Good grief...

I can't even verbalize my reaction to the recent news about the "Black Friday" deaths/injuries.
This guy/gal has a pretty good blog on it already :

http://wtfwalmart.wordpress.com

What in the heck could be so wondrous in a Wal-Mart store (or any other store for that matter) to make everyone stampede in like that anyway? What- a marked down DVD player? Some bedding? Assorted on-sale kitchenware? Come on, it's STUFF. I don't care if they're giving it away, no excuse... I think this could have happened at any store, during that bizarre ritual, and actually surprising there weren't MORE injuries considering the fervor with which people rush out to the big boxes. It's just so sad on so many levels, especially (obviously) for that poor employee's family and friends.

Transportation wishes for 2008- or what's left of it.

Here is my wishlist. That:

1. Drivers would stop honking at cyclists as they approach them from behind. We are on bikes. We can hear your damn car a mile away. Honking is startling, and increases the likelihood of a mishap. Also, if you are trying to passively-aggressively tell me to move over onto the unpaved shoulder, or just taking out on me some weird resentment of cyclists, shove it!

2. Cyclists would also obey the 'rules of the road'. Use your hand signals. Be aggressive. Those of you who don't give us a bad name and make drivers feel like they have to honk at you.

3. Cyclists would not bike on the sidewalk. This is (unless in the case of some bizarre emergency or out of necessity) a cowardly move. Please, you're ALLOWED to be on the road. What's worse, you're now doing to pedestrians what you hate having done to you by drivers. For gosh sake's, don't yell at the pedestrian on the sideWALK to get out of the way! You're loony!

4. Pedestrians would not simply walk out into traffic, crosswalk or no. Do not ASSUME the car will stop for you. Maybe there is sun in their eyes. Maybe there is something distracting them. Maybe their view of you is blocked by another car. Do you really want to take that chance?? Make eye contact with the driver.

5. People just generally milling about would stop generally milling about and look the heck up and realize there is stuff happening around them! That goes for you, groups of 10-15 teen girls and boys who insist on walking side by side and don't care if someone comes up near you, trying to get by. Likewise, if someone is carrying something heavy, especially if that something heavy is related to their JOB, please move your buns! Most likely that person could even use a hand! At the very least, say 'Excuse me' in a pleasant tone when you need to get by someone. Don't just plow people over. If you are carrying a large bag, be aware that you are doing so and don't whack others with it, and if you accidentally do so, the 'oops, sorry' thing is great - ignoring the fact that you did it DOES NOT FLY! We know you felt that bump!!! If you insist on walking ever so slowly because you are having a chat on your cell phone, at least allow others to walk around you. There is no need to take up an entire aisle, particularly if you have a shopping cart!

Alright, I've had a frustrating transportation day. I'm over it now. It is very clear that I have, more than any other kind of rage, 'sidewalk rage'. It's a true phenomenon. Google it.

Cookin' cookin'

Just a regular night at home, making some mushroom stuffed crepes, mmm.

Hubby having some fun at the helm...


Sauteeing the mushrooms & onions, yum.


Ooh la la...



A lady must only cook with her best gold flats on!!

My not-so-secret professional (and cultural) crushes, part 2

Margaret Atwood. Maybe not immensely popular with my generation, but she should be! Her response to the "cultureless Canada" issue was bang-on.

A quote from the Globe and Mail article : “Ordinary people” pack into the cheap seats at concerts and fill theatres where operas are brought to them live. The total attendance for “the arts” in Canada in fact exceeds that for sports events. “The arts” are not a “niche interest.” They are part of being human.

Damn straight!

And I know you didn't like Oryx and Crake, but it was one of the best books I've ever read. So there.

My not-so-secret professional crushes (part 1)

Michael Geist. Professor, lawyer, writer, intellectual techno-cool dude. Oh, you're interested in the multi-faceted world of internet, privacy and technology law issues? He's your man. He's got it all. Heard him speak at CLA 2006 and now I follow HIS blog. Am I even allowed to mention him in mine?? Only he knows for sure. Sigh.
There is so much info on his website, it's stupendous. And I don't just throw that kind of language around helter-skelter. No, this is a veritable treasure trove of copyright and internet info goodness. I'm getting hot and bothered now, it's best to stop writing about it.

Puppy dog tails...

How does this wee little puppy....


Turn into this crazy beastie in less than a year???



OK let's try this again..... Little puppy.....



Big huge 70lb doggie!! That's about 8-10lbs a month. Glad it's not me.

This one is actually one of my favorites of my buddy. She loves being outdoors so much. She actually looks like she's smiling :)

Update on Layla

Just got back from the vet with Layla.. She's not doing so hot. Back on the antibiotics, another urinalysis, and some pain meds. She peed in her cat carrier twice, once on the way there and once on the way back, and also on the vet's exam table. Poor kitty..... So I have to monitor her pretty closely. The vet said it's common but can get serious, but he didn't feel any bladder stones or other stuff, so that's good I guess. The next step is an x-ray. Man I'm glad I have health insurance for my fur family. Yes, I'm one of those crazies who pays every month to insure my furbabies' health. It doesn't cover routine stuff like vaccines, but now that she's sick it's kind of nice that part of it is covered. Not that you want your animals to be sick obviously but it makes you think that maybe it was a good decision. Hopefully she'll feel better soon.. It's really pitiful when animals are sick, and now worse that she's uncomfortable and maybe in pain. :(

Sickie Layla

Taking Layla and Sola to the vet's tonight. Layla isn't doing any better after her antibiotics & special food, and now is incontinent and looks like she's in pain... I hope they will just give her some stronger medicine and that she'll be fine after that. She did seem like she was getting better, and was even drinking a lot of water. Hopefully she is ok (fingers crossed).

Sola needs her vaccine against kennel cough, for when we put her in a kennel. We took her to the quarry yesterday, and she LOVED it. She went swimming and probably ran the periphery twice while we walked around it once. What a crazy doggie. We took her to mom and dad's last night for dinner (much to their dismay I'm sure) but she was actually relatively well-behaved, probably because she ran around so much during the day.

Dessine-moi un mouton...

Les entrées en français doivent prendre un différent logiciel.. :)


Bon, juste quelques citations de Le petit price, roman que je dois relire bientôt mais malheureusement je ne retrouves pas ma copie. Peut-être qu'elle est perdue chez mes parents. Qui sait?

- « Où sont les hommes ? reprit enfin le petit prince. On est un peu seul dans le désert… - On est seul aussi chez les hommes », dit le serpent. - « … Qu’est-ce que signifie « apprivoiser » ?

- C’est une chose trop oubliée, dit le renard. Ça signifie « créer des liens… ». »



- « On ne connaît que les choses que l’on apprivoise, dit le renard. Les hommes n’ont plus le temps de rien connaître. Ils achètent les choses toutes faites chez les marchands. Mais comme il n’existe point de marchand d’amis, les hommes n’ont plus d’amis. Si tu veux un ami, apprivoise-moi ! »







C'est tout pour l'instant. Je cherchais des citations portant sur l'amitié mais je suis tombée sur St-Exupéry.... C'est relié....?

Movies, movies...

Been waiting for the movie to come out for a while now... I read the book (by Jose Saramago) last year, and I'm dying to know how on earth the movie will turn out. Especially since it's being produced by a Canadian firm. I don't know exactly how the blindness itself will be portrayed, since it's what the novel refers to as "white blindness" and in terms of cinematography how it will be represented etc... We'll see... Supposedly coming October 3rd- I will be first in line.
Preview of Blindness, freaky...

I'm also pumped about Marley and me (I know, totally shifting gears from disturbing to cutesy, that's me). Read that one this summer and so did G., and we both liked it so I'm sure we'll go see it at Xmas. Who can resist a preview of a puppy running down a beach?? And c'mon.. "Heel the love"? Too cute.

For my birthday, please!

Could someone please, pretty please, get me this for my birthday, or Xmas, or Kwanza, or Festivus, whatever!!

Bob Dylan's new children's book :)

Dog Park

Really hoping there will be progress on the dog park idea, or at least some support in recognizing a small part of certain public parks in the CBRM where you could play with your dog off-leash. This is beginning to be a contentious issue and seems to be pitting "dog people" against "non-dog people" and vice-versa. Responsible dog-owners do not want their dogs to be a nuisance to others, but I definitely think there is room for both groups to happily co-exist, especially in parks with huge acreage. Surely a small area could be designated as an off-leash area without much fuss. So far this has been unsuccessful. A vet clinic in the area has even donated a large parcel of land for this purpose. Many dog owners have "headed for the hills" so to speak, and found other places to let our doggies run free where there are few or no people. Hubby and I took Sola to Coxheath mtn yesterday, and a few other dog owners were there. A gentleman later showed up with his smaller dog on-leash, and one of the other dogs barked at his, creating a bit of a stir. He berated us for not having our dogs on-leash, and that the rules were clearly posted at the beginning of the trail. I had to double-check the signage, and there was no mention of leashing your dog, only to please clean up any mess your dog makes. It has become impossible to take your dog, even to the middle of nowhere on a mountain without someone becoming upset. The worst part is, I'm not sure it would be safe to hike that mountain with the dog on a lead, some parts are pretty treacherous and I'm wondering about injuries. In the past other owners have been yelled at in other parks if a dog (on leash or not) was licked by a dog. All the more reason to have our own area. There are dog people, and non-dog people, and that's that. There needs to be somewhere where the doggies can socialize, run, and play without offending or frightening anyone. I'm sure there will be letters to the editor this week... I'm jsut a little sour after getting told off by another lady last night at my part-time job, for serving drinks *near* her, in what she believed was a "dry" area (which was not). I didn't particularly like being yelled at (for doing my job) in front of a few dozen (appalled) people, or the repeated nasty looks I received. I just couldn't understand WHY she was upset as she was, or why she was taking it out on me... Some people...
Anyway, I digress... And I really hope we get a doggie park so everyone can be happy :)

BOW weekend

I will start off by saying that BOW is a great organization.
http://www.uwsp.edu/CNR/bow/
The premise is essentially to help women enjoy outdoor activities, find new interests and build confidence in their abilities. This year the Nova Scotia BOW was at the Gaelic College in St. Ann's, which is a beautiful setting anyway. I was really excited about it, mainly to meet new people and have a weekend away from all the "usual". I was a tad nervous about having three roommates (which I haven't had since university), and the whole sharing a public shower etc... But you get over that sort of thing pretty quickly. And wear your damn flip-flops!! The way BOW works is that you select four workshops for the weekend. First up, was archery on Friday:


Yup, that's me shooting a rubber deer. Later they put balloons on the deer and sand-bag target, and the highlight of my weekend was bursting one!

Next up, was wildlife tracking. We saw signs of bears, deer, moose, bobcats, and smaller animals.


This would be the identification of some scat. Turns out it was from a bobcat. Neat-o.

Saturday afternoon meant "Tasty Fish" workshop. This was to learn to clean and prepare fish outdoors. We had pickerel, trout, salmon, small-mouthed bass, and a few other scaly friends. Apparently the fact that we have pickerel here is not a good thing, they're an invasive species and eat other fish, and baby ducks. Some genius brought them from the states or out west. Super duper. So I guess i have to include the pic of me gutting the fish?

Latex gloves are an awesome idea....



There are the spoils!!

Sunday morning was hiking and backpacking, which I honestly wasn't that into because I already do those things. But, I learned about new water purification products and blister stuff. So, it was productive and of course a fun time.

Geared up Dan...

This would be a bear hang, for your food and whatnot. Again, useful!!

Really great weekend, met a lot of cool people and now am kind of jealous of the wildlife techs and everyone who works for DNR really.. What cools jobs they have!

Next year, I'm totally doing the firearms courses...

Yurt living

Okey dokey, part two of today's blog...
Hubby and I recently went to a fun resort place in Indian Brook called Cabot Shores (http://www.cabotshores.com/). The attraction was mainly the yurt that they have on their property. What is a yurt you may ask? Wikipedia must surely have the answer...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yurt

Well, whatever it is, this was a modern one and so much fun that I am trying to convince hubby to put one up in the backyard.


This would be the yurt we stayed in. So yep, it's basically a tent on a deck, and it's all screened in and has a skylight. The owners put a comfy bed inside and some hooks and whatnot to hang your clothes. This is my kind of camping!!

We took Sola with us which made me a little concerned since she has never slept outside her kennel overnight, and we didn't have room for it in our little car. However, after a day of running around outdoors she was ready to crash and slept at the foot of the bed. I was pleasantly surprised.


This would be me and my buddy in the river. Hurray for wellies... This dog would completely exist in water if I wasn't there to reel her back in.

All in all, it was a great weekend, we had a great time and a hearty breakfast in the AM for the next day's adventures.

Have to start somewhere...

Alright, I'm starting a blog. I'm a little late on this bandwagon, I guess. I don't think anyone will accuse me of being an early adopter. But I figure that, if I end up doing something cool in the next few months, I had better document it somewhere. And Facebook is getting a bit dull of late. So, here I am. Most likely this will only be read by one or two people, and maybe I'm giving myself undue credit there. Now I just have to figure out Blogger and how the heck I can customize my little site.