The Challenge of Challenges

It feels like I've been avoiding doing these challenges.. and how many are there?  184?  No, seriously, I think it was 64... yeah, gonna be awhile before they get done.

Life has sort of woven it's way into my free time, and although that is a good thing, it has exhausted me as well.  Although saying that, I cannot think of anything important that I've done besides work and dog chores.
I do know that I have avoided getting the room ready for my daughter (who comes home tomorrow!!) and will be organizing and cleaning like a mad woman tonight and tomorrow in order to move her in for the summer.
Some things will never change, I've always been one to wait until the last minute.  I believe that by doing so it is possible to avoid doing 'it' altogether... which is never the case, but you never know.. one day.

Anyhoooo... on to the challenge at hand... doing the next challenge which I believe is #23, 5 good things that have happened to you since beginning this challenge.

Besides waking up every morning and taking a breath?


1.  I held a 2 week old puppy that had just opened her eyes... and decided that she should become a member of our pack.

2. I was able to see my son perform on stage, not once but twice!

3. Got me a new lap top!!  Good thing for me, bad thing for housework however.

4. Fell asleep in the sunshine while the dogs laid beside me, all of us enjoying the warmth and companionship.. now if that isn't a 'good' thing, I don't know what is.

5.  Found me a second hand scooter for the dogs... that is stupid exciting for me, you have no idea.. I cannot wait to pick it up.

 Isn't this the most beautiful thing you have ever seen?  Well.. to me it is!!  Holy crap I'm so excited I think I almost peed my pants!!!

Wishy, wishy, wish

Challenge #22
Name 3 wishes

Three wishes?

Wishes depress me, they all have to do with what stresses me most which I 'kinda' talked about in the last post.

So... here are my 3 wishes that I would ask for as of right now, at this moment in time.... Tuesday evening on May 10th while I sit in my living room on my green couch while watching re-runs of my favorite TV show, Six Feet Under.

Hmmm wish #1... let's see.  I really felt like dessert after dinner tonight, which we didn't have as we are trying to be good and healthy... so my wish is to 'screw' healthy and have a huge banana split placed in front of me with 1 huge scoop of vanilla ice cream, 1 huge scoop of Strawberry ice cream and another of chocolate.. all smothered in caramel sauce with fresh strawberries and whip cream and cherries.

Wish #2 ... I wish, wish, wish... hmmm... honestly... the banana split right about now is all I can think of... so how about a large mug of hot chocolate with a good portion of Caramel Baileys mixed in to have along side.

Wish #3... Well... honestly I'm not really sure.... oh wait I know.. how about that my wish #1 and #2 be zero calories and no fat.. how awesome would that be??

stress Stress STRESS

Challenge #21 is something that stresses me out.

Well... here it is in picture form... I can't even talk about it in fact....

Dream Wedding, Wedding Dreams

Challenge #20 asks what is your dream wedding.

Well I'm already married... have been married for almost 27 years....

and my wedding, although not my dream wedding is done and to be honest with you I really wouldn't want to do it over again.
The planning and the organizing, the money spent, it just seems like too much work for me now.

However I had this great plan for our 25th wedding anniversary, which also didn't happen, but would have been fun. A different way to re-new our marriage vows.
I would like to go to Las Vegas with friends and family.... anyone who would like to come along... we would rent a limo and cram everyone into it.. even if it meant sitting on each others laps... oh, and Elvis needs to be driving the vehicle.
We would then go to the Drive In Chapel to do the vows....then off for a party on the strip...
I just went hunting for a picture to add.. and found that you can actually go through in a pink Cadillac.. and it looks silly fun.. but IF we did have friends come.. then the limo it would be (it says up to 12 can join us)

Not overly romantic.. but fun for sure.... however the add says that Elvis sings romantic songs before and after the ceremony.... can't get much more romantic than that, and there is this amazing room that I want to stay in while there... maybe for our 30th?

Mixed Feelings

I'm home.
Alone.
On Mothers Day.
Bored
BORED

In the past I've been taken out for breakfast/brunch, but this year my husband is working at his shop and has stolen my son to do so.
They both left early in the day... and I probably wont see the hubby until later tonight... the boy is going back to his home in another town right from the shop. 
My girl is far away... although I did have a nice talk with her this morning.

I\m feeling rather sorry for myself ... and did I mention that I'm bored?
Well I'm bored!
No car to get me anywhere.. and it's raining outside.... and... well, I'm bored.

So... I might as well do the next challenge.

#19 Tells me to put my ipod on to shuffle and share my first 10 songs....

Alrighty then, here they are with links.... so enjoy... or not (depending on your taste I suppose).. and it is just a very small taste of what I enjoy as there are almost 7000 songs on my ipod.

1. Eagles; Hotel California

2. Great Big Sea: Going Up

3. The Real Mckenzies; Pour Decision

4. The Toasters; Don't Let the Bastards Grind you Down

5. Sublime; Caress Badfish

6. Frank Sinatra; That's Life

7. Flogging Molly; Float

8. Beatles; We Can Work It Out

9. Brian Setzer Orchastra; Jump Jive An' Wail

10. Samshing Pumpkins: In the Arms of Sleep

I'll Have to Learn the Hard Way!

Challenge #18 wants me to talk about something I've learned...

That could open a plethora of boxes.  Yet no matter what box is looked into I seem to like to learn the hard way.

Latest lesson. Never, EVER hold an almost 2 week old puppy when you know they are going to be looking for homes in 6 weeks.

The middle one is the one that melted my heart.

The Killing of Birds and Oral Projectiles

I've had the most interesting? 
Interesting, well yeah, that word is better than any to describe the day I had yesterday.

Let's just say that it involved another human, sharing the small space that I work in, who was experiencing involuntary release of bodily fluids orally.
And let me add that this small space we share was inescapable for 45 minutes.

Hmmm.. what do I do for a living you ask?  I could say that I work for NASA as we navigate small floating capsules that orbit the earth... I could say that, yes I could.  I work as a stratospheric navigator with a fellow space traveller as we parallax planetary nebula in the Seyfert Galaxies. 
I have no idea what that means... but it sounds way cooler than 'we do deliveries'

All that is another story, for another time, on another planet.
Instead I thought I would kill 2 birds with 1 stone and do 2 of the challenges today....  which does not actually include the killing of any birds (for all you Peta's out there)

Challenge # 16 asks about any nicknames I may have.

Technically I have lived all my life with a nickname.  When I was born my parents named me and had that name legally placed onto my birth certificate... then took me home and proceeded to call me another name completely different than the one originally chosen.  So if you want to be all techie then the name Shelley could be considered my first real nickname.... and I do think of it as so... considering only family and 'old' friends now call me by this name.  (not even my kids or hubby think of me as Shelley.. at least I don't think so)

Pumpkin would be a second nickname that came to me via my father when I was a little girl and Hubby started calling me honey bella a few years back, but doesn't use it very often as it reminded me of a character from a movie we once watched and I felt it was a stolen nickname.
Mom, or Mommy can that be considered a nick name?

However when I think nickname I think of names that are given to you for 'other' reasons that remind me of a private joke... a name that gets stuck and the reason for it fades but the name does not.

Fred..... Roach..... Rockel.... Mugsy (was my nickname from my hubby while I owned the store, but hasn't been used since).... and Chelle (pronounced shell) is the biggest one, however that one is plain obvious.... and last but not least is Boss Lady.

Challenge # 17 wants a favorite picture of yourself with an explanation of why... I don't really have a favorite picture of me... I've gained way too much weight over the years and do not feel good about myself.  I tend to not be in many photographs either.... however I did pick one that works for this challenge.. and a challenge it turned out to be...... I'm not sure what I love so much about this particular picture... perhaps it is because I don't look 'fat'... or because I was having fun with this series of pictures.. or it could be because I'm with my lucky Penny.
In any case it would be this picture, and it feels like a cheat as this picture has already been shared once in this blog somewhere.... but too bad... it is the one I've chosen.

Spring is FINALLY here!!!

Oh Joy! It is beautiful outside today. (this was actually written yesterday, I just forgot to post it!)

I sit in my yard with my furry kids as they massacre stuffies all over the yard.  Well actually only Penny is interested in demolishing her baby, making me wonder at her mothering instincts.. good thing we are looking at getting her spade.

The buds are all out on the trees, (it's about time) and that also means the 'sticky buds' from the poplar trees.  The kids will be covered in them soon with their fur all matted and stuck together from the sap.  Soon after the fluff will fill the air.  Luckily I am not prone to allergies or hay fever so this event I find quite pretty and is a true sign that spring is really here.

The many birds are singing away calling out love songs to each other... flies have been buzzing by my head on their way to the poop buckets by the kennels... mmm a smorgishborg of goodness for these disgusting insects.
I've even seen the odd butterfly flit past the pups as they lay basking in the warmth of the sun... brave butterfly, they do not realize how quick my Rocky boy is at catching 'things' mid flight.

There is a breeze, and it has a slight crispness to it letting it be known that there is still a touch of winter to be shared before we can officially say we are on our way to summer.  We almost always have snow by the May long weekend.. and I know this to be true this year as the work car I drive has had it's winter tires off today... fate... karma... call it what you will, I just know it to be true.

To this I am going to add the next blog challenge... Something that I am missing.... I am always missing people.  Especially when I sit on my own in the yard with only the pups and my thoughts.
My grandad.. my father-in-law.. my Nana Forhan... I miss them all very much.. still. 
I miss my girl who lives too far away.
I miss friends who also live far away.
I miss friends who have just left my life.
I miss my Molly, my Emily and our Oakie.
I miss my store.
I miss my staff.
I miss my customers.

However today as I sit outside in the beautiful warmth of the spring time sunshine.. the birds chirping, my dogs playing in the yard, the odd shout from a child down the road playing in their yard... what I am missing is something I have never owned myself.... and that is the solitude of living in the country... with some distance between neighbours.
Don't get me wrong.. I really like my neighbours.. they are all pretty amazing people, and we have been seriously blessed with some incredible people who live around us....
.... it is just that I would like to sit outside and not listen to their radios... their music... their talk shows....

It has rudely interrupted my silence that I was so enjoying until now...

So what I am missing most.... is solitude... silence....

But it IS spring!!!!

Eating, eating and more eating

I'm actually getting rather tired of this blog challenge.

I needed something to kick start me on my writing again... and well... it worked. My paper journal was brought out again (and actually filled, I need a new one!)... and I have this urge to continue writing here, but this challenge keeps getting in my way.

I think I'll slog on with it for now, but it feels like it is getting silly.
If it was suppose to help me begin writing again, or to be creative, or stand on my head... whatever.. then I suppose it did it's trick, but some of the challenges are just boring.

My favorite place to eat, well that isn't silly... and I could talk about eating establishments for hours, suppose that could get boring... but a few of the challenges coming up.. I just don't know... I may just skip some of them... or how about I really shake things up and not do it in order anymore???
Now that is more like me anyway... you never know what your gonna get, and if you don't like it then fine.. your problem not mine.  (hmm..that doesn't sound so nice written down in word)

Anyhow ....back to the challenge, my favorite place to eat.

Wow.. this is tougher than I thought.

I suppose it could be the Olive Garden... I think of it as me and my daughters place to go.. nice in a family restaurant kind of way, but not too Smittys like if you get my drift.  And I love the food.. mmm bread sticks.

Another favorite is the Grizzly Paw in Canmore. I don't know why exactly... it is noisy and busy... but the food portions are good and the price is okay.... and it's in Canmore in the mountains near hiking and dog sledding trails.. well okay I like the food too... the nachos are the biggest portion I've ever had... at $20 well worth sharing between 4 people as a meal with their own brewed beer or rootbeer.  If in Canmore...I suggest it for sure.

But when I'm on my own and need a lunch or dinner out I like to go to an Edo diner.. not in a mall... I really like the stir fry, but it has been the best place to people watch ever.  I'm not sure if it is the type of people that eat there or the way the tables are set up... but seriously I have had some amazing people experiences here... I know odd.

Oh.. and the bestest ever Donairs are in Cochrane at a little joint on main street snuggled in beside Rexall drugs.. the best since I was a young adult and would frequent a place on Young Street in Toronto (which sadly is gone now)

My son and I had the best ever nachos in Edmonton on Whyte Ave. in an Irish pub. Instead of nacho chips they used thinly sliced potatoes.. it was to die for.. and although I could physically take you there, I do not remember the name of the place.

I cannot really pick a favorite... I love to eat out (cause I don't have to cook)... and I can usually find something good about anywhere I go... but a favorite?
I guess I'm on the hunt for a small intimate place kinda romantic when with your partner, but perfect for close conversation with a good friend. A place that also has good food at a reasonable price... if anyone knows of something that fits this description let me know.

Hmm I'm hungry... wish I had time to fly into Phils... the best place for the best breakfast.  I love their omelets filled with fresh mushrooms, cheese and bacon with a side of hash browns and a huge fluffy pancake.. I usually get this for mothers day.. however this year the men in my life are busy on Sunday... so it'll have to wait.

Good eating everyone.

Looking Forward

Challenge13 is asking me what I am looking forward to the most.

The two words 'looking forward' mean so much to me. 
Yet cliches pop into my head. 
Never look back... always look forward.

Looking as in seeing, hoping to see?  Forward.. ahead.. the future.

My looking forward holds happiness and sadness for me.... the things I look forward to the most are intermingled with sadness and the passing of time to get to these happy times.

My immediate future I look forward to Friday night and the monthly consumption of poultry wings and too much alcohol... I will not enjoy the Saturday morning as I awake to head to work possibly.

My baby girl comes home in just over 2 weeks time.
I only get to see her once a year.. twice if I'm lucky.
And to have her home for 3 months is enough to make me giggle madly with happiness.  I can't wait!!
I will try not to smother her as I follow her around the house pinching her so that I can see it is all real... no, I suppose she will have to pinch me.

A weekend away with a best bud to the mountains to hike.. becoming a yearly ritual... I always look forward to spending time together, just her and I... and we actually don't get into any trouble.. one of these days..

Summer... Seeing my baby boy in a Shakespearean production... (I hope) and a family holiday maybe?

Then there is the visit of my bestest friend from the past this September.. a high school buddy/trouble maker is coming to spend an entire week with me!!  Just the two of us as I show her around this great province.  A spa time, girly time, our time... it will be wonderful to catch up after all these years.. just the two of us.

Yet getting to that time also means the saying goodbye to BOTH my babies as they leave for their own lives..  my girl back in Nova Scotia, my boy in Toronto.

So you can see my dilemma of trying to look forward with happiness and anticipation, when there is some sadness involved... however.. that said.  I'm so happy and excited for both my kids and what their future holds for them.

My Dream House

Challenge #12 Says to talk about your dream house.

Well lets see....

Windows that are not drafty or cracked... doors that are not drafty... a roof that is in tact, new shingles, no holes in the bedroom ceilings... closet space... kitchen cupboards....how about more than 2 feet of counter space?.... a bathroom that is larger than a closet... maybe 2 bathrooms!  A full size dining room... carpets without stains.... a laundry room that is insulated so you can use your machine when it is below zero....a yard with grass.

Take all of that and correct it in my home and you have my dream home... actually place my fixed up home on a large piece of land away from the tracks and stupid whistling trains in the middle of the night and all day long.. THEN you have my dream home.

Lately however I've been wistfully day dreaming of a cabin in the middle of nowhere.. away from traffic, and people.. a life in the bush.   But then I think about having to gut and clean my food and I change my mind.

Challenge Continued

Challenge #11

A bible verse...

Really?

I don't read the bible... I've never read the bible, well except for bits a pieces.
I'm not religious... I may be spiritual, but definitely not religious.

I received a wonderful gift from a friend of mine... the bible in both Hebrew and English.. I love it very much.. but have not actually sat down to read it... perhaps I should.  I do know stories out of the bible... but I know not the scriptures.

So I hunted for a verse that would be of some interest to me... and I found this...


He said to David, "Am I a dog that you come against me with sticks?" And David said, "No! Worse than a dog!"

1 Samuel 16:43

I believe however that no human is better than a dog.. they are the most trusting, loving creatures that were given to us... a gift from heaven.

Challenge #10

Something you don't leave the house without

I honestly cannot think of anything besides the clothes on my person that I feel naked without when I leave the house.

I've been known to not take my keys if I'm with hubby, and that also includes my wallet.. no money in it anyway so why bother if I'm not driving.
I have a million purses... well okay, maybe not a million, but lots.  I love purses.. yet I don't really carry them around with me all the time.  Odd eh?
Perhaps I collect purses like hubby collects rocks when we are out hiking or on holidays.  Yet instead of displaying them on the window ledges I cram them into the bottom of my bedroom closet.

I suppose the one thing that usually gets popped into a pocket is my phone.  Owning a business with staff put me into the habit of having it with me all the time. Since selling the store it seemed pointless to have it with me.  Now I think it is a way of keeping connected with my kids more than anything else.

We recently got new 'Smart Phones' and I do agree with the hubby... I think that name means the phone is smarter than the user.  There are still many features on it that I don't understand.... however it IS a pretty phone.

TV Schmeevy Challenge #9

Challenge #9 says I should list my favorite TV shows.

Well we don't have cable... we didn't really watch much TV... besides the news, the odd sports game, Food Network and the Discovery Channel... there wasn't much we put on.
I hate reality TV shows.. they are all the same and get boring very fast (although RuPauls Drag Race is the best by far).
So over a year ago now we let our cable go... and I don't miss it... at all.

Funny thing is we actually watch more TV shows now without the cable then we did with it.  HBO and other TV series DVD's have made their way into our home and we regularly watch them all... some of them a few times over.

So my top 10 TV shows are as follows in no particular order...

1. Kids in the Hall:  Yes I admit there was a time most of this show made me roll my eyes, but after being subjected to it over and over thanks to my son, and then seeing these guys live I'm hooked.  Buddy is my favorite character... and you will hear quotes from this show quite often in our home.

2. Monty Python and the Flying Circus: I've always loved this show from a little girl until now.. and their movies are the best (I absently minded forgot to make mention of those in my top movie picks). The dynamics between these men is pure genius.

3. Seinfeld: Who doesn't like a show about nothing?  And I bet you always call out "No soup for you!!!" when ordering soup from a deli... bet you do!!!  I've seen each of these episodes no less than 5 times each.. at least..

4. Dexter: Season 5 cannot come out on DVD fast enough for me.  I'm not sure what it is about the show I like so much.. a serial killer who is a family man... wow... creepy story line, and yet so many of us love it.  Very well done series and Michael C. Hall is brilliant in this... however...

5. Mr. Hall put on an amazing performance in Six Feet Under which is probably my top #1 pick for favorite show.  Everything about this series is terrific... great acting, good story lines, clever, humorous, thought provoking with daring topics... so sad it is over.

6. Breaking Bad.. If you liked Pulp Fiction then I think you would enjoy this show.  Again daring topics which I've never seen done in a TV show.. very well done and I cannot wait for the new season to come out on DVD.. it's taking way too long!

7. Deadwood.. It took me the first two shows to get into this series.. and once I got past the language I fell in love.  Based on real characters from the past it got me so caught up that I'm extremely disappointed that the creators ran out of money... I wait with held breath for the movie that is suppose to come out to conclude this series.

There are sooo many more shows that I've enjoyed over the years.. they all belong on my list of 10.. such as M*A*S*H and Cheers.. the first two seasons of 24, and the first two seasons of Prison Break (to me they both got monotonous after that).. Simpsons and Family Guy would be on that list too..
Instead I thought I'd add the last 3 shows that were my faves when I was a kid..

8. Star Trek:  Yes I admit it, I was a trekky. It was so futuristic, so ahead of it's time and exciting, I mean every week Captain James T Kirk was always getting into a situation that you just didn't know how he would get out of.  (I did love the new Trek movie.. it followed the original characters very well.. that should have been on my fave movie list too!)

9. Gilligans Island: Man I looked forward to this show each week, if anything to just sing along to the opening song. It was always funny with ridiculous situations that even as a kid I knew were down right stupid.. but I kept coming back to the show over and over.. hmm.. perhaps I need to purchase this series?? It's been years since I've seen it.

10. The Goodies.. and if you know this show.. yeah.. the stupidest thing going.  And I'm not sure but it probably only ran 1 season in Canada... but.. at 13 it made me laugh till pop came out of my nose!

However I have to add Batman to this list as loved and faves as a kid.. I used to dress up and pretend I was this amazing super hero (hey! I was like only 3 years old, give me a break!).. so if I missed out on listing him it would be my bad considering I watched this show for years.

Are you Afraid of the Dark??

Something I'm afraid of.....Challenge #8

I could talk about my fear of bears... more specifically bumping into a grizzly bear on a trail with no one around, and nowhere to escape.. at night.  Is that specific enough?
I know I should be more afraid of the cougars out there, but there is something about a very large bear with big teeth, sharp claws and attitude that makes my skin crawl when we are camping.

Then there is dog sledding in the winter on some wonderfully quiet trail just my dogs and I enjoying a great run on a magnificent trail all alone.  The only sounds are the swishing of the runners, the panting of the dogs and the soft clink of the snaps.... when all of a sudden there ahead on the trail is a large moose.  Now that is something to be afraid of.  Hasn't happened to me yet, and I hope when it does that the moose decides to take off in the opposite direction.  It is all those stories that have been shared with me about those times when the moose does not go the other way that frighten me.

Then there is the small dark enclosed space issue that I could talk about as well.  I get the cold sweats just thinking about it.  I'm not a fan of elevators but can handle them as the ride is usually a short one.. and no don't talk about elevators breaking down between floors with me.. it's already stuck in my mind.

However it is the dark that has to be involved to really get me in a state of panic.  I once walked these tunnels with my girl in Halifax and I couldn't get out of there fast enough.

Why? No idea... I know there is nothing there, but there could be.

What really scares me is a thought.  Just one single thought and it can actually lead to very bad dreams.  "Something bad happening to my children"

By bad I mean physical harm.... I have had terrible dreams of this sort and honestly am not sure how I would handle it if this ever happened.

My kids are my everything.  I think about them everyday, wonder how they are doing and hope they are okay.

I'm not a suffocating mother, I've let my children go.  Yet I am there for them when they need me, with ready arms if they need a hug or an ear to listen, or a shoulder to cry on.  I also know that they don't need their mother all the time and I'm okay with that too... as long as they are happy and have that ear or shoulder in their partner or friend... then I'm happy.

I just hope for them to stay healthy and to live much MUCH longer than I do.

Challenge #7

Favorite Movies

Favorite movies huh?
I watch so many and have so many that I like that a favorite may be hard to pin point.

Perhaps I can do this by genre, at least I can try.

Movie from the past.. an 'old movie'.. the classics:
There are so many I've seen and enjoyed, and so many are now being re-made and the best part of all these great classics are being lost in the 'newness' of it all.
So I shall pick one that has not been re done that I'm aware of... and that would be The Party with Peter Sellers.  Mr. Sellers is just so clever and this movie makes me laugh every time.  Besides it brings back memories of watching this with my dad as a little girl.

Horror:

I love horror movies.. however it is very hard to find one that is good and scary and doesn't have a stupid Hollywood ending.  I actually enjoyed the first Paranormal Activity..I found it clever knowing what the budget was and how it was filmed. What dumped it to be even put on a list of my favorites was the fact that big names got their hands on this and insisted the ending change, but the ending was stupid ruining the entire movie for me. So although I mention it, it is not a favorite.

In order to find my all time favorite horror you would have to go back many years.  The one movie that scared me the most would have been the original Black Christmas ... and make note, it has to be the original.  The newer version was a joke.

Saying this I have not actually watched the original version since I was about 14 years old.  Not because I think it would scare me, I doubt that now... in fact it's probably just as bad as the new one.  But I don't want to ruin that great feeling I had of being scared shitless... let's just keep that great memory alive without ruining it and finding out the movie is actually crap.



Sci-Fi :

Well.. duh... Star Wars!

However not the 3 newer installments.. especially Episode 3 (blech.. way too much lovely dove shit for me).. nope.. the only three worth watching (in my opinion)  Star Wars, A New Hope  The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi

I do want to mention one other movie though... I thought it was well done, the script pretty good... but again one of my biggest complaints.. it had a Hollywood ending.. so I can't actually say it is a favorite, but it does have to be mentioned War of the Worlds... (stupid, dumb ending however)

Romantic Comedy: 

 A tough one for me.. there are so many... but I really did enjoy Serendipity, who wouldn't want to meet the love of your life this way?  However both You've Got Mail and Sleepless in Seattle were wonderful feel good movies with Meg and Tom who work so well together. 

Twisted love: 

 I have no other way to describe this.. it is one of my favorites and don't know where to put it or how to label it.  Dangerous Liasons.  I don't know why but I find John Maklovich to be extremely sexy in this role.. and yet he is the most un sexiest man I know in Hollywood.  The story line is twisted and almost evil.. a part of me which enjoys this very much.

Romantic (not so comedy): Chocolate is a great movie that I can watch over an over.. not too smooshy kissy soppy over the top love story stuff going on here.. besides it has Johnny Depp in it .. sigh... oh, and Judi Dench who is an incredible actor too

Action Thriller:

I am going to have to say Sherlock Holmes here.. we own the movie and we keep putting it on regularly to watch.. feel like my kids when they were little when they re-watched a Disney movie over and over.  Is it because it is a good movie or do I just enjoy watching  Robert Downey Jr.???  I think it is clever, with a great story line.. and I think if you like the Sherlock Holmes stories then it helps to like it even further.

Suspense:

I was sitting here thinking of all the new movies I've seen lately and what I would put in the top spot.. and I kept coming back to an older 'classic'  So my top pick for this category would have to be Rear Window with James Stewart and Grace Kelly.  I've seen it too many times to count, yet I still get all anxious when Grace Kelly heads across to the apartment to investigate.  And who doesn't like Grace Kelly besides???

Musical:

Hmm... nope.. I can't do this one... I love them all.

the Producers.. makes me laugh every time.. I love LOVE Nathan Lane in this, he kills me.

Chicago... done extremely well.. and everyone did an incredible job.

and who doesn't like Sound of Music? Or Mary Poppins?

I love musicals... I could keep on going here... so I'll stop with these four.

Comedy:

Another extremely hard one.. very hard actually... I love all comedies.. even if they are stupid.

Top on my list would have to be To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmare.. a role that Patrick Swazye did that is seriously overlooked.  I think it is his best role ever actually.  And if you have never seen this movie.. then it is something you need to do this weekend!!! 

I also have to add Planes, Trains and Automobiles .. the best comedies are ones that make fun of ourselves and to me this one works for everyone.

Western:

Hands down it has always been The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly... don't know why... just is.

However that said I really like Tomb Stone There are some pretty classic lines from Val Kilmer done in this movie that cannot be overlooked.

Super heroes:

Batman is my ultimate favorite super hero.. has been since I was old enough to walk.  However I loved the latest installment in the series and look forward to the next one.

Bond movies, we always are up for James Bond.. suppose my favorite one so far is Quantum of Solace not 100% sure why, possibly because I feel it was a good.. beginning.. and of course I love looking into Daniel Craigs eyes... and Mathiew Amalric was one of the best villains in my opinion.

You know... I could keep going.. on and on and on.. if you knew me and how much we watch movies in this house you would know that it is near impossible to pick a favorite.

Just talking about the movies above reminds me of others that I've enjoyed.

For example.. another movie, the Diving Bell and the Butterfly, if you have not seen this.. then do!!! Amazingly wonderful.  Well done incredible.. loved it.. etc. etc. etc.

Daniel Craig was in a movie called, Defiance that is worthy of watching.

And two more notables that I will end my list with are The Englishman Who went up a Hill but Came Down a Mountain and Waking Ned Devine

Challenge #6

A Picture of something that makes you happy

Impossible to find one picture of one thing that makes me happy.  Many things make me happy.
But hands down at the top of the list would have to be my kids.  Just looking at a picture of them at any age makes me happy, proud, and sad ('cause I miss them)

Gotta say these two turned out pretty wonderful in my eyes.  They are both extremely talented. My boy, the actor. My girl, the musician.  Both have pretty good heads on their shoulders and are extremely independent.

Sadly that independence has led them far from home. The musician in Nova Scotia and the actor on his way to Toronto. Great places to visit them... I only wish Canada wasn't so big.

Blarging Blog challenge #5

A Song to Match your Mood

I've been quite laid back today... this weekend... happy that my son is home, sad that my daughter is not.
If I was alone right now this would be the song/ album that would be playing on my ipod.

Reflective, lazy, not sad but mellow kinda day.

Brian Eno; Music for Airports

Blarging Blog My Parents

Continuing on with the challenge, and at #4.. Your Parents...

My parents.
They are complete opposites of each other.
Daddy is a stay at home kinda guy who loves to watch his TV and is most comfortable in his own chair. 
Mommy is (as was described by a theater person) like a drunk bumble bee... buzzing around all the time from one thing to another always on the go.

When it comes to their kids they are always there, and always supportive.

I've been thinking about what I was going to say when it came to writing about my parents, and no particular thought came to me.
Do I write about who 'they' are?  Or how I was raised? Or is this gonna be like some cheesy day time talk show blog about how I blame my momma for my crack addiction?

Instead I thought I'd pick on a memory or two from my childhood (before age 17) that would best illustrate some of the above.

I never really knew what my 'da' did for a living when I was young.  Most likely because I didn't really care, surviving in that selfish stage of childhood when it was all about me.  Instead remembering only the great cakes he brought home from Sarah Lee.. the ones with the crooked frosting that they couldn't sell in the stores (and no he didn't work for Sarah Lee.. at least I don't think so???)
Pay day Fridays he would bring chocolate bars home for us.. and that was a pretty cool treat for us back then.
We used to watch old movies and I would tickle his feet for a penny a minute, which was raised to 10 cents a minute when I understood the value of money.
However the strongest memory I have with my daddy was a once a week event that took place when I was a young teen living in Ontario.  I had early morning piano lessons that he would drive me too, and on the way to school we always stopped in at McDonalds for an egg McMuffin and an orange juice.
I always thought this was so special and it was like a secret between just me and my daddy... I have since learned that my baby sister also got the same treatment... although knowing this doesn't take away from the 'specialness' that I felt from back then.

My 'ma' was a stay at home mommy until I was in middle school, I think... or was it high school... I don't remember... I just remember she worked at the building next to the high school splicing those educational films we all watched in school from way back when.
Now... I say she was a stay at home mommy because I don't really remember if she did work or not when my sister was younger... don't forget I was in that 'it's all about me selfish stage.'
Mom was always on the go, still is, doing something, having us do something.  Life was always moving for us in our home... and that is okay... I have some pretty good memories.
Mom was always and I mean ALWAYS doing stuff with us and for us that picking out a one particular memory is hard for me...
Mom was the one who taught me how to drive.  My first time ever in a car after receiving my learners was at night, in the rain and she had me turn left onto a semi busy street.  AND we didn't live in no small town!
I have some great memories from when I was a kid with my mom camping at Darien Lake in the States every summer for quite a few years in a row.  Just my mom and us three kids as my dad had to work (besides he hated camping.. bugs and the outdoors were not for him).

But one particular memory that stands out of my mom is a time when she dropped me and my best friend off at middle school. I was in grade 7 and just oh so cool.  As we neared the school we asked to be dropped off at the corner furthest from the building.  I mean after all someone might see us get out of my mothers car!
No, instead she drove as close as she could get which was in the teachers parking lot right by the door where all our peers were.  We tried to make a hasty retreat and near about died of shock and embarrassment when she got out of the car and stood on the door frame and started yelling her goodbyes to us and waving.
Although I thought I could have died at the time, it wasn't long before that made me laugh thinking about it.. yup.. that was and still is my mom.

My parents are still together, and continue to be a big part of my life.   
For that I feel very lucky.

Do I blame my mom for my crack addiction? 
You bet!!
We all gotta have dirty laundry to make life interesting :-)

Challenge #3 First Love

Your First Love

blink, blink, blink.... the cursor line doohicky thing has been flashing in front of me for some time as I think about who.. or what my first love was. blink, blink, blink....

Do I talk about a non-memory? Being brought into this world into the waiting arms of my mom and dad?  Technically they were my first love.

Or perhaps it would be my first remembered love. Pippy my black and white cat. Named after a favorite character of mine at age 9, Pippy Long Stockings.  Although I suppose Tiger the cat I found homeless only days before receiving Pippy as a kitten for my birthday would have to be my first love. 
My poor parents.  We had been animal-less and I find this sad, but sweet cat whom I moved into the garage before asking if I could keep him.  "please? oh please????? He has no home, you can't let him go again!!"   How can  you say no to a pleading 'save the world'  9 year old cries, even if you have just purchased a kitten as a surprise for your daughters birthday?

However most would say a first love would be of the romantic nature between two humans in a non parental form.

And what is love?  My sons belief at the moment is that love is like Santa Clause... it is not real, all a story told to children to make them believe that the Prince or Princess of your dreams is out there waiting for you.  Yet my boy just had his heart crushed by young love, so he still has yet to find that 'true love' out there... and it IS out there if you allow it into your life.

But I digress... my first love?

It would have to be a boy I met in Ontario when I was about15. 
My girlfriend and I used to do this thing with the phones... oh, by sharing this story my true age is going to be shed here.... so, before Internet, we used to dial certain numbers on those old rotary phones.. no cel phone service or even cordless.. no cordless anything back then. 
Well we would dial a phone number, I believe it was a school number in Hamilton, in the evening when nothing was open (oh yeah, no answering machines either)  Between rings you could talk  yell to others who would also dial the number and get phone numbers from guys who were on the same line (who in the blazes discovered this anyway???)

Anyhow.. this fellow was on here and we started talking via the phone... and one thing led to another and we decided to meet at the mall.
My girlfriend was with me... and when we saw this 'guy' she was a little freaked out and said we should leave... but I was curious after our many phone conversations to actually meet this long haired heavy rocker looking dude.
Hair down to his waist long... probably kinda Goth looking in those days if you had to label him.

Well that is how we met... and the relationship was a long one for the age we were... 3 years of on and off...breaking each others hearts.. young love.

Then I moved. Across Canada move.

Although we kept in touch for the first year... Not only had I moved in distance but also in my mind... I was making new friends and eventually dating other 'guys'

So, yeah, that would be my first love. 
Now Shaun Cassidy... he would have been my first crush... I still remember sighing over him with his picture hanging all over my walls!