I seriously need a brain!

I am a moron. I accept that, before this weekend I probably wouldn't agree with that statement, but after the events that occurred, I am willing to accept the fact that my brain just doesn't work properly.

So I bought a laptop bag, it was big, it was ugly and after testing it out I decided to bring it back and switch it up for a pretty little lady-like one. So I went to that big, giant store *ahem*Wal-mart, 330 Clarke Rd -burglars*ahem* and returned the bag. Somehow (see opening statement) I managed to leave my point and shoot camera in the side pocket of the bag. I called, I stormed in there and found the bag myself - the camera was gone. I honestly think someone that worked there spotted the camera in the side pocket and swiped it. I just can't imagine it made it back to the floor as I had the zipper partly open because the camera didn't fit in properly. My bad. It sucks. I hope someone enjoys the camera that I dropped on the ground. Now I need a new one. I can't afford a new one. I'm not bringing my SLR everywhere....SO expect a lot of grainy iPhone pics from me for a while now :(

Then on Sunday I lost my bank card. Really put a damper on the shopping trip when I had no bank card. Unfortunately every bank branch was closed so I was stuck with no money for groceries, gas, anything until I made it to the bank. I managed to sneak out to the bank this morning and they ended up giving me a card with a chip in it. The teller asked me if I ever used one of these before and I looked at her like she had an ugly purple shirt on (oh wait, she did). Apparently this little chip thing is more secure - but not accepted everywhere and mandatory...go figure. Just my luck.

I swear someone needs to hold my hand and control everything I do...this is crazy! I just have to wonder sometimes..what's next?? Actualy, don't answer that, I don't wanna know!

So how was YOUR weekend?

Shopping with monkey...

Is hella fun 'til he steals the bananas... Then it gets all awkward n' stuff :/

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Four Years...

Dear R.

It has been four years now, and I'm still as unhappy as ever. I mean that in the best possible way though, really. I think it's become my personality. It's like, oh look there goes that 27-year-old girl who lost the love of her life four years ago...she's crabby - but it suits her. You know, that sort of thing, so really I'm doing okay. I know you worried about that, and I know you knew how much of a bitch I can be...so I'm doing good...bitchy still...but good - people still love me...sometimes.

This past year has been interesting. Remember how I said I would never ever get my driver's licence because I wanted you to be the driver of the family - well I did it. I'm still shocked myself. I got us a little car that has cost me all of my fortunes (err...not so much fortunes) and is still costing me as I type this I'm sure. Do you remember that time you bought us a car. You were worried that with having a baby we would have no way to get the baby around in the winter. So you took all of our savings and bought a $700 Ford Mustang (yeah our savings weren't very big back then, eh?). Not very baby friendly, but it was ours.

Then it sat...and sat...and sat until one day we were running super-late for an ultrasound appointment at the hospital. You convinced me we could take the car and it would be okay. So we did - we took that car out, neither one of us with a permit, no insurance and no plates. We were young and stupid (well I was young - I don't know what your excuse was - KIDDING!!). You know what, it was okay in the end. Of course I wanted to KILL you until it all turned out okay, but that is the way it always went...we were livin on the edge I guess. We never ever took the car out again. As a matter of fact, I don't even know what happened to that car, did we sell it before you died? I can't even remember. It could have been stolen for all I know. I have a terrible memory - and you still loved me...crazy! So I am pleased to say that I am fully licenced and insured and all that jazz and I do not do donuts in the driveway for "fun". Not nearly as cool (or stupid!) as you were, but I get by with my semi-coolness.

I guess after four years you would think I would be ready to date again. I know you told me it would be okay to date, but that's just what people say when they're dying. If I died and you dated someone else I would hate her. Let's face it - I will be 28 years old in less than a month and here I am alone. I can't even talk to men without blushing or insulting them unless I'm drinking alcohol. I've grown up a lot since we met though. I am a changed person - I'm sure I was pretty awesome back then to have someone like you fall in love with me and sadly I just can't picture that ever happening again with anybody else.

I'm pretty sure that somebody isn't going to be brought into my bedroom late at night when I was in the midst of enjoying my Nyquil-induced coma to introduce us. Remember that? I spent weeks after that shooing you away. Begging you to leave me alone. I had the hots for that emo guy at the call centre where I worked. I'm pretty sure he didn't give a crap about me because looking back now, I'm pretty sure he was gay. Remember how you asked me everytime you saw me to go out for dinner, and we saw eachother every single day. It got old very quickly.

You were sick when I met you (again - we did meet years before when my friend and I gave you and your brother that fake number and said our names were Jasmine and ? ) but you were never sick, in fact you were so healthy and active you would never imagine you as being a sick person - ever. One day you came home from work with your Picc Line infected. I was visiting with your sister and you came in and showed everybody and we all urged you to go to the ER immediately. You wouldn't go (so stubborn) unless I went with you and if I promised to go out with you for chinese food afterwards. So I went - and we sat on that gurney for hours and hours just talking about stupid things. In fact, by the time we left the ER (without even being seen) it was 3am. You said **** this, grabbed up some supplies from the cupboard and we walked outta there together. We did get chinese food at that time and I don't know what kind of restaurant would be open at that hour so I'm sure it wasn't good - but I enjoyed that time with you, but you were older than me, you were sick, and we were totally opposite people, I was afraid of failing as I had at other things many times before that. We were closer friends after that, but our relationship was just friends, nothing more.

Then you went away for a week with your brother and nephew and that is when I realized I couldn't live without you. I missed you SO much it was crazy...so much that I actually went out and got a part-time job so the only thing I did that whole week was literally work at one job and go right to the next until 11pm. It made the week a lot easier to deal with.

You came back a different person though, the roles had changed and it was me chasing you. You had given up on me and wanted to go out with somebody else. I knew how Ifelt, but I could never express how I felt - still working on that actually. Eventually things worked out though and after forcing you to take me to a bar with you and your brother - a strip bar at that - I got super drunk and told you how I felt and that was it.

I never told you this, but I fell completely in love with you way before I started to actually say it. Someone came over to our house and stole my Dirty Dancing dvd (among others, but Dirty Dancing was high up on the faves). We didn't live together at the time, but I called you bawling my eyes out over my Dirty Dancing DVD. You told me you were going over to this guy's house and you were going to get them back. I knew you were going to pound the guy and I was scared. I got there just in time to see you storming into the house and roughing the burglar up until he gave me back my movie which he had hidden under his stinky old mattress. I know it's kind of a strange thing to make me fall in love, but nobody ever did anything like that for me before and you didn't even hesitate.

Of course I still laugh to myself thinking how this shady character would give you things everytime he saw you because he was afraid of getting beat up again over a Dirty Dancing DVD. I really hope that guy thinks twice about stealing a Patrick Swayze movie in the future.

Let's not beat around the bush here either...I'm a BITCH. I can't even help it sometimes, but I really did treat you like crap sometimes. Like our first Christmas together when you told me what you were getting me before you actually bought it. You told me you were going to buy me a new TV, and I am sure that is where I made "the face" and I told you that was a stupid idea and how selfish of you to want to buy me a TV because you would be watching it too.

I stand my ground though, I still wouldn't want a new TV for Christmas! Of course I won the argument, because that is just the way you were, you always let me win because you wanted me to be happy. I told you I wanted a Playstation 2 instead, and you got it for me that year.

Sitting home on New Years Eve that year, trying to beat Grand Theft Auto III with no memory card on my cruddy 13 inch tv that had a terrible picture and you had to slap to get started (maybe you were right about needing a new TV). We were taking turns playing, just you and I, and that is when I realized it didn't matter what you got for me that year, I was just happy being there with you trying to beat the most ridiculously hard game in the world with no cheats or memory card.

So tell me, how am I ever going to find that again? What if they don't like chinese food or strip bars? Life just seems so much harder now, it was all great back then. I don't regret anything, well except for you dying -that sort of sucked...a lot - but I couldn't imagine our relationship beign any other way than how it was. Everything about it worked out somehow and when you said it was going to be okay it always was - now I don't have that person to tell me it's going to be okay and that is what I want more than anything. Imagine putting that on a dating profile? It just screams "run away while you can".

I also just can't imagine what would happen after I die (hopefully as an old lady). Say I met someone again and then I died and I went to heaven (or whatever) and you were there with my dog Eddy and my hamster PJ who blew up in the furnace that time when I was a kid. So you are there and I am there but then there is my new husband there too after he dies (because next time I am definitely gonna be the first to die - this widow stuff sucks!). So there's the two of you (and my dog and hamster) and I have to choose who to be with forever and ever? This isn't Big Love, so I think I would have to choose someone, who would I pick? I never want to have to make a decision like that - and I know that totally sounds crazy - RUN!!

Now that I've gone on and on about us - I figure you might be wondering about our son. Our son is beautiful. He's amazing and strangely without you being here he is totally like you (stubborness and all!) and he likes fishing and naked chicks. You guys would be the best of friends, I swear. I also must apologize that he knows the song Step by Step by New Kids on the Block off by heart - that is my fault. I know you probably wouldn't like that too much, but he loves that song...and I'm sort of a fan too.

He's grown up so much. I hate so much that you can't be here for this adventure - seriously you would have loved this. It's not fair, it really really isn't because sometimes I think you totally would have been the better parent. Even when he was a baby, you knew what to do. Like that time I freaked out a few weeks after having him, I even scared myself. You calmly tried to get me to tell you what was wrong, and I said the most assholey thing I have ever said to anyone - I told you I felt guilty for having a baby with someone who was sick and could eventually die. You didn't hate me for what I said, at least you didn't make it seem that way, but I'm sure that one stung a bit. You calmly took him from me and called your mom to take him for the night, and things got better again. I blame the hormones, or my big mouth, either way I was a jerk. I know I said I was sorry when you were in the process of dying, and I'm never really sure if you actually heard me in your unconsciousness, but I really am sorry.

To be honest, this day has gotten easier. The first anniversary involved crying and anger, the other years not so much. This year the date sort of crept up on me. Someone at work mentioned something about anniversaries and then I realized this day was coming up. I'm not going to put your notice in the paper this year because I just know that you probably think I'm dumb for spending the $70 to write some stupid little thing like I miss you...and I know you're probably still pissed that I spent that $500 on flowers at your funeral (actually my aunt did because she is my hero).

So yes, things have changed so much without you and though I still miss you a lot, it has gotten a lot easier to deal with but mostly because of this little guy...

and because time heals. It really does.


-n.

He's such an artist...

I don't know where this came from, it just seems like this week has been an incredible week for Mason's art. Check out this picture of Garfield he drew at daycare.
I asked him what exactly he drew, I've been a little edgy lately with his artwork since his interpretation of me kind of threw me for a loop, but he told me this is Garfield (who you can see on the right in orange and black stripes who is rescuing Odie (who looks strangely like a person). Upon further investigation, I would think that is a key that Garfield is holding, but I'm not too sure.

Me = Proud. Let's not forget that I won an art award when I was in kindergarten for doing a fabulous pastel piece of Clifford the Big Red Dog. I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree...seeing how talented we both are...it's remarkable....I totally won a certificate and everything...my mom lost it...but I really did win...I swear.

London Free Press: April 18, 2009

I had a total parent FAIL and did not get a copy of this article. To be honest, I didn't know it was going to be that day he would be in it until I saw his smiling little face (and big giant eye shirt) plastered on the daycare bulletin board.



...and if you are interested in seeing the newspaper blurb: http://www.lfpress.ca/cgi-bin/publish.cgi?x=galleries&s=gallery&p=2983&pg=0

Wordless Wednesday: April 22, 2009

A few things I have learned from this photo:
-My child needs a haircut...badly.
-I should really take those old bus transfers out of the pocket on my camera bag.
-Taking a photo of yourself by yourself and having someone squish your head is kind of hard to do.
-My hand looks weird.
-There is a smoke pipe thingy sticking out of my child's head.
-The tree behind my head makes it look like I have crazy hair.
-We had fun.

Let's All Go Out and Give the Earth a Great Big Hug...

I would like to say that I am a "green" person. By "green" I do not mean that I am sick, jealous or have some horrid skin condition, I am just saying that I feel like I do my best to help.

Sure, I do own a car, but this is my first car ever. I have done the whole public transit thing and I'm sure I will do it again in the future, but for now I do own a car. I did buy a car with good gas mileage, just the right size for my family and face it, it's cute as heck. Okay, I'm sorry that was inappropriate, I really am trying to be serious here!

I have bought (and continue to buy) those reusable shopping bags. The problem is I almost always forget them at home and usually when I do forget them I buy another one. It's actually a little embarassing how many of these bags I have now. I absolutely hate plastic shopping bags.

And hey, I am constantly raking up the garbage my neighbour's guests throw into the bushes on my front yard. That's gotta count towards being green right?

Truth is, this whole end of the world stuff scares the crap outta me! Everything about global warming, the ozone layer, meteorites hitting eart and zombies scare me...badly! So does it bother me when I see a house without recyclables out in front? Heck ya!

I live in a crappy neighbourhood. I'm pretty sure a good part of my neighbourhood population are drug addicts/dealers/prostitutes. You can't tell me these people don't have recyclables to put out each week? How many times does a pothead smoke up and then open a can of Zoodles?? I'm betting quite a bit...where's your recycling bin Potty McPotPants??

This isn't something new either, I can remember my parents fighting when I was little. One time they were fighting over recycling. My mom was yelling about a can that was thrown in the garbage and I remember her saying "Don't you care about your children's futures?". That has always stuck with me for some reason (even though half the stuff that comes out of my mom's mouth is total BS - love you mom!).

So I guess what I'm trying to say with this is that if you don't care about the planet for yourself, at least care for the future of our children and their children, and their children's children etc etc...

Because you know what, there is so much beauty in this world

(eehhh...maybe not so much that, but you get the point right?)

Happy Earth Day!

- From Mason.

Some Cuteness for your Tuesday...

I want.

He Gets That From Me...

If I had a quarter for everytime someone told me how much Mason looks like me I would be totally rich. Like Hugh Heffner rich approaching on Donald Trump rich...I swear. I thought I should point out a few things he did inherit from his dad:

1) The eyebrows. Those are not mine.

2) The love for the outdoors. I get grumpy outside.

3) The love of fishing. Too bad I don't know how to get a fish off a hook without girly screaming.

...except when he falls in and the "quicksand" makes it hard for mommy (who is laughing hysterically) to get him out, then he is SO not cool with fishing.

4)The love of all of the creepy crawlies that invade our space

But he does get this from me....

The Pout!!! I'm so proud.

You HAVE to be Proud of Me.

If not...leave now.

Just kidding...but really this deserves some kind of award or something. I'm telling ya, if I could give myself an award I totally would - for reals.

I CAUGHT A SNAKE!!!

...and yes I did scream like a little girl, the snake ended up in the container for the joy of my child - a margarine container I'll have you know. He could have darted out and bit me at any given moment but I had the situation all under control.

In fact, I almost ran over this snake with my car, maybe I ran over his family or something, I still don't know why he was in my driveway but he was. I was sitting on the step and I saw a "worm" crawling up the step on the sidwalk. I pointed and laughed and told Mason to look at the worm. At that exact moment I realized it was a snake. So I did what any other insane ultra cool parent does, I got Mason's kiddy-sized rake and rounded the snake up. I screamed insanely told Mason to get a container to catch this snake (don't know what the fascination with catching it was).

First he came back with a Rubbermaid tote. Remember I mistook this snake for a freakin worm, it didn't need a mansion! So I sent him back. Meanwhile the snake curled up into attack position and was darting at me. Wrong move snake, because that just brought out my inner "Crocodile Hunter". I was all like Crikey look at him darting...he's a mad snake!

Mason finally came back with a container that was way too small and I managed to catch the now very irritated snake. Then the worst thing happened - he was given a name. "Slippy" he then became. "Slippy" was invited to sleep in Mason's bedroom and eat dinner with us that night. "Slippy" was also invited on a car ride to the grocery store, to which Mommy politely declined, no snakes allowed in my car thank you!

So "Slippy" became a prisioner pet for 24 hours. Strangest thing, somehow "Slippy" escaped today while Mason watched a cartoon. Hmm...wonder how that happened?? ;)

Dating Lindsay Lohan...

Lindsay Lohan's eHarmony Profile from Lindsay Lohan

Hmm...what a great dating video...maybe I should make one! *wheeee*

I'll Tell You All About Prickly...

Needle Drop Box Prickly Issue** FYI - I planned to write about this earlier this year (when the above picture was taken) but without being able to find much info other than there is a needle drop box around the corner from me I dropped the subject**

I grew up in this neighbourhood. I love this neighbourhood with all my heart, I honestly do, which is probably why I have put up with this crap long enough. Having my garage broken into - twice, seeing the same prostitutes on the corner every single day, seeing numerous needles/drug paraphernalia all over the ground - but I stuck it out. I came into this with the attitude that this is my neighbourhood. I grew up here - now give it back, but when it comes down to agencies handing out needles to drug users on my block it gets a little tiresome. I want my child to be able to be safe. I want our home to be safe. I think I deserve that right - I guess my biggest mistake was wanting all of the above - in an area I feel comfort in.

From my understanding, SOHO (or South of Horton) is the new hangout for the city's undesirable. Since the crackdown in the East end, it seems as though they have all moved into my neighbourhood. Now we have all these people who need help, pretty much all contained in one low-income building and on top of that we give them a needle drop box (that they don't even use by the way). But wait, let's make them cozier and give them clean needles, welfare and many social assistance programs that will allow them to do nothing with their lives but turn to drugs.

Maybe I am just bitter? You see, I applied for low-income housing in 2005 after R. died. I could no longer afford the house we were renting with my income alone so I turned to low-income housing. I was put on an "emergency list". I was told not to worry, I would have a place for me and my 15 month old child to live in...3 years. So I would have to wait 3 years to get an apartment for us to live while Billy McCrackHead gets to live it up, doing his crack and whatnot when he should be in a jail cell or rehab. Kind of makes me wonder if I would have turned into a Lindsay Lohan during that time I may have had a place for us to live.

I know I may be touching on a bit abrasive and discriminating - but I live here and I see it first hand. Not all people living in low-income housing are bad, I know a lot of people who truly deserve the program, but when I see an entire building that needs to have police patrol 24/7 and with a needle drop box on the property I kind of feel a little discouraged.

One of the things I really would like answered is why are we giving these people needles? Why do we have someone walking around with a backpack of clean needles to give to these people? Maybe we should be handing out bent spoons and crack pipes too? I can totally see the point of wanting to keep them clean, but why on earth are things so easy for these people. They need help...not someone to hand them a needle. How about handing them a sentence for rehab or some information or someone to talk to. It just angers me that the needles that I rake out of my front yard were handed to these careless people by those who are "helping".

...or maybe I'm just a little "prickly" about this situation.

Opposite of Chick Flick...

What would you call a movie that is opposite of a chick flick? I'm looking for a catchy title..just can't think of it, maybe because my brain turned to mush from watching the Hotty McHotPants in Fast and Furious.




Total not chick flick, but totally turned it into one by undressing each and every dude in that film with my eyes...well except for the creepy/ugly/mean ones.

So then of course I get to drive home after this movie. You know drive in my little automatic 2.0 beetle with transmission problems.

So I'm all like look Benny, I'm gonna drive you all Fast and Furious like and you're gonna like it.

Benny's all like nope...ain't gonna do it.

So I'm all like BIIIIITCH you are so gonna speed me home

and Benny's all like go for it... *clunk* *thud* *WHEEEEE*

so I'm all like yeah, okay you win.

SOOOO no Fast and Furious for me...more like slow and sluggish with a lot of revving up too high at embarassing moments. Benny so needs a tune up and I need to check my head....I'm a 27 year old mother for crying out loud...like I even need to drive fast, duh.

Mom....with a d**k

They say you can tell a lot about what a child is really feeling aby their art work. If this is the case, I'm in a lot of trouble.




I mean, it's great that he has learned how to draw people, that is a great milestone when it comes to art, but I do have a few questions.

1) Why am I the biggest person in this picture?
2) Why is my head the smallest?
3) Why is my neck so long?
4) Why is my face so angry?
5) Why do I have the biggest penis?

Note to self: This picture will be burned before we all get sent to the looney bin.

Tales of a Chocoholic...

Is there an AA for chocolate...and I'm not even kidding. My child has only eaten chocolate since Friday and frankly I'm starting to think I'm a bad mother. When it's not given to him, he steals it. Unfortunate for him he has not learned how to hide his choco-stache and it usually gives him away pretty quickly.

Everyone we met this weekend gave the child chocolate - and with the way my brain has been working lately I wonder if it's because they secretly hate me. This kid cannot handle chocolate, he goes INSANE. It kicks in within 5-10 minutes and he will literally bounce of the wall and speak in some sort of alien gibberish...which at times can be amusing, but when he's coming off this sugar high it is brutal. I had to drag all 54.6 pounds of him up my aunt's stairs this weekend...it was not fun.

It got even better when everyone was accusing me of ruining his Easter fun. I warned them, I pleaded and I explained, but nobody listened...until he started acting like Animal from The Muppets. It got even better when everybody had an explanation as to why he would act such a way...my family got very scientific at that point. "It's the red dye" "It's the sugar content" "You guys are all stupid" you know, the regular old family conversations about why a kid would go crazy after eating chocolate. I can't explain it, I just know how it's all going to end. Although I really didn't see myself dragging that little tub up the stairs like that.

Nonetheless, it's Easter, I guess it's time to celebrate chocolate bunnies or something like that so I gave in and let him have a few chocolate eggs.

...the rest I hid for my chocoholic self.

Having a great time...

And we met a new friend. I wanted to take this little guy home soooooo badly but I think at this point we would have to hire a zookeeper and I hear they are all about the dental plans... Go figure :/

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Death of a Neighbour...

I got the call at 12:30am on Sunday night. It just had to be that way, of course, I mean I couldn't have imagined getting the news any other way than me getting dragged out of bed, stubbing my toe on every toy and stepping on every Hot Wheel all the way to the phone. When I saw the number I got aggravated and went back to bed without answering.

Yes it was the crazies, errr..crazy (singular) now because she had called to tell me that her husband had passed away earlier that day, and yet she somehow felt compelled to tell me this at 12:30am on a work night, but as I said, I don't know why I would have expected anything different, everything is well...crazy.

The next morning when I got the message, all of a sudden the crazy became something else.

She became someone I am very familiar with.
Someone who just doesn't know what to do.
Someone who has to pick out a suit for her loved one to wear....forever.
Someone who is dying to know why this happened to them.
Someone who is wondering who will show up to the funeral.
Someone who wished she didn't have to go to the funeral.
Someone who wondered how she could raise a son all on her own.
Someone who doesn't think she can make it.
Someone who spent way too much on funeral flowers and who really didn't expect such a huge expense...they are flowers...WTF?

I'm not angry anymore. I'm understanding.
I'm not annoyed. I'm compassionate.
The little things don't matter anymore...and I hope they never will again.

RIP Bob. You were a funny bastard...and I mean that in the best of ways...I swear.

Taking it all for granted...

Sunday afternoons should never be taken for granted. Those moments where there is absolutely nothing on your itinerary, of course later the laundry and dinner preparations will be of most importance, but it can all wait. Life is so terribly short, and Sunday afternoons are perfect time to practice blowing that big, giant bubble - the biggest you have ever seen.

Sunday afternoons also are a great time to swing as high as you can on that old, dirty park swing. Swinging only high enough to feel those little butterflies in your tummy that make you close your eyes and focus only on the cool spring breeze on your face. Ah yes, Sunday afternoons are perfect for those kinds of things.

....reading back into my past, I can see that I took things for granted much too often:

Wednesday, March 30th, 2005
10:22 pm - Everything sucks...
I thought the nicer weather would really bring me out of my funk...it actually did the opposite. I want nothing more right now than have a moment to take Mason to the park and push him on the swing. I've been wanting to take him out for a very long time now, but it seems that when I ask anyone to come and sit with R. while I go, everybody is all of a sudden busy and has things to do. It's so nice to take the credit for helping out a person with cancer, but when the support is really needed everybody runs like I'm asking them to eat bugs or something. I've been asking myself a lot lately. Why am I here? What makes me stay in this place where everyday I have new issues to deal with. I'm scared to move on...that's the only thing that's keeping me here. I'm definately not feeling the love around here right now, not that I want to, but I'm just tired of feeling so lonely. I heard on the news, a man that went into a school and shot his ex-wife and got sentenced to first degree murder gets to go out 3 hours a week to run errands. How did he get so lucky? I would love to be able to go out 3 hours a week and not worry about what's going on at home or worry about someone else's schedule. I'm really hurt about this whole situation, I'm hurt, and very angry. I just keep saying why why why why in my head. I'm probably a terrible person for feeling this way, but hey it's the truth.

NKOTB Reunion...

Back when I was a wee youngin' (maybe around 7 or 8 years old) I went to my very first concert...the New Kids on the Block. I was THRILLED. We all went in a limo to the Skydome in Toronto, Ontario and had the greatest time of our pre-teen lives. I mean NKNOTB were right up there with MC Hammer back then, if you saw them in concert you were AWESOME...if you went in a limo, you were even AWESOMER and if you brought home a cool souvenier like plush slippers that looked like high-top runners, flourescent yellow and pink and had pictures of NKOTB all over them, you were the AWESOMEST. I was 3/3 there, and it was honestly one of the greatest times I had as a kid.

So when I had the chance to see them again last week, I was SO there. Even the $82 ticket price couldn't keep me, or some of my closest freinds away. As the date came closer, and I sunk more and more money into my car, I started to wonder why I was even bothered to go. I thought many times that I could sell the ticket to pay for a licence plate sticker or even those fuzzy Hello Kitty dice I wanted for the rearview mirror. I knew my friends would be disappointed though and I really was curious to see how the New Kids have aged.

The days leading up to the concert I started to get really excited. I did some crazy things, and looked forward to seeing my pre-teen idols, while possibly intoxicated *tee hee*

We had decided to go to Crabby Joe's to have some pre-concert beverages (big slushy adult ones...yumm) and appetizers (or the most fattening fries I have ever eaten in my whole entire life). There was a whole room full of middle-aged women behind us who were all dressed in homemade NKOTB shirts and dancing like old lady fools. Eventally we had to leave very quickly to beat the whole room of oldies to the concert. Unfortunately they beat us because our server was slow.

Nothing could have prepared me for what I saw as soon as we got to the venue. Girls EVERYWHERE. I'm talking 99% women all up in that place. At that moment I realized I was scared for the NKOTB. They don't know us London women that well...and some of us can be...well a little insane. I pictured the whole arena of women, being all emotional and angry and such and causing a riot. I guess that didn't really happen, but we did meet a couple of crazies.

One of which happened to mention that she was following NKOTB around. Originally from Saskatoon, this crazy stated she was chewing Donnie Wahlberg's gum and that he was a slut. Interesting, I thought girls were that sort of crazy when they were teens, not when they are my age. Am I missing something here?

Then there was the white cowboy hat chick who, lucky for her, was in the front row. Unlucky for NKOTB, was in the front row grinding on the security bars. We were pretty far back, but for some reason two of us girls noticed her and pointed her out at the same time later on..it was too strange.

Then there was the extremely intoxicated one across the aisle from us who dropped her entire cup of $9 beer down the stairs getting all sorts of stink eye from us 20-something new kids fans.

One of the biggest mistakes was for NKOTB to have the Jabawakee Dance Group open. Don't get me wrong, those guys were FANTASTIC, but the problem was that they were fantastic and when you compared that to some 30-something year old dudes trying to dance to their old dance moves, it didn't come off too well. Those boys just can't dance like they used to - and they have a lot less hair...jus' sayin.

But honestly, the music was fantastic, and me being the silent in awe type at concerts was getting screamy and dancy with the rest of the screaming women...they must have rubbed off on me.

I was really afraid they would play all the new stuff, trying to forget the past, but they did a really good mix of both old and new - along with some solo stuff which made the night incredible. In fact, listening to their new stuff along with the old made me like the new stuff a whole lot more.

The merchandise was crazy-expensive and not really my type of stuff. You could own a "Property of Jordan Knight" t-shirt for the low price of $50....uhmm...no thanks?

My favourite part of the night had to be the hair people in the lobby. They fixed up my hair for free..it was awesome! I'm sure my hair looked like a bird's nest when I first got there, but after the wonderful people of the Blackfriars Hair Salon straightened it for me, I felt like a new teenybopper wannabe!

All About Driving Music...

What does your driving music say about you?

Are you the person who listens to Celine Dion, singing along all the while bawling your eyes out.

Do you rap out with T.I or Eminem, rev up the engine with your arm hanging out the window and bobbing your head along.

Have you reinacted the Bohemian Rhapsody scene from Wayne's World lately?


When I was a kid I would play in the front seat of my mom's Volkswagen Rabbit and pretend I was Wayne from Wayne's World. My friend Trish was Garth...I'm sure she would love to read this now, but she totally is Garth, for no reason really other than I was a little bossy and had a hissy fit if I didn't get my own way, and even though I was the one who wore the big glasses...she was always Garth.

My point is, I always had driving music...there is always driving music, otherwise it just gets boring. I am literally a new driver...I've been driving on my own since Wednesday, but for some reason I just can't find the right music. It could be that I am deathly afraid to take my eyes off the road, I mean I'm sure that man didn't like me very much when I almost collided with him head on yesterday. So I figure why give myself another reason to take my eyes off the road. Problem is, my iPod is full of all types of music, and nothing is more embarassing than head banging along with Metallica and then have Jesus Take the Wheel come blaring on right afterwards.

I decided this warranted a little research, you see because this is just one of the things that makes my brain go crazy, so I turned to my friend Rolling Stone Magazine. Which in turn only made me realize that my taste in music totally sucks, or that Rolling Stone is a cruel joke because I haven't even heard many of those songs before.

So what is your driving theme song?

Good-bye Bus...

As much as I love taking the bus, I am going to have to say goodbye.

Goodbye outrageous fares.
Goodbye perverted drivers.
Goodbye mean drivers.
Goodbye smellies.
Goodbye crazies.
Goodbye people who poop their pants on the bus (oh trust me, it happened).
Goodbye hot bus driver :(


That being said....
Hello gas station.
Hello calling people "dog shit" when they cut me off.
Hello trying to obey the speed limit.
Hello cruising with the windows rolled down.
Hello to singing all by myself in the car.
Hello being on time and not having to wait out in the snow for the bus.

I did it!! Imagine that, I passed my driver's test and now I can do whatever I want. It's amazing, I was very lucky to have a only semi-mean evaluator, but it didn't matter because I rocked that parallel parking like mad. Wow this opens up a whole other chapter in my life. Next step...learn how to pump gas :/