Saw this on Yahoo and had a chuckle. I'm sure that the U.S. government is unhappy about this. They are unhappy about anything that they can't control by bullying and scare tactics.

The government down south of the border is so stupid. Don't they see that by decriminalizing it, it'll cut down on the so-called abuse and criminal activity that they are so concerned about. I wish they had the balls to do the same thing that our government is doing. It's not making it legal to sell or grow, just to possess. Talk about making mountains out of mole-hills.

U.S. Unhappy About Proposed Canadian Law on Pot
By David Ljunggren

OTTAWA (Reuters) - The United States drug czar on Wednesday said Canada's decision to decriminalize marijuana would increase drug use and crime and would therefore pose a threat to U.S. citizens.

Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien on Tuesday said he would soon introduce legislation to decriminalize the possession and cultivation of small amounts of marijuana to prevent casual users from gaining a criminal record.

But John Walters, director of the White House office of National Drug Control Policy, said the policy made little sense and would not cut crime.

"We have to be concerned about American citizens... when you make the penalties minimal you get more drug use, you get more drug addiction, you get more drug production, you get more drug crime," he told CBC television from Washington.

"That's what seems to me to be a little bit in denial in the debate I'm hearing from Canada. It's your decision but I don't think the facts line up in a way that's consistent or makes much sense, especially given the brutal history you've watched right across the border here in the United States."

Chretien stressed he did not intend to legalize pot use and said the new law on decriminalization would be accompanied by a crackdown on the drugs trade.

U.S. police say Canada, with an estimated illegal drug market of C$14 billion ($9.8 billion), has surpassed Mexico as a source of illegal drugs for the United States.

Washington, which is concerned about the increasing amount of potent Canadian marijuana flowing south, has suggested it could tighten controls on the two countries' long joint border if Ottawa presses ahead with decriminalization. This could have a crippling effect on the Canadian economy.

Canadian Foreign Minister Bill Graham said Ottawa would discuss the proposed law with U.S. officials and pointed out that some U.S. states had taken similar measures on pot.

"I hope we'll be able to explain to our American colleagues that we're working on this... we have to eliminate the use of drugs but (the) way in which we're going to do it is similar to (that chosen by) many of their own states," he told reporters.

Ottawa is looking into a proposed system whereby people possessing and cultivating marijuana in amounts less than 1.1 ounces (30 grams) would receive a ticket -- similar to that for a traffic violation -- and a fine. About 20,000 Canadians a year are convicted for the use of marijuana.

This-or-That Tuesday for April 29: The *Take Comfort* Edition

Which is more comforting for you...

1. Lying down on the couch, or stretching out on a recliner?
The couch, I'm not a big fan of recliners.

2. Going barefoot or wearing soft slippers?
In the summer, barefoot, in the winter, warm fuzzy slippers.

3. Eating ice cream, or pizza?
Ice Cream.

4. Watching on TV...a classic movie or a reality show?
Classic Movies, definitely. I hate "reality" television.

5. Wearing: blue jeans or sweat pants?
Sweat pants, I could live in them!

6. A long, soothing bubble bath or a quick, invigorating shower?
A soak in a bubble bath is so relaxing!

7. Furniture: leather, or something more on the fuzzy side?
Leather, I find it more comfortable and easier to look after.

8. Soft, classical music, or upbeat rock & roll?
Neither. I prefer indie pop stuff.

9. Darkness or light?
Darkness.

10. Thought-provoking question of the week: You get married, or otherwise begin cohabitating with a significant other. S/he moves into your place, but brings with them the UGLIEST chair you have ever seen! You really don't want this thing in your home, but SO says it is the most comfy chair s/he has ever sat in, and no way will they part with it. Do you: grin and bear it, or scheme to get rid of the montrosity somehow?
It's their chair, you can't get rid of it. Perhaps though it could be recovered with a mutually agreeable fabric.

It's Monday, and I know this is really late but cut me some slack please, I was away on Friday...here's the April 25th edition of the Friday Five:

1. What was the last TV show you watched?
I'm a little embarrassed to admit this but it was today's episode of Dr. Phil. I know that a lot of folks can't stand him and I must admit that when I saw him on Oprah, I didn't like him one bit. I do watch his show though from time to time. Today's was a bit of a suck-ass show because it was clips of him appearing on other shows (Letterman, Leno, Frasier...etc.) but I needed something on in the background as I did my laundry.

2. What was the last thing you complained about?
The cold. It's nice outside but kind of cold and damp in our house. It's just the time of the year. We ran the furnace a little last night but I'm not going to do that today because I know it'll be really nice in a few hours or so.

3. Who was the last person you complimented and what did you say?
It was a fellow named Norm who I met on the weekend. He had given our friends Kat & Peet a painting as a wedding gift and it was beautiful. When I was introduced to him I told him how much I liked it. It was really lovely.

4. What was the last thing you threw away?
Bakery boxes this morning. We had stopped at a Chinese bakery at Broadview & Gerrard yesterday on our way out of Toronto and I tossed the crumbs and the boxes this morning. If you're talking about something more substantial than just garbage, right before that, I threw out the broken arm from the chair in our computer room / office.

5. What was the last website (besides this one) that you visited?
It was Blogger. I needed to get into my account so I could post my Friday Five answers.

I'm just checking in from out of town. We've been in Toronto since Thursday and have seen a noticible difference in the traffic, most likely due to SARS.

When we checked into our hotel on Thursday, the fellow instantly offered us a "seasonal special" (appropriate name if the season is "SARS") and discounted our room rate for the whole 3 nights. Not too bad. Mark asked if they were at 60% occupancy and he replied, "um, not quite." Yeah, more like not quite 40%. It was so quiet and lovely. I mean, it's too bad that their business is being affected but it's good for us. We went down to the pool to soak in the whirlpool yesterday afternoon and we were the only ones in the place. It was so nice.

Yesterday morning when we went down to Kensington Market, we had no trouble at all getting parked. On a Friday!! That's unheard of. Crazy. We stopped by Mark's favourite Chinese bakery and there was no one else in there. Ordinarily, there would be a lineup out the door. It's eerie. We did see one woman walking around with a face mask on but it looked like she had made it herself and it wasn't really covering her face very well. I couldn't tell if she was afraif of SARS or just kinda crazy.

The wedding last night was nice, the ceremony I mean. It was outside at Edwards Gardens and the sun was shining. It was on the side of a hill by a lovely fountain and Kat and Peet looked beautiful, really happy. It was the first time I'd seen Kat since she got pregnant and she's got a little bump now. It's hard to imagine how much their lives will change in the fall when the twins are born. I'm just so happy for them. They both seemed to be floating around yesterday. Funny thing about weddings is that they are almost never about the couple who are getting hitched up and almost always about the parents. Kat and Peet seemed cool with that, I know that her dad organized everything so it wasn't probably what their taste would be but it appeased the family and the parental units so they can have their own party later on down the road and do things their way.

Anyway, I should scoot, sitting here is being anti-social. enjoy the rest of the weekend, I know I will (we may even see Matt Barber at the elmo later! woohoo).

Happy weekend all. I won't be around again until Sunday as we're heading out of town for the weekend.

Enjoy!

Odd google search of the day:

bread flour pictures pressure girls explosions

what the...?

Odd isn't it? What some folks will use the internet for. Well it's hump day again and I'm glad. Tomorrow, mid-day, I'm outta here and we're off to the big city for a wedding and a break. We'll be there for a few days of fun and rest and visiting with friends and seeing the Kat woman get married. I've been so looking forward to it.

I don't have much to post today but I will say one thing, one should not have to wear a scarf to work in April. I hate spring snow storms!

It's time for This-or-That Tuesday again, The *What Is* Edition

What Is...

1. Yummier: Chocolate ice cream or strawberry cheesecake?
Strawberry Cheesecake, definitely!

2. Better to watch on TV: Movies or sports?
Given that I absolutely hate watching sport, TV movies wins.

3. A better web browser: MSIE or Netscape (or tell us your own favorite!)
I love Netscape and use it for all of my secure transactions but I use IE more often, lately.

4. A better way to travel: Automobile or bus/train?
Depends on the destination. I love road trips in a car with another person but if you're travelling alone, the train is a more ecological way to travel (not to mention, relaxing!).

5. Your preferred camera: Digital or film?
Digital, I have a Kodak DX3600 with video.

6. A Cooler Vehicle: Motorcycle or sports car?
A really big old Harley is cooler than a sports car.

7. More fun: Video games or board games?
Video games are easier to play when you're alone than board games. I prefer card games to both.

8. Sexier: A perfect body or an intelligent mind?
An Intelligent mind. Duh!

9. A stinkier smell: Skunk or gasoline (petrol)?
Skunk.

10. Thought-provoking question of the week: What is more important to you: making a ton of money and being at the top of your field, or finding your soulmate and living a comfortable but not wealthy life?
Finding someone to love, who you can share your life with is far more valuable than any amount of money in the world.

I almost forgot to mention one of the high-lights of yesterday. We got to see my cousin Matt's film project, Where's Peter's Pecker? It was wonderful (and I'm not just saying that because it's my cousin's film). It was hilarious and very well put together. I hope that he's good and proud of himself because he's done an excellent job! Here is an article which was featured recently in the Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal:

Nail-bitting time for film students
By Kris Ketonen - The Chronicle-Journal
April 11, 2003

Expect some squirming and thumb biting this weekend at Confederation College as members of the film program’s graduating class show their efforts to an audience for the first time.

And while it makes for some nerve-wracking moments, the value to a filmmaker of a full-fledged screening can’t be denied, program instructor Dennis Austin said.

You never really know how good a film is until it’s on the big screen in front of an audience. It’s what Austin called the “Zen of the whole thing.”

There will be 23 short films shown this weekend at the college’s lecture theatre. They cover all subject matter, from comedy to drama, experimental to animation. And they go to various extremes.

Matthew Cook’s film, Where’s Peter’s Pecker?, is a comedy about a man who loses his penis. Brent Fitzmaurice describes his offering, Little Things, as a dark All in the Family, where Archie kills Edith in the end. He’s been driven crazy by all those little things.

The students bring these films through all stages of development. They have to pitch ideas to instructors, who act as producers. The students need to convince them the ideas are worth backing.

Instructor James Eastwood said those ideas get “pounded.”

But films aren’t really censored for subject matter, as long as they’re within reason, Eastwood said. One thing that could scuttle a project, for example, is if the cast or crew could be put in danger while filming.

Once the students successfully run that gauntlet, production begins. They assemble a crew — mainly from other students in the class — audition and cast actors for the roles, secure locations in the city, film and finally edit the picture.

Then it’s all laid out there on the line at the gala film night.

“I’m looking forward to showing it to an audience,” Cook, 24, said. “My main goal is I just want to make people laugh, and hopefully I can do that with this film.”

But those audience reactions are a tricky thing, the 20-year-old Fitzmaurice said.

“You’re putting everything that you thought would be good in a film,” he said. “If it turned out bad or if someone doesn’t laugh at a moment where you thought it would be a guaranteed laugh, I can see it being very, very stressful.”

There could well be some real gems up there on the screen this weekend, Eastwood said. The two-year program and its students have won their share of awards for past projects.

However, the program doesn’t chase awards. If it did, Eastwood said, it would likely mean all the resources would go into just a few projects. With the current format, every student gets a chance to make a film if they choose.

Then again, there’s nothing worse then an accidentally brilliant film, Eastwood and Austin say. It could give students an inflated sense of ability, which could lead to a rude awakening when they’re out in the real world.

There’s no denying the learning inherent in failure, Austin said.

“It’s better to miss a high mark,” he said, “than nail a low mark.”

Whatever happens this weekend, Cook and Fitzmaurice are both confident the skills they’ve learned at the college’s hands-on film program will prepare them well for what awaits on real movie sets.

In fact, making Little Things was “one of the best experiences of my life,” Fitzmaurice said.

“I was thinking about going to other film colleges,” he said. “This one, you can’t beat it. Once you get here, they hand you a camera within a month to make a movie.

“In any other film school, you’re lucky to touch a camera in your third year.”

The films will show tonight, Saturday and Sunday in the college lecture theatre, with a 7 p.m. start. Tickets are free, but go quickly.

The weather today just suits my mood. It reminds me of a line from a Smiths' song, "I wear black on the outside, black as I feel on the inside." I don't feel black today but I do feel grey and dull, just like the weather.

I did not want to get out of bed this morning. I couldn't believe how tired I was. Last night, it was almost 10:30 before we got to bed. That's almost unheard of for us, particularly on a school night. Yes, that's right, unlike 1/2 of the province, both Mark and I are working today. I know that here in my office, there are only 3 of us in today so at least it should be quiet. It's particularly dark and dreary today. It's raining quite hard and it doesn't look like it will be letting up any time soon. I hope it does but one never knows.

We had a nice weekend but I can't believe that it's over. We had dinner at my Aunt's place last night. She lives in Smiths Falls, about an hour north of here. It was a lot of fun and I got to see some family who I hadn't seen in a long time. My mum's brother and his wife were visiting from Alberta and they had brought their son with them (he lives in Montreal). I think it had been about 10 years since I saw him (Dan) and it's been over five since I'd seen my Uncle Mike and Aunt Karen. Mum and dad were out west to visit them last summer but I'd not seen them since they came home when my grandmother passed away in 1997. It feels a little odd that all of us grand kids are now, technically, "grown ups." It doesn't really feel like it but I guess we are.

This is a short week for us. On Thursday afternoon we're heading into Toronto for a wedding. The wedding is on Friday but we didn't want to have to rush into town on the fly and get to the wedding so we thought we'd go in the night before and make a long weekend of it. We'll be there for 3 days. From what I've heard, we'll have the hotel basically to ourselves with the SARS scare. They have been reporting on the news that tourism in the GTA is down a lot and that suits me down to the ground. I am not going to be scared into staying home and hiding because of SARS. I'm just looking forward to the wedding and the break away from home. It'll be like a mini-holiday for us and after all that's been going on with us this spring, we need it!

I'm not usually a judgemental person. I understand that people are different and have various interests, some of which may make no sense to me. Having said that, here are some search words folks have used this week to find my web page:

"suprised girls in the shower pictures" & "women pissing through straws"

The shower thing I sort of get but the pissing through a straw thing just seems rather odd to me.

Happy weekend all!

It's so nice to have a Friday off. Mark took the day off too so we're gonna bum around the house together (Yay!).

Here's this week's edition of the Friday Five:

1. Who is your favorite celebrity?

I don't think that I have one. I have favourite actors or musicians but I don't really like a lot of the true "celebrity" types. The folks I really like are mostly artists.

2. Who is your least favorite?

Celine Dion, followed closely by Shania Twain. As a Canadian, I'm ashamed that they are associated with my country. They are not representative of the Canadian music scene in any way. In fact, they don't even live here anymore. I think that they are both talentless skanks and can't stomach either one of them (either seeing photos of them or hearing them "sing" -- if that's what you want to call it).

3. Have you ever met or seen any celebrities in real life?

Lots and lots. I used to work in radio and I have travelled a fair bit and it seems like I've seen a lot of famous folks while away from home. Notable sightings: Kurt Russell at Pearson Airport (looking rather disheveled first thing in the morning), John Goodman on Decatur Street in New Orleans (looking rather drunk), Atom Egoyan in my office (looking dapper, he was receiving an honourary degree) and Marvin Hamlish in the Carnegie Deli in NYC. I've met a tonne of musicians, authors and actors but they are more of the "artist" rather than actual "celebrity" category. I have also met a lot of political types. Probably the most famous person I ever met and spent time with Dr Carl Sagan. He was a wonderful, inspirational man and was very generous with his time.

4. Would you want to be famous? Why or why not?

If it happened, I would accept it. I would prefer to become famous because I did something really wonderful and useful which helps people and not because someone pants me while I was meeting the Prime Minister or something.

5. If you had to trade places with a celebrity for a day, who would you choose and why?

I can't think of anyone in particular but it would be interesting to walk around in the shoes of an actress who was working on a film. I'd be really interesting to see how much work they actually have to do (I know how much work the crew has to do as friends of mine are in the industry) in a film.

A friend sent me this, I thought that any of you hockey widows out there will appreciate it:

her diary...
Saturday night I thought he was acting weird. We had made plans to meet at a bar to have a drink I was shopping with my friends all day long , so I thought he was upset at the fact that I was a bit late, but he made no comment. Conversation wasn't flowing so I suggested that we go somewhere quiet so we could talk, he agreed but he kept quiet and absent. When I asked him what was wrong, he said nothing. I asked him if it was my fault that he was upset. He said it had nothing to do with me and not to worry.

On the way home I told him that I loved him, he simply smiled and kept driving. I can't explain his behavior; I don't know why he didn't say I love you too. When we got home I felt as if had lost him, as if he wanted nothing to do with me anymore. He just sat there and watched TV he seemed distant and absent. Finally I decided to go to bed, about 10 minutes later he came to bed and to my surprise he responded to my caress and we made love, but I still felt that he was distracted and his thoughts were somewhere else. I decided that I could not take it anymore so I decided to confront him with the situation, but he had fallen asleep.

I started crying and cried until I too fell asleep. I don't know what to do. I'm almost sure that his thoughts are with someone else.

My life is a disaster.

his diary...
Today the Leafs lost.
At least I got laid.

I'm really happy that this is a short week.

In addition to having Friday off, I have booked Thursday afternoon off. I don't know what I'm doing yet, possibly nothing. I'm glad that I'm doing it though, I've been exhausted all week and really feel like I need a break. The only thing we have planned for the weekend is dinner at my Aunt's on Sunday. My uncle and his wife are here visiting from Alberta so we'll get to see them on Sunday too. It's been about 5.5 years since I've seen them.

I am working on Monday, we don't that particular holiday for some reason but Mark and I have a short week next week too as we're going out of town next Thursday for a wedding. It'll be nice to get away for a few days, I'm really looking forward to it. I'm just really looking forward to feeling more energetic. The time change and the change in the weather is really getting to me. I feel like a huge wimp for complaining but there you go.

I didn't have much to say yesterday. It was Monday, I was sort of tired. It was Mark's birthday though so we had a nice dinner out with his dad last night.

Today is Tuesday, again, and here is the "This-or-That-Tuesday" again:

1. File taxes as early as possible, or wait until the last possible minute?
I almost always wait until the bitter end (which, in Canada is April 30).

2. File electronically, or mail paper forms?
Traditionally mail paper forms but this year we are using E-File.

3. Prepare your own taxes, or have someone do it for you?
Always do it myself.

4. Are you a saver or a spender?
A spender.

5. Do you prefer to carry cash, or pay with plastic (credit/debit cards), or by check?
Debit cards. I don't know where my check book is to be honest.

6. You're broke and desperately need a job, but the only places that are hiring are retail or fast food places. Which would you pick?
Retail. I have worked in retail before and it wasn't the most hideous job I've ever had.

7. Keeping track of your money: are you more meticulous or careless about it?
Absolutely meticulous. I always know, to the penny, how much we have in each of our accounts.

8. What do you do if you find yourself with a lot of change weighing down your purse/pocket/wallet? Do you try to spend it to *get rid of it*, or do you put it in a jar or a piggy bank?
We have a jar at home and we roll it up. Those twoonies and loonies can quickly add up to some serious money.

9. Which form of fake money do you like better...Monopoly money or those chocolate coins covered with gold foil?
Monopoly money, I like the feel of the bills.

10. Thought-provoking question of the week: You find a wallet containing $5,000 in cash, as well as several credit cards and the owner's drivers' license. Your rent is due tomorrow and you're short $200. Do you take the money (some or all of it) and mail back the wallet anonymously...or do you return the wallet with all contents intact?
I would return the wallet with all contents intact.

I'm feeling really pooped right now. I got sick on Friday night and it's left me feeling kind yucky all weekend. Not yucky exactly I guess, just out of sorts.

Yesterday it was gorgeous and warm and sunny and I did a lot of running around. I had been to the recycle centre, for groceries and was back home to do a second load of laundry before 9 a.m. I also went out shopping with my mum for a while in the morning. We hadn't done that in a long time. We didn't go too far, just to Michael's and to this big ass dollar store. It's new though and they have a lot of cool stuff so we were there for a while. I needed quite a few things and was able to find them there.

One of the things I was able to find there was foaming, spray, bathroom cleaner. Now I know that this stuff is really evil and bad for the environment but I like using the Lysol stuff. We have really hard water here and it's one of the few things that I can use on my bathroom that works (without me having to break my arm scrubbing - seriously). I found a no-name version of it at the dollar store. I think that Lysol has stopped making their version of it because I haven't been able to find it anywhere for ages. I'm not sure if it'll work but for $2 I thought it was worth a try.

Tomorrow is Mark's birthday but we're celebrating it today because we both have to work tomorrow. He's opened his presents already and we went out for a nice breakfast this morning. I got him the DVD box of Futurama Season One for his birthday. He was really surprised and happy and immediately had to see the I, Roommate episode. On the way home we stopped off at Home Depot so we have a few little projects that we're going to putter at today. Other than that though, it's going to be an easy day. I don't want to feel out of sorts like this for much longer.

It's really not as fun as I'm sure it sounds.

Once again, it's the Friday Five:

1. What was the first band you saw in concert?
I went to my first concert at age 12. This was not my choice but rather my parent's. We went to the Ottawa Ex at Lansdowne Park and saw Kenny Rogers and Dotti West. The first concert I went to on my own (with my friends) was at age 15 and it was April Wine. Yuck huh?

2. Who is your favorite artist/band now?
I can't actually say that I have one favourite artist/band. My favourite British band at the moment is Hefner. My favourite girl singer is Kirsty MacColl. My favourite British singer-song writer is Billy Bragg. My favourite Scottish band is Belle and Sebastian. My favourite American alt.country band is Wilco. One of my favourite American pop bands is Fountains of Wayne. One of my favourite American singer-songwriter is probably Jonathan Richman. My favourite Canadian roots type guy is Fred Eaglesmith and one of my favourite Canadian singer-songwriters is Ron Sexsmith. Honestly, I have too many favourite Canadian bands and artists to list just one so I'd best stop now.

3. What's your favorite song?
I don't have one favourite song. I have many favourite songs. Amongst those in heavy rotation this week are: Across the Universe - The Beatles, Poses - Rufus Wainwright, The Sylvia Hotel - Zumpano and Streets of Baltimore - Gram Parsons.

4. If you could play any instrument, what would it be?
I'd love to learn how to the play the guitar.

5. If you could meet any musical icon (past or present), who would it be and why?
Yikes. Good question. In my life I've met a few musical icons already and I'm always terrified to meet someone who I truly admire and respect for fear of being let down. I would have loved to have had the opportunity to meet Kirsty MacColl. She was an amazing, under-appreciated talent. I've been huge of hers for many many years. Her music moves me and affects me more deeply than I would have ever imagined. I don't know that I will ever get over her death. To this day, to think about it makes me so sad that I just want to put on Titanic Days and cry...and some days, I do.

Just just the facts:

1. It is Thursday
2. I am tired
3. I don't have anything really interesting to say today

A mid-week joke:

An airplane was about to crash; there were 5 passengers on board but only 4 parachutes.

The 1st passenger said, "I am Kobe Bryant, the best NBA basketball player, the Lakers need me, I can't afford to die." So he took the 1st pack and left the plane

The 2nd passenger, Hillary Clinton said, "I am the wife of the former US President, NY State Senator and a potential future president." So she took the 2nd pack and jumped out of the plane.

The 3rd passenger, George W. Bush, said, "I'm the president of the United States of America. I have great responsibility being the leader of a superpower nation. And I am the cleverest president in American history, so America's people won't let me die." So he grabbed the pack next to him and jumped out of the plane.

The 4th passenger, the Pope, said to the 5th passenger, a 10 year old schoolgirl, "I am old and frail and don't have many years left, and as a Catholic I will sacrifice my life and let you have the last parachute."

The girl said, "It's okay, there is a parachute left for you. America's cleverest president just took my schoolbag."

Here is my first attempt at "This or That Tuesday," today's is the "who is" edition:

1. Sexier (female)...Pamela Anderson or Jennifer Garner?
Not much of a choice but I'd have to say Jennifer Garner because Pamela is just too plastic and skanky to be considered sexy.

2. Sexier (male)...Ben Affleck or Matt Damon?
I don't find either particularly sexy but I think that Matt is cuter than Ben.

3. The better piano player...Billy Joel or Elton John?
Elton John.

4. Funnier...David Letterman or Craig Kilborn?
Again, not two guys I particularly like so I'd have to say Letterman.

5. The dumber cartoon cat...Stimpy (of *Ren & Stimpy*) or Tom (of *Tom & Jerry*)?
Without a doubt, Stimpy.

6. A better news anchor...Tom Brokaw or Dan Rather?
Definitely Dan Rather.

7. A better TV chef...Emeril Lagasse or Jacques Pepin?
Hands down, Jacques Pepin. Emeril is a poseur.

8. The trashier talk show host...Maury Povich or Jerry Springer?
Jerry's guests are trashier but Maury is just creepy now. He has way too many "sexy" 12 year olds on his show nowadays.

9. The worse fast food burger joint...McDonald's or Burger King?
McDonald's. Always has been, always will be.

10. Thought-provoking question of the week: Only a handful of U.S. Presidents have been considered to be *great* Of the following two, which one do you consider to be greater...Franklin D. Roosevelt or Abraham Lincoln? Why?
I'm not an American and therefore cannot comment on this. I think that the greatest Canadian PM was Pierre Truedeau though.

Friends who can make you laugh on a Monday are worth their weight in chocolate!! One of mine sent this to me this afternoon:

It's only the first Monday of the month and already I can see that it's going to be completely nutso busy until the 30th.

It feels like every spare moment for the month of April is being filled up. Mark's birthday is next Monday and we had hoped to get up to Ottawa this weekend to see my brother and his band play. It's not looking like we're going to make it though. We have a wedding in Toronto at the end of the month and we're watching our pennies until that happens. We decided that if we had to go in for 2 nights, we might as well go for 3 and make it a little mini-holiday. It should be fun but we have a lot to do between now and then.

I found out on the weekend that my uncle and his wife will be in the area on Easter Weekend. They live in Alberta and I haven't seen them since my grandmother's funeral in 1997 so we'll be seeing them that weekend. My aunt in Smiths Falls is hosting a big family meal at her place on Easter Sunday. Should be a lot of fun. Mark still hasn't met all of my aunts and uncles but this should go a long way to getting him acquainted with the Forbes contingent. We'll be taking his dad with us too, if he's feeling up to it. When I asked him on the weekend he sounded excited about it. I think he needs something to look forward to at the moment. He's feeling pretty low because his recovery isn't going as fast as he thinks it should. I keep telling him that he forgets how very sick he was and that he needs to be patient but he gets sort of down. I think that once the warmer weather gets here he'll be better.

Today seems to be flying by. Everytime I look at the clock, thinking that it's 10 minutes later, it's an hour later. Yikes, at this rate, I'll be retiring in 2 weeks or something!

I'm not sure what it looks like outside but right now the sun is streaming in through our blinds. It's so bright and gorgeous. You forget how nice the sun is when you don't see it for almost a week.

We almost forgot about the time change last night. We did remember though and changed our clocks before we went to bed. I always would rather do that when we're losing the hour in the spring. It'll be interesting to see how getting up tomorrow morning goes.

Today I think we're going to do our taxes. Or at least do Mark's dad's taxes. We bought that Quicktax software this year, we'll see how it goes. It took a bit of doing to get it installed on our machine. It seems to be running okay now though so that's something. It was almost $40 with taxes on it (how's that for a joke, paying tax on an item which helps you do your taxes). You would think that the government would distribute it freely as it makes their jobs easier if folks do things this way.

Hopefully we'll get them done early-ish and be able to get outside today. I'm hoping that the storm has passed and that's the last blast of winter we'll have this year.

I am klutzy.

My moon is in klutz or something.

This morning I hacked off a chunk of knuckle, on my right hand - of course. I was doing something I hate to do (cleaning the bath tub), on my knees, between the toilet and the tub, scrubbing and scrubbing and scrubbing and I noticed some blood on the side of the tub -- no, I never wear rubber gloves, probably should but don't. Anyway, I kept scrubbing and noticed that there was blood all over the place, I wasn't hurt so it couldn't be me --- is my house possessed a la Amityville? I looked down again and noticed that my hand was covered in blood. Sweet. It took me a while to get it to stop bleeding. I have the bandages off of it now so it can heal up. In the end, it was a little chunk of knuckle but boy that thing bled.

So now I can't do much until my finger is better. Some would say that this is a good thing, that any excuse to avoid housework must be embraced. If it were actually decent outside I could go for a walk. It's not, so I can't. It's freezing rain here and really slippery and dangerous outside right now.

I think I'll have to make a cup of tea and watch more of the Wilco DVD...mmm....Wilco!

A friend sent this to me this morning:

I often look forward to the weekend yet am always surprised when it's time for the Friday Five. Here is this week's edition:

1. How many houses/apartments have you lived in throughout your life?

Seven apartments and two houses.

2. Which was your favorite and why?

My favourite house is the one I'm living in right now. It's my favourite because it's the first home that I actually owned and picked out (with Mark) totally on my own.

3. Do you find moving house more exciting or stressful? Why?

I find it to be a little of both but the exciting usually overshadows the stressful. When I know that I'm moving, I want to do it right then, as soon as it is confirmed. I'm very organized and packing never takes me very long (as long as I have lots of boxes!). When we were getting ready to move into this house, we were living in an apartment that had been lovely when I moved in but, due to complete mis-management, had turned into a dump so the prospect of getting out of the building and away from our slumlord was really exciting. Every day after work, we drove by the house, anxious to get into it. Fortunately, we only had about 3 weeks to pack up and get moved. Any more than that would have been intolerable for me, I think.

4. What's more important, location or price?

Again, it's a combination. When we were looking at homes, we had specific areas of town that we were interested in and we had a pre-approved mortgage for a certain sum of money so we knew, exactly, what we could spend. I suppose if money isn't an issue for you, you can get whichever location you want. We love where we live. The neighbourhood is about 60 years old and is right on the edge of the downtown core so it's like being in the suburbs and in the city at the same time. We're central to everything. Luckily for us, it's a working class neighbourhood so everyone looks after their homes and there is a relatively small percentage of "yuppies" around. It's mostly couples like us or retired folks.

5. What features does your dream house have (pool, spa bath, big yard, etc.)?

We have a lovely huge yard but, if I could build my dream home, it would be in a rural area (but on city water, with high speed internet access) and have a gym, garage, pool, spa, huge kitchen and gigantic master bedroom. Having said that, I wouldn't want to actually clean a house that big so I'm happy to stay where we are and made modifications as we can afford them.

It's still snowing. It's so pretty outside. It looks like Christmas. Yay. We can make snow easter bunnies in a few weeks. Isn't being Canadian fun? Oh well, at least we're not involved in a conflict that is based on a lie. Maybe being Canadian is fun after all.

Another lovely April spring day, another snow storm?

I won't let it get to me though. I've felt kind of yucky over the past couple of days. I can't tell if it's a cold I'm fighting, or allergies, I just feel out of sorts. This morning I felt like hammered shit but I dragged my butt into work and I'm just plugging along, getting on with it without too much effort. I had to move a bunch of boxes around this morning and that kind of knocked the stuffing out of me.

This morning I popped disc two of my Wilco DVD in while I worked out and I cannot get over how great it is. The second disk has stuff that didn't make it into the film (like 70 minutes of stuff) plus a "featurette" about the making of the film. Again, I can't say enough about it. It's wonderful, you should treat yourself to a copy if you're into Wilco!

I am trying to write this post...

At long last, my copy of the Wilco DVD (I am trying to break your heart) arrived in the mail today. I watched the actual film tonight and will watch the second disk of extra footage and bonus stuff over the weekend. Unfortunately, I did not have an opportunity to see this film when it was in the theatres last summer (it never made it to a town near me) but I had read director Sam Jones' diary on the web and felt like I already seen it. His description of the process of making the film was so complete that I felt like I'd been there with him while he was making the film. The end result was absolutely stunning. The film looks incredible and sounds just fabulous. If you're a fan of Wilco you definitely need to see this. If you're not, what's wrong with you? They are wonderful!! See this movie soon. If you know me, call me and we'll get together and you watch it at my house, seriously!! I'll make coffee or popcorn!

So it's "April Fool's Day" and it's snowing. Unfortunately, that's not a joke. I wish that I had brought my camera to work with me so I could have captured a few images of the snow. It's really coming down, hard. The particularly sick part of it is that it's actually accumulating. Someone in my office made the comment, "doesn't the snow know that April Fool's is over at noon?" Good question. I wonder though, why is it that it's over at noon?