Thursday Three

For today's blog I'd like to share three things from my house that I'd save in a fire. But first I'd like to state that:

• My family and cat go without saying. 
• Object weight doesn't count. It's my fire fantasy so I'm going to be bionic and have 3 sets of arms.
• My purse also goes without saying. My phone and iPod are in there. And my lip gloss for when the   handsome firefighters arrive.
• Let's also automatically add my photo albums. They're the only evidence of the time I had long hair. Not even my iPod contains that comedy gold.

Dang, I got distracted. Okay, let's start over.

For today's blog I'd like to share 3 things from my kitchen that I'd save in a fire.

1. My KitchenAid mixer. Ask anyone who has one. Plus she has a name so she's part of the family. You may address her as Terra. There's a geeky explanation for that which will put me off track if I start.
2. My super sharp, perfectly balanced, all steel (one moulded piece including the handle), gorgeous Wusthof knife that Scott brought me direct from Germany. It's the most expensive thing in the kitchen after Terra.
3. An Oikos lime flavoured Greek yoghurt. It's my current obsession. So yummy, thick and pudding-like. Plus bananas are for closers. Hey, I'll likely get hungry waiting for those hunky firemen.

kxx

I've finally gotten organised enough to post these.

Here are photos from our Vegas trip of last week. For those who were out of the loop, an old high school friend won tickets for 24 hours in Vegas, couldn't go and gave them to Scott and me. The trip was Wednesday and Thursday last week. Just a note, the trip was only the airfare down. No hotel, spending money or anything. With 2 days salary lost, accommodations  food and activities, we spent a little more than usual for the middle of the week. That said, it was a total blast!

I thought of several ways to write up this blog but realized the simpler the better since we were on limited time. I set my iPod to ring every hour (except the 5 hours we were sleeping) and snapped a shot. All times were EST...

This was the time we left the house. Had to be at the airport for 5:15

6am: A little caffeine never goes amiss

7am: This was her first flight!

Champagne at 8am? I'm game.

9am: Are we there yet?

10am: Bathroom break

11am: The geek must read

12pm: The Grand Canyon by plane. Desperately searching for  discarded Acme products...

1pm: We've finally arrived

2pm: On our way up to our room at the Tropicana

3pm: Quick walk before our desert tour starts

4pm: Red Rock Canyon.

5pm: Cliff, our enthusiastic and fun tour guide

6pm: See? What did I say? Enthusiastic!

7pm: Tour is over. I thought you'd be tired of desert scenes

8pm: Back to the Trop to change clothes

9pm: Wasn't this in Big?

10pm: SHOES! These little beauties were a steal from Fendi at  $745

11pm: Hot and sour soup and Caesar's Palace. 

12am: The Paris nightlife

1am: Back to our room for a quick rest before our next activity...

2am: A comedy club

3am: Borat before bed? Why not?

4am: This is what sheer exhaustion looks like

After the above shot we went to bed. I wanted to be fresh as a daisy for our final Vegas activity:

11am: Blammo!

Then we went home. The end. We barely even gambled. In fact we put more money in the slot machines at the airport than at the casinos. This was the craziest trip I'd ever been on and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

kxx

At 2:01pm I was packing a bag

Inside this bag is a dress, pjs, undies and spanx, jean shorts, a pair of sandals, a bathing suit, 2 blouses and a pair of socks. Plus makeup. Why? We're going to Vegas, baby! For about 37 hours. I'll be taking quite a few photos that I'll post all over the place so that whole "stays in Vegas" thing will be a non-starter. Besides, how much trouble can two middle aged parents with joint issues and less time than it takes to give birth get into?

Oooh, if this was a movie we'd cut to a scene like out of "The Hangover" right now...

kxx

At 2:01pm today I...

was listening to one of my favourite podcasts. It's the only one around about my favourite soap Coronation Street. And since it's 2 weeks ahead of the broadcast here in Canada so, yay, spoilers! Hi (and thank you) Michael and Gemma!

I've been watching this show since 1990 and stories abound about our relationship. When I went into labour with Elliott in 1996, I stayed home (too long according to my ob/gyn) so I could watch the outcome of a trial before I  left for the hospital.

Audrey and Elliott both have namesakes on the show and every day I pray that a Henry or Henderson will show up.

When Elliott was little, I was part of an Ottawa Coronation Street group that periodically had "meetings" in pubs. I was chosen for a CBC radio interview to talk about the show and the fact it was being delayed for weeks due to Olympic coverage. I sounded both lucid and sane.

A couple of years ago I was on a CBC television special about rabid fans called Corrie Crazy. They actually came over to my house to film that one. In that interview I sounded neither lucid nor sane. I think it all went downhill when they asked me to re-enact Elliott's birth (the part before I left for the hospital) and I agreed. Out of sheer humiliation (and you know me, I'm a shameless self-promoter), I never told anyone when that one aired but since I've outed myself here's the link. I said so many other insightful things that they didn't use. Whatever.

I've never met any of the characters but one day when I win the lotto, I hope to take the Kemptville Travel trip to the set. Yearly, I get the most tempting brochure complete with photos of last year's participants with the stars they met or with their bellies up to the Rovers Return bar. Agony.

I love meeting fellow Corrie fans. There's at least one every place you go. One of your first interactions is always "so how long have you been watching?" You can't help it... it's been on for 52 years. Did you know that one of the current actors has been on since day 1? He's a world record holder.

Sorry, this post must be so boring for non-Corrie watchers I apologise. The next one will be about something we can all relate to. I haven't decided what that'll be yet but I'm sure you'll love it.

kxx

I love this post

I posted this last year on 11 November. It was simple but I like the sentiment so much that I thought I'd repost.

You Don't Know Jack

kxx

At 2:01 Today I

was trying to book a hotel in Vegas for that crazy trip.

Well, actually from the shot above, you can see that I got distracted. I finally decided on the Tropicana. Please don't tell me everything you hated about it, it took me long enough to decide.

I didn't really care where we stayed but I wanted Scott to feel less grouchy about the imposition this trip creates. Supposedly they filmed a bit of Diamonds Are Forever there (Scott's a James Bond freak) and some of the Godfather Part 2) plus it's old so it has a bit of historical value which he gets a charge out of (uch... such awful grammar). And to be honest, you can't go wrong with a $60 room with a pool and free internet.

Anyway, that's what  was doing at 2:01...

kxx

Nom nom nom.

That's the sound of me eating my words. In 2007 I posted this. I'll give you a second to read it...

Back? Great!

Well, it turns out that even though I didn't TRY to win this, it fell in my lap anyway. An old high school friend (Hi Hugh!) won it and couldn't go so he offered to to me. While it never occurred to me to try for it myself, I'm not a total kook and would never look a gift horse in the mouth. So Scott and I are Vegas bound for 1 single solitary day.

 Here are my previous arguments knocked down one by one:

 "I'd need a sitter to sleep here overnight and get the kids to school if it's a school day."
- The kids are older now so what we've decided was to farm them out to their friends. Each one is going on a sleepover and it works out well. All the parent has to do is feed each kid dinner, provide them a bed, then make sure they get to school in the morning which should be easy since they're in each kids' class. The next day they can come straight home since we'll be home later. It's so much easier than having someone sleep here to "babysit" on a weeknight.

"What do I want with a trip that doesn't provide me with an actual bed?"
- Why NOT sleep? There's nothing in the rules that says you can't just book a room. We decided to do one tour (of the desert), have a nice dinner, gamble a bit, then sleep. In a hotel. We aren't kids anymore.

"Then there's the Vegas aspect. I've been there for a four day weekend and even that wasn't enough. There was so much to see."
- Silly. We're going to choose one thing then do it. Walking around and soaking up the atmosphere (and the warm temps) will have to be enough. I have to work in the morning. God, I'm so old...

"Anyway, if you go to Cirque de Soleil, say, then go for dinner and gamble a little you're done. Call me crazy but that doesn't sound like a prize to me. I'd much rather win movie passes."
- Are you kidding? This is nearly the exact trip we're planning. And I do NOT stand by what I said about the movie passes.

"The preparation for the trip would take more time than the trip itself. You'd have to find the perfect outfit since you don't have time to change. No luggage. You'd have to wear (ugh!) comfortable shoes. I don't know."
- Here's the deal... I'm already packed. I love that everything I need can fit in one tiny bag. One pair of shorts, one top, one pair of sandals, a makeup case, a toothbrush and pyjamas. Oh, and a bathing suit. It can actually all fit in a Ziploc bag. Love this. And the comfortable shoes? Please. I have 9 pairs of Converse. The problem will be deciding on a colour.

"This sounds like no prize."
- Ummm, yeah, it does. And I have to thank Hugh again for being so generous about giving it away. When we get back, he is so getting the best steak dinner I can muster. With cake.

kxx

Thursday Three Things

It's Thursday and, as always, it's time for the Thursday Three Things.

Did you to go back and check if I've actually ever done this before? Ha! I've never done this before but I thought I'd give it a try it today.

So for the inaugural post, I thought I'd tell you three things I absolutely love about myself. Yes, I know how that sounds but as I've said many many times and in fact have that as my slogan on twitter (@mamashake if you're interested), I have high self esteem.

1. I love that I'm good with kids. I got my ECE (Early Childhood Education) degree under duress in 1993 (long story maybe for another post) but I never looked back. Before I had kids of my own it was handy but now that I have my own, it's been invaluable. Even though ECE studies children up to 12, I'm finding dealing with teens nearly palatable and I blame it on a good foundation.
2. I love that I know sign language. I'm definitely not as fluent as I used to be but I still remember quite a bit. I have fun teaching the kids in my class and the few times I've run into deaf people in real life, I love that I can communicate. Once, years ago, I translated scuba diving instructions for a deaf couple on our Jamaican cruise and I was never more proud that I knew how.
3. I love that I can drive. I know that's a weird one but I think every time I take the car out, there's a moment when I swell with pride. My mother lived her whole life without ever driving and I didn't learn myself until I was in my early 30s. My dad (almost) always seemed happy to take her anywhere she wanted to go even when she was a nurse working the night shift. It seemed like such an imposition even though he never complained. With our 3 kids all in activities, a shitty, undependable and expensive transit system and plenty of things to do ourselves, there's no way I couldn't drive.

And that's about it. Well, actually I love lots more things about myself like my teeth, my sense of humour, my vast knowledge of pop culture and my Converse collection but there was a limit. Maybe next time I'll do a Thursday Thirty Things...

kxx