Life is busy

The end of the year rush is on at the office and parties are in full force, keeping my life busy and blessedly fulfilled.

Can you believe we're approaching another year so soon? It seems like only yesterday that I was celebrating last new year's - yet in some ways it does seem like a long time as 2008 was a year of adventure and expense!

I've lapsed in here the last little while and have missed you guys - but with curling, singing, pneumonia, house renovations etc. my life has been occupied.

Christmas will be spent in the laurentian mountains for about four days and then back to the "old smoke" for a week of R&R in this drafty little house.

Happy Christmas and Merry New Year to all .... in case I'm not on here before Jan 1.

Sorry - too busy, tired and occupied to say something insightful or brilliant.

The end of a life

Sad news this week. A few years ago I used to go to a great hairdresser who I just learned died over the week-end at the age of 52 of a heart attack! This funny and animated native Scotsman was an amazing stylist who worked and lived in the downtown core of Toronto. The big joke that people used to tell him was that he was a far better hair dresser than a bassist.

You see, this wonderful man, Kenny, was also a member of one of Canada's most popular "New Wave" 80's band called Platinum Blonde. This band had some great Canadian and international hits that filled the airwaves with funky music while girls donned their shoulder pads and frizzed their hair with lots of hairspray.

Music never left his life, even though the 80s are long gone. Perhaps he just liked styling hair - which he certainly had with the band! On his own, he released three solo albums - including one that was just released this month! A previous album was produced by the same producer who did my CD last year.

The Canadian music community is in mourning this week along with many of his hair dressing clients like myself.

A real life illustration as to why it's impotant to clean your house ducts!!!

When I sadly had to begin to turn on the heat this Autumn I started to get really stuffed up and sneezy. Lucky for me, I decided to change the duct work in my new (to me) home. This is what we discovered. I doubt the ducts had been cleaned since the house was built ... 55 years ago!!! Now I'm hoping that all this dust is gone that my sinus' will clear up.

Oh Deer!!!

The poor thing is looking straight at me ... but look at the next picture to accurately see where I was taking this photo from!

The tranquility of a cool autumn morning

Autumn Leaves

Leaves that have fallen ....







and leaves still on the trees ....


now back to the concrete city home from the holidays.

On Vacation

Tomorrow is my last day of work before heading up to the family cottage ......
for some Laurentian Mountain autumn splendor......

It has been a very long time since I've really had a relaxing break. I hope that the first week will be one of reading and relaxing.

The second week will be a bit more active as my friend Jim will be joining me and we'll go on adventure side trips to places like Montreal ....

Chateau Montebello (the world's largest "log cabin") .......

..... and Mt. Tremblant....

Summer ... curling???

I spent this past week-end in the little Thousand Island village of Gananoque. This is the place where I have many very happy boating memories with my ex Barry. However, I wasn't there to visit friends or go boating - but to participate in a curling competition at the local arena.

Curling is considered a winter sport, which usually starts up in October. It's only the really crazy or really avid curlers who curl in the summer. I guess me and the rest of the team can fit into both categories.

Summer curling can be much different than winter curling because the outside temperature can dramatically change and/or alter the ice conditions. Ice conditions can also be different in an arena instead of a regular curling club. This was the case in Gananoque.

Our team is made up of very experienced curlers - some of us being winners of large championships too. But this didn't matter - it really was a disadvantage! That's because it took your entire strength just to get the rock to slide down to the other end of the ice sheet! (referred to the term "the ice was extremely heavy"). This took the entire precision out of the game. We struggled trying to cling on to the precision that we're known for - but it didn't matter. Instead, people who had only been curling for one year were beating us. As well, there were many patches of frost where you had no gliding ability and then without warning you hit a patch of ice that was as slippery as a fish. Two people actually fell, hitting their heads and having to go for stitches!

Curling is a sport that's hard on your quad leg muscles. And, if you haven't used these muscles in the curling manner for some time - you'll hurt the next day. Ha! next day .... it's been three days and I still am a "hurting unit". I don't feel so bad because my entire team is in the same condition - we've all been avoiding stairs as much as possible because - ouwww - it hurts to walk up and especially down them. The good news is that league play begins in a month and hopefully this pain will give us the upper hand then.

Despite this bizarre curling experience we had a tonne of fun. I'll be curling with these people in league play and competition this upcoming winter and I really look forward to it. If I can get thru a competition like the one we just experienced - I think I can get thru anything with them. Oh, and I won some bungee cords out of the entire thing as well.

This upcoming week-end should be fun too. I'm heading out to Port Dover with that "mild mannered blogging teacher" and a bunch of friends.

Adios for now!

Niagara Falls

This past week-end I had my 14 year old nephew and a friend come down from the Ottawa region for the week-end. On Saturday, we took a trip down to Niagara Falls

Nephew - Jeremiah and his friend Ryan looking over at the US part of Niagara Falls with their toques on. It was about 30C, but they don't care because they're cool (In their own minds).

The Canadian Falls (above and below).

They sure love skate boarding ... Now I'm off for some well deserved sleep!

Closet renovation

This is a picture of my closet then ... (above)

and my closet now .... (2 below)

... and below are pictures of its transformation ...

This couldn't have been accomplished in the one week without the help of my dear friend Jim, shown here.

Hockey Song

Canadian sports is up in arms because our public broadcaster lost the rights to use their "Hockey Night in Canada" theme song, which has been airing for over 40 years. To replace this song, which many refer to as Canada's second national anthem, CBC is having a contest to replace the tune http://anthemchallenge.cbc.ca/

However, before this CBC anthem was written, Canada really had a hockey song - written by Stompin Tom Conners, seen here on UTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZWxErEbQkY . And, then there's my favourite hockey song, which I couldn't find on UTube. It's called the Hockey Song and the lyrics are below.

So, why worry about a silly hockey theme when, as illustrated here, Canada actually has many hockey songs ...

Me Like Hockey, by the Arrogant Worms

Me work hard five days a week
Sweeping garbage from the street
Come home not want book to read
Not 'nuff pictures for me see
Sit right down in favourite chair
Wearing only underwear
Favourite night is Saturday night
'Cause me can watch hockey fights
Me like hockey! Me like hockey!

Me no like pro basketball
'Cause me short and they all tall
Baseball slow like Forrest Gump
'Cept when Robbie spits on ump
Wrestlemania not so great
Me like to see Hulk Hogan skate
TV soccer not that hot
You play bad then you get shot
Me like hockey! Me like hockey!

Swedish players must be geeks
'Cause they still got own real teeth
Not like Finnish players names
What's a Teemu anyway?
Russians worst in history
Got stupid names like Valerie
Me like Sergei Federov
Me like him more if head were off
Ha ha ha!
Me like hockey! Me like hockey!
Me like hockey! We like hockey!

Please mister linesman let the players fight
Please mister linesman let the players fight
Please mister linesman let the players fight
Please mister linesman let the players fight
Let them fight, let them fight, let them fight
Let them fight, let them fight, let them fight
Let them fight, let them fight!

Friends come over put game on
Argue then we lay bets down
Got bag of chips and case of Bud
Should last 'til end of first period
But yankees they win the world cup
Me think they cheat use glowy puck
Maybe if we want to win her
Maybe we should play in winter
Me like hockey! Me like hockey!
Me like hockey! Me like hockey!

Yeah!

Progress ...

This summer so far has certainly been different for me. Partly because I’m in my own home and am spending every extra penny I earn on it – and also because my evenings are now spent doing renovation work – the days are speeding by very quickly.

In my last blog I said I was going to start insulating the basement – but that’s now on hold. I’ve bought five basement windows that are being made currently and want to install them before the insulation goes in. In the meantime, I’ve been attacking my bedroom closets. The configuration of these closets was crazy. Both had small doors and were either four or five feet deep. With the guidance and help of my dear friend and curling teammate Jim, I’ve widened one to 6.5 feet (approx 2 metres) and shortened the depth of the other one to 2.5 deep (approx .760 metres). The demolition and moving the wall (in between the closets) was crazy. Currently I’m almost finished the drywall steps and so it will be ready for priming tomorrow. I’ve found a closet system created by Rubbermaid, which will allow me to maximize my closet space and give me the closet of my dreams. I’m really happy because I haven’t had the proper space to organize and put all my clothes away properly. The windows should be arriving in a week or two – so I’ll have a couple of weeks off before doing the room downstairs. In September I tackle the roof (which I’m hiring friends who’ve done this work before to do for me).

Wow, I never thought I’d get so excited over closets and basements!!! But, I consider myself blessed to have the friends around who have knowledge about renovation and electrical wiring to make my dream of having a perfect little house come true.

Before and after pictures of the closet to follow.

TGIS

... otherwise known as "Thank God it's summer"!

I can hardly believe that July is almost upon us. This means that both Canada and the U.S.A. will be celebrating their birthdays.

On July 1st, Canada will be 141 years old (nothing compared to the motherlands of Europe - but still old for a child). People will be lighting up barbecue grills, fireworks and campfires all over the nation while consuming some of the nation's most popular beverages - namely beer and hoards of food.

My office is closed on Monday, the day preceding the holiday, so I've decided to take the entire week off along with (today) this Friday. In about an hour I head up to Quebec to spend some days with my folks but will only be there for about five days as I am going to begin the installation of insulation in my basement on Thursday.

My goal this summer is to complete one basement room from top to bottom and have the entire basement insulated. In September I'm also having my roof done.

sigh .... all good stuff to do, but no serious travel for me this year.

See ya'll when I get back

Celebrating 100 years of Canada's most famous novel

On June 20, 1908, Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery of Prince Edward Island (PEI) Canada, received the first edition of her soon to be immensely popular novel Anne of Green Gables.

It started small: a few thousand copies of a first novel by an author from a small provincial island on the northeast corner of the North American continent, released by a Boston publisher whose first inclination was to send Montgomery a rejection letter.

In 100 years, Anne of Green Gables has grown into its own industry. The book has been published in 33 languages; Montgomery wrote seven sequels, and a prequel was recently published with the consent of her heirs. There have been two movies for the big screen, six for television, and three television series (the first an anime version produced in Japan). The Charlottetown, PEI Festival's stage version is the longest running musical in Canadian history and is making a claim to be the world record holder in that category.

Anne has made Prince Edward Island famous around the world and is at the centre of a tourism industry crucial to the province's economy.

Personally, Anne of Green Gables was one of my favourite books as a young adolescent and so it's for this reason that I celebrate this special 100th anniversary.

Frustrated with blog videos

Hi folks,

Hope all is well. I've been trying to upload my short (less than 100MB) movies onto blogger, but to no avail. My videos are in AVI format so they should upload ... grrr

I've been busy with work, a show I was in a couple of weeks ago and house renovations (which are coming along very slowly).

This week-end I'm going to be brave with my bad arm (still) and paint the hallway. I'm tired of staring at plain white .... so boring! I'm also having friends over tomorrow night and spending time with friends on Sunday night. Oh, I'm also singing a duet on Sunday too (oh how I love singing)

Lannio
xx

I Love long week-ends!

Today marks the unofficial start of summer in Canada with what is officially known as the May 2-4 week-end. While the 24th May may actually be next week-end this year, Canadian’s get the third Monday of every May off to celebrate Queen Victoria’s birthday. While this Queen may have “ruled” the British Commonwealth up until January 1901 – so most of us weren’t alive when she was – we don’t care because she gave us a day off! Yippie!

After living through the snowy winters and spring thaw, this week-end is the time when Canadians rejoice and celebrate the warmer temperatures and longer days with an extra day off.

This week-end brings back many mories for me. For years it was the week-end we'd open up the cottage and see all our summer friends for the first time in six months. My strongest memories have to do with the lake - where most of the time I'd try to brave the cold lake water for a swim and maybe even a waterski. However last year and 1978 stand in my mind as being exceptional because we had exceptionally warm springs both years and were able to enjoy a lake temperature of around 22C.

I'm heading to the lake in a couple of hours but will not attempt a swim this year!

I leave you with some song lyrics by the Canadian musical group Rush, who with this song refer to their own May 2-4 memories.

....... Everyone would gather

On the twenty-fourth of May

Sitting in the sand

To watch the fireworks display

Dancing fires on the beach

Singing songs together...

Though it's just a memory

Some memories last forever

Thank goodness for Spring

I've been busy, but spent time today weeding my lawn and doing renovations to a basement room. Here's a picture of my front lawn, underneath the wonderful pine tree.

Here's my backyard - a mixture of mud and weeds!

And here's my basement room, in the midst of renovations.

Wish You Were Here

Hello my friends. It has been a long time since I've been here - but life is still so wonderfully busy. All the snow is melted, it's been in the 20 degree range so I'm starting to see what type of vegetation is supported on this little piece of land that I jointly own with the bank.

Wish you were here .....

Snow .....

Hellooooo.... I'm back. This winter has been crazy with the move, my job, the new house, several pinched nerves in my right arm affecting the use of my right hand and the general chores and fix-ups that come with having a new house.

Here are some pictures that I took last weekend. Toronto is close to having a winter snowfall record. This is what my yard and immediate neighbourhood looked like after our latest dump. Its hard to believe that I live in Canada's largest city. When I'm home, I feel like my house is situated in a small town.

Taking a Break

To Live is to be busy
To be busy is to Live

My life has been extra busy these days with work, curling (canada's favourite winter sport across all provinces), singing and my upcoming move (Jan 30th).

I haven't had any time to really spend on this and don't anticipate that I will for the next couple of weeks of so.

However, I wish all a Happy New Year and send my love

These are exciting and exhausting days for me right now and I hope to share them with you when I get back.

Bisous