The Friday Five:
You have just won one million dollars:
1. Who do you call first?
Mark, of course. If he is with me when we find out, my folks.
2. What is the first thing you buy for yourself?
Probably a reno on our house. I love the house and the neighbourhood but there are quite a few things that I'd like to upgrade/renovate if we had the money.
3. What is the first thing you buy for someone else?
University tuition for my godson Matthew. He's an awesome kid and doing really well in school (he'll be graduating from high school soon) and I know that his folks aren't in a position to help out with his post-secondary education right now.
4. Do you give any away? If yes, to whom?
We'd probably make a donation to the ALS Society. Mark's mum died of ALS in 1999.
5. Do you invest any? If so, how?
We definitely would but I'm not sure in what.
Friday, January 30, 2004
Sunday, January 25, 2004
I used to love Home Depot. I'm seriously beginning to hate the joint. Yesterday morning, bright and squirrelly, we bundled up and went out to do errands. As I mentioned earlier, we're going to do some painting, mostly the kitchen cabinets and, as always, we're sorting out closets and moving things around a bit. So, we go to Home Depot and the place is a shambles. I needed to pick up a set of casters but the casters aisle was missing-in-action (part of the reno they are doing). When we finally locate the casters, I realize I have to use the loo. Now, this is Home Depot, a place where (usually) I see way more men than I do women. Whenever I have used the loo at le depot, it's always super clean because you just know that women are very rarely ever in the place. Yesterday, at 8:30 a.m., the ladies loo is being closed for cleaning. I couldn't believe it...and this cleaner dude just stared at me and kept pointing at the "not in service" sign while yelling, "one minute, one minute." One minute my ass. So we head the checkout with three small items that took us 30 minutes to find in the mess of the store and there are five people in the line up in front of us. Prior to getting to the front of the store, there were tonnes of helpful folks in orange smocks standing around talking to one another, drinking coffee. I guess none of them knows how to work a cash though because they had only one cashier on. We were so pissed that we almost left our stuff in a pile and sent over to the brand new sparkly (and not a mess) Rona store but it was in the opposite direction of where were going next so I just sucked it up. I have decided though, that I will not buy my paint at Home Depot (like I usually do). I'm so disgusted with the mess of the store and the poor service that we'll stick to Rona. I would have thought that Home Depot would be tripping over themselves to compete now that the Rona store is open. Guess I thought wrong.
Today's been freezing again. I can't even believe it. We've been getting some stuff done around the house though. I've done 7 loads of laundry and we've dissembled a bed (in the room Mark's dad will be moving into). We also got rid of a couple of small bookshelves. I was going to give them to goodwill but ended up giving them to a friend for her teenage daughter. I still have a tonne of stuff to give to goodwill, don't worry. It feels really good to be emptying that room. The sooner we do, the sooner we can get the bathroom floor finished and the carpet installed.
Fun stuff huh?? I tell ya, it's just a rock'n'roll, non-stop party around here, all weekend, every weekend!!
Today's been freezing again. I can't even believe it. We've been getting some stuff done around the house though. I've done 7 loads of laundry and we've dissembled a bed (in the room Mark's dad will be moving into). We also got rid of a couple of small bookshelves. I was going to give them to goodwill but ended up giving them to a friend for her teenage daughter. I still have a tonne of stuff to give to goodwill, don't worry. It feels really good to be emptying that room. The sooner we do, the sooner we can get the bathroom floor finished and the carpet installed.
Fun stuff huh?? I tell ya, it's just a rock'n'roll, non-stop party around here, all weekend, every weekend!!
Saturday, January 24, 2004
It's the weekend and I could be sleeping in. I got up at my normal time though. I really love this time of the day, it's daytime but it's still dark out; it's quiet and still, peaceful.
It's going to be a good day because Mark's not working today so we get to spend the entire weekend together. I'm not sure exactly what we're going to do though. I've been thinking about the house a lot lately, probably because I've been working on getting the front bedroom for Mark's dad to move in. I've decided that I'm going to repaint the trim in our bedroom. When we painted it last summer, we did the whole room in Glazed Raspberry. I really love the colour but I've been thinking about how nice it'll look with white trim. The switch plate covers, vent covers, etc. are white so I think it'll look really snazzy. I'm also going to paint the inside of the closet in the front bedroom. We never did it when we painted the room and it needs to be freshened up.
The biggest project I'm going to do is in the kitchen. Ideally, one day, we'd love to gut the kitchen and redo it totally. In the meantime, I'm going to paint the cabinets, trim and wainscot. Again, I'm going to do them in white. They are a really ugly, dark stained wood with very 70's looking hardware. Not fun 70's hardware though, the kind of stuff that was standard issue in the 70's (we think that the kitchen was last reno'd then). A couple of years ago now, we bought 3 pieces for the kitchen at IKEA (a cupboard for the wall, a pantry and a rolling storage cart). They are white with "chrome" accents. I've decided to paint the stuff in the kitchen white and get new chrome hardware. It should look nice when it's done. I think it'll be something that I just putter at when I feel like it. By springtime, it should be all done and look terrific. Don't worry, I'll definitely post before and after photos!!
I think I'll go put the coffee on. Have a wonderful weekend!!
It's going to be a good day because Mark's not working today so we get to spend the entire weekend together. I'm not sure exactly what we're going to do though. I've been thinking about the house a lot lately, probably because I've been working on getting the front bedroom for Mark's dad to move in. I've decided that I'm going to repaint the trim in our bedroom. When we painted it last summer, we did the whole room in Glazed Raspberry. I really love the colour but I've been thinking about how nice it'll look with white trim. The switch plate covers, vent covers, etc. are white so I think it'll look really snazzy. I'm also going to paint the inside of the closet in the front bedroom. We never did it when we painted the room and it needs to be freshened up.
The biggest project I'm going to do is in the kitchen. Ideally, one day, we'd love to gut the kitchen and redo it totally. In the meantime, I'm going to paint the cabinets, trim and wainscot. Again, I'm going to do them in white. They are a really ugly, dark stained wood with very 70's looking hardware. Not fun 70's hardware though, the kind of stuff that was standard issue in the 70's (we think that the kitchen was last reno'd then). A couple of years ago now, we bought 3 pieces for the kitchen at IKEA (a cupboard for the wall, a pantry and a rolling storage cart). They are white with "chrome" accents. I've decided to paint the stuff in the kitchen white and get new chrome hardware. It should look nice when it's done. I think it'll be something that I just putter at when I feel like it. By springtime, it should be all done and look terrific. Don't worry, I'll definitely post before and after photos!!
I think I'll go put the coffee on. Have a wonderful weekend!!
Friday, January 23, 2004
Rest in peace Captain Kangaroo, you were a really cool guy and we'll miss you more than you'll ever know....
Bob Keeshan, Captain Kangaroo, Dies at 76
By CHRISTOPHER GRAFF, Associated Press Writer
QUECHEE, Vt. - Bob Keeshan, who gently entertained and educated generations of children as television's walrus-mustachioed Captain Kangaroo, died Friday at 76.
Keeshan died of a long illness, his family said in a statement.
Keeshan's "Captain Kangaroo" premiered on CBS in 1955 and ran for 30 years before moving to public television for six more. It was wildly popular among children and won six Emmy Awards, three Gabriels and three Peabody Awards.
The format was simple: Each day, Captain Kangaroo, with his sugar-bowl haircut and uniform coat, would wander through his Treasure House, chatting with his good friend Mr. Green Jeans, played by Hugh "Lumpy" Brannum.
He would visit with puppet animals, like Bunny Rabbit, who was scolded for eating too many carrots, and Mr. Moose, who loved to tell knock-knock jokes.
But the show revolved about the grandfatherly Captain Kangaroo, whose name was inspired by the kangaroo pouch-like pockets of the coat Keeshan wore.
"I was impressed with the potential positive relationship between grandparents and grandchildren, so I chose an elderly character," Keeshan said.
Keeshan, born in Lynbrook, N.Y., became a page at NBC while he was in high school. He joined the Marine Corps in 1945.
His first television appearance came in 1948, when he played the voiceless, horn-honking Clarabell the Clown on the "Howdy Doody Show," a role he created and played for five years.
Later he played Corny the clown, the host of a noontime cartoon program in New York City.
"Captain Kangaroo" debuted on Oct. 3, 1955, and Keeshan remained in that role until 1993.
Keeshan, who moved to Vermont in 1990, remained active as a children's advocate, writing books, lecturing and lobbying on behalf of children's issues.
He was critical of today's TV programs for children, saying they were too full of violence. And he spoke wherever he went about the importance of good parenting.
"Parents are the ultimate role models for children," he said. "Every word, movement and action has an effect. No other person or outside force has a greater influence on a child than the parent."
When Fred Rogers, the gentle host of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," died last year, Keeshan recalled how they often spoke about the state of children's programming.
"I don't think it's any secret that Fred and I were not very happy with the way children's television had gone," Keeshan said.
In 1987, Keeshan and former Tennessee Gov. Lamar Alexander co-founded Corporate Family Solutions, an organization that provided day-care programs to businesses around the country.
Keeshan believed children learn more in the first six years of life than at any other time and was a strong advocate of day care that provides emotional, physical and intellectual development for children.
"Play is the work of children. It's very serious stuff. And if it's properly structured in a developmental program, children can blossom," he said.
Keeshan's wife, Jeanne, died in 1990. He had three children.
Bob Keeshan, Captain Kangaroo, Dies at 76
By CHRISTOPHER GRAFF, Associated Press Writer
QUECHEE, Vt. - Bob Keeshan, who gently entertained and educated generations of children as television's walrus-mustachioed Captain Kangaroo, died Friday at 76.
Keeshan died of a long illness, his family said in a statement.
Keeshan's "Captain Kangaroo" premiered on CBS in 1955 and ran for 30 years before moving to public television for six more. It was wildly popular among children and won six Emmy Awards, three Gabriels and three Peabody Awards.
The format was simple: Each day, Captain Kangaroo, with his sugar-bowl haircut and uniform coat, would wander through his Treasure House, chatting with his good friend Mr. Green Jeans, played by Hugh "Lumpy" Brannum.
He would visit with puppet animals, like Bunny Rabbit, who was scolded for eating too many carrots, and Mr. Moose, who loved to tell knock-knock jokes.
But the show revolved about the grandfatherly Captain Kangaroo, whose name was inspired by the kangaroo pouch-like pockets of the coat Keeshan wore.
"I was impressed with the potential positive relationship between grandparents and grandchildren, so I chose an elderly character," Keeshan said.
Keeshan, born in Lynbrook, N.Y., became a page at NBC while he was in high school. He joined the Marine Corps in 1945.
His first television appearance came in 1948, when he played the voiceless, horn-honking Clarabell the Clown on the "Howdy Doody Show," a role he created and played for five years.
Later he played Corny the clown, the host of a noontime cartoon program in New York City.
"Captain Kangaroo" debuted on Oct. 3, 1955, and Keeshan remained in that role until 1993.
Keeshan, who moved to Vermont in 1990, remained active as a children's advocate, writing books, lecturing and lobbying on behalf of children's issues.
He was critical of today's TV programs for children, saying they were too full of violence. And he spoke wherever he went about the importance of good parenting.
"Parents are the ultimate role models for children," he said. "Every word, movement and action has an effect. No other person or outside force has a greater influence on a child than the parent."
When Fred Rogers, the gentle host of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," died last year, Keeshan recalled how they often spoke about the state of children's programming.
"I don't think it's any secret that Fred and I were not very happy with the way children's television had gone," Keeshan said.
In 1987, Keeshan and former Tennessee Gov. Lamar Alexander co-founded Corporate Family Solutions, an organization that provided day-care programs to businesses around the country.
Keeshan believed children learn more in the first six years of life than at any other time and was a strong advocate of day care that provides emotional, physical and intellectual development for children.
"Play is the work of children. It's very serious stuff. And if it's properly structured in a developmental program, children can blossom," he said.
Keeshan's wife, Jeanne, died in 1990. He had three children.
Here is this week's Friday Five:
At this moment, what is your favorite...
1. ...song?
Gabriel in the Airport by the French
2. ...food?
Anything stir fried over brown basmati rice
3. ...tv show?
Coronation Street
4. ...scent?
Fresh coffee in the morning
5. ...quote?
"Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
At this moment, what is your favorite...
1. ...song?
Gabriel in the Airport by the French
2. ...food?
Anything stir fried over brown basmati rice
3. ...tv show?
Coronation Street
4. ...scent?
Fresh coffee in the morning
5. ...quote?
"Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
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