Here's to you Cocao! Here's to a bright, sassy, fabulous woman who decided not to settle. Here it is online for posterity.
Congrats Cocoa. You are on your way!
Friday, July 15, 2005
Sunday, July 10, 2005
Christmas Comes But Twice A Year
July is a month that sends my wallet running for cover. I hate to be so unsentimental, but let's be honest shall we? November is a cold month. As a result, I have many July birthdays to contend with.
To protect the identity of the innocent parties indirectly associated with my online musings, I shall refer to them only by the code names they use in the criminal underworld.
My July Birthday Bandwagon consists of (and in no particular order):
Big Poppa Barney
Effy Vivaldi
Manalo Myrtle
Berry Rankin
Banana "Ragdoll" Cardova
The above listing does not include those to whom I send a July Birthday card, chock full of heartfelt - and free - goodwishes.
The madness. The sheer bloody madness of it all.
Last night I travelled to my spiritual home of Brampton, Ontario to celebrate the fact that my sister Myrtle was one year closer to contemplating Botox. (I myself am already on a payment plan. Although I would like to note for the record that neither of us look a day over 25, testament to our healthy lifestyles and respective deals with Satan.)
We went to a lovely Brampton restaurant called La Cappannina. The owner and staff at this restaurant have seen my sister and I grow up. Yes, we've been going THAT long and I have yet to have an even remotely sub-par meal there. This was our second recent trip to La Capp, as last weekend we were there for Big Poppa Barney's birthday. Oy! Tha decadence!
We then went back to my parents' house, where I was brutally Shanghaied by my niece "Rosy" into a four hour play marathon.
We began with colouring books. Rosy had a nice set of coloured pencils and asked me to choose my favourite. I of course, went with pink. Rosy chose her pencil and holding it up to sky like the Statue of Liberty, proclaimed "YELLOW!"
"Yes." I replied. "And look." I said "Look how nice it is when you put the yellow and the pink together. Isn't that pretty?"
"Yes!" Rosy replied, "Like diamonds!."
My niece is truly her mother's daughter. Although I must admit I have now comandeered this phrase for myself, declaring everything and anything I approve of as being "Like diamonds." Watch this space.
The rest of play time consisted of Hide 'N' Seek, Grocery Store, Care Bears, Send the Bums to Jail, Cooking Dinner and Livingroom Soccer.
The soccer aspect of my play torture was particularly humiliating. In a stunning upset (ok, I had a cramp) Rosy won a decisive 163 - 1 victory. We also had to sing the victory song after every goal. Oh no. I'm sorry. We sang the victory song after every one of Rosy's goals. My goals were ineligible.
The song lyrics in case you're interested are:
Nice one Rosy,
Nice one chum,
Nice one Rosy,
Let's have another one.
OY!
I also found the Grocery Store game a bit expensive. I mean sure, it was a REALLY good onion that Rosy sold me, but to my mind, $20 was an exorbitant price. Then again, it WAS a REALLY good onion. No doubt, this kid has a future in Yorkville.
Poppa Barney was comandeered for two exhilirating sessions of Ring Around the Rosies (which also included the Picking Up the Daisies cycle I might add). Our night was then wrapped up with tea and a relaxing episode of Franklin Goes to School - one of Poppa Barney's favourites.
Rosy then gave me permission to go home. I may be wrong, but I think Rosy made sure that her grandmother packed her up some of Mother Myrtle's chocolate birthday cake for the road.
Nice one chum. That cake was like diamonds.
To protect the identity of the innocent parties indirectly associated with my online musings, I shall refer to them only by the code names they use in the criminal underworld.
My July Birthday Bandwagon consists of (and in no particular order):
Big Poppa Barney
Effy Vivaldi
Manalo Myrtle
Berry Rankin
Banana "Ragdoll" Cardova
The above listing does not include those to whom I send a July Birthday card, chock full of heartfelt - and free - goodwishes.
The madness. The sheer bloody madness of it all.
Last night I travelled to my spiritual home of Brampton, Ontario to celebrate the fact that my sister Myrtle was one year closer to contemplating Botox. (I myself am already on a payment plan. Although I would like to note for the record that neither of us look a day over 25, testament to our healthy lifestyles and respective deals with Satan.)
We went to a lovely Brampton restaurant called La Cappannina. The owner and staff at this restaurant have seen my sister and I grow up. Yes, we've been going THAT long and I have yet to have an even remotely sub-par meal there. This was our second recent trip to La Capp, as last weekend we were there for Big Poppa Barney's birthday. Oy! Tha decadence!
We then went back to my parents' house, where I was brutally Shanghaied by my niece "Rosy" into a four hour play marathon.
We began with colouring books. Rosy had a nice set of coloured pencils and asked me to choose my favourite. I of course, went with pink. Rosy chose her pencil and holding it up to sky like the Statue of Liberty, proclaimed "YELLOW!"
"Yes." I replied. "And look." I said "Look how nice it is when you put the yellow and the pink together. Isn't that pretty?"
"Yes!" Rosy replied, "Like diamonds!."
My niece is truly her mother's daughter. Although I must admit I have now comandeered this phrase for myself, declaring everything and anything I approve of as being "Like diamonds." Watch this space.
The rest of play time consisted of Hide 'N' Seek, Grocery Store, Care Bears, Send the Bums to Jail, Cooking Dinner and Livingroom Soccer.
The soccer aspect of my play torture was particularly humiliating. In a stunning upset (ok, I had a cramp) Rosy won a decisive 163 - 1 victory. We also had to sing the victory song after every goal. Oh no. I'm sorry. We sang the victory song after every one of Rosy's goals. My goals were ineligible.
The song lyrics in case you're interested are:
Nice one Rosy,
Nice one chum,
Nice one Rosy,
Let's have another one.
OY!
I also found the Grocery Store game a bit expensive. I mean sure, it was a REALLY good onion that Rosy sold me, but to my mind, $20 was an exorbitant price. Then again, it WAS a REALLY good onion. No doubt, this kid has a future in Yorkville.
Poppa Barney was comandeered for two exhilirating sessions of Ring Around the Rosies (which also included the Picking Up the Daisies cycle I might add). Our night was then wrapped up with tea and a relaxing episode of Franklin Goes to School - one of Poppa Barney's favourites.
Rosy then gave me permission to go home. I may be wrong, but I think Rosy made sure that her grandmother packed her up some of Mother Myrtle's chocolate birthday cake for the road.
Nice one chum. That cake was like diamonds.
Thursday, July 07, 2005
Steady the Buffs London
On the spur of the moment, I decided today that I would start a blog. I decided that I too would join the myriad of people that are compelled to post their innermost thoughts online, most of which never get read.
Blogs. What is this phenomenon and why is it happening? I don't know. For me, I suppose it is the concept that in some way, a great deal of loneliness is quelled. It's the same feeling I get when I read other blogs like Ragdoll's and think "Yeah, I feel that way too." And to be honest, I just love to write and the thought that I'll actually be read is incentive enough to keep at it. But to post a blog is to ultimately pursue an ephemeral validation. You may be read, but are you understood? Do you connect? Does anyone care? Most, if not all of the time, you will never know.
And in thinking about my motivation to start blogging now, the concept of the great world out there and our fundamental connection to each other is front and centre with the bombings that have taken place in London today.
For me, terrorism has always been essentially ironic. So much time and planning are applied to creating chaos. Months, years even, are spent planning attacks and bombings. And the results? People rebuild and go on because that's what people do. The terrorist gains momentary attention, but ultimately little ground. For those that are attacked, the resolve to resist is only strengthened.
Terrorism illustrates the very definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result the next time.
And I have this sinking feeling that somehow it was thought (I use the term loosely) on the part of these terrorists that maybe they would have another post-Madrid result on their hands. This is just a gut feel, and I would laugh if today's events hadn't resulted in so much misery for so many.
No matter what the British populace may think of its government, the Iraq war, or any other issue, they are not divided about anything today. Today there are many prayers of hope, thanks and wailing loss being raised.
Many a kettle's on for tea.
As for Tony Blair, his future will be decided by Britons, not by some coward with an explosive tie on who took the bus this morning.
Christ, what a waste.
Blogs. What is this phenomenon and why is it happening? I don't know. For me, I suppose it is the concept that in some way, a great deal of loneliness is quelled. It's the same feeling I get when I read other blogs like Ragdoll's and think "Yeah, I feel that way too." And to be honest, I just love to write and the thought that I'll actually be read is incentive enough to keep at it. But to post a blog is to ultimately pursue an ephemeral validation. You may be read, but are you understood? Do you connect? Does anyone care? Most, if not all of the time, you will never know.
And in thinking about my motivation to start blogging now, the concept of the great world out there and our fundamental connection to each other is front and centre with the bombings that have taken place in London today.
For me, terrorism has always been essentially ironic. So much time and planning are applied to creating chaos. Months, years even, are spent planning attacks and bombings. And the results? People rebuild and go on because that's what people do. The terrorist gains momentary attention, but ultimately little ground. For those that are attacked, the resolve to resist is only strengthened.
Terrorism illustrates the very definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result the next time.
And I have this sinking feeling that somehow it was thought (I use the term loosely) on the part of these terrorists that maybe they would have another post-Madrid result on their hands. This is just a gut feel, and I would laugh if today's events hadn't resulted in so much misery for so many.
No matter what the British populace may think of its government, the Iraq war, or any other issue, they are not divided about anything today. Today there are many prayers of hope, thanks and wailing loss being raised.
Many a kettle's on for tea.
As for Tony Blair, his future will be decided by Britons, not by some coward with an explosive tie on who took the bus this morning.
Christ, what a waste.
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