Nanette's Dog Blog

List of Store Closings Due to Recession

2008-11-26T09:18:00.000-08:00

I just received this list of store closings, upcoming. If it is true that all of these stores are closing down, I better check my gift cards. Ouch

Circuit City stores... most recent (? how many)
Ann Taylor- 117 stores nationwide are to be shuttered
Lane Bryant,, Fashion Bug ,and Catherine's to close 150 store nationwide
Eddie Bauer to close stores 27 stores and more after January
Cache will close all stores
Talbots closing down all stores
J. Jill closing all stores
GAP closing 85 stores
Footlocker closing 140 stores more to close after January
Wickes Furniture closing down
Levitz closing down remaining stores
Bombay closing remaining stores
Zales closing down 82 stores and 105 after January.
Whitehall closing all stores
Piercing Pagoda closing all stores
Disney closing 98 stores and will close more after January.
Home Depot closing 15 stores 1 in NJ ( New Brunswick )
Macys to close 9 stores after January
Linens and Things closing all stores
Movie Galley Closing all stores
Pacific Sunware closing stores
Pep Boys Closing 33 stores
Sprint/ Nextel closing 133 stores
JC Penney closing a number of stores after January
Ethan Allen closing down 12 stores.
Wilson Leather closing down all stores
Sharper Image closing down all stores
K B Toys closing 356 stores
Lowes to close down some stores
Dillard's to close some stores.

baby boomer misconceptions video

2008-10-22T06:29:00.000-07:00

Holidays Are Coming! Are you gift ready?

2008-10-03T08:22:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone! Here is a link to an article I wrote for all of you who would like some money saving tips when it comes to gift giving this holiday season.

I would like to divulge a very personal and embarrassing secret about myself. A secret so incredible that even the most open minded of people whom have heard me tell it have gasped in horror and confusion. Here it is. Here is the secret. Are you ready? I. Love. Holiday. Shopping.
Holiday shopping for me is a contact sport complete with pre game strategizing, mental preparation, and warm up stretches. Come game time, I have focus, I have drive, I have what it takes to take on every single store in that mall and come out on top! How can I love it so much, you ask? The crowds, the wasted money, the other people's whining, peanut butter covered kids attached to your leg in a three hour long Toys r Us line up? The answer is simple; I skip those parts. Here is how ...click here to read article...

Why I Can't Take Him Anywhere

2008-09-23T07:31:00.000-07:00

So the bf are at a very nice dinner being held by a client-turned-friend's house. In other words, she is my friend but she is primarily a client and so I have to display some level of professionalism in her presense.

So, I ask how her business is, she asks how my business is, and we chitchat about business. In retrospect, this must have been more than a little boring for the bf but, whatever, I do the same for him in a different capacity.

So somehow the topic turned towards clients who expect services for free and clients who have difficulty with the concept of services rendered (we both had gripes about this although neither of us mentioned the specicific clients with whom we were experiencing trouble). She was about to tell me what specifically she says to clients when they try to receive free services,

"I just firmly but politely tell them..." this is the point in the conversation when my boyfriend's attention somehow drifts towards the conversation, but not really, and he blurts out "Cracker gots ta get paid!"

Dead silence.

We both look over at him, her with her mouth slightly ajar, but he does not even notice because he is too busy fiddling with his napkin. "Craker got's ta get paid?" I repeat incredulously.

"What?" he asks
"What?" I ask
"Cracker got's ta get paid?" he asks
"What?" She asks
"What." he says.
"Pass the wine, please?" I ask.

And we moved on.

lolcatting my day away...

2008-08-21T10:28:00.000-07:00

Work is boring...go see more lolcats instead!

Images From the Eaton Centre

2008-08-11T06:50:00.000-07:00

Okay so I am at the Eaton's Centre this week and I saw this couple:

They were helping out Lush with a promotion, which is cool. I am going to facebook the bride so that she can get a copy of the above photo.

So I keep walking and I see this guy:

He was not helping anyone out with a promotion, he just likes dressing up as Little Bo Peep. This may sound like an easy hobby for a grown man to have but it is not. He has, he told me, his own dress maker, which is awesome because if he tried to fit into an off-the-rack Little Bo Peep dress, he would just end up looking stupid.

So I then go outside and walk around the Eaton Centre a bit and what do I see? This guy:

He is dressed up like an army figurine. Remember those little plastic ones you would try to melt with a magnifying glass? That is what he was dressed up as. Which was awesome and people loved him so they gave him all of their spare change.

This got me to thinking, if the bride, groom, and Little Bo Peep stood outside the Eaton's Centre instead of inside, I bet they would have a much more lucrative day. Which of course means that I am once again missing the point.

Ice-T on Celebrity Family Feud

2008-07-31T08:36:00.000-07:00

I actually saw the episode, it was hilarious! I was hoping to find the uncensored version on YouTube but this is what I found. Still funny!

Stumbled Image of the Week

2008-07-29T19:21:00.000-07:00

Eco Friendly Sale, Free Gas...wtf?

2008-07-14T19:57:00.000-07:00

Most Disgusting Thing EVER. Krispy Kreme Bacon Cheese Burgers

2008-07-14T05:57:00.000-07:00

This, ladies and gentlemen, is a photo of Krispy Kreme bacon cheese burgers. I am not joking, it's real. It is a bacon cheese burger with a glazed donut instead of a bun served at a bar in Georgia. They call 'em the LUTHER BURGER. Also on the menu at this place is the HAMDOG, which is a hot dog wrapped in ground beef and deep fried.

Thanks so much to the Al Dente blog for sharing this image, which I will never ever ever get out of my head. Ever.

Stumbled Image of the Week

2008-06-28T06:07:00.000-07:00

Ice Cream Personality Test

2008-06-05T19:36:00.000-07:00

Here is my super cool ice cream pesonality:

Your Ice Cream Personality:

You are an incredibly modest person. You don't feel comfortable bragging about yourself... or even receiving complements.

You have a wild reputation, but you're not as wild as you seem. You take risks, but only measured risks.

You are a fairly open minded person with a wide range of tastes. You are quite accepting of unusual ideas and people.

You are a natural multitasker. You feel alive when you're doing more than one thing at a time.

You are fun loving and sweet. You tend to enjoy joking around and teasing people.

The Ice Cream Personality Test

Check out Stella Bella's ice cream personality over on her blog.

WOOFSTOCK THIS WEEKEND!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-06-04T12:40:00.000-07:00

Funny Story About My Mom (but mostly about Sean Kingston)

2008-06-03T08:35:00.000-07:00

I have to share this funny conversation I had with my mother in the car the other day.

We were driving along, listening to the radio when a yucky Sean Kingston song came on. I tried putting up with the stupid song but after about 10 seconds I changed stations.

"I hate that song." I said to my mother.

"Aww, I think it's cute."

"Really? you actually think it's cute? C'mon, mom, you do not!"

"Well, no I don't think it's a great song or anything but I think its great how all of the radio stations are playing it."

"Why is it great that the stations are playing a shitty song over and over and over again? That doesn't make any sense."

"Well..." My mom says "Y'know... I think that this young man should be proud of his efforts. And we should support him by putting his song on the radio. It will encourage more mentally handicapped people to reach for their goals."

"Mom, are you saying that you think Sean Kingston is mentally handicapped?"

"Isn't he?"

"No, as far as I know he is not mentally handicapped."

"Oh my gosh, I was going to buy his album! I wanted to show my support!"

Hahaha! I am still laughing and my mom still feels like someone was trying to trick her into buying his crappy album.

Canada's Place on the World Stage

2008-05-26T08:22:00.000-07:00

My great aunt sent me an email today, it is labeled as an article taken from a Sunday Telegraph from today's UK Wires.

Before posting the article, I will say that it is an interesting read but I must admit, just in posting it, I cannot help but feel I am wallowing a little in self righteousness. I personally feel that Canada has made a much larger contribution on the world stage than the history books gives us credit for. That said, I do not think that is neccesarily the fault of America or "Hollywood". It is simply the price Canadians pay upkeeping our "good guy" image. We are so interested in being the freindly neighbour to the entire world that we downplay our own actions and heroism in an effort to appear as though we are simply lending a hand, nothing more. And when our efforts are largely ignored after the fact, we suddenly turn into grade school children repeating words of wisdom from our parents: "We did not do it to receive a thank you". Or "An act of kindness is a reward in itself".

I personally enjoy, as I believe other Canadians do, the status of Canada right now. I do not mind being the Ned Flanders in a world of much more entertaining characters like Homers and Burns. I like the fact that our country continues to live in relative obscurity despite the fact that we have participated in so many wars and are now in Afghanistan, and that our immigration system is wildly different from that of any other country, or that we have made unique strides in touchy areas such as gay marriage and maijuana legalization.

Canadiands right now are like those lucky celebrities who manage to stay out of the tabloids while the Lindsay Lohans and Paris Hiltons have their every move and words scrutinized. We may not get credit for the awesome roles we've played, or the charities we've dedicated ourselves too, but at least we do not have up the skirt shots of our Brittanies being passed around the net at record speed.

Here is the message sent to me from my aunt:

British news paper salutes Canada . . . this is a good read. It is funny how it took someone in England to put it into words... Sunday Telegraph Article From today's UK wires: Salute to a brave and modest nation - Kevin Myers, The Sunday Telegraph LONDON

Until the deaths of Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan , probably almost no one outside their home country had been aware that Canadian troops are deployed in the region. And as always, Canada will bury its dead, just as the rest of the world as always will forget its sacrifice, just as it always forgets nearly everything Canada ever does.

It seems that Canada 's historic mission is to come to the selfless aid both of its friends and of complete strangers, and then, once the crisis is over, to be well and truly ignored. Canada is the perpetual wallflower that stands on the edge of the hall, waiting for someone to come and ask her for a dance. A fire breaks out, she risks life and limb to rescue her fellow dance-goers, and suffers serious injuries. But when the hall is repaired and the dancing resumes, there is Canada, the wallflower still, while those she once helped glamorously cavort across the floor, resume to blithely neglect her yet a! gain.&nb sp; That is the price Canada pays for sharing the North American continent with the United States , and for being a selfless friend of Britain in two global conflicts.

For much of the 20th century, Canada was torn in two different directions: It seemed to be a part of the old world, yet had an address in the new one, and that divided identity ensured that it never fully got the gratitude it deserved. Yet its purely voluntary contribution to the cause of freedom in two world wars was perhaps the greatest of any democracy.

Almost 10% of Canada 's entire population of seven million people served in the armed forces during the First World War, and nearly 60,000 died. The great Allied victories of 1918 were spearheaded by Canadian troops, perhaps the most capable soldiers in the entire British order of battle. Canada was repaid for its enormous sacrifice by downright neglect, its unique contribution to victory being absorbed into the popular Memory as somehow or other the work of the 'British.'

The Second World War provided a re-run. The Canadian navy began the war with a half dozen vessels and ended up policing nearly half of the Atlantic against U-boat attack. More than 120 Canadian warships participated in the Normandy landings, during w! hich 15, 000 Canadian soldiers went ashore on D-Day alone. Canada finished the war with the third-largest Navy and the fourth largest Air Force in the world. The world thanked Canada with the same sublime indifference as it had the previous time. Canadian participation in the war was acknowledged in film only if it was necessary to give an American actor a part in a campaign in which the United States had clearly not participated - a touching scrupulousness which, of course, Hollywood has since abandoned, as it now has no notion of a separate Canadian identity.

So it is a general rule that actors and filmmakers arriving in Hollywood keep their nationality - unless, that is, they are Canadian. Thus Mary Pickford, Walter Huston, Donald Sutherland, Michael J. Fox, William Shatner, Norman Jewison, David Cronenberg, Alex Trebek, Art Linkletter and Dan Aykroyd have in the popular perception become American, and Christopher Plummer, British. It is as if, in the very act of becoming famous, a Canadian ceases to be Canadian, unless she is Margaret Atwood, who is as unshakably Canadian as a moose, or Celine Dion, for whom Canada has proved quite unable to find any takers.

Moreover, Canada is every bit as querulously alert to the achievements of its sons and daughters as the rest of the world is completely unaware of them. The Canadians proudly say of themselves - and are unheard by anyone else - that 1% of the world's population has provided 10% of the world's peacekeeping forces. Canadian soldiers in the past half century have been the greatest peacekeepers on Earth - in 39 missions on UN mandates, and six on non-UN peacekeeping duties, from Vietnam to East Timor, from Sinai to Bosnia.

Yet the only foreign engagement that has entered the popular on-Canadian imagination was the sorry affair in Somalia, in which out-of-control paratroopers murdered two Somali infiltrators. Their regiment was then disbanded in disgrace - a uniquely Canadian act of self-abasement for which, naturally, the Canadians received no international credit. So who today in the United States knows about the stoic and selfless friendship its northern neighbour has given it in Afghanistan? Rather like Cyrano de Bergerac , Canada repeatedly does honourable things for honourable motives, but instead of being thanked for it, it remains something of a figure of fun. It is the Canadian way, for which Canadians should be proud, yet such honour comes at a high cost. This past year more grieving Canadian families knew that cost all too tragically well.

********************* Please pass this on to any of your friends or relatives who served in the Canadian Forces or anyone who is proud to be Canadian; it is a wonderful tribute to those who choose to serve their country and the world in our quiet Canadian way.

Bhopalis demanding justice in New Delhi: Show your support

2008-05-21T08:54:00.000-07:00

A good friend of mine sent this to my inbox today so I am posting it here:

Bhopalies have been in Delhi protesting for over 50 days and things are tense. We really need to show support. A lot of you signed this last year and it helped then.

Click on this link to send the fax:(http://www.boston4bhopal.org/write_fax.htm) to support the Bhopalis demanding justice in New Delhi. If you have already sent a fax, thank you; we have revised the fax, and we're asking you to take action again. For info about what's going on check out www.bhopal.net for the blog. It is really interesting.

In February a group of survivors of the 1984 Bhopalchemical disaster left their homes in Bhopal to walk to New Delhi to ask forjustice from their government. They have been sitting in at their Dharnasite in New Delhi for over 45 days, they have met with a Group of Ministers,they have had nearly daily protests and press conferences, and yet the PrimeMinister still refuses to meet with them.

The Bhopalis' demands are simple and reasonable:

1. Set up a Special Commission on Bhopal for the next 30 years to addressthe following issues: - Medical Care Research and Monitoring - Social and Economic Rehabilitation - Environmental Remediation - Safe Drinking Water

2. Take legal action against Dow - Seek money from Dow Chemical for toxic clean up in Bhopal - Move for extradition of the authorized representative of Union Carbide Corporation and prime accused Warren Anderson
- Revoke approval given to Reliance Industries for purchase of Union Carbide's Unipol technology, which is intellectual property that must be confiscated as Union Carbide has been absconding since 1992
- Cancel registration for all four pesticides, including Dursban, obtained by bribing Agriculture Ministry officials as established by the Securities & Exchange Commission, USA.

Because the Prime Minister still refuses to meet with the Bhopalis, we needsupporters from all over the world to continue to communicate with him, andurge him to do so. This is why we have revised the fax to him, and we are asking you to take action now, by sending a free fax http://www.boston4bhopal.org/write_fax.htm.

You could also add the link to your facebook, msn, myspace.

Thank you for your support.

Almost Random Thoughts

2008-05-14T10:26:00.000-07:00

As some of my loyal reader know (no that was not a typo, it was my attempt at humour) , I am in marketing. It is what I went to school for and it has been my day job ever since. So when I read this infomational web page describing what a list broker is, I read nothing new.

I am sure that the company that I work for has used list brokers in the past but we do not presently use anything like that. Sometimes the lists are shoddy and sometimes they are very useful and up to date. The article likely explains it better than I do.

Anyway, my lunch break was over 36 minutes ago so I better get back to it.

Where's Stella?

2008-05-13T08:40:00.000-07:00

Where's Stella?

There's Stella!

Katyanna Performing in DownTown Toronto This Weekend

2008-05-09T13:01:00.001-07:00

Saturday, May 10th8pm-12midniteJoin us for fantastic food, ambience and the sounds of Jazz

Katyanna – Vocals
with Stacey Macgregor- Keyboards
Sly Juhas- Drums

http://www.oneup.ca/130 Dundas Street West(Bay and Dundas)416-340-6349

Book an intimate get together, dinner, a night out after the theatre for dessert…or?The menu is available to peruse, as well as the owner has promised wonderful 3 or 4 course dinners for your enjoyment as well at varying prices.Perhaps you would like to come for dessert and drinks or specialty coffees.

or
If you would like to just come for music and drinks there is a $10 cover at the door.

Stella's Bath Time

2008-04-21T10:46:00.000-07:00

Aww C'mon! Just when I get a good stink on!

But I like how I stink?

You may have won this round but I will stink again.

This tub stinks

You stink.

$2 Tuesday Beer Ban?

2008-04-11T06:05:00.000-07:00

A brawl broke out at last Tuesday's game in the $2 section. Apparently over 100 people were kicked out of the stadium. Paul Godfrey, the team president and chief executive officer, watched the whole thing, likely from his box seat, and immediately banned alcohol in the $2 section.

So they have banned beer in the Blue Jays $2 Tuesdays section of the Rogers Centre. And they may ban $2 Tuesdays all together.

Am I the only one who is completely insulted by this?

I have been a big supporter of $2 Tuesdays. I had even started planning and organizing a $2 Tuesday Jays night outing for international students/backpackers staying at my friend's international hostel. I also have gone to regular priced games and, on occasion, sat just a few rows behind the home plate. Yet apparently because I am the type of person who takes advantage of $2 Tuesday, I am also the type who should be banned from buying beer?

How about, instead of stereotyping and placing blame solely on bored fans (that's right, I went there, when you don't play well, we get bored) you take a look at your management and servers. Perhaps you should train your staff not to serve more beer to obviously intoxicated people? Have these servers even been sent to a Smart Serve class? When a booze induced brawl breaks out, perhaps you should start asking why these people were not cut off. Oh, and just and aside, one of the most obvious clues that a Blue Jays fan is intoxicated? They no longer grumble at the price of $10 beer as they fork over the dollars.

Well despite the fact that, regardless if my seat section, I rarely drink more than a diet soda I for one will not shell out $2, $20, or $200 to see the Blue Jays play until this is resolved and the bartending staff take a little more responsibility for this brawl.

Stumble(d)Upon Image of the Week

2008-04-06T09:17:00.001-07:00

No matter how bad this winter has been here in Toronto, at least none of us had to deal with this!

I Stumble(d)Upon this image at: http://selfdestruct.net/misc/geneve.jpg

Celebrity Apprentice and The Backstreet Boys

2008-03-28T13:01:00.000-07:00

Yes, I watched the entire two hour finale for Celebrity Apprentice last night. Even though it went on about an hour too long, even though we all wanted Trace to win but knew it was going to be Piers. Even though the last person I ever needed to see again on prime time televisions was Omarosa (let alone in a sequin suit [yuck], spouting off racial slurs against the English), I watched the show in it's entirety. And I would probably do it again.

I have to admit, I was incredibly moved by the efforts of everyone involved on behalf of various charities. After watching I had the urge to grab my ladle and run to the nearest soup kitchen. With that said, there were very few surprises to the whole shebang. With the exception, maybe, of how willing the Backstreet Boys were to look like total asses on national television.

Did they not realize that there every request was being filmed? That the general public might find humour and a touch of distaste to the fact that black nail polish and wheat grass juice was a requirement for performing for charity?

I am sure the guys are actually very nice...they were after all performing for charity event. I am also sure they would have gone on without all of the fancy water and polish (they did reluctantly forgo the wheatgrass juice, after all) BUT the damage has already been done simply by implying that these demands needed to be met in order for them to fulfill their obligation to charity. Ugh.

Stumble(d)Upon Image of the Week

2008-03-27T12:37:00.000-07:00

Found on //sTATiC weird and funny stuff

Garbage Fees In Effect This Summer For Toronto Buildings: Top Ten Tips For Apatrment / Condo Dwellers To Eliminate Waste

2008-03-27T08:31:00.000-07:00

Another great reason to reduce, reuse and recycle. As of July 1st, 2008, Buildings will be charged for garbage pickup. How long do you think it will take property management to pass those charges along to us? They will likely hike up our maintenance fees (again) or find a less obvious way to pass the buck.

I personally put lot of effort into minimizing my garbage output, so I feel as though I am trying to do my part. Still, my building does not have an organics/composts option, which means I am throwing perfectly compostable materials such as potato peelings and egg shells into the garbage. Do any buildings in downtown Toronto offer this option or is it just my building that ignores this opportunity to reduce waste?

Keeping in mind that composting is out for me (for now), here are my tips for helping Toronto Condo owners and renters eliminate waste:

1. Use fabric bags instead of disposable plastic.

2. Purchase in bulk and refill containers. This goes for shampoo, soap, and cereal, everything possible.

3. Don't purchase individual bottles of water. By a Britta and re-fill you washable water bottle.

4. Try not to purchase individual portions of any beverage. Again, Refill a washable water bottle.

5. Put your recyclables directly into the recycling. There is no real need to tie them up in a plastic bag first. If you must use a bag, make it paper.

6. Try to cut down on packaging. For example, the other day I had the opportunity to purchase batteries (A) with minimal packaging or batteries (B) with excessive packaging. I made the immediate and conscious effort to choose batteries (A).

7. When possible, avoid those clear plastic bags in the produce section of your grocery store. If you are only purchasing one onion, you do not need to put it in a bag, right?

8. Donate. All of those items and clothing that used to be cool but now look a little junky can be donated instead of thrown out. I am sure someone will still find them cool!

9. Trying using natural, all purpose cleaners like vinegar, baking soda (purchased in bulk, of course) and lemon instead of all of those single purpose cleaners like Windex, Toilet bowl cleaner, and Tile cleaner. At the same time, use old clothing as rags, don't buy disposable cloths, or go crazy with the paper towel.

10. Try to stop using cling wrap, baggies, and paper towels. Why not put your sandwich in a re-usable container instead?

Please feel free to leave a comment to add on to this list. I am always looking for ways to eliminate garbage.

Toronto Weddings For Everyone!

2008-03-24T05:54:00.000-07:00

It seems that this is the summer all of my single friends in Toronto are getting hitched.

I am only exagerating a little when I say that I can call almost any given number stored in my cell phone and and up discussing wedding invititations, wedding dresses, or flowers. I am not complaining, mind you. My plan is to live vicariously through my engaged friends now so, should the time come that I am ready to choose my own wedding invite, wedding dress, and flowers, I will be armed with valuable knowledge and experience. In fact, just this week I learned an interesting new tidbit of wedding ettiquette knowledge; people are sending out pre-invites now?!

When did pre-invites start happening? I just received the prettiest photo card from a girlfriend announcing that she was getting married on July 5th, so I should reserve the date, a formal annuncement would follow. What a great idea, I think. As I said earlier, hers is just one Toronto wedding of many going on this upcoming season and now she has dibbs on July 5th.

Anyway, I am going to sign off now, my coworker has just come back from her wedding and honeymoon in Jamaica, I most go congratulate her!

Why CoWorkers Catch Me Surfing

2008-03-20T14:06:00.000-07:00

I saw this photo and could NOT stop laughing. At work. Again.

pht courtesy of: Bling it

New Hip Hop Forum

2008-03-19T10:52:00.000-07:00

Seeing as how I am a 30 year old white woman who has a growing collection of overpriced clothing for her dog, most people would not expect me to have an affinity for hard core rap music. Here is the thing, though. I seriously do. That is why I jumped at the opportunity to review one of the very few hip hop forums out there. It is brand new.

Immediately upon landing on the site I was impressed. Snoop Dogg, Jay Z, Ice Cube and Eminem jumped out at me, along with a great colour scheme. The forums are actually interesting; a great mix of old school and new. Black Sheep? Are they still around? Holy Sh*#, that's awesome! I LOVED them when was a teenager.

Aside form the Forum, there was also artist listings and news on when new albums are dropping, among other stuff.

Definitely a site worth bookmarking.

Tim Hortons Roll Up The Rim To Win: Are you feeling lucky, punk?

2008-03-19T10:25:00.000-07:00

Roll Up The Rim is back (until May) at Tim Horton's. The coffee vending machine guy has not even bothered to stop in and refill the machine since the Roll Up The Rim campaign started up again. No one is complaining, really. Everyone just takes turns going to Timmy's

How many free coffees have you won? I have won 4. I am currently drinking an extra large Tim Horton's coffee as I write this so that number may increase once I have reached the bottom of this cup. Another question, do you use your teeth or fingers to roll up the rim? I will not use my mouth becuase I feel sorry for the poor server being paid mimimum wage to take a section of my used coffee cup in exchange for coffee. My bf on the other hand does not seemed to be bothered by her predicament.

Actually, thinking on that, I hope she washes her hands between orders. Ugh.

photo courtesy of Ending Joy EveryDay blog...because she can.

Make Your Own George W. Bush Speech.

2008-03-18T13:27:00.000-07:00

I had to share this page I just Stumbled Upon. It allows you to create your own George W. Bush speeches. Unfortunately we cannot record our masterpieces and forward them to friends but it is still a fun game.

Make Your Own George W. Bush Speech

I love Stumble Upon!

Stella's Out of Bath Experience

2008-03-18T09:47:00.000-07:00

Is it over?

I am the QUEEN of clean

Is that...is that a camera? Seriously, I am NOT cool with that

Probably Why I Am Not an Economist.

2008-03-14T11:57:00.000-07:00

Unless you live under a rock, you are probably aware that the state of the US housing market is, well, too completely understate the situation, not so good. The state of the Canadian housing market is still going strong but I know that a lot of people who were thinking about investing in real estate are now putting off those plans to see “where the economy goes”.

I wonder if people in other countries are not taking such precautions. The UK and Europe’s economy is not so closely linked to the US as Canada’s but still...they are probably keeping an eye on US happenings. I know I would be.

So, if people are holding off on investing in real estate but they still want to spend (after all, how is putting your money in savings going to help the economy?), what are - or should they be - thinking about investing in? Hmmm...What about real estate? I know I sound like a crazy person, but what about commercial real estate? If you are not worried about a depression, which not many people are really, why not take advantage of commercial real estate and Commercial Mortgages? After all, if people aren’t buying, they have to be renting, right? I think I would like to look into a commercial spot with a profitable apartment above.

Send a Fax Showing Your Support of Bhopalies Fight for Justice

2008-03-06T06:42:00.001-08:00

A good friend of mine sent me this email yesterday. In an efort to spread the word, I am posting her message here:

More than 50 people from Bhopal are on the 13th day on their way to New Delhi. Walking and calling for support. When they reach New Delhi they'll have walked for more than a month - 500km for basic rights that many take for granted.

They are demanding:
Special Commission on Bhopal: To provide Safe Drinking water, Medical care & research , social and economic rehabilitation
Legal action against Dow Chemical: Continue request a deposit from Dow in clean up case, cancel registration of pesticides from Dow which were obtained by bribery
- including Dursban (banned in the US), Move for extradition of Union Carbide & former Carbide CEO Warren Anderson.

Send a Fax Showing Your Support of Bhopalies Fight for Justice. http://www.boston4bhopal.org/write_fax.htm

TELL YOUR FRIENDS. Have you talked about this to your friends and asked them to join in? Well, there you go. Still many do not know what is happening in Bhopal. Awareness is critical. Check for facts @ www.studentsforbhopal.org

ORKUT/FACEBOOK/BLOGS: Write a story about Bhopal on your orkut profile/websites/blogs and let everyone notice it.

OK… you are saying 'I do not have time for all those things'.
Here is something you can do passively :

EMAIL SIGNATURE: Remind people with an email signature. See, that is easy. Or include an image and link it to the fax action page.
Download this picture.
http://www.geocities.com/prakaash_77/misc/Bhopal_March_Banner_White_SMALL_V2.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/prakaash_77/misc/Banner_Large_V2_Fax_Link.gif
http://www.geocities.com/prakaash_77/misc/Banner_Large_V2_More_info_Link.gif

Excerpt from the daily blog of the march: '
How on earth do the older people (and young) walk 800 kilometers to Delhi without major problems? I stand in awe of these survivors, their ill health is evident as is their poverty, yet all are powered by a mysterious force of will more powerful than ill health or blisters. This power manifests day after day as the distance to Delhi decreases.' Read More.. Get updates from http://www.bhopal.net/march/padyatra2008_blog.html

Back From Vacation. Sigh.

2008-02-29T09:49:00.000-08:00

I am sad to be back from my vacation, of course, but I had so much fun. I guess that a lot of Floridians had blackout issues but I had no problems at all while I was there. The weather was great, I had a wonderful time, I can't wait to go back!

Unlike most vacations, I cannot pick any single event or place to be the highlight of my trip. Disney World was awesome, Discovery Cove was amazing, golphing was good, so was the Gulf of Mexico boat Tour and the beach in Clearwater. Do I sound like I am bragging? I am sorry, I don't mean too....I will stop now.... I FED STING RAYS...okay, now I stop.

Sheriff Dumps Quadriplegic on Floor Police Station Floor

2008-02-13T09:25:00.000-08:00

A sheriff in Hillsborough County dumped a quadriplegic man out of his wheelchair after he repeatedly told her he could not stand. A few other members of the police department did nothing to stop her or help the man. In fact, they frisked him before unceremoniously dumping him back in his wheelchair.

The sheriff who had tilted his chair forward until he fell to the floor appeared smiling and happy for the remainder of the day. She obviously did not feel the least bit apologetic or guilty because she had no problem making eye contact with the victim at the end of and smiling.

Oh by the way, the reason the victim was being booked in the first place? Failure to Appear for a traffic violation.

Here is the full story and a video: Deputy Dumps Quadriplegic out of Wheelchair

Chinese New Year: Year of the Rat

2008-02-08T10:07:00.000-08:00

As many of us know, yesterday, Thursday, February 7th, was Chinese New Year! One of the girls in the accounting department gave out yummy Chinese candy! A yummy, flakey, peanutbuttery treat in very cute packaging so I just had to take a pic (I am a little trigger happy with my new camera).

It Sucks to Be a Star

2008-02-07T14:13:00.000-08:00

Having no insight whatsoever into the glamourous powder keg that is Hollywood, I have no other obvious choice than to blame the media for all of these young stars going down in tragic flames.

I was as devastated as I can be over the loss of life of someone I have never met when Heath Ledger's death was announced. I have been convinced that he is an endearing and sensitive individual ever since being introduced to him in 10 Things I Hate About You.

I was shocked and dismayed when I learned of Eva Mendez' decision to enter rehab. She is one of my favourite actors, I love her in The Rundown, which is such a goofy fun movie. Now, just now, I learn that Kirsten Dunst is in rehab.

It must be too dificult to be a star in this day and age. I know there are some out there (like my bf) who think I am being too soft but I don't think so. The paparazzi and the Internet render it next to impossible to attain privacy. If the media decides that your life is newsworthy, you are in very big, very public trouble. There are many who say that the media just give the people access to what they want to see. I do not think that is true. The media gives us train wrecks. We do not want to look but, when it is right in front of us, we can't help but look.

I think Lindsay Lohan is adorable and talented. I still have hope that she will get back on track. And yes I do believe that Brittany has a shot at returning to sanity. People just need to leave other people alone once in a while.

Report: Kirsten Dunst Checks Into Rehab

California Refinance Help

2008-02-06T13:52:00.000-08:00

looking to refinance in California? Well Dollarblvd.com can help you, and anyone else interested really, with your California Refinance. They offer FIVE free quotes, which is very cool, and they have an easy to use, very navigable online quote form.

The DollarBlvd.com site offers help with a lot more than just home refinancing as well, so if you have the time and the need, click the link to check them out.

Pics of my Boston

2008-02-06T13:36:00.000-08:00

Heeeeeeeere's Stella!!!!!!! or as some people call her, Little Monster!!!

Review: Toronto Major League Search Website

2008-02-05T16:47:00.000-08:00

I had the opportunity to review a funky new site this evening, called Toronto Major League Search. It is a business locater website. It has a map function, a satellite function, and then a hybrid function incorporates both functions. That is really cool feature because there is so much detail.

The site is especially cool because, as the name implies, it is local to Toronto and it seems to have a lot of business links built up already. Plus, while it is obvious the site is designed to earn money through Google Adsense, the Adword campaigns are not “in your face” or annoying. Actually the site looks pretty clean, fun and cheery.

I played on TorontoMLS.ca for a little while, searching for things like dog treats (my company did not turn up on the search…sigh). The one disappointment I had (aside from my lack of face time on the site J) was that, when I click on a specific company, the name, address, phone number, and map location show up, yet the company’s web address is absent. In this day and age, I think the web address is a pretty important piece of info to have, even if I might just be on there for directions.

Despite the lack of address, I think the site is functional and pretty darn cool. I will very likely visit it again when I next want to do a local Toronto search.

Vacation Can Not Come Fast Enough!

2008-02-05T16:02:00.000-08:00

I am SO looking forward to my vacation to Florida in just two weeks. I plan to visit Disney World and Dicovery Cove. I am also looking forward to spending time with Mark's family so I will not be able to do too many tourist activities in Orlando. I have the feeling, though, that I this will not be my last trip to Florida.

Believe it or not, I believe my mother is looking forward to us visiting Mark's parents as much as Mark's parents are. It is because we will be leaving both Stella and Nellie at her house while we are on vacation. Both my brother and mother love Stella and Nellie, and take every opportunity possible to spoil them rotten. We will, of course have to do some extensive re-training with Stella but, whatever. Why worry about that until after vacation. :)

Video: Big Box Mart

2008-02-01T10:28:00.000-08:00

Anyone and everyone who knows me, knows I HATE Walmart. I am not alone, there are billions of haters all over the world, I am sure.

Check out JibJab's "Big Box Store" video. It is a sad kind of funny, but funny none the less.

World's dumbest criminal stuck in liquor store

2008-01-23T11:43:00.000-08:00

Okay, I know this is not a new video but it is still so funny! Especially the very end!

I love dumb criminal stories and this one takes the cake!

Thoughts of Spain Keeping Me Sane

2008-01-16T10:08:00.000-08:00

As the weather remains cold and wet, I remain cranky and grumpy. My irritability is at an all time high while both my boyfriendnd and dog enjoy frolicking in the goopy white stuff, him with a snowboard, her with a stick.

It is all I can do not to book a flight ot some exotic, non wet, snow filled environment....like Spain. Ah is has been a life dream to go to Spain and enjoy the food, the culture, the shopping, the food (yes, I know I metioned it twice). Being of a gentle nature, I doubt I would watch the bull fighting but there is so many other attractions in hoteles en españa!

Think of all the attractions I could see if I booked at one of the many hoteles en barcelona! La Sagrada Familia, Gaudi's architecture ,Zoo in Parc Ciutadella. I would also definitely want to see the birthplace of Picasso and Three Kings Parade.

I would also go book at one of the hoteles en madrid , of course, and then once I was done visitnig Spain (Could I ever really be done?) I would catch the train to Paris and book at one of the hoteles en paris ! Oh what I would visit in Paris, the Louvre, Eiffel tower, Notre Dame, just to name a few. I have been to Paris before and it was amazing!

Ugh. I just looked out my window, more snow! Maybe if I start saving now....

More on American Idol

2008-01-16T09:59:00.000-08:00

In my earlier post today, I wrote a few comments about the American Idol season premier. As soon as I logged out, of course, I immediately saw a headline on MSN promising video footage of the show. When I eagerly clicked on it, here is the photo that jumped onto my screen:

How could I forget this guy?!?! His chest hair was both distracting and disturbing Paula, and the rest of us, so he actually went, got it waxed, and came back to audition with red skin glowing. Then did not let him audition for more than half of a second despite Paula's mild protests so his efforts were all for nothing.

And what about the creepy crawly stalker with a pentrating gaze directed solely at Paula. My BF says that he must've lost a bet with someone...let's hope that is the case but security did step in and pull him away from the jusdging table and out the room.

Another tear fille dmoment for me was of course the wedding singer with the sick duaghter, oh I am such a softie!

Here is the article from MSN, I think you will find the video there, too!

Bad Credit Score Help

2008-01-16T09:18:00.000-08:00

You do not need to be an economist to see that the US has gotten itself into "quite a bit of a pickle", as my grandmother would say, financially speaking.

The stock market is volotile, the housing market is volotile, and bad credit loans are rising by the day. It is a scary sad and it seems like the more we try to prepare ourselves for what is to come, the deeper we dig. As my boyfriend (who likely would have gotten along quite well with my grandmother) would say "Dig up, Stupid."

The best a lot of people can do right now is to whether the storm. I do not mean to sound like a doomsday-er, I think there is a lot we can all do to prepare ourselves, the sooner the better, and the less effected we will be.

I am not telling anyone what to do but if you feel yourself slipping, maybe there are people out there who can help you repair your credit now before it gets worse.

American Idol New Season Comments

2008-01-16T09:07:00.000-08:00

So the BF and I were babysitting my little brother last night. After stirfry and sushi, then an hour of Wii, we all settled in as best we could on my mother's incredibly uncomfortable sofa to watch the season premier of American Idol.

My first comment is about 16 year old Temptress. Did she not break your heart? Only sixteen and already the weight of the world on her shoulders. Even Simon could not sit stoically whilst the girls dreams were dashed. The three judges walked a sobbingTemptress out of the judging room and apologized to her family for the girls lack of talent. It was so obvious that she was not dissapointed for herself but rather in herself for letting down her family, especially her mother whomis obviously very dependant on her.

My second comment is about the crazy angry glitter-faced girl who freaked out after (very kindly, I thought) being turned down unanimously by the judges. Her anger was completely uncalled for and entirely focused on Simon.

My third comment is that Simon remained somewhat removed and only somewhat scathing.

I am not sure how much I will catch of this season's Idol. Like many, I tune in for the auditions and perhaps drift in and out based on what other people in the house want to watch.

Massage Chairs Save the Day?

2008-01-15T14:04:00.000-08:00

Seeing as how I am horribly sick and miserable (if I am exagerating, it is not by much)I do not want a single person to come near me, let alone touch me. I know it sounds like I am being quite considerate but I am not, I simply can't stand human contact if I am not feeling well.

Unfortunately my distaste for people touching me when I have a cold or flu does not help out my achey muscles and joints caused by said cold or flu. I am in dire need of a massage yet just the thought of one makes me go "ewh".

I was on a site today that is selling a product that may appear this achey muscle induced conundrum. The website is called HumanTouch.com and their miracle product is Massage Chairs.

Now all I have to do is figure out how to get one in my condo when I am feeling so yucky!

Follow Up to Everyone is Sick

2008-01-15T13:33:00.000-08:00

Okay, the cat seems to be over whatever it was that ailed her. The dog seems to have kicked her sniffling habit although I did see her shaking her head quite a bit which is usually a precursor to her reoccuring ear infection. It is so nasty and red, I feel so bad for her when it is back. Luckily I have ear medication on standby.

Mark is past the really sick stage and he is now simply grumpy. I would be grumpy but I am too miserable...I haven't quite elevated to the level of grumpy yet but I am hopeful that it is soon to come.

Prescription Glasses for $8

2008-01-14T11:56:00.000-08:00

We are getting well into the New Year here and it seems that the office trend is to get new prescription eyeglasses. It is too bad that half of them have already spent a qazillion dollars or so on their new glasses and i just found out about Great Discovry:$ 8 Prescription Glasses From Zenni Optical. Can you believe it? Glasses from as little as $8!!!! I don't even need to wait for my insurance to purchase these babies! I guess it just goes to show what a company can do for you when it cuts out the middleman.

Everyone is Sick

2008-01-13T09:10:00.001-08:00

The BF is just getting over a wicked cold, I am just getting it, I think. Even Stella Bella, our Boston Terrier has the sniffles and, totally gross, the cat has the runs. What a pathetic bunch we are.

We are all totally cranky. The dog keeps bugging the cat and the cat reciprocated in kind. Poor Stella now has a nasty scratch from the bottom of her nose to the side of her mouth. Mark and I have been grumping at eachother. This is when living in 630 ft space can be a real problem.

2008-01-10T08:28:00.000-08:00

A few entires ago, I posted a fun wedding dance video. When I saw this student, I thought it was a great follow up.

Fun or Creepy? You decide!

http://www.stupidvideos.com/video/just_plain_stupid/Dan_Is_Good/

All I want for Christmas is...

2008-01-02T09:57:00.000-08:00

I was so spoiled this year! I did not really have a list, or any idea for that matter, about what I wanted for Christmas so I was not really expecting much in the gifts department. It turns out, though, that my friends and family know me pretty well. I did not receive one truly crappy gift....well maybe one but, just in case the giver is reading this blog, I will not name names. Although the giver of this yucky gift is quite elderly and does not likely own a computer, let alone read blogs (especially mine) so I am just being overly cautious.

Anyway, in an effort to offset the one truly uncool Christmas present this year, and to congratulate myself for doing an exceptional job at picking out gifts for friends and family (if I do say so, myself), I think I will take it upon myself to pick out a Christmas gift to me, from me. Maybe something for my bedroom like Contemporary Bedding. And then once I have received said bedding, I will curl up in it, unwrap the organic dark chocolate my good friends Dave and Stephanie gave me, and pop my new Chicago dvd from Mark into the vcr and have myself an awesome "Sick day".

Happy New Years

2008-01-02T09:46:00.000-08:00

I spent my New Years 2008 with friends at the Madison (Bloor/Spadina). It is a collection of houses, I don't know, like three or five, converted into a multi level, multi patio bar. I have not been in forever so I decided that this was as good a place as any to spend the bringing in of the new year AND my birthday. Gawd, I am so old.

Predictably, the place was packed and there were a lot of girls dressed very hoochie. The ceiling over the dance floor in the basement had a huge leak so there were all of these people crowded around the edges of the soaked floor, dancing cautiously to avoid the steady stream in the centre. A worker came out with the intent to mop up a little but, seeing that it was a lost cause, abandoned the mop and went back to his regular duties. So now, I was dancing around a leak and a mop. I did not really care though, I was quite tipsy and I was having a lot of fun.

Happy New Year, everyone!

EarthFrisk.Org

2007-12-27T11:19:00.000-08:00

For those of you who don't know, Earth Frisk.org is a meta-social Search Engine. Their slogan is "If you can't find it by using this site, it doesn't exist". A pretty confident sounding slogan, I think!

It is a great social search engine with results from all the major search engines. EarthFrisk.org caters to us bloggers, even offering custom tool bars that help our readers find us and may even help out our traffic! I personally like the navigability of the site; it is not all fluffed up with unneccesary info and graphics on the homepage. I hate complicated home pages!

If you have the time, check out this new social search engine and tell me what you think!

Happy Holidays!!! (just a little belated)

2007-12-27T11:00:00.001-08:00

My Christmas was excellent! After months of paid blogging, I saved up enough to get my brother the Nintendo Wii, my boyfriend's trimmer and binoculars, and my mother's gift. Everyone seemed really happy with their presents. Whew!

I was in charge of Christmas dinner this year and I made my family a turkey even though I am a vegetarian. The decision to make it was a bit of a struggle but, if I did not cook it, my mother would have. She would have picked up one of those horrible pre-stuffed Butterballs. With me cooking it, at least I was able to pick out a free range, humanely raised, hormone free bird. Everyone seemed to enjoy the dinner so I was very relieved.

My Stella Bella and Nellie were both pretty spoiled this year. They both had stockings full of toys and Stella got a pink collar with tree studs and rhinestones. Of course it sounds tacky but it is actually pretty cool.

All in all I think everyone had a great holiday. And thanks to hours of playing my brother's Wii, I think we each only gained 3lbs instead of 5.

Quick Money For Last Minute Shopping?

2007-12-20T12:32:00.000-08:00

First of all let me say that the twins, Bill and Jim both won on Biggest Loser. Jim, the twin who was the heavier of the two in the beginning of the competition, lost the more weight than all of the other contestants who were voted off. His prize was $100,000!!! GO JIM.

Bill won the grand prize for losing something like 165 lbs or so. How crazy is that? In an eight onth period no less. He won $250,000!!! Crazy.

I will tell you, those are two guys who will not be hurting this holiday season!

For the rest of us, if we find ourselves in need of small cah advaces or Payday loans, there are lots of online avenues we can take. If you are so inclined, click on the above link and take advantage of a FREE loan calculator!

Wal-Mart Sues Brain Damaged woman for $417,000

2007-12-19T07:31:00.000-08:00

Deborah Shank was an employee of Wal-Mart Until a horrible accident left her both brain-damaged and paralyzed.

Mrs. Shank now needs help with even the most basic of tasks, she cannot even eat supper without help. Mrs. Shank and the family sued, and finally received, a settlement against the trucking company responsible the semi-trailer that caused Mrs. Shank's accident. After legal fees and additional costs, Mrs. Shank only received about half of the settlement award, just under $420,000. The Shank's were happy with this amount as it would likely mean the difference between keeping Mrs. Shank at home with her family and a nurse or forcing her into a nursing home.

This is about the point where Wal-Mart steps in. After allowing the Shank's to go through the entire battle and cost of fighting for a reasonable settlement without offering their help or support, Wal-Mart took away Mrs. Shank's 400,000 + dollars; an amount that is less than a drop in the bucket for the low-end retail chain and yet means everything to the Shank's.

The Shank's are flabergasted as Mrs. Shank had no idea that such a clause was in her in her health plan contract. A lawyer representing the Shanks attempted a compromise with Wal-Mart but was informed that their only intention was to sue for the entire amount, regardless of circumstance. It turns out they were not fooling around. The court ruled in Wal-Mart's favour just six days after Mr.s Shank's son Jeremy was killed while serving in Iraq.

Believe it or not, the above mentioned insurance clause is in a lot of employer insurance contracts across the US but employers do not bother to enforce this. And how could they in good conscience?

This blogger has never been a fan of Wal-Mart. I avoid their stores like the plague. Until this story hit, I had not officilly decided to boycott Wal-Mart. Now, though I would officially like to announce my boycott of Wal-Mart. I hope more people join me.

Souce: Accident Victims FaceGrab for Legal Winnings

2007-12-18T07:22:00.001-08:00

Source: http://www.cagle.com/news/PoliticallyCorrectChristmas/images2/crowson.jpg

I know, I know, bah hum bug. Bad Nanette! We all know it is true, though. My own brother is getting about a million and three presents this Christmas, 98% of which he will forget he got before February rolls around. It will end up becoming expensive clutter that fills every corner, crack, and crevice in a house already crowded by pat holidays.....not that I am bitter nor pessemistic.

Elvis, Money Making Opps and More

2007-12-13T12:02:00.000-08:00

Okay folks, I was on a pretty exciting site today (my surfing and website-reviewing increases ten-fold during the 9-5 hours of the December/Holiday season. Be prepared!)

Anyhoo, I was on this exciting site today, complete with dolled up Elvis impersonators, a million people who think they can do a better job than Rihanna at singing Umbrella (I am sure at least half of them are right), and FREE money making opps. That is right, this site boasts the ability for us to Make FAST & EASY money with this free opportunity.

So while you are bored at work this December, and I know you are, go check out this site. Upload a video of yourself in all your awesome coolness singing like a rock star. You just might win a bunch of cash. Or join their FREE affiliate program and earn cash with their triple tiered opportunity.

If you do upload a video, make sure to come back here and tell me where it is!

I am a workoholic nut. It is official.

2007-12-13T06:34:00.000-08:00

It has recently come to my attention that I am completely nuts. Loco, off my rocker, out of my tree, stone cold crazy. A while back, I volunteered the services of both Mark and I for a fun thing called Operation Red Nose. Basically we work as a team to drive tipsy people home from the bar or club in their own car. One drives the person's car, the other drives her own...in other words, Mark drives the other person's car, I follow. I have offered our services for tonight, tomorrow night, and Saturday night. I will be dead tired at work tomorrow and on Sunday, I am sure..yes, I also got roped into a shift at the ACC this weekend for a Raptors game. Basically I work today 8am-5pm, tonight 7pm -2am, tomorrow 8am-5pm, then 7pm-2am, and then Saturday 7pm-2am, Sunday 10am-3pm. Then back to regularly scheduled programming on Monday.

Yep, I am bent.

On the upside, if you happen to be imbibing and partaking in merriment this weekend in the Distillery district, feel free to look up Operation Red Nose. We will give you a ride home, free of charge (if you have your own vehicle for us to drive you in).

And the Prize For Most Fun Wedding Dance Ever Goes To...

2007-12-10T12:01:00.001-08:00

LOL! I can totally see Mark and I doing something like this if we ever decide to tie the knot. Of course, I can also see us eloping to Vegas and geting married by an aging Elvis look-a-like, too. Or getting drunk on any given vacation and being married by a scary looking sea captain...even though we are landlocked but whatever.

Time is Running Out! BOOK ALREADY!

2007-12-10T08:00:00.000-08:00

I am sure there are bunches of people out there who plan to go somewhere over the holidays but have not yet gotten around to making the actual plans. You people (you know who you are) should hurry up! Things are getting booked and deals are running out! Unless of course you go to HotelReservations.com. This site has some great deals on Hotel Reservations, vacation rentals, all of the fun stuff!

For those of you procrastinators, just click the link above or below and get to it already! BTW, this means you too , Michael. It is your turn to plan New Years and we all know you haven't lifted a finger yet!

Christmas Tree Saga

2007-12-10T07:49:00.000-08:00

As some of you know, I personally wanted to skip the Christmas and the tree this year but the BF was insistent upon having one. I put up a mild fight until one of my very dear and overly blunt male friends pointed out that, if his girlfriend wanted a tree on their first Xmas, living in their new home, he would feel like a real asshole if he vetoed it. Okay, he was right and now we have a 7.5 ft tree taking a huge portion of our living room. It is not yet decorated despite the fact that it has been up for about a week. Hopefully we will get to it tonight.

Last night, I ruined the diet by making and drinking a mug of hot chocolate and watching one of my all time favourite Christmas movies, Love Actually. It was a ploy to revv myself up, get into the holiday spirit and to become inspired to decorate the tree. The issue now is that I just have SO much to do! I will have to put it off for one more night I guess, my clients will understand I am sure. I will definitely post a pic of the tree after it is decorated.

Diet Day 51...I think?

2007-12-10T07:43:00.000-08:00

Okay, so at this point it is no longer a diet, mostly a lifestyle change. I abandoned the diet book long ago because I could not find any logical reason for a diet plan to call for me eating cheese every single, bloody day. It was just weird

I am, however, continuing to eat healthy, in smaller amounts, and more often. I have lost about 15 lbs so far and plan to keep going until I am ridiculously thin and the boyfriend starts to complain that I am too skinny. A gorl can dream, right?

Pay Day Loans For The Holiday Pinch?

2007-11-30T12:16:00.000-08:00

So the holidays are fast approaching and I see everyone aroound me going overboard...okay I can probably be included in the "going overboard" category, with the exception that my extended family members will all be getting charitable contributions in their name this Christmas instead of gifts they probably don't want anyway.

Still, even with finances a little tight, there are just certain things that you can't, in good conscience, scrimp on. To begin with, the above mentioned charitable contributions. Also, the bf decided that we absolutley HAD to have a tree for our first Christmas in our new home so we went to the Canadian Tire and picked up one of the few ones left (big bucks!!). Also, we will be hosting the holiday dinner this year, I still need to get a few gifts, and we will be spending about a billion dollars on gas to visit friends and family.

As stressful as the holidays can be, especially in terms of budgeting and "financial unknowns", a lot of people turn to options like a payday loan. Although I have not done so yet, I know a few people who have used them once or twice and then I know people who use them a lot.

Dog and Cat Finally Getting Along?

2007-11-30T08:52:00.000-08:00

My Stella Bella and Nappy Nellie actually sleeping together on the same couch?! Will wonders never cease?

hahaha! It is funny, though because they look like the same siz but Stella is actually bigger than Nellie.

Diet Day 40: Blah Blah Blah

2007-11-30T08:35:00.000-08:00

Not much new to report on the diet front. I am still keepin' on keepin' on. Except I ate sushi last night. Eight pieces plus a handroll, a handful of soy beans and a bit of salad. Honestly, I am trying to downplay it because it is less food than it sounds like...and yet it was more than I have eaten in one sitting in a long time and I was crazy full after I ate all of it so maybe it wasn't less food than it sonds like!

I am at a show all weekend this weekend, plus it is the bf's birthday gathering. A combination that will likely lead to a diet death for the next two days but, ah well, these things happen.

It was so busy this week, I am not at all prepared for my show so I am going to be up very late tonight and very early tomorrow. Hopefully, it will be well worth it.

Wish me luck!

Trusted Tours And Attractions Free Contest

2007-11-28T09:33:00.000-08:00

A lot of my entries on Nanette's Dog Blog are dedicated to one of my favourite hobbies - vacationing. Vacationing really is a passion of mine and I have never been on one that I haven't liked (knock on wood).

Because I am so travel crazy, I am always looking for travel deals, vacation discounts, tips, and travel advice. Well, today I think I have found a site that offers all of the above. In fact, whomever signs up for the Trusted Travel e-newsletter on this site, which (as the name implies) is chock full of valuable information on Trusted Tours and Attractions, will be entered into a contest. The prize is FOUR tickets to tours in a city to be determined by you, the winner! How cool would that be to win? Hmm, if I were to win, where would I pick? San Diego? I have already been there and LOVED it. There is not much that I didn't like about San Diego, I especially loved the zoo and wild animal park. Likely though, I would pick somewhere new. I think that Savannah is a popular choice among fans of the Trusted Tours and Attractions site so I think I would have to pick there.

Now, if you could go on a tour in any absolutely any city, where would you go?

Diet Day 38: The results are coming in

2007-11-28T09:16:00.001-08:00

Okay so I have not quite entirely abondoned my book but I am not following it so religiously, there was just too much cheese and dumb things in it. That does not mean that I have relaxed on the requirements of my diet. I am still eating more helathy, eating smaller amounts, and excersizing more. The scale has started to reflect the changes in my eating habits and I have been getting a few comments here and there as well. This weekend the bf's mom gushed a little, so did my friend last night, and one of my coworkers made a comment as well. I can't help but wonder, though how warranted the positive feedback is. With the exception of the coworker who has no clue I am tryign to become more healthy, a lot of people know my plight and they might just be trying to be encouraging. I am not seeing any giant changes in the mirror.

On The Biggest Loser last week, Kae, my fave contestant was voted out. It totally sucks but since leaving the show, she has lost so much weight she is just 137lbs now and still going strong. Last night B was voted out which means that there is no red team anymore. Totally sucks bc the red team trianer is definitely my favourite trainer on the show. I guess I will find out next week what her fate is now that she has no one to train. I did not really get to watch the show this week, I had an appointment last night, but I did catch the weigh in.

I tried watching the Biggest Loser, Australian Edition but I could only stand it for about five minutes and had to turn it off. Maybe they will get a Canadian edition. Unfortunately, I could not become a contestant on the show because I would likely only weigh a third as much as the heaviest contestant. It would still be cool to see a Canadian version, though.

Diet Day 30: 30 Day Blues

2007-11-20T12:08:00.000-08:00

I am having some serious doubts about this diet. I think I going to call up my cousin-in-law and show her my book with all of the menu plans. She is a nurse and an avid iron man and triathalon contestent. She seems very healthy.

I am just eating so much cheese on this diet. I am not a big fan to begin with and the daily dose of cheese (although it is low fat) is really starting to get on my nerves. I find that I skip a lot of meals just so I do not have to eat the cheese I prepared. I think it is time to rethink my plan.

I am also, starting tonight, going to hit the gym a lot more than I have been, Poor Stella will just have to do without me for another 45 minutes out of the day. She can torture the cat while I am torturing myself at the gym.

I am not giving up on this diet yet. I am simply going to have to rethink some parts that do not make sense to me. For instance, why is low fat cheese and cottage cheese listed as a protein but low fat milk is listed as a protein/fat? Same with yogurt. Why are soy burgers listed as a protein but ground soy and edamame listed as a protein/fat? Some of this stuff is just making me wonder if they simply moved cheese out of the protein/fat column and put it into the protein column because I am a vegetarian and it is difficult to come up with meals using the protein column.

Anyway, I can't believe 30 days have gone by already. It certainly does not feel like that long since I started it.

Oh, on the plus side, Stella and I met a friend at the mall last night (she was sleeping in her purse after a very fast paced walk there) and I once again had to face the challenge of the food court. This time I went to the North foodcourt in the Eaton's Centre and found the Soupman. I ordered a very delicious and filling salad that seemed to have a good ration of fat/carbs/protein. Very cool! My faith in the food court is restored.

Thinking Back to My Oregon Vacation

2007-11-19T13:16:00.000-08:00

By the way, just to add to my last post, how I am thinking back to the time when I had the time to read a good fiction book, I will tell you when that was.

I was living in the States, goig to school. I was on summer break and decided to really take advantage of my break. I drove from Washington State to Oregon and then drove along the Oregon cost. I started reading the Stepahanie Plum series on that holiday, and still think the books are so clever and witty! Anyway, before I got to the Oregon Coast I stopped at the Tillamook Cheese Factory. I do not even like cheese but it was quite the tour. I also went to a Wild Animal Petting Zoo and I played with a baby tiger and pet a baby lynx. I made the mistake of petting a goat too, and then the grumpy bugger followed me around the park head butting me in the butt every time I stopped petting it!

I shopped and touristed my way along the Oregon and then the California coast. To be honest, I did not really take my time because I thought the California coast was going to be so much better. It wasn't.

I have always thought about going back to Oregon and I was really hoping that a few of my freinds that graduated from Idaho State University would get jobs over in Oregon so I had a good excuse to visit the state. So far it hasn't happened. I think, though that I would like to rent a home or condo on the beach (way better than hotels!).

There is a site that specializes in Oregon Beach Vacations in general and a Lincoln City Holiday Vacation in particular. I should go check them out.

Of course, as we all know, I am Florida bound this February. Luckily there will be lots more vacations and lots more destinations!

Visions of Stephanie Plum Dancing in My Head

2007-11-19T13:07:00.000-08:00

This has been a VERY frustrating day. I am going a little nuts playing catch up and the fact that our server seems to be having huge problems is not helping any! My Internet access is very limited and intermitent.

I am supposed to go to class tonight but I do not see how I can possibly make it in time because it is a "field trip" and we are supposed to meet up in downtown Toronto just 45 minutes after I leave work. I have the feeling that this will be one field trip that I will be missing!

All I really want to do is go home and give my Stella Bella a nice walk, then curl up with her and my cat and a good book on the couch. I bought 11 on top, a Jenet Evonovich novel like a year ago now and have not even read it yet! It is at the top of my "unread books" pile and everytime I see it I think jealously back to a time when I had the time to sit down and read for pleasure. Not a business book, a financial management, or a marketing book, but just a nice, silly peice f fiction like the Stephanie Plum series.

Maybe tonight will be the night? Maaybe I will not even bother with trying to make it to class on time! I will just go straight home, take the dog for a walk, buy a cup of hot chocolate while I am at it and then curl up with a nice book! Do I dare?

Goth Dating Site

2007-11-19T13:01:00.000-08:00

I have more than a few single friends who are using online dating and chat sites to meet other (hopefully) single people. These sites have come a long way over the years and I am friends with one married couple who claim to have met online and I am friends with another couple, now engaged, who on a dating site.

The problem with a lot of the dating websites that are out there right now is that they tend to cater only to the mainstream. Other than one site out there that I think caters to dog owners like me that are fanatic about their furry babies, and another site or two that caters specifically to Christians, I have not really heard about any alternative dating sites. Until now.

Darkyria.com is a Gothic dating site that caters to Goths, Vampires, and other interesting people who might not feel comfortable at “mainstream” sites. There are chatrooms, forums and other fun...I mean dark stuff. I know of at least a couple of people who will be interested in this site.

With online dating sites branching out into niche markets like this, you can really see how far the online dating world has come!

Diet Day 29: 2 Steps Forward, 1 Step Back

2007-11-19T08:54:00.000-08:00

My resolution to be uber healthy last week went really well. I actually saw a dramatic positive change on the scale. Of course this weekend I was at a show, the WHOLE weekend, and I saw a lot of my good deeds come undone. argh. I had to get up so early for the show, on both Saturday and Sunday I ended up eating Tim Horton's breakfast sandwiches for breakfast and two samosas for lunch. I skipped snacks because all of the food at the show, with the exception of samosas, came in dessert form only. I cannot recall what was on the dinner menu on Saturday, if anything, but Sunday was Chinese Food at a restaurant with the family. I tried to order healthy but I have no idea how healthy/unhealthy the sauce that I had on my veggies were or how many calories are in a bubble tea. Ah well....I am probably better off not knowing!

Adgooroo - Adwords Supplement

2007-11-16T13:30:00.000-08:00

I was just on a site that offers a product called AdGooroo Express. It is designed to help people that using Google Adwords but maybe feel like they are too busy to be getting the most out of their campaigns. Not only does the program run like a gazillion diagnostic tests per day and keep track of all of you natural linkings, it also monitors competition.
AdGooroo Express offers 24 hour, 7 day a week support (including live chat), which is cool and free. Also free is a trial, available by going to their AdGooroo Express website so go check them out, if you are so inclined!

Diet Day23: Kink in the plans

2007-11-13T14:27:00.000-08:00

I am in an awsome class all week that my employer sent me on to learn some really cool stuff. Unfortunately us classmates are in such close quarters and breaks are usually taken at our seats whilst in conversation. This is not condusive to sticking to my my strict, pre-planned diet. So while I may not be able to comfortably follow my preplanned diet, I can at least resolve to eat and be healthy. I had Thai food yesterday with some others. I stuck heavily to veggies, tried to get a proper amount of preteins, carbs and fats, and did not reach for seconds. Today I had a salad not doused in dressing.

BTW, I watched American Gangster this weekend. I don't usually like Denzel Washington but he was SO great in this movie. Also, I can't stand Russel Crowe, he always appears so grungy to me, but that dirty, grungy look really suited his caracter. I thought that some parts in the movie could have been emphasized or developed a little more but all in all, I enjoyed the movie a lot. I highly recommend it

All I want for Christmas is....

2007-11-09T06:47:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I know what website I am going to be sending people to when they ask what I want for Christmas. I can tell them that I am not picky, any old thing from JR Dunn Jewellers will do nicely! I can picture it now....

Them: "What do you want for Christmas"

Me: "Oh don't trouble yourself, I don't need anything"

Them: But you are such an awesome person whom I love very much even though I only see you in the gym on Sundays (or walk dog/work in the same building/have been friends with you for two and a half weeks/etc.). I have to get you something"

Me: "Okay, well if you insist, I guess any old thing from JR Dunn would do. You know, one or two corum watches, maybe a solitaire diamond necklace, even a gift certificate would be fine with me."

Them: "Thanks for the tip, amazing lady, I will spend a lot of effort picking out something perfect for you. If I can't decide, I will buy both!"

Yes, that is how it will go. I have played this scenario out in my head over and over again. It always ends the same way.

I love Christmas.

You built your house where?

2007-11-09T06:35:00.000-08:00

Okay, what architectectual genius thought this was a good idea!?

My boss just came in and caught me looking at this and all he said was "I would not be able to sleep at night?" whew.

I stumbled upon this photo at: http://givernews.com/images/photo05/maison-bizarre-g.jpg

Diet Day 19: Diets and FoodCourts Don't Mix

2007-11-09T06:03:00.000-08:00

I was sooo on track yesterday. Good breakfst, snack, lunch.....then it was dinner time. I was meeting a friend at the Eaton's Centre and decided that it should not be too big of a problem for me to fiind a heatlhy, well rounded meal there. I was wrong.

The Marche's salads were looking a little grungy so I decided to try the Thai place (in the south side food court). I ordered the pad thai with tofu and vegetables. I thought that rice noodles should be okay, especially mixed with healthy fresh veggies. The whole meal probably would have been awesome except it was very heavy on the noodles and light on the veggies. And not a as much tofu as I had hoped. Basically I ate a bunch of very yummy carbs. I am not sure how healthy it was. Plus I probably ate way too much. Oh, and too late! I am suposed to eat dinner around 5pm and snack around 8pm. Instead I just ate Thai food at about 7:30pm. Then I wallked to the other end of the mall and had a blackcurrent flavoured bubble tea! Those things taste way too good to be good for you, I think.

My only saving grace for the evening was that I walked (briskly) to and from the Eaton's Centre, then walked around the Eaton's Centre and then took Stella for a nice fast paced walk as soon as I got home.

Well, I am allowed one cheat meal per week, right? right? sigh.

New York New York!

2007-11-08T09:40:00.000-08:00

Even though I am within driving distance ( a very long driving distance) from New York City, I have never gone. I have always wanted to and whenever my boyfriend, friends and I try to figure out where to go on New Years (it is a tradition with us that we head out of town), I always suggest New York city. Every year I am inevitably vetoed. How unfair!

My bf does not really want us to go to New York on our mini holiday becase he pictures me going absolutley insane with shopping fever! He pictures me at Bloomingdales and Nieman-Marcus and Normstom's. He shudders with fear and then swiftly suggests Ottawa instead (where we have gone the last two years in a row).

Okay, so yes, I will not deny the shopping appeals, REALLY appeals to me but I really want to go to soak up the culture...to visit the Gugghenheim, Times Square, and the Empire state building. You know, all of the tourist-y stuff.

Well, I have the feeling that this year might be my year(if the whole property tax increase thing doesn't damage my wallet too bad). I just found out that there is a New York City CityPass. For like a fraction of what it would cost to get into all of the museums and tourist places that I want to go, I can buy a New York CityPass, get into all of these places and skip the line ups! How cool is that!? Plus Iget all of the insidr tips and info. It is only $65 to get into like a gazillion places, including the places I mentioned above and the museum of modern art....okay maybe I should leave out the MOMA part when I pitch this to my boyfriend!

Toronto Property Tax to Go Up

2007-11-08T06:06:00.000-08:00

So it turns out that all my worrying was not for nothing. The Toronto property tax rates are set to increase by 5%. This is Mark and I's first year in the condo, which I think is always the hardest, especially financially speaking. We are nervous about property taxes to begin with but this increase really has me biting my nails. We have been putting money away but I am not sure it will be enough. How nerve racking is this? Yet the government goes on redecorating the mayors offices and wasting money on frivolties.

I stumbled this pic this morning and I think it is very apt for the situation:

Retrieved from: http://www.tuxick.net/pics/humor/art-of-survival.jpg

Diet Day 18: So...Hungry....

2007-11-08T05:44:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was such a blur. I woke up late and (gasp) skipped breakfast to make it to work on time. So I ate my morning snack at 10am instead of 11am because I was so hungry. So I ate lunch at 12:40 instead of 1pm because I was still so hungry. So technically I probably should have eaten my dinner early, too and then called it an early night. Unfortunatley I had to leave work early and get to the post office before it closed, then run (literally) to my final exam for my night class, so I ended up skipping dinner entirely. I left my exam at 7:10pm which gave me 20 minutes to make it to a meeting with one of my clients. At 7:15, I found myself in front of a Subway restaurant so I ran in and ordered a salad. I was eating it, while rushing to meet the client when she called to cancel because she has that nasty flu that is going around. So I went home and prepared lunches, snacks and dinners for my bf and I for today. UGH.

On the bright side, my mother bought the most adorable sweater and coat for my Stella Bella from Talbots yesterday. I will try to get some photos tonight, she is adorable! I took her for a walk at about 11:30pm last night and she looked like she was toasty! That is the one thing that is great about the the boyfriend being on nights. Stella gets up to four walks per day and we can give our wallets a break from the dog walker.

Time For a New Car

2007-11-07T05:52:00.000-08:00

So Mark and I have decided that we are going to have to get a new car in the new year. With him on nights, it is just too much pressure for me to be driving his beloved baby to work and back every morning. Our next step is to figure out if we want new or used, Honda or Subaru (my two choices :))

There is a website called CarsBlvd.com that has tons of deals. I am going to take a look-see at their site and possibly get a Honda Car Quote.

As I said, we are not looking to purchase until the new year but it is time to start doing te research, that is for sure.

My Dog is a Bat

2007-11-07T05:40:00.000-08:00

Here is a photo of my Stella Bella in her bat costume on Halloween. With her big giant ears, her bat outfit is not much of a stretch but oh how cute! Besides, it really was last minute.

Stella loved being out with the kids (her favourite kind of people) and the costume did not seem to phase her. She just sort of pranced around in her cape and cap and mingled with whomever she came across on the sidewalk. My family and I went trick or treating around the beaches area. I am betting that there are a lot more kids trick-or-treating there than arond the Harboufront where I live. They really seem to go all out in the beaches on Halloween. Houses done up with moving dragons and strobe lights, crazy haunted lawns...very cool. Unfortunately we had to cut the night short because Mark and I had company.

The leash is a reflective leash with a ghost and spiderweb pattern that my mother bought for her. I will probably continue using it on really dark nights. Especially after my near miss with that car on Monday night!

Diet Day 16: Keep on Keepin On

2007-11-06T06:38:00.000-08:00

So I was running late and did not have time to prepare the recipe for dinner that was in the book. In a rush to class, I simply ate a half of a veggie and swiss sandwich on whole wheat. I just hope it is the proper proportion of carbs to fat to protein. Hmm...the sandwich was mostly vegetables so I probably had more carbs than fat or protein but whatever, I can't imagine me getting fat from having half of a sandwich for supper!

Today will be another good diet day, although I have company coming tonight so I may or may not have a glass of wine.

Last night as I was walking home from work, I was nearly hit by a car. it was dark and rainy out. I was walking across the street (I had waited for the walk signal) and a woman turning left did not see me and turned into my path. I tried to jump out of the way when I realized she did not see me and was going to hit me but she looked up and saw me at the last second and then slammed on her brakes and swerved in the same way I was moving! I jumped the other way and she narrowly missed me. VERY narrowly missed me. If I had freezed instead of moved, I would have been seriously injured. The poor lady driving screamed at the top of her lungs and when I looked down and realized I was still in one piece, I kept walking through the intersection. When I looked back, she still hadn't moved from the intersection, she was trying to calm down.

Walking the rest of the way back to the condo, I decided it was my fault that the lady almost hit me. I was not wearing the proper clothing. I did have a bright pink purse and book bag but I also had a black coat, pants and shoes. It was such bad weather I should not have walked until I was sure she saw me....I looked and saw her, for some reason, I thought she saw me too. Duh.

So I am either going to have to go out and get myself a new winter coat or I will have to put something reflective on my coat. The coat is a vibrant pink on the inside, too bad I could not just wear it inside out.

Ouch, reason 1001 not to cheat

2007-11-05T09:36:00.000-08:00

beware of a woman scorned

So if you would like me to explain this picture further, this wife found out that her husband was cheating on her and threw paint on her husband's Jaguar. After calming down just a bit, she must have then remembered that the car is in her name.

She decided to sell the car for just a fraction of the value on a UK based website called BuyYourCar that helps people find or sell both used cars and new cars. They even help out with car loans . Anyway, she posted a very funny advertisement to go along with the above photo, definitely worth clicking on the link!

Hoo Boy! Now here is a woman that should not have been messed with...or messed around on, to be a little more specific. The whole situation reminds me of that Carrie Underwood song, the one where she takes a baseball bat to her cheating boyfriend’s car. Whose story do you think inspired whom?

All I can say is Don’t Cheat! If you don’t cheat, you won’t get caught. If you do not get caught cheating, you will likely not have to regret that you put your car in your wife’s name...which you probably did to avoid taxes or some other shifty thing, but I digress. Silly man!!!

Diet Day 15: On Track!

2007-11-05T08:30:00.000-08:00

Following this diet is an awful lot of work but I think I am getting the hang of it. I am on track with a breakfast of cereal, eggwhites and almonds, and then a morning snack of low fat yogurt and peanuts. I have lunch of mushroom-barley soup at the ready and my dinner will be the same as my lunch.

My bf is going on nights this month so it will make the whole matter much more stressful, I think. Also, I gave my car to my mother so now I am driving his baby. A car he has driven for about 6 years (never in winter) and not even gotten in one tiny fender bender with. Yep, stress...I feel like visiting Godiva just from thinking about the upcoming month.

The family thing still hasn't gone away so I am simply going to stop thinking about it entirely.

I have been putting more thought into the workout thing and I think I will start speedwalking with my Stella Bella. Too bad the cat hates being on leash!

Malaysia's National Sport Coming to Canada

2007-11-05T08:17:00.000-08:00

Can anyone guess what Malaysia's national sport is? I bet most Canadians haven't even heard of it before. It is called SEPAK TAKRAW and it is actually a game of kick volleyball!

The sport is being promoted here in Toronto and some teams from Malaysia are coming here to play some exhibition matches for us.

Here is the info:

Malaysian Sepak Takraw Exhibition matches in GTA - OPEN TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC

Sunday, Nov. 11th: 2:30 - 4:00pm, MAGNA CENTRE , 800 Mulock Rd., Newmarket (near Mulock & Leslie)

4:30 - 6:00pm, DENNIS R. TRIMBLE CENTRE,29 St. Dennis Dr. , North York , Toronto (near Don Mills & Eglinton, near Ontario Science Centre)

Monday, Nov. 12th: 5:30 - 7:00pm, ST. AUGUSTINE CATHOLIC HS, 2188 Rodick Rd., Markham (near Woodbine and 16th Ave.)

Garage Cabinets

2007-11-04T12:59:00.000-08:00

As some of you may be aware, my boyfriend is a mechanic. He loves living in a condo in downtown Toronto, but boy does he miss not having a garage! We decided to splurge and buy a double size storage unit and it is almost the size of a garage. We bought some shelving units that run a long each wall and there is still a bit of room. I am almost thinking that, if we had garage cabinets in there and a work bench instead of those shelves, he would have a work room! I wonder how the condo board would feel about that? hmm...maybe he should stick to borrowing his parents' garage.

Diet Day 14: Feeling Good!

2007-11-04T12:14:00.000-08:00

I ate a proper breakfast and I played badminton for about an hour, squash for about 1/2 hour, and around the key on the basketball court after that. Even though I was too busy playing games to prepare my morning snack, I am feeling pretty good. I am going to clean up around the apartment a little bit, and then work out plans for next week regarding the diet and everything else.

I am very aware that I need to excersize more. Aside from the Sunday thing, I tend to walk a lot, with Stella and just to get around, and a friend at work and I walk to the mall and back every Friday (about 20 minute walk each way if we hurry). Still that is not enough. So I need to work in at least one more workout per week. My three night classes are coming to and end and then I should only be in one or two per week after that. I am in meetings one night per week, and I need to bake for Temple Treats once per week but I am convinced that I can fit it in. I will think on it this week and try to work it out.

My one concern is my pets. Stella and the Nellie are home alone all day and when I come home they deserve to be lavished with attention. On the nights that I am in night class or meetings, I know that my boyfriend is with them. Likewise, if he visits friends or goes out for some other reason, I like to stay home with the furballs. If I go work out, though, my boyfriend will definitely want to work out with me. Maybe we can work something out.

Diet Day 13: Does A Bottle and a half of wine count as a cheat?

2007-11-03T09:21:00.000-07:00

I stuck to the diet all day yesterday even when I had friends over for dinner, with the exception of the wine. Today is not going so well. Not because I am cheating but because I skipped breakfast and the morning snack. I also did not eat lunch until almost 3PM. I was just too tired and I wasn't hungry. As I mentioned in my last post, some members of my family have really gotten on my nerves and the whole thing has been suppressing my appetitite. I am trying not to dwell on it and instaed to regain my focus.

Police Gear, Anyone? New online store

2007-11-02T14:15:00.000-07:00

So as of yesterday afternoon, my entire family has been in a battle. It all started with one overly demanding person and one fed up person but now everyone is getting involved, from Toronto to the hometown. It is like each side is rallying troops. So imagine how I had a good laugh when opp came along to take a look at this new site called 5.11TacticalOutdoors.com. The site is filled with all sorts of police and tactical gear, from Galco holsters, to eyewear, to freebies. If my family kicks it up even one more knotch, I am going to send all of them this link...well all of the people on the side I have chosen, anyway!

Bloggerwave

2007-11-01T09:09:00.000-07:00

I have written a few paid posts for bloggerwave on this blog. Although I have not been given as many posting opps from them, the offers I have received were all higher than the average paid post offers I have received from other paid blogging opps sites. I am hoping to get a few more opps from bloggerwave because the topics are always fun and intersting!

It is easy to sign up so, if you are interested, click on the badge!

Diet Day 11: Halloween - The Day After

2007-11-01T06:17:00.000-07:00

Okay, I did not do so great on the dinner part of Halloween. In my defense it was all due to circumstances beyond my control and both Stella and my brother had a great time trick-or treating!

I did stop on the way home and pick up a costume for Stella. She was supposed to dress up as Batman, which is perfect for her but the package must have been marked with the wrong size. It was marked as a small for dogs 10-15" long but she was swimming in it. So she simply donned the cape and cap and went as an adorable bat. Considering her pointy, bat-like ears it was not much of a stretch for her. She was perfectly content to walk around greeting trick-or-treaters in her little outfit, which was so cool! I will post some photos of her later.

My brother and his weird friend dressed as mobsters and performed skits for home owners. The skits earned them triple the candy at every house but, I will be honest, Stella was kind of embarrassed to be out with the only two trick-or-treaters in the beaches who insisted on holding mock knife fights on every single stranger's lawn that had lights on.

Video: Grandma Thwarts Car Theft

2007-10-31T07:08:00.001-07:00

My boss sent me this video this morning. I got such a good laugh, I just have to post it here!

ST JOHN EYE – Grandma’s car - Seniorplanet

Bad Credit and Other Scary Stuff On Halloween

2007-10-31T05:55:00.000-07:00

As I just mentioned in my last post, today is Halloween. I can't wait to take my Boston Terrier Stella Bella out there to see her reaction to all the scary ghosts and goblins!

Another scary thing going on this halloween is the crazy housing and mortgage market going on in the States right now! There is a lot of debt and bad credit loans swirling around out there! Luckily there is a new consumer resource out there that is helping consumers in (or not in trouble) that is helping people review and compare multiple credit offers for things like home loans.

Diet Day 10: Happy Halloween!

2007-10-31T05:43:00.000-07:00

It is Halloween and for the first year of my existence I am doing pretty much nothing to celebrate it. And it is not the fault of the diet, Halloween just snuck up on me this year. Really, it just seemed to come out of nowhere! When did I get so old and boring?

I don't even have a costume for poor Stella Bella. Maybe I should stop on my way home and get one for her so that I can take her for a walk while all of the kids are out trick or treating. It is her first Halloween, afterall and she should get to be part of the fun! Regardless of whether I get the costume, I will definitely take her out to see what, if any, reaction she has to all of the little goblins and ghould running around.

My meeting went to late last night to catch all but the last two weigh-ins on Biggest Loser. If anyone knows how much weight the whiney girl from the red team who is now excersizing with the black team lost, please fill me in.

Oh and if you are wondering how badly I ended up cheating on my diet last night at dinner, I didn't. In fact, I did not end up eating dinner at all, which is also not good for the stupid diet. The whole premise of it is that I am supposed to be eating the proper things at the proper time. Ahh well, today is another day. A day filled with Apple sauce mixed in with cottage cheese and peaches. How wierd does that lunch sound?

Florida Vacation Plans

2007-10-30T13:41:00.000-07:00

So as anyone who has ever read about two of my blog entries knows, I am anxiously awaiting my holiday in Florida this February. I have never been and I am just soooo excited! With all luck, I am going to make it a road trip and the boyfriend and I can bring Stella Bella, our Boston terrier princess with us. The poor kitty, however, will have to stay with my mother and her two weirdo cats, but it is her own fault for hating roadtrips!

Anyway, despite the fact that I am anxiously anticipating my impending holiday, I am totally bummed to find out that I am going in the wrong month! Apparently, the time to be going to Florida is NOW! See the last Saturdays of both October and November are very special in Florida, specifically in St. Augustine, Florida. Especially if you are into antiquing at all. St. Marco Avenue, which is the antique district there, goes crazy celebrating these Events in St. Augustine. There are workshops and sales and parties and, my personal passion, books and author signings. I go crazy for that sort of thing!
I would consider changing my Florida vacationing plans but the thing is that the point of our vacation is supposed to be to visit Mark’s parents and, well, Mark’s parents aren’t even in Florida yet. They are still here in Toronto so I suppose that would make our change of vacation plans a little difficult to explain!

Day 9 Update: ARGGGGHHHH!

2007-10-30T13:33:00.000-07:00

Well, so much for my good diet day! One of the administrative girls here at work has not one, not two, but three...THREE bowls of Halloween treats at her desk. They have been here all week really but I was not even a little tempted until this afternoon when she dumped my favourite, super hard to find, molasses candies in there....grrr. Still, I have not strayed so far.

Oh, remember me mentioning that I have a client to meet tonight? Well she wants to meet over dinner. Now I am allowed one cheat per week but, after that whole nachos, cheese and beer fiasco at the Argo's game, I was not planning to use it this week.

Obviously, I will meet my client where she wants and I will simply have to do my best not to stray too far off the dieting track.