Familiar Distance: Family Taking the "Fun" Out of Dysfunctional

"Let me ask you this about this life we live

And let me try to swerve some of this attention you give

To them distant ass relatives over in Hampton and

If they really miss you so much

Why don't they just call you then?

If you wanted blood, would you still have love?

Or in fact does the blood make you think you have to love?

Look I probably love my family more then anybody here

But my homies are family too
Third cousins get outta here"

- Homies by ICP (Insane Clown Posse)

I've got family all over the place. My family stretches across most of Canada - predominantly in BC, but there's some in Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec too... I've got some down in the US of A - in Texas, North Carolina, Maryland and a few other places as well. I've got family over seas - Australia, Norway, Switzerland and Scotland just to name a few. These are just the places I know about, I'm sure there are more blood relatives out there in various other places as well. Family is one of the most important things out there... But where do you draw the line when it comes to Family Loyalty?

Family dynamics have always perplexed me... I dig that certain people just don't get along, blood or not... My brother and I are the perfect example of that... If we were getting along, my parents thought something must be up... Guaranteed though, if someone did something to my brother... I'm 99% sure I'd want to kick their asses... There's an unwritten rule in my mind, I'm the only one allowed to talk shit about my brother, and I'm the only one allowed to stomp on him... It's my right as an older sister.  I'm sure my brother would agree from his side of the story, and say the same thing... He's the only one allowed to hate me and talk smack about me... The less we see of each other, the better. Siblings, still putting the "fun" in dysfunctional....

Parents... Yeah, some people hate their parents... (Some you can't blame, they've got reason to hate their parent(s) - others are just spoiled brats who dislike because their parent(s) had the gall to use the "N" word... as in NO - not the bad "N" word.) I've always had a decent enough relationship with my parents... I didn't always like them, but they never gave me reason to go all "Menendez" on them. Some days I'm sure they understood perfectly why some species ate their young. I still remember the day it dawned on me, "Hey, Mum and Dad aren't big, fat idiots after all." I'm sure they remember it too, or at least marked it on the calendar. Parents - the originals in putting the "fun" in dysfunctional.

Grandparents... Who can say a bad thing about their grandparents? Some can - I'm just not one of them... I knew all four of my grandparents... They were all cool... They'd get me all spun out on sugar... Slip me a couple bucks here and there.... Gave the rest of the family a place to meet up and visit... I think Grandparents invented the "fun" in dysfunctional.

Aunts, Uncles and first cousins... I was fortunate enough to have 8 biological aunts (2 sisters for Mum, 6 for Dad) and 3 biological Uncles (1 bro for Ma, and 2 for Dad). In all, I've got 20 cousins... Those 20 cousins produced 4 second cousins... There was never a shortage of kids to play with over the holidays - until we got older, moved away and didn't get home on the holidays. Aunts/Uncles/Cousins - the reason "fun" is in dysfunctional.

Anything other than my parents, younger brother, grandparents, and a few aunts, uncles and cousins.... My loyalties can't be counted upon. I know is sounds harsh, and I honestly wish nothing bad on the extended family.... I've just noticed some stuff over the years... Since my Grandpa passed away in 2001, I've noticed his family has become more withdrawn from our sector of the family. My family from Texas will come to Canada, and go to Vancouver Island where Grandpa's older brother and sister live.... Do you think they stop in the Okanagan to see my Grandma, Mum, Aunts, and Uncle? I don't recall hearing about that visit... These people are each other's Cousins/Aunts/Uncles/Nieces/Nephews. It's not like they are distant relatives that have never met. It aggravated me, I've come to terms that the "fun" isn't there....

My Dad has an Aunt who has lived in Edmonton for years. Since I moved here in May of 2003, I've seen her maybe 3 or 4 times... The only reason I did see her the 3 or 4 times is because when my parents came to visit me from BC, we went out for a few hours to visit her as well. If it weren't for my parents, I doubt I'd ever have seen her. My Mum's cousin's family live just outside of Edmonton... The Cousin's granddaughter was pregnant and they were going to come to Edmonton to do some shopping and made mention of meeting up for lunch or something... It never happened.... The cousin got sick and passed away suddenly and that was the end of that. Back in September, I did see my Grandpa's brother's granddaughter. (My 3rd cousin??? I'm not even sure how the labelling works...) At any rate, she's a sweet girl and brought her 6 month old son out to Edmonton to visit her Dad.... If it wasn't for Facebook, I doubt I would have seen them at all.... I noticed in her status that she was boarding a plane and was heading out this way... I asked if I would be getting to see her and her boy. It took her Mum pointing out the fact that I asked her on Facebook to get the ball rolling... Taking the "fun" out.

I don't mean to sound disrespectful, but if that's how they want to be - fine! Let them, I'd love to get to know them better, hang out and maybe become friends as well as family... More allies in this day and age, the better. If they aren't interested, there's not much I can do... Except turn close friends into family.... I've got a close friend that I call my sister. She's got one son that I refer to as my nephew and he calls me "Auntie Lauren". I've been "adopted" by her family and I consider them my 2nd family. I'd probably step up to bat for them faster then some of the people that I am blood related too.

What's my point... Sometimes I forget even... I guess what I'm trying to say is, you can't pick your family... You can pick your friends... And sometimes, your friends come before certain members of your family... Who you going to help move? Your best buddy in the whole wide world? Or your third cousin you haven't seen since y'all were 10 years old? Who you going to call to pick you up from work if your car breaks down? Best pal in the world? Or someone who won't come see you under any other circumstances?

It may sound like I'm bitter and promoting hate or resentment... But I guarantee I'm not. I've been bitten by the Genealogy bug and want to trace my family tree as far back as I can... I've even got family from Norway on my Facebook. When I was in Whistler working the Olympics, I managed to get a few days off in a row. I jammed to Vancouver and Victoria to see family. I saw my Dad's younger brother, his wife/my aunt, and both my cousins in Vancouver. I then went to Victoria, saw one of Dad's younger sisters and two of my cousins... I also went and saw my Grandpa's older sister and brother, that were mentioned earlier on, and one of Grandpa's younger sisters. I'm not a hater... I made the effort....

It's not always about me; is blood really thicker than water though?

How Not to Be Ghetto Fab: Confessions of a Former Ghetto Superstar!

My definition of Ghetto may differ from yours; so lets clear that up right now. My definition of Ghetto, to put it simply, is a rougher/tougher area of town.... Maybe a little more prone to crime or unsavory types. A few Ghetto's in Edmonton may include China Town/Tent Town/The Inner City Ghetto, 118Ave/Cromdale Area, and The Stadium Area (which evidently, is in between the two.) That being said, I've lived in some pretty Ghetto neighbourhoods since moving to Edmonton.... I've lived in all three Ghetto War Zones... (Keep in mind, I was a 21 year old naive, small town girl when I first moved to E~Town.)

When I first moved to Edmonton, I lived around the corner from the Cromdale Hotel.... We're talking less than a block from 118 Avenue. 118th is essentially one of Edmonton's "skid rows". It didn't take me long to figure out I was living in a rough neighbourhood. I got up insanely early to catch the bus to go cross town to work. I trodded half asleep to the appropriate bus stop only to find a drug user passed out, still tied off in the bus shelter.... Naive or not, I stayed out of that bus shelter and a good ten feet on top of that away... The bus I needed got stopped at a red light, and I was getting approached by a strange looking lady. Turned out she figured I needed some company... Thankfully, the light had turned green and I was outta there before anything else strange could go on... The boyfriend, I moved to Edmonton with, and I thankfully broke up shortly after our arrival in the City of Champions, and the basement suite we were in belonged to his cousin. Heartbroken none the less, I moved out three weeks after the transition into Alberta. I was glad to get out of that neighbourhood... 118th is supposedly the "Avenue of Champions" and is where Rexall Place - where the Oilers and Oil Kings play. It's filled with pawn shops and seems to be the strip for Street Walkers... A couple years after, the Cromdale was shut down due to the drugs and people the activity brings... The City is actively trying to clean up the area, and rid it of the Hookers as well.

I didn't last at my next place long either. I moved in with my friend Missy, her husband at the time, and their few month old son. I wasn't happy there by any means. The husband was a bit of a creeper and pissed me off, my nephew was only a baby and was up throughout the night, and everyone seemed broke all the time. I was dealing with the recent break up, move from BC, move to a new area in a new city, getting to work for really the first time to support myself... I liked the neighbourhood, but I couldn't hack it.... I started looking for my own place, and after a month and a half with my pal and her family.... I moved yet again. (So now I've moved three times in about three months,) I guess I'm drawn to the Ghettoness of this City.... I moved from nice, quiet, family orientated neighbourhood into China Town.

I was in an area called McCauley, which is technically a block off China Town, both areas are just outside of Edmonton's Down Town area. I figured it was OK, the rent was dirt cheap for my bachelor suite in the basement of a converted office building... Everything was included in my rent with the exception of my phone & personal bills. Everything!  It should have tipped me off that there were bars on my tiny little window. When my Dad's Aunt, who has lived in Edmonton since forever, caught wind of where I was living, she flipped her lid..... She figured it was dangerous, and my parents didn't rest easy until they came from BC to see for themselves. To be honest, I loved it there. I spent roughly a year and a half in my tiny apartment. My room in my current residence is approximately the size of my whole bachelor pad... My bedroom, living room, kitchen and dining room were all one open place... My bathroom was just to the right of my front door where my large boot/jacket/clothes closet was... About three, maybe four, blocks away was the Main Headquarters to the Edmonton City Police... That being said, the Reman Center is on the same block as Headquarters... About six or so blocks from my apartment building is a correctional facility as well... I should tell you I only had one issue in that year and a half. I came home one night after the late shift at my job, I got there around 8ish maybe, and there were Police that had taped off the whole block... They wouldn't let me into my building... I didn't know what was going on until I called the Cop Shop to see if I was able to go home. The story was that someone held up the Clinic two doors down and was looking for drugs... The Clinic had none on site, due to the roughness of the neighbourhood, and the would be robber held some people at gun point... Nice eh? Other than that, no issues - even when I would walk a couple blocks after a night at the bar. The worst I ever got was "Hey, do you have a smoke/quarter" or "Hey Pretty Lady, wanna come party with us?" I miss that place, and to this day wonder why I ever moved out of the place....

The third and final Ghetto-fied place I lived was between China Town and Hooker Alley, in the Stadium area - the Stadium being where the Edmonton Eskimos play. With in a week of moving in, there was a double homicide about 4 blocks away, just around the corner from where I walked every day to get to the train I took to get around... Scary... A month later there was another murder, this time closer to 118th Ave... (Both China Town and 118th Ave were within walking distance... Both about 10 - 15 minutes away, just in opposite directions.) Again, I didn't have any issues. I wasn't affiliated with any gangs or anything, and I made sure my roommate knew where I was going, when to expect me back and all that common sense type of stuff... (Geez, my roommate, at the time, was in the midst of becoming a lawyer!)  For the most part, I was a hermit and only went outside after dark for a cigarette or when I really needed too.

I guess you can take the girl out of the ghetto, but you can't always take the ghetto out of the girl. I enjoyed my time in the less than great areas of Edmonton. Call me crazy... But I lived to tell about all three 'Hoods.... I didn't do any time in the "Gang Land" part of the City (Millwoods) and I'm alright with that... =0) Don't get me wrong, Edmonton's "Ghettos" may pale in comparison to most places... Say next to LA, 118th would probably look like a prime piece of real estate... Hell, even next to East Hastings in Vancouver, which I only briefly witnessed, the Avenue of Champions looks like a holiday spot. Let's face it, this girl wouldn't last 5 minutes in those ghetto's or on the mean streets of say Detriot, Chicago, or New York either... Edmonton's ghetto scene may not be as bad as some, but they're bad enough.

It's not always about me; but I did live in the Ghetto and survived to tell about it...

The Legend of Ogopogo

Okanagan Lake is nestled in the Okanagan Valley area of British Columbia, Canada. Settlements surrounding the Lake include Kelowna, West Kelowna, Vernon, Lake Country, Peachland, Summerland and Penticton. The lake is home to two islands, Rattlesnake and Grant Islands, and a floating bridge connecting Kelowna to Westbank as well. Okanagan Lake is 135 KM in length and 5 KM wide with the average depth of 76 Metres. Many creeks run into the lake while it flows out to the Okanagan River. The lake is home to many fish species including Rainbow Trout and Kokanee, but the most famous resident of Lake Okanagan is the Legendary Ogopogo.

I grew up in Vernon, BC, which you will notice is located on Okanagan Lake. Vernon is a small town/city with the population of about 36,000 residents. I was born and raised in the area and took it for granted... Vernon really isn't known for much... Other than the fact that it's got numerous orchards, hosts a slow pitch tourney every summer called Funtastic, is a beautiful place to visit and has The Army Camp. The Ogopogo has been featured on TV a few times, I remember seeing a bit on Unsolved Mysteries about it... You know who got credit though? Kelowna, because it's the biggest Okanagan City... I tell you what, that really bummed me out! Why? Because the Ogopogo is all of the Okanagan's creature... Not just Kelowna's!

For those of you who are not familiar with the Ogopogo's Legend, the creature is essentially Canada's cousin of the Loch Ness Monster. Aboriginal People of the area have been seeing the Serpent like creature since the 19th Century. The local Salish Natives have named the creature Naitaka, which translates to "Lake Demon". The first mention of the Ogopogo by a European Settler was in 1860, when the man reported his horses being drawn under by an unforeseen force as they were swimming in the Lake near Rattlesnake Island. The first physically documented sighting was in 1872, when the area was being colonized by European Settlers. With the aid of advances in technology, there are a few photos and videos that are claimed as proof that the monster does indeed exist. Some say that the photo/video evidence aren't clear enough to definitively prove that the Ogopogo exists. The images could in fact have other explanations.

The creature has been described in similar was to that of the Loch Ness Monster. The Ogopogo is reported to be 40 to 50 feet long, with a variety humps on it's back. British cryptozoologist Karl Shuker believes that Ogopogo could possibly be a Basilosaurus, a primitive serpentine whale creature. Some skeptics believe that the images caught on film and video were mistaken with natural wildlife including a lake sturgeon, otters, beavers, snakes or other Marine life. Others feel the images were that of inanimate objects such as logs or something called a seiche. A seiche is a standing wave in a lake that moves below the surface in a serpentine motion.

Though not as famous as Nessie, the Ogopogo is one of the Okanagan's claims to fame. As to be expected, there is much merchandising associated with this lake monster. I've sent my share of postcards that depict cartooned versions of Ogopogo, I've sent one of my nephews a stuffed Ogopogo as well... Items don't end there, as you can imagine...

It's not always about me; though I've swam in Okanagan Lake, I've never seen the Ogopogo...

Does This Safety Vest Make My Butt Look Big?

In my years here in Edmonton, I've held a number of different work positions. I've been told that I change my job like I do my underwear, and I've often joked about my job A.D.D. (A little insensitive maybe, but true.) I've left jobs for a myriad of reasons, from low pay, to a long commute time, or not liking a certain person/people within the company. My biggest problem in the past has been becoming bored though and getting myself into trouble... You know what they say about idle hands... So today isn't exactly a tremendous feat but, it's officially my 3 month anniversary here at work. Whoopty doo Basil!

My current employment finds me sorting and delivering mail within a government building... Boring.... Most of my day is spent either reading a book or fiddling on the Internet... As you may imagine, the pay isn't great here, but it's enough to pay the bills. Every so often though, I'll get a call saying there's work available doing janitorial stuff in a trucking/freight office... It's a couple hours outta my life, and a few more bucks in my pocket.... It's an added bonus that I can basically go at my leisure after work... And still have time afterwards to lead a "normal" life.....

The Trucking/Freight Company I clean at, I am actually quite familiar with on a different level... I spent about three and a half years at the joint as an employee... I was a paper monkey/paper pusher of sorts. It was a unionized shop, office staff included, so any positions within the office had to be posted and filled within the company before anyone new could be hired to fill a position... This was pretty sweet, if you will remember - Idle hands and I get bored quick.... I filled quite a few positions because of this blessed union rule... Kept me out of trouble for a while. I was, at one point or another, a bill tear-er, the East Outbound girl, the West Outbound girl, the Appointment Clerk Assistant, and finally the Appointment clerk. I spent most of my time as the Appointment Clerk... By the end, it was getting pretty bland... I would come in to start my shift at 7 AM, and by Noon (on busy days) I'd be done my work and would have to kill three and a half hours... Which got me into trouble for "fraternizing" with the drivers of the company...

To be honest, this freight/trucking company is where I have had the most fun working, period. (It's also the place that I bitched about the most.... I even quit once - only to return 3 months later.) After I got the hang of what was expected of me work wise, I became "just one of the guys". (I got it down to a science... So, I felt pretty smart after my initial feelings of stupidity in that way...) I considered some of the dock workers and drivers friends, and they me. I even made a few friends with drivers from different companies that had certain contracts through us.

I recruited Miss-Ow, my Edmonton Best Friend, to work here. She and I worked in the office together before she left for BC. It was a riot! For my 23rd birthday, she decorated my desk with balloons and streamers... Made my birthday pretty memorable that year. She gave me a pin that said, "It's my birthday, wanna spank me?" which was a huge hit with "the guys". Miss and I had code names for pretty much everyone... Some of the looks we got! Holy! Some people just didn't appreciate the originality of this BC Duo! I also brought a friend, Vee that I met at my first job here in Edmonton, over to this trucking company. After Miss-Ow! left, Vee was my sanity and comic relief.

This is where I met my best male friend, who we'll call E-Head (not because he's does E or anything... Another inside joke.) I'd walk out to have a cigarette when I knew that E-Head was at the warehouse. I'd come down the stairs, and if he was in sight I'd yell "E-HEAD'S A BITCH!!" to which he'd reply, "Yeah? Well I learned everything I know about being a bitch from YOU!" E-Head and I had a lot of fun together at work. On good days we'd joke around, I'd ask him if the reflective safety vest made my butt look big... He'd tell me no, my butt made my butt look big. On bad days, I'd cry on his shoulder and tell him my "Whoa is me" stories. I miss seeing him on a daily basis... In many ways, he helped me keep my sanity as long as I stayed there too. He was my best bitch, and I told him as much. I haven't seen E~head in over a year, but I did talk to him last week. We seemed to pick up right where we left off... Maybe he really is my best bitch after all.

It's also the place where I met a boyfriend/common law husband, we'll call him K. (Miss-Ow! and I called K, Signore - pronounced "sin- your-ay" - the Italian for Mister. I don't remember why we called him that... Maybe it was the closest thing we could come up with to Senior?) My relationship with K has always been pretty volatile, and it didn't help that he is 20 years my senior. I won't get into the details, we just seemed to be arguing all the time and were always off again/on again. (K was the main reason for my crying on E~head's shoulder. E~head tried to tell me to move on, but as a stubborn girl - I figured I knew better.) I went on a few runs with K, who was a trucker, and it made me feel really special.(Especially being that I had bugged the head honcho to let me go on a run, and it never amounted to anything.) I got to see what K did all day and I finally felt like his girl. 

I had other pals there too. I got along with about 85% of the people there... A trucker, we'll call Second Honey, and I had a mutual crush on each other. He was married and I was still with K, it was a running joke that if we became single, we'd date. Around work, I'd call my mutual crush guy my second honey - which almost acted as a nickname. Another pal, Pet It, took me to see the CP Rail terminal one time. It was our little secret being that, by this time, the head honcho was completely ignoring any of my requests to go on a run with a driver. I was chummy with a member of the management team, Mr R. When things would get a little hairy, I'd beg him every day for a pink slip. He called me "Pinkie" after a while... (I was also known as "Red" because of the colour of my hair.) It was Mr. R who hired me back for my second kick at the freight can. After work, a group of us, including K, would go down to a bar called the H to have a beer, hang out and sing Scary-oke. Every Friday, for a period of months, I'd either be going into work still drunk, hungover or I'd be calling in sick. From what I can remember of the nights spent at the H, it was awesome! Everyone had fun.

The cool people started leaving, or getting fired, and the whole group dynamic changed. I had quit drinking, so I couldn't even "escape" to that realm of fun. It just wasn't the same, but in all honesty, I don't regret my two tours of duty at this trucking/freight company. I could bitch and complain, piss and moan... But why? I left twice, and the second time stuck... It's been just over 3 years since I've worked as a freight employee. Every time I do set foot on the property to go cleaning though, there's a bitter sweet burning sensation. I remember the good times with great and endearing fondness.... The memories of the rough times make my heart sink and break a little bit... Every time.

It's not always about Me; with my impending move to BC, all I will have left of Edmonton are my memories. I am fortunate enough to have some good ones. I'll miss Vee, E~Head, Pet It, and even K. I already miss Mr R and Miss-Ow! You guys (and girls) rocked my world!

Purging Hoarders: No Need For Intervention

Well, I've decided to take the plunge and move from Deadmonton, Hellberta (Edmonton, Alberta) back to my home town of Vernon, BC. I'm still a little leery about moving back into my parents' house... I know with the economy the way it is, I'm not the only one that has been faced with this decision... I know I won't pull a "George" from Seinfeld, it's just a pit stop to help pay off some bills in order to reach my ultimate goal of Victoria.

Now that my decision has been made, it's time to pack... My parents' just sold and packed up their house of 17 years. Ironically, in that process, they sent me stuff that I had been storing in their  basement for the last 10 years. I hadn't realized the sheer amount of stuff I had collected over my 29 years..... I wouldn't say I'm a hoarder by any means... Now that I have everything, it's time to purge before that statement is no longer true.

I had gone through the boxes prior to them being sent. I parted with and purged books, clothes, stuffed animals and other knick knacks. Now it's time to trim the mountain even more and repack. I know what it's like to have certain memories be tied up in material things. That connection makes it hard to part with an item... Going through the pile, I came across things I had totally forgotten about and decided to keep because of the memories they brought up. My pile is slowly shrinking, none the less.

I think I found the "cause" of my minor case of Hoarding. This past summer, my Grandmother also moved. This was a "down sizing" move for Grandma, but the only thing that seemed to downsize was the size of her house... Not the amount of material she has in that house. I'll give her credit, she has let go of a few things, not nearly enough though. I realize that there is a lot of stuff that reminds her of Grandpa. Almost 50 years together - It's to be expected... But certain things I just don't understand. I don't know how many sets of dishes she has - all I know is, she's got far too many... And she's got typical "hoarder" lines like "Well, you never know when they'll come in handy!" or "You'll need extra plates for Christmas!" I love my Grandma - like I say, I think I got this Gene from her! (But I swear sometimes that Lady's just straight up stubborn!) My Mum and Aunts have decided to pull their own "intervention" by volunteering their time to get her organized. Maybe they'll get a few sets of dishes to Value Village.... Or my one of cousins that could use a set...

So, you know what I'll be doing for the next month... Getting rid of clothes that don't fit or have gone out of style... Getting my own dishes down to a reasonable amount... Getting rid of the kids books I no longer have use for... Getting rid of old things that no longer have meaning - like knick knacky gifts from ex's... Old computer stuff... I forsee a few trips to Value Village and Computer Recycling places...

It's not always about me; At least I'm not like an episode of Hoarders where there's garbage laced around the boxes... I guess I'm a purging hoarder of sorts...

The Movember Movement: Men's Health Issue Month

Sweet 'Stache MacDonald

Happy November! Now that the Zombie Fog has lifted, I hope everyone had a safe and happy Halloween! November 1st is All Saint's Day and marks the start of the month dedicated to the Holy Souls in Purgatory, in the Roman Catholic Church. November is quite a busy month otherwise too! Not only do we observe Remembrance Day/Veteran's Day, the month acts as awareness month for Native American Heritage Month, Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, COPD Awareness Month,  National Novel Writing Month, Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month, American Diabetes Month, Lung Cancer Awareness Month, National Homeless Youth Awareness Month, and Crohn's & Ulcerative Colitis Awareness Month.



Lanny MacDonald

I've had a few of the above Conditions or Causes affect my life, another movement associated with November has affected my life as well... November has also been dubbed Movember, to raise awareness and support for Prostate Cancer/Men's Health issues. As a female, I obviously don't have a prostate... But I do have a Father, Brother, Uncles, Male Cousins, Male Friends, and I also had two Grand Fathers. I'd like to keep as many of them around for as long as possible!

In January of 2001, I lost my Gramps to Pancreatic Cancer... In September of that same year, 9 months almost to the day, I lost my Grandpa to Bone Cancer. Grandpa's relationship with cancer didn't directly start with Bone Cancer however... Roughly 8 years prior, it all started when Grandpa was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer... This post is dedicated to both my Gramps & Grandpa, and to anyone who has fought these types of Cancer and survived... And especially to those who didn't.



Staches Galore! -
Every Good Cowboy's Gotta
Have One!



Sam Elliott -
Lanny's "Mo" Twin/Rival

Movember, what can I say about it? To sum it up as best I can, without plagiarizing, is the month when Men are encouraged to grow a "Mo"-ustache to support and change the face of Men's Health Issues/Prostate Cancer. I flipped through a news paper, late last week, and saw a picture of ex-NHL-er, Lanny McDonald in a Movember Ad. He has got the sweetest 'stache I have ever seen in my life.... and he is the perfect guy to be the face for your ads! (It also reminded me what the month of November was to stand for.) I can think of a couple runners up for the best moustache - Tom Selleck, Hulk Hogan, Ed Brimley (The Quaker Oats guy), Sam Elliott (the only one that can truly rival Lanny Mac for sweetest stache! Just my opinion) and Santa - real or not... The main cast of Tombstone - including Sam Elliott- all seemed to sport Mo's... Some were pretty decent even! But Mr McDonald, in my opinion, holds the title of All-time Best Moustache. No Contest.

Aged to Perfection!

I won't preach, but I hope people see their doctors and do what they have to in order to keep themselves healthy... Whether its from Prostate Cancer, just like anything else. All I know is, I miss both my Grandfathers. It's been almost 10 years since they've passed... I think about them all the time. The pain of losing them slowly subsides, but I catch myself crying in remembrance from time to time. I also remember that Grandpa himself, had a pretty solid 'stache.... I can't think of any time he didn't have one - though I've seen him in pictures clean shaven... I don't recall ever seeing him clean shaven otherwise though. He always had a salt and pepper growth under his nose.  http://ca.movember.com/ and http://prostatecancer.ca/ are good sites to read about the month of Movember, get involved if you can.

It's not always about me - I'm going to shave my moustache off right now. (Just Kidding!!!) I am looking forward to seeing a "Mo" or two... Maybe someone has the ability to put Lanny & Sam to shame?

Beetle Juice, BEETLE Juice, BEETLE JUICE! - Happy All Hallows Eve!!!!!!

The autumn air has a bit of a wintery bite to it theses days, it must be time for Halloween! We've already been threatened with the likes of snow and temperatures have dipped into the low negatives just in time to send the kids for possibly the last trip outside. (Before it becomes unpleasant...... And you have to dress the kids in their snowsuits to escape the cold.... And we all remember how much bulky, uncomfortable fun that was.) Despite the cold, Halloween kicks off the season of fun... It gives us reason to decorate the walls and yards that most of us be seeing a little more of in the coming shortening days. It gives us reason to mingle and socialize. (Not to mention, it gives adults a reason to go out in public in costume to "grow down" a bit and cut loose. Well, the adults that are brave enough to do so.)

I remember a few Halloweens growing up... I remember a few costumes, trick-or-treating neighborhoods and trick-or-treating mates. For the most part, I wasn't a creative kid... I remember being a witch, black cat, construction worker and gypsy, and all more than once. They might have been the same generic costume idea, but they were added to and twisted around so it wasn't the exact same every year. One thing that did seem consistant on Halloween nights... Supper before Trick-or-Treating could commence. Every year we'd have Lipton Chicken Noodle soup and Hot Dogs. It seems as though this was a tradition passed down by my Mummy. She and her siblings had the same thing on Halloween Nights.

I've trick-or-treated in a few different neighbourhoods. I used to live out in a subdivision out in "the country" that had a big long hill to the top. Of course, I lived at the bottom of that long hill, so we got our workout while trick-or-treating there. I'd obviously go with my younger brother, occasionally we'd join up with the neighbours' kid - who was my age. Grade 5, one of the last years I went out, I brought along my best friend. She was happy to tag along in spite of that hill. The year before she went with her neighbours and their Mum wouldn't go with them, but also wouldn't let them go any farther than the end of the block. (BOOO and not the ghostly kind!)

To give us a break from that torturous climb, we went with our cousins at least one year. (They were cousins through my Mum's sister, so we had some chicken dogs that night.) That was a LOT better. We had 4 cousins to wreak supervised havoc with and they were in a more suburban setting, which meant more loot! Like most parents of the day, our parents wouldn't allow us to eat the candy until they had "inspected" the stuff first... You know the Urban Legend, Halloween candy with razor blades in them or some how poisoned... Some how we all survived Halloween to make it to adulthood. =0)

My favourite houses to Trick-or-treat at were the ones that were decorated to the nine's. We still got the same mini-chocolate bars, or whatever other sugary goodness they had bought, but I did appreciate the effort they put out... I'm ashamed to say that my Hallows Eve decoration collection is pretty sparse, but I've got a few things out. I've had about six trick-or-treaters since I stopped candy whoring myself out on Halloween and subsequently moved away from home. (And I believe those kids were friends' kids, they weren't random kids out trick or treating.) I'm not sure why I've gotten so few but hey... I don't mind snarfing down the candy I had bought for the kids... I just make sure I only get a little and that I get those molasses candies... Mmmmm, My fave! =0)

Since out growing the acceptable trick-or-treating age, I've gone to a couple Halloween house and/or bar parties... But it just isn't the same for me. I've been known to watch "scary" movies on Halloween too. It just isn't the same. The movies aren't overly scary, cult classic or not... I just got sucked into watching Hocus Pocus last weekend. I hadn't seen it since it was considered a New Release. (It's the one with Bette Middler and Sarah Jessica Parker... And if there are any NCIS fans out there, McGee is in it too.... Didn't realize that until I watched it again.) It was a ridiculous movie but has the Halloween theme down. Call me immature, but I still catch It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown if I'm around and it's on. Then, of course, you've got the rest of the Halloween "Classics" in Friday the 13th, Jason, Halloween (And all it's sequels and prequels), any Stephen King novel made movie (Carrie, The Shining, It, Pet Cemetery), The Exorcist, Beetle Juice and the Chucky Series. The list could go on..... Though they may not be "horror" really, I'd thought I'd mention Ghostbusters and Beetle Juice as well.

(The only movie that has ever seriously scared me, was Seven - the Brad Pitt/Morgan Freeman flick... I had to turn every light on in the house, then quickly go back and turn them off... Just to get from the living room to my bedroom.) There's also a load of TV shows dedicated to the idea of Halloween, though not directly. For example, there is Paranormal State, Psychic Kids, Ghost Whisperer, Ghost Hunters, Medium, Most Haunted, A Haunting , Ghost Stories and Unsolved Mysteries - has ghost/supernatural segments. (I've watched all and enjoy most.)

I miss the good old days... You remember the ones... Where the biggest concern in the world was what you wanted to be for Halloween and putting the costume together... Then hoping it wouldn't be too cold, not for our own sake by any means... So we could go in the first place and so we didn't have to wear the costumes under a big bulky coat, or worse - be uncomfortable because the costume was just big enough to be worn over the bulkiness. Carving pumpkins, there's another thing I miss. I could carve a pumpkin, but it's just no fun when it's just for my enjoyment. (If I got more dang kids looking for a sugar high, I'd definitely carve a pumpkin or two!) I hope the kids enjoy it while they can still get away with begging for candy from strangers!

It's not always about me; I hope y'all have a safe, fun and non-razor bladed Halloween!