Knockdown 90s

Tommorrow night is our annual Halloween party. We opted to party on Devil's night through a long process of careful thought and debate.

What wasn't hard to debate was the desire to have a 90's dance party.

Being a teenager in the 90s was interesting. Music ranged from bouncing and poppy to grungy and dirty. We were the Cabbage Patch generation - we wanted what we wanted when we wanted it. We were the generation that would walk out of a dance if the song wasn't of the right genre.

We thought we could make a difference or we just wanted to float away. We had varied tastes and tried to always be slightly different. Our music was much like this. We borrowed from the old to create something new and the artists of our day got in some legal hot water for it.

Our music went with the times and we went with it. The internet became mainstream with us at it's helm. We wanted a cause and championed where we could. We swayed quickly to join the crowd and many of us became "posers" even though everyone had to start somewhere. We wanted to fit in and we wanted to stand out. We were probably the most confused generation of people in a long time.

On Friday night we'll be transported back to this crazy time of change and music. The groove will definitely be in our hearts and our feet will be getting jiggy with it.

Bear Claw Cravings

I am completely craving a Bear Claw today.

I woke up this morning and wasn't very hungry. Had a beer too many last night I think and it made me kind of silly, loud and probably a bit obnoxious. Waking this morning wasn't that hard though which proves that maybe I can still handle my alcohol. Only had 3 beers though so maybe not.

The laptop sits beside the bed and I've gotten in the bad habit of turning it on when I just get up to see what's going on in the world. I do this and after seeing an ad on the side of the page with a picture of a kid on the side eating a chocolate dipped donut, I felt that I needed to have one too.

But not just any donut.

Oh no - a Bear Claw.

When I lived in Jasper it was a very special treat to get up early and walk to the bakery to examine their wares. The smell was fantastic and it made me drool so much. When I discovered the Bear Claw I was in heaven. Just biting into it's soft flaky crust through the delicious chocolatey centre... I'm drooling in the memory.

Sadly - I live in Ontario.

Where oh where can someone from Ontario get a delicious Bear Claw???

Life without Cable - Month 8

I'm sure you might remember how utterly worried I was to say goodbye to cable television. When me and James were looking at buying our first house we were really tightening our budget. We were renting an apartment with my parents and they paid for full satellite. We were completely spoiled with over 500 channels to chose from. We both loved the specialty channels and barely watched any of the traditional ones. If we were going to get cable we wouldn't be happy with the basics. We'd have to get the extra packages and this could add up to over $100.

We took a risk - a huge one.

We waved good bye to cable and said "Let's just watch movies, read books and see whatever we want online."

James had grand dreams of building an television PC where he could connect it to our tv and we could not only use the internet, play games and watch shows online. Scary enough - he made that dream come true. It's really fun getting on and being able to go to ninjavideo and turn on anything you can almost think of. Plus it's allowed me to have my ultimate dream of playing silly facebook games on a big screen.

Our biggest problem was our original internet provider was through the phone line. We are really far from the junction so we couldn't get the full amount of connectivity that we had. As we actually have internet telephone as well with VOIP it made it really hard to talk to people when it would cut out all the time. James being a designer he really needs the internet to be consistent. A month or two of complaining and he decided to change back to Rogers. (We used them when we were renting and had no connectivity issues.)

Through having cable internet things have been alot more consistent. And there was an added bonus - cable internet meant that some channels came in. We did get Global and CTV before that (thank you basics!) But with the new cable internet we got even more channels. Made me super happy!!! Now we get: TVO, Global, both Omni channels, CBC, WKNY Buffalo, CTV, SunTV, Aboriginal Peoples Television and a smattering of French and political channels. With these channels we've been able to catch all the best shows and still have time to go and do things.

We're saving $60 - $80 a month just by not having cable. And it's fabulous being able to watch what we want when we want, and still catch some of the hot shows so that I have something to talk about around the water cooler.

For those thinking of getting rid of the cable box and moving on in your life - I'd HIGHLY recommend it.

Animal Rant

How timely that I'd get sick right around the time that a local turkey farm has found H1N1 in their birds. It's not that I spend a tremendous amount of time with turkeys or anything like that and I don't think I even have H1N1. I just feel sick. That. Is. All. You. Need. To. Know.

With animals getting sick it makes me a little sad. I love animals but I know that, like humans, many animals will get illnesses and recover. Some animals have allergies, as do we. They just normally don't know how to say what's wrong and don't often have the ability to heal things themselves.

This brings me to another issue. There are so many animals that are out there that are left sitting alone and scared in shelters and even more that never even make it to the shelter floor. They are just dumped on the side of the road and left to fend for themselves. Twice in the past month I've seen kittens in places where they aren't anywhere near a house. It's obvious that they have been taken to the country and dropped on the side of the road. Cats have been domesticated for a really long time. Some are lucky and get taken in or find shelter when they need it but many just won't fare so luckily.

It's so easy to bring an animal to the shelter. If you can't handle it, admit it, and they will be more than happy to help you place your animal. For each unwanted animal, there are people out there who might be willing to help them and keep them alive. There are rescue organizations and shelters all across this great land we call Canada. There should be no reason why animals aren't taken care of.

The only thing holding animals back from being looked after is a sheer numbers game. The average human birth is one child at a time, animals have multiples (for the most part.) This was evolutions way of protecting their chain. If you lose one or two in the birthing process or in early life there will be several more there to keep the line going. But humans get "fixed" so to speak, and it's so simple to have your animal spayed or neutered as well. Why don't people do this more often?

When we took The Dude to the vet after first getting him, they told us how many animals in the US aren't spayed or neutered because they really love the look of puppies. Looking at all the different puppy mills around you can also tell that puppies can be a money making machine. They are selling puppies for a minimum of $300 a pop - whether or not they've even seen a vet or had their first shots. People are breeding dogs and cats thinking they'll make money off them and in some cases they are. They didn't have to do any extra work other than feeding and cleaning the animals - and here they are making more than people make in a month by a simple litter. And they'll continue to do it while people continue to pay exhorbanent prices to get a designer dog.

Speaking of designer dogs - why are people stuck in their heads that any poodle cross will be non-shedding and hypoallergenic? Genes come from the mother and father and therefore can go either way. I met a labradoodle that not only made people sneeze when around him but shed like a banshee. But he had poodle in him - why did this happen? Think about it people. When you make a baby you are getting parts of the mother and father. Same thing happens when you have a dog. You cannot predict the same outcome every time unless you are breeding a single breed with a single breed. Thus the purebred.

Some people though take the purebred to be even more than it is. They don't mix the genes enough and some of the recessive genes come to the surface more frequently including defects and undesirable traits. Not all dog breeders know really what they are doing and are in it for the money. That's why it's so important to get a purebred dog that is registered and has papers so that you can see the geneology. Do your homework people!

Homework is another issue when getting a pet in that they may not have done any research on it. I can't tell you how many times I've heard people getting a pet and having to give it up because their kids have allergies, or they suddenly discover that they have allergies. If you are thinking of getting a pet, spend some time around someone who has a similar pet before making a lifetime commitment to an animal. Find out if little Timmy is allergic before you invest in bringing another family member into the mix. I've seen pet allergies first hand and they can range from a runny nose to hives and ultimately having a swollen and blocked airway. If you aren't experiencing these symptoms and decide to give up your pet - you are probably best to just admit that you are in over your head. This happens all the time and it's better you admit it and give the next "parents" of these pets a fighting chance at knowing the full background of the animal you are giving up.

Animals deserve love and there are so many out there that could use your help. Visit your local SPCA for more details.

Christmas Chaos

Okay okay so it's not even Halloween and you are wondering why I'd even be thinking about Christmas. You're probably wondering if I'm a crazy Christmas nut. Bet you have visions of me wandering around wearing red and green, singing carol after carol and spreading annoying holiday cheer. You'd be partially right.

I have a dirty little secret. One that I wish I didn't have, but am slowly starting to admit.

The crowds and chaos that come with Christmas shopping give me panic attacks. It's not even really isolated to Christmas but any time I'm in a slightly confined area with huge groups of people I start to feel my heart race, I get dizzy and panic. I have a hard time breathing and I have to do all in my power to get out of there. Many purchases have been left by the wayside because I just couldn't handle it. Even leaving the movie theatre or at concerts I start to feel my chest tighten and the only thing that saves me is keeping my hand attached to my husband the whole time as he leads the way.

With holiday shopping there's always the pressure of the perfect gift - add that with my little panic attacks and you start to understand why I have to start shopping early. Usually this means picking up a few little things in August and continuing on until the start of December, but I have been known to leave it longer and then kick myself later. That gift you see on sale in September just may never be found come December and sometimes I've ended up getting really unique gifts that are treasured because I took my time and thought early rather than running out for the last minute gift card.

I haven't always had panic attacks but I've never been a huge fan of malls. I like to get in and get out and that's why I think I've enjoyed the familiarity of big box stores. I know where to expect to find things and can run in, grab everything I need and be out in a short period of time.

When I was little I spent a lot of time attached to my mother's legs. I was incredibly shy with new people. Once they got to know me though I was a bit of a chatterbug. Creative and playful. I thrived in small groups and liked being involved with people. Myers Briggs calls me an introvert - but many of my friends wouldn't believe it. I'm a feeler too so that brings out my ability to care about people and ask questions. I'm the youngest of four children and in our family you had to speak loudly to be heard. Oddly, I'm the quietest of all of us even though my voice can be booming and I have been known to be the centre of attention from time to time.

When shopping however, I really don't like the crowd. I don't like the jostling and the competing. I hate feeling like I'm out of control. For some reason when people are bumping into me all around, going in different directions, perfumes and scents overwelming my senses - I lose all of my wits.

Thankfully I save some vacation days for this time of year so that I can go and shop in peace when everyone else is at work. Goal is by December first I'm done and then I can sit back and enjoy all the holiday season without stress. Here's dreaming of a peaceful and calm holiday season.