That's why I love you guys -always willing to help out. I will have to do some arm twisting (or naked twisting ) to convince B to sell the librix, but I know Lady Heather will prevail....

Sis don't you know who's in the White House, no need to sell books. Just burn 'em.

BURN THEM? BURN THEM?

Sacrilege. This proves you are adopted . God grant me serenity.....

So much for the committed Commie. Now repeat after me Sister, Judica me, Deus, et discerne causam meam de gente non sancta: ab homine iniquo et doloso erue me. (I forget, doesn't that refer to Bush or something? )

You're way too much to handle. Here, have a chocolate

Still in training session.... utterly engaged in the importance of knowing the difference between GIF and JPG images.... fkuc.... did I spend years in grad school for this sh1t????

Why thank you, you're the best sister in the world. (*suddenly realizes that those were his exact words before drinking the hot chocolate*)

GIF? Isn't that a brand of peanut butter? When faced with mindless training sessions, do what I do, ask one inane question after another? BTW, who other than a web designer gives a f*ck about the difference between a JPG and a GIF? JPG=good for photos GIF=good for computer generated images with limited colours. Sorry, the correct answer is de minimis non curat Regina. (that goes out to you Sis )

I know I should not concern my Self with these trivial matters brother, but that's the way the vox populi will have Thy Queen do

Well, not only was the snack bar closed, but the whole darned thing was closed! I got myself ready and dragged myself over there because I wouldn't be able to stand myself listening to me whining about how I wish I'd gone while I'd had the opportunity but hadn't. My head was pounding, and I was completely nauseated, but was oh-so-excited as soon as I saw it and turned in.... rounded the bend through the beautiful red rocks and.... lo and behold.... the gates were locked. I was SO UPSET. And it looked like it was going to be awesome, too. (From what I could see.)

So I turned around and headed back to the visitor's centre that I'd passed to see what else I could do while I was there. The attendant was as surprised as I was that it was closed, but kept offering me alternatives to other attractions which were also closed today.

So I ended up going to the Garden of the Gods. It was absolutely amazing and breathtaking and serene and very spiritual. I am so glad I went. Interestingly enough, there was a warning sign in the visitor's centre that said to beware of the signs of altitude sickness.... headache.... nausea.... dizzyness.... insomnia. So.... now I know what ails me. Looking forward to leaving tomorrow and feeling better.

The only province I could live in would be British Columbia. It's not that I have anything against the others, but they just get too damn cold! Vancouver and Victoria at least has survivable winters. I've been to Edmonton in November and Calgary in December and there's absolutely no way I could ever live there.

Of course, my wife thinks I'm a "wimp" when it comes to the cold. I'm from Houston, Texas. If you've never been to Houston, allow me to enlighten you -- in January (which is usually our coldest month), the average high is 17C and the average low is 7C; it's been as warm as 29C at time time of the year too, although it did once get down to -15C in 1940. The last time it snowed was Christmas Eve in 2004, which was highly unusual, although we do have some snow every decade or so. The summer is a bit warmer, when the average high is 34C and the average low is 23C; it sometimes spikes up to 43C as well, while the coldest it'll get in summer is around 17C. Oh and Houston has extremely high humidity too, so we'd consider 90% humidity to be on the "low" end of the scale.

So... maybe that's why I don't have a whole lot of tolerance for cold weather.

Oh Crikey,

I visited the Garden of the Gods in 2002 - actually went horseback riding through them for a 2 hour trail as well - and I absolutely fell in love with them. I spent nearly a week in Manitou Springs visiting friends and would go back there in a heart beat! Breathtakingly beautiful!!

Oh, how exciting, Kathryn! It's so nice to know someone knows what I'm talking about! I was thinking it would be lovely doing the horseback riding trails. It would also be lovely to hike or mountain-bike ride. I wish I'd had more time to see the sights. It really was uplifting.

Good morning peeps! Here's some warmth to start your morning.




I've heard of the Garden as well Crikey. Supposed to be heavenly...guess that's why they call it the Garden of the Gods? I'm so glad you had an opportunity to get there! Espeically since you weren't feeling well, and that closure at the Cave.

How's that packing coming trailmix? Ick...I hope you're not like me. I was packing most of my stuff the day before! I'm a procrastinator.

Len...I read your Mom is coming to visit!! Wooooooohooooooo! I'm so glad she's better and you must miss her SO much.

Off to swim this morning. Enjoy your day!

Oh wow, Len. Your Mom is coming? That's just awesome. What an amazing recovery. The things a human body can do to heal itself just amazes me.

Good morning everybody. We're flying back home this evening. It'll be good to be back in my own bed. And it's only two more sleeps until one of my best friends from Ontario flies in for a visit! I am soooooooooooo excited!!!!! She's bringing me Gravol; and not a moment too soon. I had to use the last of my stockpile on this trip to fight the nausea. I have one saved for the flight home in case we hit more turbulence like we did coming here.

Have a good swim, Carla!

Altitude sickness! Who would have thought! Well I guess the people who made the signs thought of it - but anyhoo - I hope it is - and then all you will need is a good dose of Florida!

The Garden of the Gods is just beautiful! The Rockies look the same there as they do here!

Len I hear you about the books, we have 2 totes full, well I have 1 too, so I guess that's 3. My Husband likes his books so much that he doesn't actually bend the spine of the book when he reads it. He says it's more of a habit than out of respect for the book (since he used to like having the book looking new).

As for packing Carla, haven't done much at all, I have been resisting packing everything up right now, since we will still be in Calgary for another 3 weeks, however since this is my Husband's last day of work before we move, we will get in to it starting Monday - plus a major cleaning, which I have dabbled in.

Daylight savings this weekend !

g'morning everyone. ty for the coffee carla

In RI now till Tuesday!! Have had TWO timmies AND they have tasted great!! AND it is ROLL UP THE RIM TO WIN time here!!! HE HAWWW Life is good,lol

Waaaaaaaaaaah. I HATE missing Roll Up The Rim time!!!!!

The commercial for it keeps coming on tv and i'm thinking - it's a bit over the top, the people are so excited - about on par with the 'we just won lotto 649' commercials.

Here you go crikey: http://www.rolluptherimtowin.com/en/fun.php?showGame=en

That's hilarious. But it's not real. If that had been my real cup, it would have told me to play again.

My fitness-nut co-worker used to say "When you win a donut.... do you really win?"

She sounds like fun

Wow...what a work out I just had ( I love it when that little tongue sticks out! )

Hope you're enjoying your Timmie's flames. Hope you know you have to split all your winnings if you win with us!

Gene and I are planning a trip in April (the 17th - 25th) to see my parents! My first time back in Canada since I moved! Yeah!! Think Roll-up-the-Rim is over at the end of May, so maybe I'll get a chance to win! Either way, I'll have won already...a trip back to beautiful Canada!

INDEED!!! She is coming peepz, and I thank the Gods for her miracle of life (I'm feeling all spiritual today, so deal with it)!!!




I know sister, this is going to take more time than I expected. Bren has bunkered himself behind his collection and won't eat unless I promise not to sell his books darn.

There's this health club I know about that's right next to a Chinese buffet. I like that.

I'm not sure which happens first, though. Do people go stuff themselves and then work out or do they work out and then chow down?

Depends. If it was a friendly buffet I think they would let you eat before and after.

I know I posted earlier about feeling lonely right now... well, one of my good friends just let me know he has a week's vacation and he'd like to spend it with Bee and me. So now we're planning on taking a drive down to Baltimore so that we can spend the weekend with our mutual friends

Fantastic news about Mom. Now I'm just debating if Len is going to mass on Sunday and just how many hours she'll spend in the confessional. I figure she'll be out in a week, tops. Sis, a few million "Hail Marys" aren't so bad.




Sorry I'm with Bren on this one. You can do just about anything to TLM but hands off the Tagore, Sister.

I have my books
And my poetry to protect me;

hey, my mom dumped the rest of her coffee on my dad when they found out they had won one of the big money prizes -- they need to put THAT in the commercials

Somehow heavy squats aren't exactly conducive to proper digestion. Ever done 'vomit' squats, I think that answers the question.


Congrats, was it something nice? Did mom figure now that she's won, no need to drink anymore of the coffee?

g'morning all. where is everyone?

Good morning! Yes Cassie, what did your Mom win!? My Mom won the Stampede dream home in 1959!

So Husband's last day of work for his company yesterday. Best part of that, aside from the fact he is relieved, is that they got a cake for him and he brought me some! Good cake!

He brought stuff he had in his desk - which isn't much - but did include a winning roll up the rim to win cup, an office 'voodo kit' (secret santa) and some kind of compass/clock/magnifying glass he got at an IBM conference.

So I proceed to toss the compass thing in the garbage. It beeps every hour - cute. I wonder if a lot of the computer guys are out there with their little compasses in the forest.

Anyway, the Office Voodo Kit is untouched! I'm surprised he didn't use it!

Was it a nice house that mom won? I just had a vision of the enchanted forest of beeping geeks. Hunting is not a problem, just Linux them up and shoot them. For some reason I keep feeling this weird Office Space-like vibe, did DH make sure Milton got his piece of cake and stapler this time.

She's a he. He has a very intense personality (with a few nuggets of light-heartedness thrown in just so you don't kill him). He used to drive his staff crazy because he was constantly micro-managing them, so I'd get them all in my office venting before they went postal. He had a high rate of absenteeism in his department.

Yes it was a nice house - here is my Mumsie in her new house!

The crazed gonzo types, I've run into too many of those in my time, at work (they talk a good fight but ever notice how nothing ever gets done?) and at school. Worse one was this professor that used to always get on my case about hitting the gym or pumping iron or my lousy diet. He was older guy but always freakin' ripped. A few years later he drops dead of a heart attack, too much excitement for his heart. (probably on steroids too, but who knows)

Really nice. I especially like the nervous look on mom's face in the first photo next to the dishwasher, truly priceless. That is a kewl fireplace and I've always been a big fan of retro home appliances. Only one question about the appliances, white or seafoam green?

So..... we had an adventurous trip back home. Thank God I held onto that one last Gravol pill. Before my flight had even left the gate we were told that the weather in Florida was terrible and that we would probably not make it to Orlando.... that they would fly as far as they could and then land somewhere and wait out the storm. This, of course, thrilled me to no end. I have been on flights where we have literally dropped out of the sky, so I immediately broke out into a cold sweat and ordered a glass of wine. The pilot kept coming on to give us updates and to tell us of all the flights around us reporting terrible weather and to tighten our seatbelts. I ordered another glass of wine.

After flying above numerous thunderstorms, we lowered speed and started descending. All of a sudden we powered up and were soaring back above the clouds. That was fun. I ordered another glass of wine. The guys behind me started telling stories of plane crashes and wind sheers, and wondering whether the Captain was just as terrified as we were. I asked them to pass me another vomit bag.

Okay, I maybe embellished the wine and vomit bag bit. (I had, after all, taken my Gravol.) Obviously, we landed safely. Though there are extra fingernail marks in Southwest's seat pleather. My husband had a worse flight than I did. (His flight took off 15 mins after mine.) They were actually coming in for a landing when the pilot had to abort and they were off up circling again. It seems they had a near miss with another flight. (There were a lot of flights circling due to the weather.) He was very unnerved by that and it took him a long while to recover. I drove home in a torrential downpour. It felt like I was driving a boat. When we got to the house the power kept going out and the hard-wired alarms started going off while we were trying to sleep. (I thought it was the weather radio.) So, anyway.... we're a bit tired, but it's good to be home.

Glad you are home safe!!!!

Yaaaaay! How exciting for you, Nini!!! Visiting friends are the best.


Whaaaaaat?!!!!! What'd she win? (I wrote "wine" originally. )


Holy crap! That is AWESOME!!!!!!! LOVE the pics. Does your Mom still have the house?

Well, we're glad you made it home safely. I had an incident a while back (in pouring rain also) flying into Cincinnati when we were less than 100ft off the tarmac the clouds cleared enough to see and the pilot realized that the flight in front of us hadn't cleared the runway yet. Full power almost straight up and a hard right turn later we came back around and landed safely. If I had eaten anything that day, I would have lost it. I thought I heard the collision alarm but since the engines were at full thrust, I might have been mistaken. It really is unnerving. Driving in the rain is no picnic either.

Exactly what I was thinking.

I think that's exactly what happened to my husband's flight. And it almost happened to ours, but we were the ones on the ground taxiing to the gate. Fun stuff. I had an aborted take-off at O'Hare once. We were heading down the runway and the plane just didn't seem to be picking up enough speed and I was thinking "We're not going to make it". All of a sudden we decelerated and turned off at the end of the runway. The pilot came on and told us that some warning lights in the cockpit were malfunctioning so we were going to get back in line and try it again. I was like.... ..... can we take a vote on this? *hand up in air*

There's this one airport in Greece which is very treacherous. As soon as you fly over the mountains you have to dive-bomb the landing strip or you won't make it. (The runway ends at the Adriatic. It was very exciting the first time I flew in there.) So I stood at the window watching the arrivals as I was waiting for my flight out, and saw no less than FOUR flights abort their landings. Same thing going through my head.... he's not gonna make it.... he's not gonna make it..... Bam. Back up into the air just before dropping off into the drink. I would have hated to be a passenger on one of those flights.

It was actually Dad... not only did he get half a cup of coffee thrown in his face (apparently Mom forgot her cup still had coffee in it in her excitement), he still has the fake cheque in the garage.......for $1000.

My brother is convinced that it is his turn to win something -- between that and the trip to Paris I won, he feels left out of the family luck

I just won a donut!!!!.............................. But did I really win??? lol

Wow! That's so awesome! (Paris trip included.) Too bad someone wasn't filming at the time.




Yaaaaaaayyyyy!!!!! You won a donut!!!!!! I love it when people win things.

Well, Joe and I just had a nice get together with another VJ couple who live in our area and who are applying to remove conditions as well. Anna and Richard live about 5 miles from us as we both found out through the "Removing Conditions' forum. We arranged to meet at the local Barnes and Noble for coffee and a chat. Well, the chat went so well that we ended up going out for lunch together and we virtually spent most of the afternoon chatting! Richard - the American - and Joe have had many similar experiences so they entertained us with the stories of their various travels. Anna is from the Ukraine - a lovely lady and very, very nice and she and Richard are an obviously great match:-) We have made new friends and will be getting together again. I am so pleased! So, that makes a second VJ couple for us now as we have had the pleasure of meeting and getting together with Karen and Joel several times as well.

Awwww, that's so awesome, Kathryn. What a great day.

(Wow. "Awesome" must be my word of the day. I can't stop saying it. )

You won Flames!! woot woot!

The whole flight thing - the stories, just terrible. I don't fly anymore but - well it reminds me why I don't (not that I really need a reminder)

As for the house, no she doesn't own it anymore, I believe they had it for a year or two and then my Dad decided they should sell it so he could start his own wildcat drilling business with his Father. That didn't pan out. Plus about 4 years later they moved to Australia

Derekkj and Oliver and I are going for our second double date this tuesday... =)

I lived in the same apartment at one time as derekkj and never met,lol