Old Folk

I don't know if the "Older Generation" are like this in your city, but they sure are in mine........


They feel that because they are old, they have a right to be..... obnoxious, overbearing, rude, and totally self-centered. Also, it seems that the more money they have, the cheaper they are.
That's another story!

For some reason they feel that they have to assert themselves because we, the younger generation, are out to screw them. :-)

Today I was at the grocery store, it was very cold out so I waited inside for a taxi. One older lady(sweet) was complaining that she was waiting thirty minutes for a taxi. After a few minutes one rolled up, I knew it was mine but because my spidey sense is not always on, I didn't go out and check. I let her take it. (you have to give a name to the driver) Besides, she was sweet and old, I would have given it to her anyway. Hah! She must have lied though! (The driver usually calls out your name).

Well, after fifteen minutes I called them again and sure enough, someone else had taken my cab. In the meanwhile, two old people (one with a cane) had called also but they were waiting outside. A taxi drew up and I wheeled my cart outside and sure enough it was for me. I knew the anger I was feeling from the oldies and when I looked back at them as we drove away, let's just say "if looks could kill", I'd be dead.

It was so cold out I didn't care. I did my good deed for the day.

PS I always thought that when you retired and got older, you had more time and tolerance.

Guess I thought wrong!!

Previous Posts

When I enjoy a fellow blogger, I sometimes go back and read their earlier posts. Especially when they first started blogging. Ur-Spo was commenting about a post he had written awhile ago so I looked it up. I realized after starting, that I had read it before. Great post by the way, Spo.

It got me to reading my old posts. I kinda' like this one.
I was a virgin blogger. ;)


April/2006

Had a bad/good day............who you gonna call?
No one...........Blog!

That's the beauty of blogs, you can bitch and complain. Get it out of your system without actually hurting anyone. A lot cheaper than a therapist and no time limit. (sorry spo)

The tag "blog" has to be a pseudonym for "hey, what about me". Think about it, there is so much stress in our lives nowadays, we need a place to vent.
Our friends are wonderful but they can only take so much, just as we can only handle so much from them.

BLOGGING.......... the answer to all our frustrations. From sharing memories, troubles at work, life in general, or wonderful things that have happened to you.
It's like a daily journal that you happen to share with others. Now, some people use it for their own morally righteous opinions, but that's okay too, it's their thing. (I just don't read them)

Personally, I enjoy a blog that is light and makes me laugh. After work, I like a light read, not War and Peace. :->

Happy Blogging

A Blessing Or A Curse

A couple of years ago I went to a well known local psychic. My Spidey Sense was in overdrive and I wanted to do something about it. I asked him how I could get rid of it. He said,"you can't, you have to embrace it". That was not what I wanted to hear.

It's not as bad as it was but it's definitely still around. I'll give you a couple of examples.

One female patient had just returned from Europe and her parents had recommended our office to her. "I'm glad they came and brought you home", I said. She was very upset and asked who told me. (She was in a very bad relationship with her husband) I knew none of this information.

Another patient wanted to buy a special electric toothbrush. I innocently said,"I know you don't like Walmart but........", "who told you that", she exclaimed. I had to think fast there.

Today I was waiting outside a medical building and a man came up to me and asked if I was Ruth. No, I said, that's her inside. He looked at me and said,"you're joking, right". No I said, look, that's her on the phone right in there. (I had never seen this woman before).

These are only simple examples that come to mind. It's the emotions that are the most difficult to deal with. Especially the angry ones.

I don't see things, I just know things.

STUFF

The Wikipedia defines it as....

Stuff is any number of things and is a word used when someone wants to talk about some or all of those things. People say "stuff" sometimes when they do not know the real name of something.


It is things that you think are(were) important to you.
Material things, that you had some attachment to. Be it, some chair that you bought, a picture you liked at the time, a great but outdated jacket, your lucky shirt. :) etc., etc., etc., I could go on and on.

Really it's just stuff that is cluttering up your life.

For example:

When I left Toronto, I had very little time and space to take anything with me. My brother was picking me up with his truck. I was never going to be able to retrieve anything I left behind.(Another story). What did I take with me?
I had previously packed a box in the event of this situation. In it was pictures and mementos of my daughter growing up, my mother and father, and my family.
Very few clothes(favorite jackets and boots), books I love, and I guess that's about it.

In lieu of all this, I guess I'm just saying that material stuff can always be replaced.

Now the mental stuff.................that's something else I have to work on.

Death

Do what the Buddhist do. Every day, have a little bird on your shoulder that asks 'Is today the day? Am I ready? Am I doing all I need to do? Am I being the person I want to be?' "

I don't know how accurate this is, maybe Tiger can enlighten me. But I can't imagine living my life and every day asking a little bird, "is today the day". That just seems so morbid to me.


How would you spend your time if you had only twenty-four hours to live?

Serious thinking here. Wow, okay, here goes....................

Be with princess, that's a no brainer.
Tell her she will be strong and I will always be with her.
Say good-bye to my sisters and brothers.
Go to Cape Breton and say goodbye.
Sit in my mother's kitchen, look out on the the Bras d'Or lakes and think about all the wonderful times I had as a child.
Sleep in my mother's bed.
Forgive anyone that has done me harm and ask forgiveness of anyone that I have harmed.
Be buried next to my mother. (Cremation of course, I don't like bugs).

Sorry, no exciting things for me. I would just want peace of mind.

What would you do?

I Borrowed This Meme From Tiger and Steve

In the hopes that it will tell a little about me.........

1. The phone rings. Who are you hoping it is?
Wrong #. I don't like the phone.
2.When shopping at the grocery store, do you return your cart?
Always(I'm a Catholic, guity as charged) :)
3. In a social setting, are you more of a talker or a listener?
Depends if I'm drinking or not.
4. If abandoned alone in the wilderness, would you survive?
Fur sur! I'm a survivor.
5. Do you like to ride horses?
Yup, "giddy up".
6. Did you ever go to camp as a kid?
Yes. That was when I realized I was a vampire. I got bit by a mosquito and immediated started to suck the blood from the bite. :) Everyone looked at me weirdly.
7. What was your favorite board game as a kid?
Chinese checkers.
8. If a sexy person was pursuing you, but you knew he/she was taken what would you do?
Ask him how his girlfriend/wife was doing.
9. Are you judgmental?
No.
10. Would you date someone with different religious beliefs?
Depends on how fervent they were about their religion. I like things in small doses.
11. Are you continuing your education?
No, but I plan on doing so.
12. Do you know how to shoot a gun?
No, guns scare me.
13. If your house was on fire, what's the first thing you'd grab?
My sweet Rosey.
14. How often do you read books?
What a question. When do I not read books would be easier.
15. Do you think more about the past, present or future?
I try not to think . But the future is creeping in thank god.
16. What is your favorite children's book?
Grimm's Fairy Tales.
17. How tall are you?
5'6"
18. Where is your ideal house located?
Cape Breton .
19. Last person you talked to?
Princess, my daughter, in Houston.
20. Who was your first kiss?
Bobby Gardiner, I was thirteen.
21. When was the last time you were at Olive Garden?
Five years ago.
22. What are your keys on your key chain for?
Three keys for my apartment, one key for my mailbox, one key for work .
23. What did you do last night?
Walked Rosey, read some blogs, wrote my blog, read some, watched CSI.
24. Where is your current pain at?
Let's not go there, read my previous post. :)
25. Do you like mustard?
Nope, Nope, and Nope.
26. Do you like your mom or dad?
I loved them both very much.
27. How long does it take you in the shower?
Depends if I'm shaving my legs or not.
28. What movie do you want to see right now?
Dreamgirls.
29. Do you put lotion on your dog or cats?
I put polysporin in her ears because she scratches them so much they bleed.
Does that count? (I also have drops for her ears that the vet prescribed).
30. What did you do for New Year's?
Watched a movie, drank champagne, ate lobsters and snuggled up with Rosey. I haven't felt so peaceful in a long time.
31. Do you think The Grudge was scary?
Is that a movie? Never heard of it.
32. Do you own a camera phone?
No.
33. What's the last letter of your middle name?
R.
34. Who did you vote for on American Idol?
I'm Canadian but I really liked Chris and Bo.

PS I added # 20 because it was missing. ;)

Who' da Thunk It?

Something so simple as changing your shoes could cause so much pain. I have been in SO much pain for the past few months. It was even in my hips when I moved. Sometimes I thought my hip joint was displaced when I would get up or turn around.

I have been wearing ankle boots with a 2 1/2 inch block heel all week and guess what?

No pain. Crazy! I have also noticed that when I wear a high heel I take long strides and I swivel my hips. (I walk with one foot placed in front of the other). With flat shoes I take short steps beside each other.

The only problem I foresee is .............what do I do when I'm old?
A little old lady with high heels? ;)

Maggie, you got some 'splainin' to do.........

Yesterday's post was a rant.
This blog is not called Den Of Iniquity for nothing.

I was told if someone had to describe me, they would say I was sweet. I can't be sweet all the time, that would be unnatural. And there is a lot of anger and angst under this facade. So......... I use this blog to rant when I'm not feeling so good. If I ever upset anyone with one of them, I apologize. Don't take me seriously, just say, "oh, maggie's ranting again, she'll be okay tomorrow".

And I am.


PS Here's hoping that as my tree grows, so will I. And my rants will grow .........

smaller, smaller, smaller, smaller, smaller....

until I have none.

How Cool Are You?

I received this test from my brother today......

http://www.sailinganarchy.com/general/2002/cool_test.htm


Onward and Upward

Into the New Year that is. My resolutions are few, my reservations are plenty. But it is a new year and we fill our heads of a being a better and more productive person.

There are some resolutions that should be banned. eg.

1) Quitting smoking

2) Joining a gym

3) Going on a diet

4) Stop drinking(alcohol)

These are commitments that should not be made on New Year's. To do so is asking for failure. It's too much pressure and the average person is not prepared for the determination it takes to follow them through. They have good intentions but unfortunately it takes a lot more than that.
Some do succeed but alas only a few.

Here's to the few that do....

Bliadhna Mhath Ur

This says, Happy New Year, for those who don't understand Scottish Gaelic :)

Japanese Maple Tree

acer palmatum heptalobum rubrum






I planted my tree of forgiveness today. I figured I might as well plant my favorite and "kill two birds with one stone". Figuratively speaking of course. :)
As this was not a long planned out event, I was just lucky that the best time to plant this tree is between October and December. Fate stepped in once again to aid in my resolution.

I hope that all is well in blog land and that everyone survived the arrival of 2007 in good cheer.

Here's To 2007 and All It Might Entail !!

Tree Of Forgiveness

'The Tree of Forgiveness', by Edward Coley Burne-Jones

This painting illustrates a classical legend, Phyllis and Demaphoön. After the conquest of Troy, Demaphoön, the son of Theseus, stayed at the court of the King of Thrace. Phyllis, the king’s daughter, fell in love with the visitor. Demaphoön agreed to marry Phyllis but first returned to Attica to sort out his affairs. Demaphoön was away so long that Phyllis lost hope of his return and in a fit of anguish killed herself. The gods took pity on her and turned her into an almond tree. When Demaphoön eventually did return he was filled with remorse and embraced the almond tree. Immediately the tree blossomed and Phyllis emerged to forgive her lover.


I'm planting my own tree of forgiveness tomorrow and hope that it will flourish in the new year.

Because if it does I will too.

Christmas Is Over (-_-)

GIGI

I loved this movie.

I woke up this morning in such a happy mood. I was singing (in a very poor french accent) to Rosey, Maurice Chevalier's, Thank Heaven For Little Girls.

I can only attribute it to the fact that Christmas has past and I'm very happy that I survived another one. Also Rosey is my dear and sweet companion who pleases me immensely. I'm looking forward to the New Year in anticipation of being more healthy, mentally and physically.

We were supposed to have New Year's Day dinner with my sister J2, but......her mother-in-law will be there and she is recovering from the norwalk viris. She told my other sister B and I this little tidbit when we were out to lunch yesterday. (They took me out for a belated birthday treat).

Supposedly some persons infected can be contagious for up to two weeks, so she wanted to warn us. Neither B nor I were willing to take any chances so we declined and J2 understood our wariness completely. I feel sorry for her, she's a very kind and gracious woman.

What am I going to do today?

ANYTHING I WANT!! YEAH!!!!

Have A Happy Happy Whatever................. :)

What A Heel

For the past couple of months, my legs have been in excruciating pain. It hurt to even walk. They even hurt when I was doing nothing. I was terrified of what might be the problem. Thoughts of bone cancer, MS, or some terrible ailment was running thru my mind.

I went to my doctor and explained my symptoms and he sent me for a series of tests. I had a call back from his office last week that he wanted to see me. Today I went in to see him and all he said was that my iron was low. (Story of my life).

"What about my legs"? I enquired. "Nothing showed up", he said.

We talked about anything different I might have been doing, or any change in footwear.
Well....I thought about it and realized that I have been wearing flat shoes since last June. All my adult life I have worn high shoes or boots. (block heel, haha)

Very seriously, he asked me why I changed. With him looking at me so intently, I tried to think of a logical explanation. Nothing came to mind, so I said, "they were cute, so I bought a few".

He said, "go back to your regular shoes and see me next month".

Christmas Trivia

Dec 28 1987
R. Gene Simmons kills two coworkers and injures four others in Russellville Arkansas, and then surrenders. The busy man had killed 14 of his relatives over the Christmas holidays.

Doesn't that make you all warm and fuzzy??

Now that was a man who didn't like Christmas.

Boxing Day

It is illegal here for stores to be open on Boxing Day, so everyone just stays home and relaxes. Rosey seems to have it down right so I'm going to follow her direction.














I'm going to be decadent this year and have a hot turkey sandwich with home made fries and gravy, as opposed to the usual cold turkey sandwich on 14 grain bread.
Thanks to Ur-Spo, I was wondering what DVD to watch and Angels In America is a perfect choice. I haven't watched it again since I first bought it and it's time.

Happy, Happy, Boxing Day!! :)

Strollin' Down The Avenue........

I can just see Rosey and I now. (If I can do it) :)














My youngest sister, B (I have three, the other two shall be J1 and J2 respectively to their ages) bought these outfits for Rosey and I for Christmas. My vest is folded so you can't see the entire thing but it is beautiful. Rosey's coat is absolutely gorgeous. It's lined with soft black pile. Unfortunately it's way too big so I have to return it. B gave me the receipt and I nearly collasped. They cost a bloody fortune!!

Rosey, Princess and I spent Christmas Eve and Christmas morning at B's house. That was a memory that was worth it's weight in gold. My neice(5) was so excited over santa coming. She put out sprinkles(bright colored baking ones) on their back deck so that santa's reindeer could spot her house easily. Then she put out the cookies and milk for Santa. Then she went to bed.

My sister and I went to bed around 9. (After my sister wrote a note from Santa and I left crumbs on the plate and drank the milk).
The spare bedroom upstairs is next door to my neice so she came in with me because she couldn't sleep. I told her stories, she told me stories, Rosey licked her forever, but.......still she couldn't sleep. By 10:30, I'm half asleep and thought she went back to her room.

She comes in my room, literally jumping saying, "Santa was here! Santa was here! He ate his cookies and drank his milk. And he left me a letter". She's waving this piece of paper in front of my face.

I'm half asleep, but I have to think quick. Her father is watching, It's A Wonderful Life, with Princess and it's his job to put out the Santa presents.

"You're not supposed to see that until the morning", I said. "He may be peeking in the window, quick put it back". She tore off down the stairs, came back and hopped into bed.

To be with a five year old child on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning is a treasured moment. I am so happy that I was able to experience that once again.

'Twas The Night Before Christmas......

Between the licking and the frosting, I don't know who got more, my five year old neice or the cake.

She got an easy bake oven. Doesn't every girl? :)

The cake got stuck to the pan and I had to do some reconstructive surgery before it was frosted.















There is a god!! Or a mother looking over me. Princess decided to leave for Houston today instead of Dec. 30. Her uncle lives there and her sister is coming in from Trinidad. She gets to spend Christmas with both sides of her families.

That got me off the hook. I don't have to go for Christmas dinner after all. Princess and I went to my sister's last nite (with Rosey in tow). It was wonderful and we had a beautiful dinner. Then we played games with the kids(one 5, one 14). Perfection and The Simpsons Clue Game.

Prior to the meal, Princess and her cousins were playing monopoly. I happened to overhear someone owned "crack alley". Guess where that was.......yup!
Then my nephew put up houses on it and they were calling them crack houses.

Anyway, today my other sister dropped Princess off at the airport and then me off at home. Because Princess wasn't going to be there I felt no obligation to attend Christmas dinner with you know who. This sister is also only going to be at our other sister's house just for the meal.
What a shame, we had so much fun last year.

Our family is very close, kind and considerate. The children(us) are polite, well mannered and taught to be respectful. We don't cause scenes in public , we don't respond to people who do, because that's the way we are. BUT.........

My sister-in law, she has been creating scenes in front of us since she entered our family. We put up with her because she is our brother's wife. She hasn't talked to her own mother and father since she was eighteen.

She has been very cruel to our mother and since we all lived away we were not always there to protect her. When we were, she didn't want us to say anything because the bitch would keep her children away from our mom. Well...........our mother is gone now, and I could not sit down to a Christmas Dinner with her and pretend that all was okay. In the past I did but no more.

On a lighter note,

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT............

I Think I'll Be Okay.....My Right Arm Is Sore Though

Cute, huh. Everyone should have their own "Rosey".

INLAW OR OUTLAW.......That is the question

Last nite I got home from a wonderful dinner with my daughter. I had talked to my family earlier in the day except my younger sister. I called her and my five year old neice answered the phone. She then began to sing me happy birthday, ending with, "happy birthday dear aunt maggie". Made my day, she's a scamp!
Then her mother came on the phone telling me how she was so looking forward to christmas family dinner this year.(It's at her place) "What's so different about us this year"? I innocently asked. WELL.......

She then sprung it on me that our brother and his wife and two children are going to be there. You could have heard a pin drop, "There's nothing wrong with that, is there"? she said.
"No, not at all", I replied, "I gotta' go, bye".

WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT???

She's a fucking bitch. My thoughts of a wonderful christmas dinner with family just went down the tubes. She's mean, rude, two faced, I wouldn't call her a snowman but.............abominable does come to mind. We have all put up with her antics over the years because we are descent folk. BUT I didn't want to spend Christmas with her. There is much more to the story but my word will have to suffice.

This morning I woke up and started to knit. (self help therapy) :)

I made my older sister a scarf that I was promising her. I knit fancy ones with ribbons and multi colored yarn.

Then I made Rosey a wrap that looks like confetti (she doesn't like sweaters). I'd post a picture but I haven't sewn on the velco yet.

I'm now knitting a scarf for Rosey................

MERRY XMAS

This is a story about what christmas is all about..........


There was a man who worked for the Post Office whose job it was to process all the mail that had illegible addresses. One day, a letter came addressed in a shaky handwriting to God with no actual address. He thought he should open it to see what it was about.

The letter read:

Dear God,
I am an 83 year old widow, living on a very small pension. Yesterday someone stole my purse. It had $100 in it, which was all the money I had until my next pension check. Next Sunday is Christmas, and I had invited two of my friends over for dinner. Without that money, have nothing to buy food with. I have no family to turn to, and you are my only hope. Can you please help me?

Sincerely,
Edna

The postal worker was touched. He showed the letter to all the other workers. Each one dug into his or her wallet and came up with a few dollars. By the time he made the rounds, he had collected $96, which they put into an envelope and sent to the woman. The rest of the day, all the workers felt a warm glow thinking of Edna and the dinner she would be able to share with her friends.

Christmas came and went. A few days later, another letter came from the same old lady to God.
All the workers gathered around while the letter was opened.

It read:

Dear God,
How can I ever thank you enough for what you did for me? Because of your gift of love, I was able to fix a glorious dinner for my friends. We had a very nice day and I told my friends of your wonderful gift.

By the way, there was $4 missing. I think it must have been those bastards at the Post Office.


GOT YA!!! :)

Happy Birthday To Me........

Isn't he cute?

I like bears, so I have a few of them.

Today

First I'm going to the office, to meet up with Princess. (She's at the gym)

I'm taking impressions of her teeth and then going to make her trays so that she can bleach her teeth. They are already beautiful but a little whiter will be a boost.

Then we are going out to lunch at a restaurant of my choice. She doesn't know this yet but a movie is also on the table.

For anyone else out there celebrating today.......... HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

I'll Be Home For Christmas......

Last summer I bought a gnome to be company for the one I already had, "The Meditator".
Who could be more appropriate for him than, "The Storyteller". ( In my way of thinking anyway). :) Princess loved The Storyteller because that's what she does. She can have my kidney, my liver, any organ I have, but I wouldn't let go of my storyteller.
BAD MOTHER!!!!

Anyway, she gets one of her own this Christmas.













Princess is in the middle, can you tell which gnome is which?
HaHa!















This was another little fellow she wanted, "Will", being in the academia that she is. :)


I was asking people this week, "what was your most memorable Christmas"?

I don't have one as yet, but I think this year might be it.

Guardian Angels

Guardian Angels
Guardian angels are assigned not only to every living human soul but to all the inhabitants of earth. They know exactly what you need for your development, your divine life purpose and your agenda is their agenda. Guardian angels NEVER leave your side from birth through death no matter what mistakes you make. Like God/dess, they love you no matter what. Everyone, even the most negative people you can think of, Charles Manson, Saddam Hussain, Adolf Hitler, all have (or had) guardian angels throughout their lives. However, when humans incarnate on earth, we come down here with no memories of what we are and where we came from. We are given freedom of choice. Our guardian angels can give us guidance and love but it is our free choice whether we listen to it or not. As you can imagine, often times, negative people don’t listen to their guardian angels.

Today I was at the bus stop across from my apartment and a car was going by very slowly along the curb with it's flashers on. I immediately flashed back to a memory that was hidden in the recess of my mind.

I was on the 401 (a popular highway in Toronto) with a friend and driving in the fast lane. I love speed and thrived on being able to do so in my sports car. I took the off ramp that was taking us to our destination. Just as I did, my car started to shut down. It slowly took us to a strip mall where there was a 24 hour coffee shop where I could park my car. I went into the shop and explained my situation and asked them to please watch over my car until the next morning. (It was late and no garages were open).

After that my friend and I took the bus back home and stopped into our local neighbourhood bar/restaurant. We sat down at a table and I happened to glance at the bar. There sitting on a stool was my then boyfriend and I'll never forget his look. He was surprised to see me. I didn't know why at the time but I found out later.

The next day, I went to pick up my car and ............there was a garage right next door to where I parked my car. Seems someone had disconnected a couple of plugs on my car and it was running directly from the battery instead of the alternator. It could have shut down on me when I was in the fast lane, which would have meant sure death.

Then I knew what the surprised look was about.

Do You Be Believe In Santa Claus?

I had a patient in last week with her four children. (Actually I posted their drawings)
When the six year old was in the chair I was asking her about Santa. By the twinkle in her eye I knew, the jig was up. "You know something", I said. She said her mommy puts santa's name on their gifts. I said, "oh".
Later the mom told me that they don't encourage the "idea" of santa. Her husband was very upset when he found out that santa wasn't real and he blamed his father for lying to him. (Sounds like he needs some time on the couch)
I felt sad but it was none of my business.

Today I had a patient that has two small children (5 & 6) that had a completely different view on the situation. My view also. Believing in Santa is a special time for a child. The excitement, the anticipation, are beyond what lies ahead of us as adults.

Her husband is an author and has a true story in a book named, Christmas in the Maritimes.

(Very short version) One evening he and his son (6) were in a mall and there was the typical mall Santa. Cheesy outfit, but HE DID have a real beard.
His son was already a bit skeptical about santa and said to his dad, "I don't think santa is real, do you"? His dad, dissappointed that the time had come said, "I don't know, but I bet if he was he would never forget the names of his children".

Well.........Daddy walks up to Santa and says, "hello Santa". Santa says, "Jamie, how big you've grown, how are you". (Daddy's name is Jamie)

His son is blown away. Daddy is saved for another year and a child's innocence is intact.

PS "Santa" was an actor that Jamie knew from school. :)

Persons of Ginger

In the spirit of Christmas, I thought this was cute.

Stupid Shit

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The Antipost of The Alphabet Meme

This is a car that I loved. I have (almost) always had a sports car but this one was my favorite. It was stolen by my ex-boyfriend in the hopes that it would capture my attention and get me to contact him.



(I left him and all my belongings when I found out my mother was dying. My brother picked me up, broken as I was, and.....the rest is history. He found an extra set of my keys in one of my bags, I'm guessing).

It wasn't worth my life no matter how much I loved it. He put me thru hell so much that I have yet to recover. I have had many obstacles in my life to overcome but this was (is) the most difficult. I will disclose the details at a later date but right now I am going to use this meme to vent.

A is for the Asshole who stole my car.

B is for the Bastard who stole my car.

C is for my Corvette.

D is for the Deadbeat that I lived with for 9 years.

E is for the Energy that I put into the relationship.

F is for my Family. They have been wonderful to me.

G is for how Great I feel when I come home to peace and quiet.

H is for how Happy I used to be before I met him.

I is for me. I am alive.

J is for my Job. I love what I do.

K is for Kill. Which he would do if he could find me.

L is for Love. I love my daughter and thank god for her every day.

M is for Medications. I'm angry that I have to take them.

N is for Natalie. My baby.

O is for "Oh no", what do I do now?

P is for Pissed off that I'm still allowing him to affect my life.

Q is for Question. What can I do to conquer this ?

R is for Rosey. She is teaching me to love again.

S is for Sharing. Thank you.

T is for Toronto. I miss all my friends but I can't go back because of A.

U is for Understanding. I know why A is the way he is but I'm tired of feeling sorry for someone's else's behavior.

V is for Victorious. Which someday I will be.

W is for Why. Why did I allow myself to be treated the way I was?

X is for X+A = DISASTER

Y is for You. Who had to read this. Sorry.

The Land That I Love

If you have been a good person in life, when you die, your soul will go to Cape Breton Island.
That's a saying we have.

Once a Caper always A Caper
No matter where you live or how long you have been away, you always say you are going home.

We are connected to the "mainland" of Nova Scotia by a causeway but still consider ourselves separate. Years ago the mainlanders looked down upon us Islanders as inferior people. Now they are happy to hop on our bandwagon because of the success of our musicians and the beauty of our Island has become world known. The Cabot Trail has been hailed as one of the most beautiful scenic drives in the world.

Celtic Colours: About Cape Breton Island
(see if you can find Big Pond)

Memories Last Forever

I used to work in a clinic in Toronto that only dealt with patient's that had a phobia of the dentist. We had to work on them under a general anesthetic or with tranquilizers, followed up with nitrous oxzide. All this because of a bad experience they had as children.

I now make it a personal mission to make children's experience at the dentist a fun and postive experience. We have a ball. When I first started at this clinic I saw maybe one child every few months. I guess word got out. Now I see tons of them.

I love to have children draw me pictures. They put so much thought and effort in them to please me . The interpretation of them blows me away.

Below are a few examples......

















Emily(10)
The small print says To Maggie, you're great at what you do.

That made my day!


















Maria (8)(top left)
The bird has teewt, teewt coming out of it's mouth. It took me awhile to catch that one.

Jacob(9) (bottom right) The Milky Way, the moon has circles in it (swiss cheese).



I have a large operatory and sometimes have a family of four children in the room at the same time. They are on the floor coloring or asking questions that I try to answer to the best of my ability. :) I love their questions. I love children. (the nice ones)

I hope that when they are older they will look back on these visits with fond memories.

HOW COLD IS IT?

Cold enough to freeze your eyeballs. (You were perhaps expecting another type?) :)

Downtown Calgary

-26 degrees celsius
-45 with the windchill factor








It's only November, I can't even think what they have in January. Princess was telling me today that they pray to the chinook gods for warm weather.

CHINOOK
Warm, dry air mass that descends the eastern slopes of the U.S. and Canadian Rocky Mts. after having lost moisture by condensation over the western slopes. Chinooks occur mainly in winter. They sometimes replace the cold continental air mass over the western plains, causing rapid melting of snow and temperature increases as great as 40°F (22°C) within a few hours. Similar winds occurring in the Alps and elsewhere are known as foehn winds. The term chinook was originally applied by Oregon settlers to a moist Pacific wind blowing from the direction of a Chinook camp.

Princess is telling me this as I am sitting in the living room with my windows open. I told her Halifax is going to be downright balmy for her when she comes on holiday. It's funny because we both hate the weather here. The rain doesn't fall here, it swirls around you. It's humid in the summer(bad for the hair), and the winds, oh the winds.

Putting all that aside, I guess it sounds pretty damn good compared to Calgary.

All The Stores Are Doing It

Celebrating Christmas Way To Early.

Why shouldn"t we get "in the spirit of things too".

I don't know about you, but I'm making my list and I hope he checks it twice!!

This Santa looks like he likes naughty......................

Good Luck Or Misfortune??

Today I went shopping downtown. I thought I looked pretty good. I had on brushed cotton chocolate brown jeans, a mocha brown long sleeved skateboarder top, with a soft yellow fleece vest. I also had an Italian wool cloth scarf, brown, green and rust striped, wrapped around my neck. Accented with brown and rust, Italian leather loafers.

It was one of those days when all your stars are lined up and everything goes well. People in stores are helpful and pleasant. You find something you have been looking for for ages. All's right with the world. (Those sales people can either make you or break you)

Anyhoo, I was in this fancy dancy store when I happened to glance at my left arm. On it was something I didn't recognize at first. Was it food? Did I bump into something? NOPE!!

It was pigeon poop! On my arm!

Dress me up, can't take me anywhere.

BTW
My last post was rather personal. Blame it on the chocolate vodka and orange juice.

I Love This Painting

It is so how I feel.

Method To My Madness

My previous post had to do with a comment on a fellow blogger's post. It was in regards to sexual abuse. He suggested the punishment should reflect in gradations to the sexual assualt that occurred. I personnally don't agree with that.
Like insurance for example, if you lose a finger, leg , arm or whatever, you receive different amounts of compensation. ($)

In sexual abuse, you have to take into account who's doing the abusing. I was fondled(sleeping) by a person(relative) that was a father figure to me. It was more devastating to me than when I was raped by a friend's friend. This is a different time from the one below.

I think I have been sexually molested more than your average person. Always when I have been sleeping(4 or 5 times) or incapacitated. I was remembering today how I was a victim of date rape. It was a blip on my memory radar. There was this guy that liked me but I wasn't interested. One nite my girlfriend's??? and I were out partying and the next thing I remember I was waking up in this guy's bed. He slipped something in my drink, I would never have been there under normal circumstances. The last thing I remembered was being in the bar.

I have survived these situations by telling myself that they might have abused my body but not my soul. My body is only a vessel.

"The body is mortal, but the person dwelling in the body is immortal and immeasurable."
- Bhagavad Gita

What really gets me, is that I'm not "out there". No sexual innuendoes, no overt clothing,
I was just a really sweet, nice person.

On The Lite Side

Adam was hanging around the garden of Eden feeling very lonely.
So, God asked him, "What's wrong with you?"

Adam said he didn't have anyone to talk to. God said that He was going to make Adam a companion and that it would be a woman.

He said, "This pretty lady will gather food for you, she will cook for you, and when you discover clothing, she will wash it for you.

She will always agree with every decision you make and she will not nag you, and will always be the first to admit she was wrong when you've had a disagreement.

She will praise you!

She will bear your children, and never ask you to get up in the middle of the night to take care of them.

"She will NEVER have a headache and will freely give you love and passion whenever you need it."

Adam asked God, "What will a woman like this cost?"

God replied, "An arm and a leg."

Then Adam asked, "What can I get for a rib?"
Of course the rest is history......................

Show and Tell

It's not really fair to tell you my story and not show what I look like.

This is a picture of my friend and I just before I left Toronto. I don't like getting my picture taken so I don't have many.

That's me on the right.

Gone Fishing

The lady of rant is not around today so I am going to write in her place.

Yesterday was a pretty cool day. The weather was gorgeous, 20 celsius. I have started doing at least one thing each day that I have been procrastinating on. Today I went to the gym. I joined this gym a year ago last april. BUT I never went once. Each month I said, oh, I'll go next month. Well, the year came to an end and they renewed me and debted my account without my permission. I called and explained, the guy said no problem and told me if I ever wanted to join again to let him know. Maybe he could work something out.

I went in yesterday, the guy was gone but the new guy looked up my records and said sure, let's work something out. I was expecting knocking a few bucks off my memberhip.
He said, "how does this sound"? We'll give you a free trial membership for six months, upgrade you to the high end (membership) , then we'll sit down and talk again in six months.

Sounded pretty damn good to me! The high end you get all the fancy stuff and pampering.
I told him I was pleased and it was more than I had anticipated.
He said it was because I didn't demand anything or have that attitude.

Today's mission. Go out to dinner with my older sister that I have been putting off for ages.

Two Mints in One

I really have two separate personas.

The confident, funny, intelligent one.
And.........the introverted, sad, lonely one.

When I moved here to this city, I had been on antidepressants for about two years. I didn't have a physician, so I went to a drop in clinic for my meds until I found one. I found one that was close to work and asked him how much longer I could expect to be on them. I'll never forget his answer. "Probably for life", he said. That freaked me out so much I took myself off them.(Gradually of course). Well needless to day, that wasn't one of my best decisions.

Well, then I got another Dr. and this one seems to be more compatible with me. The only thing is that here, the Dr.'s are so busy, they don't have the time to spend with you. I bascially tell my doctor what I think is best and he gives it to me. Just because I'm a professional, doesn't mean I'm your equal. I know about teeth for gods sake, not my mental health.

I do know how I feel, and that is how I monitor myself. Great diagnosis technique huh?
Common sense.

I took this week of to assess myself and start some sort of therapy. This blog is going to be part of it.

The Real Me

No more fluff and pretending to be happy. I'm not. For five years now, I have been in an abyss. I want out. Now.

Starting today I am going to use this blog as my personal therapy. I can't get any medical help in this god forsaken town so I have to do it myself.

Commenting on someone else's blog yesterday about abuse made me realize this is what I have to do. Vent, rage, let it all out what I have been holding in for years.

This will not be reading material for anyone looking for happy thoughts, so I suggest you move on.

MY HERO

THE SWIFFER


If this thing lived and breathed, I would MARRY it!!!

If you have tile, hardwood floors and a dog that sheds.....this is a godsend! It's the answer to all my prayers. (not that I was really praying) :)





Brooms and dust mops (ugh... gross), don't quite get the job done .

This little miracle worker has cloths (wet or dry) that you just throw away. No fuss no muss! I think I must have been living in a cave or something because it has apparently been around for years. Anyway, I bought this today and I'm as happy as can be.

Funny how something so simple can make you so happy. I'm a tidy person, and I love my Rosey but.....the dog hairs were getting to me. Also, I HATE dust!!!!!!


PS I also got one of those sticky thingy's that roll and get the hair of your clothes.

Can you tell I'm a newbie as a dog owner?

Nova Scotia’s children are about to get a safety boost, as the province kicks off a campaign to raise awareness about a new law requiring kids up to age nine to buckle up in booster seats.


Beginning Jan. 1, anyone transporting children under the age of nine, unless they’re more than 145 centimetres tall, or four-foot-nine, will be required to make sure those children are properly secured in an infant seat, child seat or booster seat.

"Compared to using a seatbelt alone, booster seats have been shown to reduce the risk of severe head injuries and other severe injuries . . . by up to four times," said Dr. Natalie Yanchar, medical director of IWK Trauma Care.

My Query

What about adults who are under four-foot-nine?

Hell, they're out there driving the gawd damn vehicle!!!!

Rosey's Birthday Party
For her birthday dinner, Rosey dined on
Gourmet Homestyle Cowboy Cookout.

This was made with tender chunks of beef, sweet potatoes, carrots, green beans and granny smith apples.

It must be real good because she wouldn't even look at me when I was taking her picture. (no matter how hard I tried) :)

Dreams and What Do They Mean?

For years I have a reccuring dream and last nite I had it again. I have to go to the bathroom. It's always the same..... I'm at a party or club and have to use the public toilet. The facilities are less then pristine, in fact down right filthy. Every stall is either taken or overflowing with shit.
Sometimes the floors are flooded with urine and I'm trying to tiptoe around the mess. The toilets are also raised in the stalls, like on a pedestal.

Princess says she has the same dream. In hers, she once peed in the sink because of the condition of the toilets. I have yet to haul my ass up to the sink, but then again, she is more creative than me.


Tomorrow is Rosey's birthday!!

FYI
INQUIRING MINDS WHO WANT TO KNOW!!!

A WEE PEEK UNDER A SCOTSMAN'S KILT...

Tacky? Or poor taste?
I'm a Sagittarius, what more can I say..........

Either way, on Wednesday I went to a travel agency to pick up tickets for Princess. I REALLY want her home for Christmas and wasn't taking any chances on last minute shite.

The agent I was dealing with was pleasant, and we got into a conversation about Ontario. I mentioned I was from Toronto and she said she was from Penetang, Ontario. Well......I then started to tell her my only knowledge of Penetanguishene was the psychiatric mental institution there.
An orthodontist, down the street from our offfice woke up one morning, and came out of his house with guns blazing. He shot his three small sons and his wife. His wife and one son survived. They sent him to Penetanguishene for five years and then he came home to live with his wife and one remaining son. I'm still baffled about that one. Jeesuz, wasn't she afraid?? I would be!

Then, I told her about one of our patient's. Ralph, an eighteen year old boy who woke up one sunday morning, shot his mother in her bed, then slit her throat. He also got sent to Penetanguishene .

The agent sitting next to my agent was listening, and must have thought I was crazy. She kept looking over and was shaking her head. I don't know what gets in to me, but .........I just talk about stuff that I have experienced and I find relevant to the conversation.

In my mind anyway. Maybe I shouldn't be so explicate, some people might not appreciate it.

PS All my stories are true, I couldn't make this shit up.

One of The Perks of My Job

I meet so many people thru my job and the fascinating history that goes along with them.

For Example:

Yesterday
(Let me try to get this straight)

I had this lovely lady in yesterday (eighty-five years young). Her father died when she was a little girl and her mother had to care for her and her sister all alone. She (her mother) went from a clerk at Eatons, to a receptionist in a doctor's office, to the social secretary for the lieutenant-governor's office. (She served under 5) She was there when Queen Elizabeth, still a princess, paid a visit to the province. I won't mention who, but a very important premier's wife attempted to speak to the princess at dinner (under the influence of alcohol) and the princess stared straight ahead, hearing nothing. Protocol says that you don't speak to royalty until they speak to you.

Her son(my patient) is an English Professor at a Canadian university, her daughter-in-law is a playwright that received, "The Order of Canada" this year. She was there and says Michaelle Jean made them feel like they were in her home.

I'M NOT FINISHED YET.........

Her aunt, (her mother's sister) was Mabel Bell's secretary. She was asked to help with a party Alexander was having, entertaining men from the British Admiralty, interested in his Hydrofoil, HD-4.

Never mind all that, she ended up getting engaged to one of the men and they were to be married in London. Her own father couldn't make it, so Alexander Graham Bell gave her away at the wedding.

How cool is that?

On The Other Hand.........

Princess e-mailed this to A.. , who in turn e-mailed it to her parents, and they are not the least bit impressed with Princess.......


A truly Canadian Apology to the USA, courtesy of Rick Mercer from This Hour Has 22 Minutes, CBC Television: (2003)

On behalf of Canadians everywhere I'd like to offer an apology to the United States of America.

We haven't been getting along very well recently and for that, I am truly sorry. I'm sorry we called George Bush a moron. He is a moron, but it wasn't nice of us to point it out.
If it's any consolation, the fact that he's a moron shouldn't reflect poorly on the people of America.

After all, it's not like you actually elected him. ( Remember dated 2003)

I'm sorry about our softwood lumber. Just because we have more trees than you, doesn't give us the right to sell you lumber that's cheaper and better than your own.
It would be like if, well, say you had ten times the television audience we did and you flood our market with great shows, cheaper than we could produce.

I know you'd never do that.

I'm sorry we beat you in Olympic hockey. In our defence I guess our excuse would be that our team was much, much, much, much better than yours. As word of apology, please accept all of our NHL teams which, one by one, are going out of business and moving to your fine country.

I'm sorry about our waffling on Iraq. I mean, when you're going up against a crazed dictator, you want to have your friends by your side.
I realize it took more than two years before you guys pitched in against Hitler, but that was different. Everyone knew he had weapons.

I'm sorry we burnt down your White House during the War of 1812. I see you've rebuilt it! It's very nice.

I'm sorry for Alan Thicke, Shania Twain, Celine Dion, Loverboy, that song from Sheriff that ends with a really high-pitched long note.

Your beer. I know we had nothing to do with your beer, but we feel your pain.

And finally on behalf of all Canadians, I'm sorry that we're constantly apologizing for things in a passive-aggressive way which is really a thinly veiled criticism.
I sincerely hope that you're not upset over this. Because we've seen what you do to countries you get upset with.


Please don't shoot the messenger. :(

You Couldn't Make This Story Up

Princess tells me I would really like this friend of hers that she has met in her program. A.. is from California and says it like it is. She is over six feet tall and quite a force to be reckoned with, I gather.

Anyway, she was going to school in England at the time. She was studying in her apartment one day and outside there was a traffic jam with no one going anywhere. One particular motorist would not let up blaring his horn. NONSTOP.

She finally came out, went to his car window and explained that this was her home and she was trying to study, would he please lay off.
She walked away and as she did, he laid on the horn louder.

She went inside and came out with a pen and paper, went behind his car and started writing.
He then started looking nervously in his rear view mirror and asked what she was doing.
"I'm taking down your license plate and I have a friend who will get your address, then I am going to go to your home and blare my horn outside for as long as you have outside mine", she replied.

He then called her a " f**king c**t.

He had his two female children in the backseat of his car at the time.

A.., leaned in the passenger window (remember she's six feet tall) and said to the girls, "don't ever, ever, in your life, let a man call you a c**t".

Daddy didn't have anything to say after that.

PS If there's one word that I hate, it's that. Princess knows this and is why she shared this story with me.

Just Say Gingivitis

There was a Canada wide contest for those dental offices who wished to participate called "Just say gingivitis". The main prize was a trip and the three secondary ones were for three tv's.
One of our patients won a tv and this is a letter thanking us. The couple in question live in the country in a trailer park with no telephone and are the sweetest people you would want to meet. He does beautiful wood carvings made from the bark of trees and now does ones made from old pieces of telephone poles. Wood spirits he calls his art, they are really something to see.

Anyway here is the letter verbatim......

Dear Dr.'s.........

I just wanted you to have an update on the TV prize. It came by courier on Oct. 16. We hoped it was "mostly box" but it's all TV! They said in the "Congradulation" letter that it was 23" but it is a 26" Panasonic LCD Viera. The hole in our entertaiment unit is old style square and the tv is long and on a pedestal. We rearranged the living room (all six feet of it) so the tv would be eye level and on something solid (slim but heavy). The room looked like a couple of college students dumped their various articles and piled the furniture on one side. I'm surprised the RV didn't tip over. So last saturday D*** took the cirrcular saw to the ET unit and cut it down to half. Now
A) The tv is eye level in front of us. B) We have more light and view. C) We don't have to look at the paint can in the corner. D) We can watch paint dry on that big TV. It took us days to set the picture via remote (three choices).
We don't know all it can do because we're not on digital cable and not frequent DVD renters.
That's a whole world we don't understand. We've never won anything let alone something more valuable than our car. I feel like putting bars on the doors and windows. We should insure the "TV" and have the RV and car as "riders".
Thanks for entering us in the contest and see you in 2007.


What the hell is sweeter than that? I just had to share.
Sometimes good things happen to good people. I wish more often though.......

Photos as Promised

I wasn't able to take the pictures myself but thanks to the kindness of others, here are some.


Fou, Budda, Gallager and I think that's Spike's ass.

George(Fou's owner), Fou and Budda (enlarge the photo and check out Fou's eyes)

Pam (Gallager's owner), Gallager,Budda, and Rosey
Rosey, Fou and Spike

Rosey
Fou
It was fun and I (we) got to meet a lot of people that I would never normally encounter. Everyone has contacted me via e-mail and want to get together again . I think it's fate's way of getting me out and about again.

Que sera sera.....................

Part II

I New This Was Going To Happen

I had a bad feeling when Princess told me about this Brit. Call it mother's intuition or call it the fact that I am a "sensitive". Whatever the case, it turned out the way I expected.

Someone got hurt and it wasn't Princess. I warned her about getting involved too quickly but she said it was cool, he understood when she said, "we'll see".

Well he didn't see!!! He fell, hook, line and sinker.

Last nite she was going to have dinner with him (at his place) and give him the news. I was worried about his attitude, as he had already suspected and told her (previously) that his mother would be very upset if she broke up with him. How weird is that? I myself had visions of anger and e-mailed her to do it in an open venue. She doesn't really know him and the fact that he is an intelligent person means diddly squat.

I called her first thing *her* morning (time difference) to alleviate my worries. She got my message and they went out for dinner but he didn't take it well to say the least.

THE BEST is yet to come! She apparently likes this other guy who is more her type. She is also good friends with the females in her program and they think this other guy is right for her.

I finally said, "you are there to study, not find a boyfriend." You are all acting like kindergarden children. She agreed, even to the fact that the girls whisper in class, who's dating who?

As I said before, Princess hasn't had a boyfriend in three years, because of her, not so nice, first serious one, but..............

She's so far away, I worry about her perspective.

FOU


This is the guest of honor at the PUG PARTY. I thought it was Jou, my mistake. His owner made his outfit. Sorry for all you animal rights activists out there but that is REAL leather. You can't see it in the photo but those are rhinestones adorning his cape.
He's only eight weeks old! Oh. My. God. Too cute! He was right in there with the big boys, running and chasing them around the yard.
Rosey's gift was a big hit! He loved it right away.



My f**king camera decided it needed a new battery after this one photo. People there were kind enough to offer to send me pictures so I will share later.

On another note, Rosey was also a big hit. Apparently, the party giver, Verity, was interested in getting Rosey but she lollygagged too long and............que sera, sera.

Interestingly enough, George, Fou's owner, also wanted Rosey and asked me, "how she copes with stairs". I really didn't understand the question because I live three flights up and she does it three times a day. No Problem! Seems that when George went to see her she couldn't make it up the stairs into the breeder's house?? She stopped halfway up, like she was tired or couldn't make it.

When I went to see her, she had no problem with the stairs. As a matter of fact, I don't know if I mentioned this or not, but when we were in the owner's living room, Rosey was on my lap and she peed on me. I went to the bathroom to wipe it of as best as I could and she waited outside the door for me. I fell in love at first site, pee or no pee. She hasn't done it since.
Her owner said she was marking me as hers.

I believe in fate.

It was a wonderful time, so many pugs, nice people.............. but when we got home, Rosey literally ran up the stairs, she was glad to be home. Me too!!

*Home Sweet Home*

PS I forgot to mention she was the only girl there, so much attention from the opposite sex. She actually spent a lot of time under my chair and in my arms to ward of the amorous advances.

HaHa! Don't we all!! Sometimes I wish I had a chair to crawl under. :)

PUG PARTY

Rosey and I have been invited to a party tomorrow by a lady I met at The House of Dogs. The party is for a friend of hers that just got a pug puppy named Jou. There is only pugs and their owners invited.

I got this present for Jou, it's a pug webkinz. You have to go online and adopt him. Then you are totally responsible for his well being.

I have been invited to a number of parties and events since I came to this city but I usually decline. This one however, is a definite GO. How fun is it going to be, to be around all these adorable creatures. My camera is a must!!

Now, I couldn't very well get this present for someone else and not one for Rosey, could I?

Smart Car

POLLY POCKET
The city I live in is very environmentally conscious. There are a number of these cars on the road but personally I don't like them. There's room for two people to sit but very little else. I have always driven a sports car with no back seat but at least I had a trunk!
Well today I saw a reason to believe why it could be a smart car.


The car was being driven by an older man and his wife beside him. They had to be in there eighties! Their vision when calculating how close to another vechicle they are would not be an issue and parking should be a snap. Also if they hit something or someone, I would think that damage would be at a minimum.

No harm, no foul.

PS They really did look very cute. And safe for all others.

Oct 15 1917



Dutch spy H21, also known as Mata Hari, is executed in Paris by a 12-man firing squad. The dancer, born Gertrude Zelle, had slept with a number of high-ranking military officers from around the world and passed secrets along to the German high command. After death, her body is given to the University of Paris medical school for dissection.




Mata Hari's body was not claimed by any family members and was accordingly used for medical study. Her head was embalmed and kept in the Museum of Anatomy in Paris, but in 2000, archivists discovered that the head had disappeared, possibly as early as 1954, when the museum had been relocated. Records dated from 1918 show that the museum also received the rest of the cadaver but none of the remains could later be accounted for.

The fact that a former exotic dancer had been executed as a spy immediately provoked many rumours. One is that she blew a kiss to her executioners, although it is more likely that she blew a kiss to her lawyer, who was a witness to the execution and a former lover of hers. Her dying words were purported to be "Merci, monsieur". Another rumour claims that, in an attempt to distract her executioners, she flung open her coat and exposed her naked body.

A 1934 New Yorker article, however, reported that at her execution she actually wore "a neat Amazonian tailored suit, specially made for the occasion, and a pair of new white gloves." A third rumour had it that Mata Hari was unusually composed at the execution, refusing to be tied or blindfolded — and that this is because the firing squad was to be bribed to use blanks for a fake execution, but the plan failed.


"I am ready."

Henry Wales was a British reporter who covered the execution. We join his story as Mata Hari is awakened in the early morning of October 15. She had made a direct appeal to the French president for clemency and was expectantly awaiting his reply:


The first intimation she received that her plea had been denied was when she was led at daybreak from her cell in the Saint-Lazare prison to a waiting automobile and then rushed to the barracks where the firing squad awaited her.
Never once had the iron will of the beautiful woman failed her. Father Arbaux, accompanied by two sisters of charity, Captain Bouchardon, and Maitre Clunet, her lawyer, entered her cell, where she was still sleeping - a calm, untroubled sleep, it was remarked by the turnkeys and trusties.

The sisters gently shook her. She arose and was told that her hour had come.

"May I write two letters"?' was all she asked.

Consent was given immediately by Captain Bouchardon, and pen, ink, paper, and envelopes were given to her.
She seated herself at the edge of the bed and wrote the letters with feverish haste. She handed them over to the custody of her lawyer.

Then she drew on her stockings, black, silken, filmy things, grotesque in the circumstances. She placed her high-heeled slippers on her feet and tied the silken ribbons over her insteps.

She arose and took the long black velvet cloak, edged around the bottom with fur and with a huge square fur collar hanging down the back, from a hook over the head of her bed. She placed this cloak over the heavy silk kimono which she had been wearing over her nightdress.

Her wealth of black hair was still coiled about her head in braids. She put on a large, flapping black felt hat with a black silk ribbon and bow. Slowly and indifferently, it seemed, she pulled on a pair of black kid gloves. Then she said calmly: "I am ready".

The party slowly filed out of her cell to the waiting automobile.
The car sped through the heart of the sleeping city. It was scarcely half-past five in the morning and the sun was not yet fully up.
Clear across Paris the car whirled to the Caserne de Vincennes, the barracks of the old fort which the Germans stormed in 1870.

The troops were already drawn up for the execution. The twelve Zouaves, forming the firing squad, stood in line, their rifles at ease. A subofficer stood behind them, sword drawn.
The automobile stopped, and the party descended, Mata Hari last. The party walked straight to the spot, where a little hummock of earth reared itself seven or eight feet high and afforded a background for such bullets as might miss the human target.
As Father Arbaux spoke with the condemned woman, a French officer approached, carrying a white cloth.

"The blindfold," he whispered to the nuns who stood there and handed it to them.

"Must I wear that?" asked Mata Hari, turning to her lawyer, as her eyes glimpsed the blindfold.

Maitre Clunet turned interrogatively to the French officer.

"If Madame prefers not, it makes no difference," replied the officer, hurriedly turning away. .

Mata Hari was not bound and she was not blindfolded. She stood gazing steadfastly at her executioners, when the priest, the nuns, and her lawyer stepped away from her.
The officer in command of the firing squad, who had been watching his men like a hawk that none might examine his rifle and try to find out whether he was destined to fire the blank cartridge which was in the breech of one rifle, seemed relieved that the business would soon be over.

A sharp, crackling command and the file of twelve men assumed rigid positions at attention. Another command, and their rifles were at their shoulders; each man gazed down his barrel at the breast of the women which was the target.

She did not move a muscle.

The underofficer in charge had moved to a position where from the corners of their eyes they could see him. His sword was extended in the air.

It dropped. The sun - by this time up - flashed on the burnished blade as it described an arc in falling. Simultaneously the sound of the volley rang out. Flame and a tiny puff of greyish smoke issued from the muzzle of each rifle. Automatically the men dropped their arms.

At the report Mata Hari fell. She did not die as actors and moving picture stars would have us believe that people die when they are shot. She did not throw up her hands nor did she plunge straight forward or straight back.

Instead she seemed to collapse. Slowly, inertly, she settled to her knees, her head up always, and without the slightest change of expression on her face. For the fraction of a second it seemed she tottered there, on her knees, gazing directly at those who had taken her life. Then she fell backward, bending at the waist, with her legs doubled up beneath her. She lay prone, motionless, with her face turned towards the sky.

A non-commissioned officer, who accompanied a lieutenant, drew his revolver from the big, black holster strapped about his waist. Bending over, he placed the muzzle of the revolver almost - but not quite - against the left temple of the spy. He pulled the trigger, and the bullet tore into the brain of the woman.

"Mata Hari was surely dead."

Perfection Personified

Apparently a double curl in a pugs tail is considered so. That's my Rosey! I don't think she could get it tighter. haha

The heat is OVER, thank gawd! Spaying is top of my agenda of things to do. I made lite of it but it really was a pain in the keister. I never want to see kiddies panties again!!

Future chillum...... uh, nope. Sorry!

Speaking of panties

My seven year old neice was up in the city with her dad yesterday. (my brother) He was receiving an award for his work( he's an enviromentalist) and could bring one guest. Maggie, sorry, Maddie it was. :)

She wanted to come and meet Rosey but we had a terrific rain storm and he couldn't make it to my place so they stayed at my sister's. Anyway, they called me that evening and when I was talking to Maddie, she asked me why Rosey wore panties. (I had sent a picture).

She was in heat I responded and um, and um, and another um, I didn't know what the hell to say!

"Was she on her period?" Maddie asked.

Quickly I said, yeah, that's right. Got off the hook on that one, BUT a seven year let me off it!'

I think she set me up!!

SCAM!!!!!


READ CAREFULLY!

I don't how many of you shop at Sam's Club or Costco, but this may be useful to know. I became a victim of a clever scam while out shopping. This happened to me and it could happen to you!!

Here's how the scam works: Two seriously good-looking 23-year-old well-built guys come over to your car as you are packing your shopping in the trunk. They both are shirtless and start wiping your windshield with a rag and Windex, with their highly-defined chest muscles and rock-hard abs exposed.

It's impossible not to look. When you thank them and offer them a tip, they say 'No' and instead ask you for a ride to another Sam's Club or Costco.
You agree and they get in the back seat. On the way, they start talking dirty about what they want to do to you. Then one of them climbs over into the front seat and begins kissing your neck and begs you to pull over so he can make love to you!! While this is going on the other guy steals your purse!!

I had my purse stolen last Tuesday, Wednesday, twice on Thursday, again on Saturday, and also yesterday and most likely tomorrow.

Have a great week-end y'all !!

Michigan J. Frog

You know the frog from the old black & white WarnerBros. cartoons? Singing, Hello my baby, hello my honey, hello my ragtime gallllllllll.............................., he'd only sing for the construction worker and no one believed him. Still with me? Okay then. I feel like that scenario today.

After I came back from my run yesterday, I still wasn't hungry but I tried a slice of turkey and a spoonful of the dressing. The turkey was the best one I have ever, ever cooked. The dressing was divine, I kid you not. The only thing is.......is that I am the only one that knows that and everyone else will just have to take my word for it. They are all out of town, hence my comparison. I don't know why but it just seemed appropiate.

Perhaps because I love that cartoon and Foghorn Leghorn. Also, The Roadrunner, Pluto, and Tweetie Bird. (My bathroom is all done up in Tweetie Bird stuff, shower curtain, floor mat, towels, soap dispenser, and even a BIG Robin Hood Tweety Bird on the top of my toilet tank.
What can I say? I love the classics.

I miss Princess. We talk all the time. She had a wonderful evening last nite at dinner. She really likes her fellow DP's. She's having the Brit over for dinner tonite, she's been to his place a number of times so she is reciprocating.

I'm going down memory lane............( bare with me)

When she was three & one-half years old, her father and I were separating and sat her on the chesterfield to tell her. Later when she was older, she told me she was fine at the time but she was worried who was going to get the computer. She had all her games on it, along with spelling and math programs that I had bought for her.

Another time, a few years later when she was seven, a gentleman friend ( one skiing date) had bought me a Christmas present. I never dated openly around her, only when she was away or at a friends house. I didn't want that "uncle" situation, so she never actually saw anyone. But she had big ears and eyes, and knew this bottle of perfume was from a man.

Anyway, one day shortly after, we were in a department store and she spied the fragrance counter. She went right up to it, spied the exact perfume in the glass counter and boldly asked the lady how much it was . $150.00 the lady responded. After we left the store she turned to me and said, "he must really like you".

This comes from a shy child who wouldn't even buy something from the corner store without me asking. Her class reports were excellent except the remarks, she should interact and speak out more. She told me in later years that she didn't speak out because the conversation wasn't worth it.

Child of mine. :)

Brains ain't all they're cracked up to be........

I'm really smart but really dumb sometimes. I decided to cook a turkey for Thanksgiving, (I really didn't decide until I went to the grocery store.) I love turkey and got caught up in the moment. Upon reflection, what was I thinking?

A 4.4 kg bird for ONE person. Yup! Go figure, I convinced myself that I could freeze most of it.

Anyway I also bought this prepared fancy cranberry stuffing, which I have never done before. Up at 7 a.m. , walked Rosey, than proceeded to prepare the bird. This time, for the hell of it, I decided to follow instructions that came with it. I grabbed my glasses off the counter, went over to the sink, put them on and everything was dark. What happened to the lights? I then realized I had put on my sunglasses. Yup! In my defense, I was still half asleep. I then added some of my own things to the stuffing like, pine nuts and smoked oysters. (I only trusted that prepared stuff so much.)

I'm not even hungry now and the turkey is done to perfection, I better go for a run to work up an appetite.

Princess is going to a DP(displaced people) :) dinner tonite with her university cohorts.

Oh, she got a job. She is now a barista and has been keeping me in good humor with tales of her job. One customer yesterday, was sticking around the coffee shop until closing time. I jokingly said, "didn't the swish of the mop between her feet give her the hint"?
"No", Princess said, "it didn't"!
She really WAS mopping around her feet and the person paid no attention.
Why are some people so inconsiderate?

Anyway, I'm off for a run...........I wonder what that dressing will taste like? Hmmmmm.

Did You Ever Have, "Just One Of Those Days"


I am so psyched, I found a perfect present today. I was just walking down the street at lunch and a Japanese restaurant nearby has been sold and the new owners are selling off the dishes at ridiculous prices.
I bought soup bowls, rice bowls, tea cups, sushi plates and two saki holders with saki cups. I know I'm not using the right terminology for the dishes but I'm only Canadian. :)

Then I went to a local coffee shop, Tim Hortons, I wanted to try their chili as everyone tells me it's the best. The special included a donut and coffee. I wanted a bagel as I don't like donuts but didn't even get into that and was prepared to pay the difference. The girl said, why don't I just give you that instead of the donut. Was I hearing right?? No fuss no muss? I'm telling you my stars must have been lined up today! I felt like I could take on the world. :)

Getting back to presents, I also found a beautiful Japanese placemat set. (New, at another shop). The placemats are gorgeous but it's the chopsticks and their holders........... they have a pink design with pink rosebud holders. How's that for cute.
I also have bought a really cute Japanese pink kitty cutlery set. Thanks to a fellow blogger, Shigeki, that has one.( d:-o )

Changing the subject, I had an unexpected patient in today. She thought she had an appointment with me but she wasn't on the schedule. She was a bit upset as her appointments have been rescheduled twice now. It turned out fine as I has a father and daughter before her that I finished early with and was able to fit her in. I really like her so I was happy to make her happy. Anyway during the appointment there was a lot of water and I asked her, " do you swallow or spit it out"? She said, "it doesn't matter, I'm easy to get along with". Two seconds later, I cracked up and said , do you realize what I just said? She was laughing so hard she couldn't talk. I wouldn't have said anything if she wasn't cool.

On that note, I hope you have..........one of those days.

Oct 2 1978

Tim Allen is arrested with 1.4 pounds of cocaine at Kalamazoo Airport in Michigan. After testifying against his partner, Allen serves only 2.5 years for felony drug possession. Otherwise, it would have been a life sentence. Tim later becomes a comic, ultimately landing the starring role in the ABC television sitcom Home Improvement.

I knew there was a reason why I didn't like that guy.


Also on this day in history

Oct 2 1985

Homosexual actor Rock Hudson dies of AIDS in his Beverly Hills home.



After Hudson's death, Marc Christian sued his lover's estate on grounds of "intentional infliction of emotional distress." Christian tested negative (and as far as anyone knows is still HIV-free) — but the fact remains that Hudson continued having sex with him for a year after he knew he had AIDS. (So he says, Hudson is dead) Through high-profile attorney Marvin Mitchelson (the plaintiff's lawyer in the 1976 Lee Marvin "palimony" case), Christian sued for $5 million, and ended up with $14.5 million ("Sometimes juries get angry," Mitchelson later remarked).



Lest you applaud Marc Christian as a hero — despite the fact that his suit and subsequent win sent a message to those who might fail to inform partners of their HIV status — keep in mind Christian's apparent internalized homophobia and obvious disdain for the gay community: In 2001, when Larry King remarked that "a lot of people" were mad at Christian when he won his case, Christian replied, "Yeah, especially the gays. ... I found out that I got a lot more vitriolic hatred from liberal gays than I did from conservative straight people. Straight people were great to me, because I think they found themselves in a position of, gee, if my wife or my husband hadn't told me, I'd know how he would feel. ... I think that liberal gays think that if you had AIDS, you couldn't do any wrong. You could go out and infect anyone you want, you're the victim. ... There is this whole victim mentality that we have, not just in the gay world, but in America now, that it's always somebody else's fault. ... A lot of the groups like Lambda, GLAAD, and amfAR, they didn't like me too much.

With an attitude like that, it's easy to see why they didn't.

Too, there is the question of Christian's relationship with Hudson. Hudson"s biographer Sara Davidson, was to have said: "By the time I met Rock... Marc Christian was living in his guest house, and Tom Clark, who had been his lover for many years before, was living in the house, and he — Marc was frozen out, he wasn't allowed to come in the house. He was holding on to his territory. It was a very strange scene."

I knew there was a reason I didn't like that guy.


Anecdote from The Larry King Show interviewing Mitchelson.

KING: You remember, as an onlooker then, Marvin, did you think Rock Hudson was gay? You lived here.

MITCHELSON: I lived here all my life.

KING: You heard the rumors...

MITCHELSON: I heard the rumors, but it just didn't seem like he was.

KING: No one looked less — I don't know if you look gay... Is there such a thing as looking gay?


I knew there was a reason I liked that guy.

I Knew This Was Going To Happen


Princess is finally settling in to Calgary. She has all her books and furniture, loves her apartment, and is getting to know the city. She has decided to go about things differently this time at school. She never wanted to associate with fellow students socially in her last two programs but being in a new city, she has decided to change her attitude. She has joined a number of associations and has gone to social events organized by fellow PhD students. Eg. pot luck dinners, lunches, etc.

Okay, now at the first pot luck dinner, everyone was joking around and this Brit proposed to her. haha?? Then a few days later he invited her to lunch, on the ruse(just my opinion) that she missed a luncheon they had because of class. Then he invited her over for dinner at his apartment, he made her a veggy bolognese(he's not vegetarian).
He then suggested they take a bus trip to Banff on the week-end.

Now this child of mine, is a child of mine! We see what we want to see and hear what we want to hear. Just friends she told me, okay I replied. I didn't really say that. haha. I asked her if he had a crush on her. NO, she said, we're just friends. Then I said okay. To myself, yeah right!

This morning I asked her how the trip was. Fantastic she said, but.............up on the mountain, on a grassy knoll with the beautiful view below them, they were having lunch and he proceeds to tell her how he feels.
Well, he thinks she's fantastic(right about that) and states his intentions. She listens and puts her reservations out there and then says "we'll see". That was enough for him and she said, you look pretty pleased with yourself. (I guess that itself was sufficient)

I was worried about this because they are in the same program and have to see each other all the time. She is like me and her interest can wane pretty quickly if he doesn't keep up with her.
One thing he has going for him is that he is smart and can keep up intellectually. He's also very sweet she says.

Who know's? He's not even her type physically though from what she's told me. I just don't like the feel of it, she made him promise they would stay friends if it didn't work out. I really hope it does, she deserves someone nice. Too many bad boys out there.
He's twenty-four, she's twenty-two.