p.B-l-o-g: 2007.01

28.1.07

Vasco the little danish boy wonder

It sure was great to talk to Robb & Bibi in Denmark this weekend!
Vasco sure is growing up to be such a handsome little boy!
Here is his latest photo!
Enjoy!

26.1.07

donkey for sale

After nobody wrote in to give me some *new* suggestions for the pblog,
I thought...

how about odd things for sale on ebay?

For starters, today I came across this "DONKEY" pin for sale on ebay.

Yet he kind of looks like a horse to me. Or Joe Camel.
Really there is pretty much whatever you can think of for sale on ebay...

Including lots N lots of JEM dolls!!!

Ok ok, back to the donkey/horse, we have to give him SOME press.

But who would wear him? and to what type of event?
He is made of real gold and real diamonds.
I bet you want him now don't you?

Or,

What about his little brother down below?

"Get ready for the elections now by starting to buy an unusual symbol of the Democratic party. Fun!!"

24.1.07

What is going on with blogger.com?
I have posted all week and so far there has not been a full recovery of
my usual template. This frustrates me again today.
For your reference, the past few "muppet" photos were sent a while back from my brother Mike
-the Uber dad and Uber photog.

blogger.com now shows up in the NEW and the OLD versions during login, yet fails to recognize my passwords on a regular basis as well. Not sure why, but blogger.com is stubborn and is supposed to help me not anger me.

Quick heads-up:
a) Its been snowing all day over here (finally)
b) Lola's ear is quite sore again and to make matters worse, a dog munched it while jumping up all over her while trying to meet her -making her cry for the first time. It was the saddest thing to hear her yelp and howl, she is the toughest dog I have ever had and I have NEVER heard her cry before. She is moping around the house now. I told her that sometimes it hurts to be super friendly.
c) I applied for more interesting positions
d) I baked banana-chocolate chip-peanut butter-muffins from scratch (wicked)
e) I rearranged the upstairs furniture to make it more spacious...and to better organize my magazines in the office!
f) I made Sheppard's pie -in the microwave (took the easy route as at least I baked today!)
g) enjoyed my footbath "bucket" that Santa gave me this year -"totally relaxing bucket"
h) tried to call Dave's parents but they were out at the theatre --maybe tomorrow we can catch them!?!?
i) the list could go on forever regarding countless other random things,
besides what are you curious about?

a) Toronto
b) pblog ramblings
c) fashion
d) photos
e) animal welfare
f) Internet oddities

???

pblog has faith in you.

Its always amusing to post here at the pblog and see how blogger.com messes with the formatting when it feels like it should. Sorry for the amusing layout problems.

All I do is post fantastic text and then blogger posts and formats it all for me in under a minute!

On the other hand it is still me who adds all of those great movies, slideshows, oddball links and such. AND I do end up deciding their pretty little order on the blogger "template" AND I even use some of that Uber cool "html" and or "coding" when necessary to ensure that it is ALL in order. So yes in fact its true, I have even figured out how to be an Uber chic geek after all this time.

blogger.com, shame on you for causing such anger.

pblog has been up and running for three (3) straight years now.

(Beat that all of you online journalists)

And so what if Leah Mclaren "disses" bloggers,

I read that the newspaper will be obsolete in fifty (50) years anyway.

blogger.com, its almost like sitting back and wondering if the ghost of Saddam is going to show up floating at my window, or if that first taste of haggis really is THAT wonderful...

or does the constant wave of "post-glitches" as we should call them confuse you as well?

Blogger, have mercy R: Blogger, have mercy

pblog, have mercy R: pblog, have mercy

Blogger, have mercy R: Blogger, have mercy

Or is looking at the pblog daily like viewing one of those 1990's 3D posters

that either come right out and smack-you-in-the-face

or leave you puzzled-for-hours.

Again, sorry for the inconvenience caused.

Another thing I have been wondering about after three (3) years is:

who on this big bad earth is actually reading the pblog?

so the pblog web ninjas were sent out to check-things-out for me and they have come back with their hands full=the UK, Myanmar, USA, Canada, Germany, France?

please leave a comment, as I would love to know what you are doing here. Thanks.

For the rest of you loyal fans, you have made the bond of the pblog a holy mystery.

And may your lives always bear witness to the reality of this love.

Enjoy.

pblog has faith in you.

Shouldn't your parents be as fashionable as you are?

Making a stunning appearance to the pblog this month=my parents.

My sister Kelsie sent this photo over to me last week to show me my moms snazzy ~up-d0~
that she styled for the xmas party

Very lovely indeed!

23.1.07

The Adoption Option

Small children mean large dogs: The world of dog fanciers is divided between purebred purists (those who insist on buying a pet with a pedigree, meaning it is one of the 153 breeds recognized by the American Kennel Club) and mutt mavens (those who prefer adopting from animal shelters). Rarely do these camps see eye to eye, yet leaders of both agree that small dogs are not ideal for families with very young children, who tend to be rough on pets, and that good family dogs are usually thirty pounds or more and willing to roll with the punches. Mutt mavens believe that the more mixed a dog is, the more adaptable he will be to modern family life; the reasoning is that such dogs, being randomly bred, don't display the intense instincts (hunting, ratting and so forth) that make purebreds sometimes hard to live with.

Taking the shelter route: Whether you have children or not, when starting to look for a dog, a smart move is to bypass pet shops and visit your local animal shelter, where adoption counselors will be happy to introduce good old-fashioned mutts that have passed stringent temperament tests. Little Shelter, in Huntington, New York (littleshelter.com), quaintly calls this process matchmaking. To find the animal shelters nearest you, visit the nationwide directory at petfinder.com.

Rescue heroes: Numerous rescue groups specialize in small dogs and may be found online by searching for small dog rescue or little dog rescue. If you absolutely must have a pampered purebred, simply type in the name of the breed and the word rescue — Westie rescue, for example — and you'll be able to find rescue groups near you that will be happy to discuss meeting your needs (one of my favorites is Peke A Tzu Rescue, at pekeatzurescue. com, which is devoted to all small breeds and minimixes). The AKC's Web site (akc.org) also lists breed-rescue groups across the country.

Age before beauty: Retired? In the market for companionship? Consider an age-appropriate adoption: a senior dog. Such animals are frequently overlooked, yet small or large, elder statesdogs prefer leisurely walks to aerobic exercise and prove ideal pets for people who have slowed down as well.

Taken from: "Too Cute" BY JULIA SZABO

http://magazines.ivillage.com/townandcountry/style/feat/articles/0,,292424_705863-1,00.html

17.1.07

bullfrog power!

www.bullfrogpower.com

What is Bullfrog Power?
Ontario's first 100% green electricity retailer
Clean, reliable electricity from 100% EcoLogoM-certified energy sources
A new way for Ontarians to support renewable electricity rather than coal and nuclear
A 100% Canadian company dedicated to increasing the supply of renewable electricity in Ontario
Why go green?
An easy way to take real action to help improve our air quality and protect our environment
A meaningful way to invest in a better world for our children, our communities and future generations
A practical way to ensure your electricity dollars are supporting green power production instead of coal and nuclear
How does Bullfrog Power work?
You continue to draw your power from Ontario's electricity grid in the same way that you always have
We make sure that the amount of electricity you buy is delivered to Ontario's grid
You don't need any special equipment, setup or wiring
Your electricity supply is just as reliable as ever
Simply sign up and go!

16.1.07

cuba --si?

Now that winter has FINALLY hit Toronto,

its about time to go someplace warm on the pblog...

enjoy the flight!

12.1.07

Yes, things are heating up, new environment minister says

Our new hero?

Canada's new environment minister, John Baird, isn't saying what he'll try to do about global warming, but he suggested in a CBC interview that weird weather has eliminated any doubts that temperatures are rising.

"I mean, I grew up here in Ottawa, lived here my entire life, and I can't remember a winter where I didn't have to use my boots," he told Heather Hiscox of CBC Newsworld. "I left the house without even a winter coat this morning. So that's obviously a huge concern."

John Baird has replaced Rona Ambrose as environment minister.
Baird, who stressed that he was just 20 hours into the job and still needs to be "briefed up," replaced Rona Ambrose, who had struggled to defend the government's have-it-both-ways stand on the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.

"Canadians … are pretty skeptical when it comes to climate change because they saw the previous government for 13 long years increase greenhouse gas emission by 30 per cent, at the same time wearing a cloak of green. So Canadians want to see some real action and one that will have results and not just rhetoric."

Canadians want a minister who's going to be concerned," he said.
"I think [Liberal Leader] Stéphane Dion has clearly said he's very concerned about the issue, but people aren't going to look at what you say. They're going to look at what you do, and the Liberals' record on this is pretty bad."

Dion, in a separate Newsworld interview, said his own emphasis on environmental policy may have helped to push Harper to change his tone on global warming.

The prime minister "received a wakeup call, maybe from me, but from all Canadians," but it remains to be seen how serious he is about it, the Liberal leader said.
"It will not be difficult to do more than he did last year. Last year, he cut 90 per cent of the programs for environment and climate change. Last year, he embarrassed the country with his approach regarding Kyoto on the international stage.

"So I hope we will see some improvement, even though it will stay far from what we really need to do … and if he is willing to improve even a bit what he did last year, this will be very positive."

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2007/01/05/baird-interview.html?ref=rss#skip300x250

Global warming of the natural sort

Here is a great photo to warm up your soul on a January day...
Global warming of the natural sort.
As the west of Canada gets hit by a giant blizzard
(drive carefully everyone including you Rona!)
I sit here and see rain outside my window...
where's the snow?
Global warming? sure.
I miss making giant snowmen with carrot noses and burberry plaid scarves.
Maybe we should ask Rona to make things happen before the 2010 Olympics.
www.ronaambrose.com
You can try to find info on the environment on her website (that is her job right?)
Never mind I found some of it for you=
http://www.ronaambrose.com/news.asp?menuID=105

How Rona can help you=
a) Navigate their way through federal government services
b) Obtain Canadian flags and pins for travel abroad
c) Receive Congratulatory Certificates from the Prime Minister, Governor-General and Her Majesty the Queen
d) Deal with immigration applications
e) A wide range of other services..........what types of services? where are the strategies for helping the environment?

Or

possibly on the websites "Make a Difference" section we can find some solutions on how to help the environment as an individual....nope.
Aw Come on Rona!

Even CBC's Gill Deacon has a book out with helpful tips on how to go GREEN!

Well, maybe Rona and Steven should pick up a few books here:
http://www.grassrootsstore.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=278&sm=sub13

At least Tim Horton's wrote me a fine letter regarding their "action plan" and how they were going to make Canada a cleaner happier place to guzzle coffee in. Their mission seemed more believable.
Yet I still see piles of garbage beside my house that they refuse to clean up.

I hate Mississauga. I need to write to the mayor tomorrow.

"Tim Hortons will continue to focus its environmental efforts in four key areas: litter awareness, recycling,composting and packaging."
-THE TDL GROUP CORP.,
Bridget Miller
Operations Services Manager

I could post the full letter for you to read, but it stated:
The information contained in this message is confidential and may be legally privileged.
Anyway, thanks to Bridget for giving me a giant letter candy-sprinkled with
good Tim-strategies.

Its more that Rona could do on her personal website!

9.1.07

December 29th 2006 DMC's bday bash at bp's!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DMC!

We had a fantastic time over at Boston Pizza

eating our favorite tasty boston brutes and guzzling down giant schooners

and misc girlie drinks (for the girls of course)

And lets not forget Brandt and his coors light ensemble which included a hat that he won during the hockey game to match his tasty frosty pint of brew

We sure missed having Brent & Beth aka: SHAFT playing trivia along with

BORT & CORN...(hopefully next year???)

Anyway it was a nice chance to get everyone out having fun!

The honest lawyer turns...32!

It was Dave's birthday over the holidays!

We had a nice lunch with his parents at

Ottawa's version of London's

*The Honest Lawyer resto/pub*
it was a nice crisp sunny day with a bit of snow

and it was nice to go down to the market area too!

We then rested up for our funfilled night of Boston-Pizza-triva-action

with the rest of the blackburn gang.

(pictures are to follow)

made with sweet love --want to be a hooker?

www.madewithsweetlove.com/art.html

I was watching late night tv and saw a cool segment regarding Whitney Lee and her

latch-hook artwork (once even shown here in Toronto!)

I thought it was such a creative concept to take crafty latch-hooking and make it new again

in a totally different way.

"What happens when you take some revolutionary sexual politics and mix in a kitch-y craft medium? Besides making an object that is sure to be ultra-hip, you’re producing artwork with a whole new layer of meaning. "

"My work was successful largely because of the giggly irony of seeing a sex-pot image in a medium that you associate with your grandmother. It also embodies a reaction against mass-consumerism, both in the handmade element to the work and the sex-for-sex’s-sake imagery, rather than sex being used to sell a product. In that way pornography is more honest than advertising. "

Want to be a hooker? learn how=

www.madewithsweetlove.com/hooker_learn.html

7.1.07

death of a blazer

2006-OUT=the blazer & hoodie ensemble

2007-IN=the cardigan & streamer ensemble

6.1.07

Happy 2007

Much to our delight, we rang in the new year at Dave's parents house
with a mysterious murder mystery party + fodue pots galore!
I ended up being Lady Caroline Mouton ---THE MURDERER!
I had a great time lying my way through the night as a fashionable socialite
with an illegitimate daughter played by Lara.
Dave was an angry calvinist priest and played the part wonderfully...
all those years of hanging out in the anglican cathedral certainly helped.
But he was innocent....
We also found one of granny & grampy's wedding presents=
*1942 champagne glasses!*
We filled the glasses and rang in 2007
in total vintage style!
We also figured out that they make champagne glasses in *flute* form because they sure don't spill as easily!
Matt & Mary had a lot of fun with their paper streamers they brought over...
tossing them about...especially all over me.
Lara stole one of the tiara's and looked grand in it.
Brandt joined Lara and I as we blew our noisemakers in style.
The Beef stock, Oil, Cheese & Chocolate fondue party was a smash!
We also had creme brulee!
Welcome 2007.