
/inserts the sound of crickets...
Yeah, not so much!

Actually it's quite nice to have a lull in activity before the pace picks back up again in July. Astrologically, Mercury is free from its retrograde action and is beginning to go forward slowly... ever so slowly. Not fully forward til July 2nd. That Strawberry Full Moon we had on the 18th is waning and Summer Solstice (longest day of the year) was yesterday. I took advantage of that and walked around the neighbourhood until about 10:30pm at dusk. Still very warm out, which was nice. Definitely felt like a summer evening.

Thursday I walked quite a hike all the way up to the river, and it was a bee-yoo-tiful day for that walk! Nicely maintained paths and roads for cyclists and walkers, great trees, nice homes to look at. Almost got lost on the way back, though... I still don't really know my way around the area completely. There was a point there I truly thought I would have to use my cell and get a ride home !! I thought if I didn't find my way out of the maze of boulevards and crescents I had found my way into how the hell would I ever get home!! But eventually I took a right turn somewhere and ended up on a familiar major 4 lane artery. Rather hilarious !! I could HEAR the road from where I was walking but I was trapped in these weird cul-de-sacs !! LOL

Anyhoo, time for all the county fairs ! Tomorrow is THE last night for the local fair so HOPEFULLY after work we'll go for the final night. Tuesday-Wednesday I have an invitation to spend an overnight at the lake with a friend at her cabin which will also be fun... Being on Flat Land here, I so miss being near the water!!! Can't wait until I get to see OCEAN again in August ... !!!

I've been walking. Yes, indeed, and now I'm talking...LOL. Before I break into singing some Ricky Nelson though let me review this last week or two!!! June 5 I started walking (briskly) 2.2km and this week I am up to 5.6km. Exactly an hour's walk at a quick pace. It was so, so nice out yesterday morning that I took my camera along with me and snapped these pictures as I trucked along. So many gardeners out here, which is surprising with a growing season that is only a few weeks long. (I kid, I kid.. it's about 4-6 months depending on the fickle weather here. I believe it's Zone 3 as opposed to the Zone 5 I was used to).

It's a great neighbourhood to be living in. Parks and schools about every 2 blocks, and a nice Italian community literally within walking distance if I head north (20 minute walk). BEAUTIFUL weather, and today is another sunny day. Best I get walking...!

Welcome sister to Blogspot!

She's just started blogging here, writing about her raw vegan diet and cob hours building. I'm sure we will see all sorts of posts about being GREENER and things like composting, and living a Better Life.

Nice work !











WELCOME, WELCOME, WELCOME !!!

Today's thought

When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.

- Lao Tzu

I watched Oprah on Thursday, specifically because Louise Hay was on it (You Can Heal Your Life). The discussion was about "summoning your life" and inviting what you want and need in it from the Universe. The Law of Attraction. I'm so glad I watched it. I was just telling Aleesha how it made me realize that we are Powerful Beings. One girl on the show said she thanked her alcoholic father for the lessons he taught her. Omg, YES ! Thank you !!! Another lady discussed how she created a Vision Board depicting exactly what she wanted to invite into her life; various things she wanted to make a reality. Goals, thoughts, feelings... YES, YES, I thought!!! I immediately created a Vision Board and put it on my wall. I filled it with words and images I cut out of magazines that spoke to me, like "Time for change" and "Summon Your LIfe", "Beauty Is In You". I went for a long 4-5km walk walk to contemplate the show and digest what I'd heard...I get it, I get it!! Every day I will look at these and SAY them out loud; invite them, know them, love them... All the while being thankful for my lessons...

Seen a few movies lately ! I watched Don't Mess With The Zohan, because I really enjoy Adam Sandler movies. (In truth I'm a bigger fan of Ben Stiller which is why I probably will watch his new movie coming soon Tropic Thunder, August this year) Yeah, Zohan was okay... so, so many sex jokes. I was actually amazed at the number of little kids in the audience. As a parent I think knowing the premise of the movie I wouldn't introduce my kids to excessive groin shots and sex with local grandmas in hair salons. But wudev...

Also saw Kung Fu Panda, which was pretty hilarious and AMAZING computer graphics. Makes you wonder just how much more can computer graphics evolve, when they are as realistic as they are already ? Very cool... The jokes were really great and very evidently Jack Black, who's humor I really appreciate. He is the eptiome of Bodacity ... (never heard that word before this movie LOL )

Looking forward this month to some action with WANTED. I'm not usually a huge action movie seeker- I typically enjoy my comedies more than anything. But this one looks like a really good show with some terrific stunts. It's nice to go once a week to a movie, though, and have a good laugh. Good times !