It's Back, and Betta Than Ever! - Hockey, Canada's Game

Bring on Don Cherry, Blue and his suits. Bring on the smack talking, the Battle of Alberta and Battle of Ontario. Bring on the fights, pretty goals and team pride. Hockey's back Baby! This is one sport I dig, support, can get behind. I'm not the hardcore, watch every game or my life isn't complete kind of thing, but I won't complain about a hockey game on the tube at home. I haven't always liked the Hockey. I remember back in the day, when Dad would watch Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday night, I'd hate it and wish he'd change the channel. Now though, I've grown to love and appreciate Canada's National sport.

When I was in grade 9, I met a friend named Jennifer. I believe her family had season's tickets to the local hockey club, the Vernon Vipers. I would tag along to some of the games with them and we had a blast. The following season I bought my own season's tickets. We always had fun, and it didn't hurt that some of the players were pretty good looking. I don't think anyone I watched made it to the NHL, I don't think any have competed at the Olympic level either. Doesn't matter though, it's a fun memory. Vernon has seen a couple local boys make it to the NHL with the likes of Brent Gilchrist and Eric Brewer. (Though Brent Gilchrist wasn't born in Vernon, Eric Brewer was. Mr Gilchrist's family must've relocated to the Vernon area however. In elementary school, I was friends with one of his nieces, and just after high school, I volunteered at a benefit concert bearing his name featuring The Moffats, Jann Arden and Amanda Marshall.) One of the last games I saw in Vernon's old Civic Arena was the Old Timer's game. That was cool to see some of the Legends. I saw the likes of Guy La Fleur and Tiger Williams. It was a rad experience to say the least.

I think mainly because I grew up in B.C, I've always been a Vancouver Canuck fan. I started to get into hockey with the Pavel Bure Era. (Man, that dude could skate!) In 1994, I watched the Canucks go all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals. I remember the team wasn't supposed to get passed the first round that year against the Calgary Flames, which they obviously did. The Canucks made it to the 7th Game of the finals against the New York Rangers in a nail biter... At one point, the Canucks were down three to zip and in the third period they started to make a comeback... It was a little too late however, they wound up losing 3-2 in regulation time. After the final horn of the game, Kirk McClean, the Canucks then goalie, stood in his crease with his hands stacked on his stick. Trevor Linden, who happens to be my favorite player ever, slumped into the boards after one last failing attempt for the tying goal. I was heartbroken, and seriously went into my room and cried. The Canucks, unfortunately, haven't made it that far since.

Now that I've been living in Edmonton, I've become a bit of a fickle Oilers Fan... (Brent Gilchrist played for the Oilers at one time.) When I first moved to Edmonton, those 7 and a half years ago, I lived a stones throw from The Coliseum/Rexall Place. I was pretty stoked the first time riding down Wayne Gretzky Drive and seeing where a professional sports team played, where dominance of the NHL in the early '80's was wicked awesome with players like Mr Gretzky, Mark Messier, Paul Coffee, Jari Kurri, and Glen Anderson just to name a few. Out front at Rexall stands a statue in tribute to the phenomenon, Wayne Gretzky. (I'm just sorry that the rink is in a rougher part of town, but not to worry - there's a big fight over a new downtown arena. We'll see how that turns out.) In 2006, it was the Oilers' turn to make the run for the Cup. I don't remember much of the beginning of the play-offs, I do remember doing inventory at a job and everyone huddling around the radio to hear what the action was. Towards the end, there were riots of sorts down Whyte Avenue here in the City. The riots made National News and made the fans here look like assholes. Damage to stores and store fronts happened, garbage cans were lighted on fire, just a whole pile of shenanigans went down, and it made us look bad. We were in the finals, and the rowdies made it look like we lost or some injustice had happened. Since then, the Oilers haven't made it as far in the playoffs. Some seasons they sucked so bad, they didn't even make it to the playoffs and were the joke of the NHL. To further that joke, in the 29 years I've been on Earth, and the 7 and a half I've been in Edmonton, I have not seen a single NHL game at Rexall or in any other team's barn. Now that's a sad, sad state of affairs!

I did take in last night's Oilers season opener, and it was a Battle of Alberta with of course the Calgary Flames. I didn't watch the whole thing as I had the control of the remote, but I did flip back and forth to the game. From what I saw, it was an exciting game and was impressed by some of the new, young talent. It was an electrifying 3rd period with the right out come. The "Oil" won with a shut out performance of 4-0. Sorry Flames, better luck next time. I wonder if Khabibulin stayed sober the whole game or had arena beer delivered between periods? Either way, he got the shut out.

Love him, or hate him, a big amusement is Coach's Corner with Don Cherry. Personally, I think the guy is rather obnoxious but what are ya gonna do? The only reason I stick around long enough to see Coach's Corner is to see what outlandish new suit he's got on. Don Cherry seems to be a bit of an Icon in the NHL, as he was briefly a player but spent majority of his time as a Coach. He's been known to say a thing or two to get people riled up, he's been known to do a thing or two getting under people's skin. Like him or hate him, Don Cherry is the face of Coach's Corner, and I'm not sure if anyone else would fit.

Hockey has become a little more commercial of late it seems. Of course you can go out and buy your favorite player/team jerseys, ball caps, key chains, T-Shirts and so on. While I was watching last night's game, they had a segment on in one of the intermissions about Stan Lee. (Ya, Stan Lee as in the Comic Legend, Stan Lee.) I guess Mr Lee is working with the NHL doing something called the Guardians. From what I hear, every team in the league will get their own personalized "Super Hero" geared to their specific team. I guess Calgary's team will obviously have Fire Power, and Philly's Team will have the ability to fly.... Then I get to work this morning, leaf through a paper only to find an ad for a movie... A musical no less... It's called The Score and I guess it's a hockey musical... I don't know guys... I mean I watched The Mighty Ducks when that came out, and I thought that was pushing it. (Cute movie, really liked it... But pushing it.) Slapshot is a classic Hockey movie, I can't find a single person who didn't like it. The re-make on the other hand was a bit more divided.

While in Whistler working the Olympics, the turn out to watch the hockey games were the wildest thing I've ever seen. When I wasn't working I'd go down to one of the bars that was televising the game and join in the festivities. One of the games that stood out was the 8-0 stomping Canada laid down on Norway. There were Norwegian Athletes in the bar where the massacre was witnessed and I felt bad because a few people didn't have much class and got in the Athlete's faces and rubbed it in. That same night, just after the game, a European version of TSN came through the bar then stood out side interviewing insane fans. A few people I was with and I got our faces broad casted across the Ocean, how cool is that? That night there was partying in the streets of Whistler alright. My little group of about 6 - 8 were walking back to grab a bus back to our camp as parties raged on. Another group of 6 or so people were coming in the opposite direction with a huge Canadian Flag they all held over their head. We went between the people and under the flag all high 5-ing each other. As we walked away they came back for a second pass, this time they scrapped off one of our crew. Good times, good times. I've got relatives that still live in Norway and I'd Facebook everything. Even though they had their asses handed to them that day, my Norwegian cousins were a riot and took it in stride.

Although I didn't watch any of the Olympic Hockey live down in Vancouver, I still have memorable moments of hockey highlights. I was in Whistler Village one evening and was headed back to camp... I was mad because a co-worker bailed out on me, so I was just a hoofin' 'er. I look to my right and who do I see? None other than Captain Canuck himself, Trevor Linden. My breathe was taken away, I had been "in love" with him since I was like 12 - 13 years old! I was dumbfounded and awestruck and I called my Mum (who happens to be Trevor's second biggest fan, behind me of course - tee hee.) and started talking a mile a minute. "MUM!!! MUM!!!"   "Lauren calm down, what's going on? You OK?" "MUM!!! I THINK I JUST SAW TREVOR LINDEN!!!!!!!" "OMG Lauren! Go get his autograph! You know he won't say No! Go do it and call me back!" After about 5 minutes of semi-stalking the guy, so I could work up the nerve, my opportunity came... It was now or never, it was go time. Some how, Mr Linden got behind the friends he was with and I had gotten a head of him a little bit. I looked over as he caught up and it went down. "Excuse me? Are you Trevor Linden?" Glances at me, "Yep, I am." (YAAAAY in my mind.) "I have been your biggest fan, since like forever can I get my picture taken with you?" "Sure, but walk with me, I've gotta catch up with my friends." Almost shitting my pants with excitement, I did as I was told. My camera was on the wrong setting, so that was tres embarrassing. Once I got it going, Trevor grabbed it out of my hands, snapped off a pic, kinda grunted "I don't like that one" and snapped off a second one. He waited for me to look, asked if they were alright, which they were. I thanked him, told him he made my life, he said to have a good night and disappeared into the crowd. I walked on clouds as I called my Mum and Dad and headed back to camp. A few people at camp were jealous, but then they saw Trevor at the Our Lady Peace Concert and got pics of their own. (That's the story behind the pic of Trevor Freakin' Linden and I right here on my blog.)

The last thing I'll mention on this long ass Hockey post, the Gold Medal Hockey Games of the 2010 Olympics. Oddly, both the Mens' and Womens' teams had to defeat the USA or accept a silver. I had to work the day of the Ladies' Final but managed to get back to camp with enough time to watch the 3rd period... To be honest, I was tired and hazy at the time but do remember that it seemed like a hard fought battle. In the end though, the Ladies' made this Hockey Nation proud by winning a Gold on Home soil.

The Mens' I remember far better as I took a few days off work and was better rested. I was in Victoria visiting an Aunt and cousins and we had the game on. My Auntie and I couldn't bare to watch, just in case we jinxed them but whenever we heard cheers, we ran inside to watch the goal replay or to see what was up. Finally, the 3rd period came around and we were down to 5 minutes left with a 1 goal lead. On the edge of our seats we silently prayed... Until with 27 point something seconds, the US tied it up. (See, we jinxed...) Cursing the other team, we went to OT and did the same thing of seat edge praying and nail biting... Then Syd Crosby became a national hero as he put the winning goal away. We had our second Gold in "Our Sport". The streets of Victoria went a little nuts afterwards, meanwhile before it was a ghost town because of the game. Everyone was happy and asked if we'd seen the game. (I'm sorry to any Americans reading this following line... I understand that both US teams didn't win silver, but infact lost gold. Trust me when I say I know what it's like to watch your team be second best. Happened to me more than once. The first was in '94 and the second '06 and when the Canadian Hockey teams didn't medal at the Olmpics. But when the Mens' US team - and I think the Ladies' as well - accepted their silver medals, I was pretty disgusted.)

It's not always about me, but I am Canadian and I loves me some hockey! =0)

What's In a Name Anyway?

Ever notice that some places have names that make you wonder? Ever been left scratching your head wondering if that's really that person's name? Or maybe it's just a nickname? I haven't been too many places... I don't know everyone and their dog - though sometimes the dog has a more human name than their owners do. But I've come across a few odd ones in my day.

There have been times when I've wondered what parents have been smoking when they name their kids... What would possess them to name their kids what they do? I'm not talking about weird as in they've come from another country weird either. Mind you, I do enjoy an original name. For example, my boss' grandson's name.... Castle... Seriously, no word of a lie... Castle... I've got a friend with the cutest little boy... What's his name? Lethal.... And it gets better... Lethal Lee.. He's got a lil bro coming soon (I think He's being evicted today). Not sure what his names going to be. My Dad has a friend that goes by Skeeter, which is in fact a nick name. (I believe his "real" name is Dave, I always have to ask "Hey Dad, what's Skeeter's given name again?") My cousin had a baby in April, he and his wife named their son Silas. Now this is an original name that you don't hear very often.... Or do you? An acquaintance has a year old son named Cylis as well. (As you can see, different spelling but same name! From what I understand, the acquaintance got the name from the TV show "Weeds" and I know in the movie "Legion" there is also a character named Silas.)

That's all I've got personally... But if you want truly bizarre kids names, just Google Celebrity's kids' names... How would you like to pay for counselling for little Coco? (And I don't mean Conan O'Brien either.) How bought taking Banjo to soccer practice? Paging Moxie Crimefighter, Moxie Crimefighter to the principal's office please!!! My personal faves are Frank Zappa's kids... Dweezil, Moon Unit, Diva Muffin or Ahmet Emuukha Rodan  <--- How do you even pronounce that? I wish I were joking but I'm not... Mind you, some of these people may laugh their asses off when they hear of 3 John's, 4 Joe's and 6 Jennifer's in the same class.

While some people have weird names, so do some Towns & Cities. Some places were named after the people that founded them, or by what's predominately around the City.... Other's will leave you just as confused though... I'm not sure of the history of any of these places, but they are real places. How's about a summer get-away to Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump in Alberta? How do ya feel about relocating to Heart's Desire, Newfoundland? Do people who have a hard time conceiving move to Conception Bay? (Also in Newfoundland.) Send someone you really can't stand to Asbestos, Quebec... I've got family in Salmon Arm and I've been to Skookumchuk and Squamish, all three in BC. I've heard of Stoner... Guess which province that's in... (If you said anything other than BC, I'm so disappointed.)

The kids' sign is written in German meaning "Please, not so fast"
I got this picture from http://www.banderasnews.com/0611/nw-fucking-austria.htm

Weird name places aren't limited to Canada of course... I wouldn't wanna be in Hot Water, Mississippi or No Name, Colorado or Hooker, Oklahoma. Maybe some guys would like to be in Wetwang, England or Whiskey Dick Mountain in Washington State but probably not Cockburn, Western Australia though. Do you have to have a big butt to live in Ass, Ukraine? Are things sexier in Sexi, Peru? If not, try Dildo, Newfoundland... Y'all can go to Austria and find a town with the name of the F-bomb (see picture). Just don't be a Bastard about it. (As in Bastard, Norway.) (All of these are real places, if you don't believe me, Google it.)

There are lists and lists of bizarre and original place names... Just Google Strange/Weird Place names. Parents are allowed to name their kids whatever they want, isn't that one of the perks of being a parent? I wouldn't want anyone to tell me what I had to name my kid! (That's probably why one lady's kid's birth certificate reads "GET THIS KID OUTTA ME" as his name... I'm sure he goes by Steve or something though.) If your searching for something original to name your kid(s) and just can't come up with anything, Google away, it's amazing what you can find and can be inspired by.

I may not have the most original name, but I don't have a common one either. Growing up, I had never met another Lauren. Also while growing up I hated my name, and because it wasn't common nor was it original. I'm used to it now, and don't mind it any more. I've had friends or family members named Laura, Lori/Laurie, Lorna, Lorene/Laureen and I've met a Laurel or two... And I've been called by these names at least once. (Sometimes it was by accident, other times it was purely to aggravate me.) I was named after Lauren Bacall, that's my name claim to fame. (She even changed hers to be Lauren on purpose!) 29 years later, I still haven't met another Lauren.

It's not always about me, but I found these amusing none the less.

Western Wax On/Wax Off Torture

This past Saturday, I went to Marvel College here in Downtown Edmonton for the first time in about 3 months. I think I've found the best form of torture that Women could ever inflict on Men... Especially the hairy ones..... *Evil giggle and hand ringing.*

I usually get my eyebrows waxed every 4-6 weeks... That way I actually have two and don't look all Cavewoman.... And they aren't all bushy like Andy Rooney's eyebrows either.... Let's face it, I've already admitted I'm pretty lazy and couldn't be bothered to pluck the dang things... Besides, that's twice more torturous than waxing - you yank 1 hair at a time rather than all at once and you have to make sure they're even.... And the last time I attempted to pluck my eyebrows - I pretty well had none left because I couldn't get them even... So for all these reasons, I figured I'd go to Marvel College because the price is decent ($10.50 after tax) and it gives an Esthetics' Student a chance to practice on a live face. (The instructors are right there to make sure nothing goes awry and the salon is open to take clients on a Saturday as well.) (http://www.mccollege.ca/)

Anyhow, as I was saying, I hadn't been anywhere to have the eyebrows waxed in about 3 months. I know I usually go pretty bright red when I get them done. This time, I went tomato red and it actually hurt. I guess my skin was out of practice to the abuse being that it'd been so long between visits. (If I keep my 4-6 week routine - No Pain.) I couldn't help but wonder how women get their armpits and legs waxed, this was excruciating enough for me.... Then I started to think about Brazilian waxes and decided there is no amount of money in this world that anyone could offer me to get one of those done... (A friend had one done and explained the process to me... NO THANKS!!!!!!!!!!)

Then I can't help but think even further.... If women ruled the world and war broke out, could waxing men (or bikini waxing women for that matter) for information be considered torture and therefore a war crime? I know of a couple guys who have had their eyebrows waxed, and it's weird to see a guy with freshly waxed brows, even a male model. I realize that certain athletes (Swimmers/Body Builders etc) either shave or wax... Still weird... I know of some pretty Sasquatchy guys and I tell you what... I think they'd spill the beans with one carefully manicured eyebrow. (And that, my friends, is without so much as touching the rest of the hair on their body!)

It's not always about me, and when the Western Wax On/Wax Off Torture begins, I hope it stays that way!

Here's Lookin' at You, Nana-face

"Come on-a my house, my house a come on,

Come on-a my house, my house a come on,

Come on-a my house, my house, I'm gonna give you candy,

Come on-a my house, my house, I'm gonna give you everything" - Rosemary Clooney

This is the song I can remember my Nana bobbing around singing from time to time. On this day 76 years ago in Montreal, my Mrs Claus incarnate Nana was born, so today we're singing a different, but just as cheery a tune. We're just missing one thing, Nana.

Growing up, I was a little apprehensive about my Nana, not that she ever gave me reason to be. I just didn't know how to take her. She seemed a little gruff, if you started to colour a picture in one of the colouring books at her house, you were expected to finish it. (In reality, she had raised 9 kids and watched 14 grand kids come into the world- she just didn't take any guff and when she'd had enough, you were gonna know about it.) It wasn't until I was older that my perception of Nana changed and became clearer. (And it helped that I could remember them - my memories seem pretty sparse in the beginning, and I'm not sure why.)

One of my first memories of Nan was about my 5th or 6th birthday. Nana came to Vernon from Salmon Arm and picked me up at my house and took me to this deli style sandwich shop. It was just me and Nana.  I remember she gave me a white wrist watch as a present and even helped me put it on. That's also the day Lemon Meringue pie became my favorite.

There was a family reunion out at Nana & Gramps' farm when I was about 8. I remember walking into the house when we got there and my Dad asking Nana, "So where's Nana at????" I looked at him a little perplexed, pointed to Nana and said "She's right there." He kind've chuckled and said "No, I meant my Nana." We were told that Dad's Nana (referred to and known as Little Nana) was in one of the basement bedrooms. Just then, Little Nana came up the stairs, noticed more people said "Oh My!" reeled on her heals and was headed back down stairs. It wasn't until much later that my Nana started to look like Dad's Nana. (In other words, til Nana looked like her Mum.)

When I was almost 20, I moved away from home by myself for the first time. A couple weeks before I moved, I phoned Nana and asked her if I could "come over and play". I had intended to stay for a morning coffee which turned into Lunch and Dinner as well. This was the visit where I got to know Nana as a person, not just as a Nana. She told me about her life back East in Montreal, her trek from back East to settle the West, growing up and her family, meeting my Gramps and starting a family. (Like I say, she had 9 kids.) She told me stories of my Dad and my aunts and uncles, about how she'd lay in bed and hear the kids she knew snuck out sneak back in. She wasn't dumb, she knew they left and didn't sleep well until she heard them sneak through the window etc. She told me stories about her Mum (The a fore mentioned Little Nana) and about how her family immigrated to Canada from Scotland. Military stories were brought up of my Nana's Parents and Grandparents. This was when she told me she never knew her Gramps (Little Nana's Dad), because he was lost in World War I when Little Nana was just a girl. She told me how she worked in a Department store with one of her best friends. They would constantly giggle and have fun, and one time she and her friend were mistaken for something that was totally Taboo at the time. It's one of the memories I hold dearest. I wish I had written more information down, for this day was what sparked my interest in Genealogy and tracing my Family Tree.

Not last Christmas but the Christmas before (2008) was a bizarre experience. It was always traditional in my immediate family, that Christmas Eve was spent at Nana & Gramps' (until it became just Nana's) and then we spent Christmas Day with Mum's side of the family. Well, 2008 Mum & Dad were back East in Ontario... (In my lifetime, it was the 1st time Mum missed a Christmas at home, and only the 2nd for Dad.) I didn't think that I would be able to see Nana that year... Until my cousins Lisa and Lindsey helped me out. (And yes, Nana had called me by both their names more than once... Must be the whole Lisa/Lauren/Lindsey thing.) I went out to Nan's with Lisa and her daughter Destinee on the 23rd. We were sleeping over at Nan's place then going to Auntie June's the next day, from there Lindsey would give me a lift back to Vernon. (This was a rarity for me, I can think of maybe one or two occasions where I slept over at Nan's.)

We settled around the table, Nan, Lisa, Destinee and me, and started playing a word board game. I think it was Mad Gab or something, it's the one where you've got Wheel U Mare em e on the card and you are supposed to get Will You Marry Me? out of it. I was sitting right next to Nana, who was totally involved in the game even though Lisa seemed to be slaying us. After a minute at most, Lisa was getting the answers. I was starting to get bored, and I started poking fun at Nana... The funny part was, she didn't seem to be paying attention to anything other than the game, and had no clue what was going on. Destinee and Lisa were killing themselves giggling and carrying on. Finally after about 10 - 15 minutes I turned to Nana and asked her why the heck she wasn't back handing me. She asked why and I told her, this caused Lisa and Destinee to bust a gut again which got Nana just laughing away too. I was a little bugger but that's OK, I can dig it.

I wasn't as close to Nana as I would've like to have been, and that was my fault. I remember calling her from Whistler when I did the Olympic stint and she was thrilled to hear what was going on. When I first started this job, she was happy to hear that I was gainfully employed doing something she had done many years earlier. I always had her say the word "bra" for me. Being that she was from "down east" as she put it, she pronounced bra differently. I'd walk in and say "Hey Nan, say bra for me." She'd cock an eyebrow and say it... I just got a kick out of it, you have to hear it, reading it just won't translate. I usually would get a phone call on my birthday, in fact I half expected one two weeks ago that never came.

Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars?
I could really use a wish right now, wish right now, wish right now.

Nana fought hard but lost her battle with Cancer August 11th of this year. I missed her by two days which still lays heavy on my heart. She was survived by 9 kids, 13 grand kids, and 3, soon to be 4, great grand kids.  She also left behind sisters, brothers and many nieces and nephews. I can still hear her telling me to stop telling the room mate to shut up, or she'd go Ninja Nana on me. I can still picture her putting her napkin bib on before dinner, because she almost always wore something from dinner.

Two days after she passed I was at my parents' house on the deck alone. It was getting to be dusk, closer to dark. The satellites, stars and Venus were beginning to appear. I looked up and said, "Well I'm here Nan, sorry I missed you." A satellite just then shot across the sky. I knew she heard.

Nan was quick and witty, strong yet soft and understanding. She was one of the most selfless people known around. My last Christmas with her, she was battling hard and was more concerned that she didn't have a present for me and tried to apologize for it. I wasn't there when she was born 76 years ago today, and I unfortunately wasn't there when she passed. I was fortunate enough to know her for almost 29 years.

RIP Barbara Fiddes Taylor (October 5, 1934 - August 11, 2010.) You are gone but will never be forgotten.

... I miss and love you and I'll see you again, my Nana friend......

One Last Kick at the Can

Edmonton enjoyed fantastic weather this past weekend. The temperatures were unseasonably high, the sun was out, birds chirping... Straight up, cheesy '50's movie spoof style. (It reminded me of Pleasantville - you know, after it got it's colour.) You could hear lawnmowers cutting the grass for possibly the last time prior to Winter's sleep. Lawn ornaments were put in the shed for the season and have been replaced by Hallowe'en decorations. Leaves were raked into piles perfect for little kids to jump in. Kids were riding bikes in search of one last summerish adventure. And Motorcyclists going for a rip before the four letter "S" word hits the ground. We hit a high of 24-27 on Saturday (depending on who you talk to) and about 18-20 on Sunday. (It's usually 24-30 in the summer time, imagine our surprise in early October!)

I miss riding on the back of a motorcycle. My old roommate/"wife" bought her first Harley when we were living together and had learned to ride. Through her and the Tim Horton's Biker Gang (just some bikers who happen to congregate on Whyte Ave at a Timmy's), I met a guy and we hit it off. He also had a Harley and would take me riding. It was awesome, and I understood the rush of freedom.  I'm not adverse to riding "bitch" and actually quite enjoy it, but as for me actually driving... I'm too chicken. A female cousin has her own and rides, so do a couple Uncles and my Dad. All the power {no pun intended} to them. What I don't like bike wise, are those loud ass pipes. I understand why riders put them on there - To get noticed by other vehicle operators in order to reduce the chance of being run off the road, hurt or have an accident. I'm partially deaf in both ears - not enough to need hearing aids - and the illegal pipes hurt the crap out of my ears. Edmonton has passed a law making pipes over a certain decibel amount illegal. What cranks my a$$ is the fact that Bikers don't necessarily have the pipes for show etc but for safety instead... What further aggravates me are the cars that are super loud and bother my ears waaaaaaaaaaay more than bikes... Yet there are no laws against the cars, just the bikes... I don't even ride anymore and that makes me pretty angry. I do miss riding though, loud pipes or not.

I hate to admit that a) I can't handle the heat of 25 + weather (even though I was born and raised in the Okanagan in BC) and b) that I spent part of a gorgeous day inside on Saturday.... I was looking for my Hallowe'en decoration box and got side tracked... Two weekends ago was cheesy '80's movies that I adore... This most recently past weekend seemed to be '90's movies. I remember absolutely loving Varsity Blues when it first came out and even bought it on VHS. I watched it Saturday and had myself a laugh. I still totally dig the movie, but now I see that the acting was a lil shotty.... I love Dawson's Creek too, but James Van Der Beek doing a cheesed out version of a Texas Accent made me laugh.

 The weekly Football torture took place on it's usual Sunday. My roommate has a bit of a man crush on Eli Manning, and his team happens to be the New York Giants any how. (Has been since way before Eli even made it out of high school ball.) I didn't watch much of the game but I did take in the festivities prior to the game's opening kick off. There was a Breast Cancer Ceremony type of thing at the beginning, I'm not sure if they were survivors or what the deal was. I dug the fact that the players were wearing pink, and seemingly lots of it. I saw guys with pink gloves, pink chin straps, pink stocking caps, pink sweat bands and so on. I thought the whole thing was cool.

It's not always about me, but I was glad to see a nice weekend.  =0)

I Don't Need an Excuse - I'm Wearing My Brand New Shoes!

"Hey! I put some new shoes on,

And suddenly everythings right,

I said Hey! I put some new shoes on, and everybody's smiling,

It's so inviting,

Oh, short on money,

But long on time,

Slowly strolling in the sweet sunshine,

And I'm running late,

And I don't need an excuse,

'Cause I'm wearing my brand new shoes"

-Paolo Nutini (New Shoes)

I'll admit, I'm not huge into fashion, I'm more of a tomboy than I am a girly girl. I'll wear what I wanna wear, when I want, when say I can. To be honest, jeans, t-shirt, and a pair of flip flops (or shit kickers in colder weather) and I'm a happy girl. In all honesty though, shoes are my down fall... I'm a self-admitted shoe hoarder... I've easily got 20 pairs, and by some people's definition, that's minor. If it's got a heal on it, I don't want them. I've never learned to walk in them properly and they bother the hell out of my knees and back.

This post isn't about being a shoe hoarder though... This one's about the new pair of shoes I picked up yesterday and have strapped to my feet today. I finally tossed an old, worn out, filthy dirty pair of runners. I work on my feet for a good portion of the day so I needed a new pair ASAP. My knees and back have been killing me for weeks because of not wearing proper shoes. I'd poked around and couldn't find what I was after... What I was looking for was a pair of black runners that didn't look like crap and weren't going to cost me an arm & a leg. (Or my soul and first born.)

Yesterday was pay day, my feet were killing me and I couldn't hack it anymore. I tootled to Wal-Mart after work to see what I could see and I was determined to walk out of there with a pair of runners. I looked through their selection and found majority of the sneakers were white/multi coloured, high top, expensive or down right ugly. There were a few black pairs in there that didn't look so bad, or expensive, so my selection was pretty slim. One of those pairs happened to be a Wal-Mart brand of those new exercise shoes. (Now, I'm sure some of you have seen the ads for these new exercise shoes... They're the ones that all you have to do is put them on and they magically help your posture and balance, while working and toning your calves, hamstrings and butt. When I first saw one of these ads, I thought "Damn! Anything to make a buck, eh? And you know all the lazies are going to run out and pick up a couple pairs!")

So I had the small selection narrowed down to two pairs of black runners, and the exercise ones were still in contention. The price was within a couple bucks - the decision had to be made... I slipped on the clog type pair and walked up and down the shoe aisle once or twice... Then I did the same with the "miracle" shoe. I didn't like the clog pair because there were no actual laces in them - they had those elastic criss-cross things - so there was no way to tighten them up. I didn't like the fact that they seemed to smack my heal the way a flip flop would with every step.  So I decided what the heck? I needed a pair, might as well give the Exercise ones a shot. What's the worst that could happen? My feet/back/knee would stop hurting if nothing else?

I'm a bit of a dork, but I was excited. I sprayed them down with your average shoe spray and almost couldn't wait to wear them today... I strapped them on my feet this morning and headed to work. At first they were a little weird to get used to, I felt like I was goose stepping down the street. After walking in them for four blocks, I adjusted and felt as though I had my stride back. I noticed that my calves were burning a little more than usual but not much else. Now that my day is half over, my feet aren't as tired or achy as they usually are by this time. (I don't know if that has anything to do with them being exercise shoes or just because they're better shoes than what I had been wearing.) So I'll keep testing these bad boys out and hopefully I'll see a difference in my calves, hamstrings and butt. If not, oh well - they were still a good investment of thirty bucks.

It's not always about me, this time it's about the shoes =0)

Happy Boobie Month!

Welcome to October Everyone! I hope every one's gearing up for Halloween, and Thanksgiving as well! (I've always found it sad that before Halloween or Thanksgiving have come to pass, some stores have their Christmas junk out already!) As we begin to gear up for the cold weather and holidays, October is Breast Cancer Month. Not everyone has been affected specifically by Breast Cancer, I bet a good percentage of people have had one form of Cancer affect their lives. And this post is dedicated to Cancer survivors, those battling the disease, those we've lost to it, and the families affected.

On the way into work this morning, I picked up a copy of a free daily paper called the Metro. (http://www.metronews.ca/)  The entire issue of this thin mag is pink. The pages are all pink, the ads throughout are varying hues of pink, - needless to say, most of those ads are for Breast Cancer walks & runs as fundraisers - there are stories of hope and inspiration of survivors & families and more. While I attended Grant MacEwan College (now a University), in honor of Breast Cancer Month, the school sold T-shirts at $10 a pop to fund raise for a cure. So I bought two. (One was for my Mummy, her birthday is at the end of October, so it was fitting...) The shirt had a bunch of Canadian Colleges & Universities listed on the back, all band concert style. On the front left, there was the breast cancer pink ribbon. A T-shirt for a good cause, for $10, I would've been crazy not to! The Cancer Society was on site also to shave people's heads for Locks for Love. {I admired those people, I wanted to shed the mop for a good cause.... Alas, I had dyed my hair too recently and they wouldn't accept my hair. =0( Bummed me out, I psyched myself up for it and everything.} I've got pins, key chains, T-shirts, bandannas, magnets, bracelets, teddy bears (I'm still a kid at <3, I've got stuffies everywhere) and other merchandise from over the years with proceeds going to Cancer Research. Get out and do what you can for a cure, whether it be buying the pink things or going on the CIBC Breast Cancer walk. Every bit counts, and it could be your Mum, Sister, Wife, Aunt, Daughter, Cousin, Friend that you are helping out in a time of struggle. 

There is potential for any one to get Breast Cancer - yeah guys, even you! (Though less likely for a man, there is still the potential, especially if the guy's overweight. I'm no expert, but I know it's happened.) There are treatments and options out there for a Breast Cancer fighter, if detected in time. Please, please, please, take the necessary precautions to keep yourself safe. Do self exams, go get a mammogram done, have your significant other give you a grope. (I know this is no laughing matter, just trying to lighten the mood.) Do what you need to do to detect this early enough to give yourself the best possible out come. I know of people who say they'd rather not know they've got anything wrong with them, because if they knew, they think they'd be a statistic quicker than if they didn't. To me, that just seems silly.

Cancer seems to run rampant through my family. An Aunt, in the Land Down Under, who has fought this disease. Her older sister was lost to the disease because it wasn't detected early enough. All four of my grandparents have had different kinds of Cancer, three of which have proven to be lethal. (None of them were Breast Cancer - My Grandma is the only one still kickin', and it was her sisters that had Breast Cancer.) The first time I heard that Cancer had struck close to home, I was devastated and didn't know how to react. It was hard to watch each of them battle it out, just to lose. Seriously broke and still breaks my heart. I worry about my parents with stats like that so close to home. I worry about my future as well, as chances are I'll have to deal with the disease myself.

Please visit the Breast Cancer Society of Canada website at  http://www.bcsc.ca/ or the Canadian Cancer Society website at http://convio.cancer.ca/.

It's not always about me, nor should it be.