Lucie-isms

The latest Lucie-ism

2007-03-02T21:46:00.000-08:00

I had several appointments this afternoon, so I took some overtime hours to be off work. Got lots done: Chiropractor, bank, doctor, then shopping. My black leather jacket has been hinting that it needed to be retired, I paid $40 last month to have a tear repaired in the back. Yesterday, the zipper broke, and today I caught the pocket in the car door while rushing to the doctor's office and ripped another big hole in it. Luckily, the Cleo shop at Chinook right below where LeeAnne works at Lenscrafters was having a sale on coats - 50% off the last sale price. I bought a nice soft red wool jacket (blazer style) and a brown ski jacket. I handed my old leather one to the sales lady and asked her if she would dispose of it so I could wear the new one, and she agreed to put it in their garbage. I had a few hours before LeeAnne finished work, so I went to see Blood Diamonds which was playing at Chinook Cinema. (By the way, I never will have any desire to own a diamond after that movie). Anyway, the movie finished later than I expected as it was more than 2 hours long, and I knew LeeAnne was waiting for me because all the shops were closed. Of course, the theatre is way at the other end of the biggest mall in Calgary. Anyway, as I'm rushing out, I automatically reach into my pocket for my car keys, and (have you guessed it yet???) the keys with the remote starter and all are in my old coat pocket! LeeAnne phones me on my cell "Where the heck are you?" I respond that she should meet me downstairs, I'll explain later, which she does, and sees me banging on the locked doors of the shop. But as usual, all ends well because the same sales lady who sold me the new coat came to the door and I was able to get the keys back. Whew! There must have been a few hidden horse shoes in one of those pockets as well.

2007-02-19T02:23:00.000-08:00

Well, it's 3:30 AM, and as usual, I'm not sleeping.
So what does one think of in the wee hours of the morning?
First of all, thank God I have tomorrow off, Family Day. LeeAnne has to work, and Al is going to start on some of the projects we've been talking about. We spent hours at Home Depot buying me a new drill and lots of odds and ends needed for several projects, the most ambitious of which involves tearing the carpet off the stairs leading to the upper level, and replacing them with wood that closely matches the laminate floors. Part of the wall separating the stairs from the living room will be torn out and replaced with banister and spindles and such, opening that space up a lot more. Al is assembling and finishing my island-table with stools in the same colour as my built-in china cabinet in the kitehcn. He will also help me expand my bedroom closet and eventually re-organize my basement with better shelving and storage space.

LeeAnne and Al are staying with me while they save money for a down-payment on a house, and I'm going to hang on to them as long as possible (free labour!!!). She is working at Lenscrafters, learning how to make glasses, and I believe he is taking the job with the cabinet-maker. Christian is getting his stuff organized in preparation for a move to Sault Ste-Marie in Ontario next month. He'll probably be living with his sister and working at a place called "Steele". My work is still keeping me pretty busy. I put in a full day on Saturday because I was sick one day last week, and we do have a 3-day weekend. It's the only time I could think of to work on my budgets un-interrupted. Got lots done, too.

I had a brain-fart and went to see the movie Borat at the cheap theatres. What a ridiculous and disgusting movie. You'd have to be really warped to appreciate that type of humour.

Anyway, that's all for now. Time to go back to bed. Yawn :-0

Gone to the Birds

2007-02-11T21:00:00.000-08:00

I've been collecting these bird houses, and also
picking up some realistic looking birds
(with real feathers where possible) to accompany them.

I may try to incorporate the theme in my new
rec room down in the basement.

It sure will confuse the cats!

Each one of them is unique in its own way.

I'm back

2007-02-11T15:34:00.000-08:00

So let's bring everybody up-to-date.
Lee Anne and Al arrived a few weekends ago, and have settled in nicely.
Christian is going back to Ontario to work, but is waiting for his income tax refund.
I am now working for Municipal Affairs and Housing ministry.

Chris moved from the basement room to the "blue room" and the new carpet was installed two days before I left for vacation. There is still some painting touch-up to do, but Chris has moved back to the basement, and LeeAnne & Al are in the blue room. Adrienne's room is being used as the computer room until Chris leaves, at which time the basement will contain computers, all entertainment equipment including TV's, VCR/DVD, stereo, etc plus exercise equipment and sitting room furniture.

Al is a contractor/Jack-of-all trades so he will be doing some work on the house while he's here which should be six months or so. Lee Anne started a new job today at Lenscrafters and Al is looking at several opportunities.

I, on the other hand, am so busy at work that I can't keep up with my other stuff. With the new provincial government, I am preparing more time preparing briefing notes and providing information than I am at what is supposed to be my "real" job - like getting the budgets negotiated and approved before April 1st for all the shelter operators in the South. I've been to Lethbridge a few days since I've been back from holidays, and spent some days in Edmonton, including a few days to relax with Bev, my former next-door-neighbour, who now lives there. Her new house is fantastic, and it was great to get caught up. My calendar for March is scary, and getting filled up more and more as each week progresses with Progress stuff, business trips, and other obligations.

Anyway, now that I've made the first step, I'll try to update more regularly.

Christmas with family 2006

2007-01-08T16:39:00.000-08:00

I usually visit family in NB every other year, but not during the holidays. More often than not, I tag on the Progress Club fall convention when it is being held in the East. It was nice to spend a relaxing 10 days with Mom, Crystal Louis and LeeAnne & Al. We took one day trip where I me my friend Mary and her family for lunch, then went to Grand Lake to see Betty and Don, then to Fredericton to visit with Tina and her family, and finally to Marysville on the way home to meet Ron Painter's son Adrian for the first time. It was a good vacation and a memorable Christmas.

Lee Anne & Al

2007-01-08T16:04:00.000-08:00

I finally got to meet Al, and was very impressed with how nicely he fits into our family. He has done some great work for Mom in the house which I meant to record on my digital camera, but forgot. He found the white cadillac for Lee Anne (a realy beauty) but I'm not sure if they'll be keeping it. Al is very anxious for the work to be done on his bike. He and Lee Anne will both be heading to Alberta mid-January, more on that later.

Louis & Crystal Holiday Pictures

2007-01-08T15:22:00.000-08:00

Louis was working much of the holidays, but I managed to spend some quality time with him, including the continued tradition of making hima big batch of home made chilli. He's looking so much like Dad now that it shocked me when I first saw him.

Christmas in N.B.

2007-01-08T15:06:00.000-08:00

Here are some pics from the trip:

I think this is the best picture I've taken of my Mom, and although I may be prejudiced, I think she is still beautiful. I am very flattered when anyone tells me I look like her.
Also, a nice shot of me, LeeAnne, Crystal and Mom on Christmas Eve before we all went to midnight mass

I'm posting only a few pictures at a time because it seems to load easier that way.

Early Winter

2006-11-09T18:08:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures of what
we woke up to in Calgary this morning.

But all it takes is a Chinook Wind and all the snow will be gone in a day with temperatures at 10+ Celsius. See if you can open the following link (or highlight, copy and paste onto internet address bar:
http://images.google.ca/images?q=Chinook+Arch&hl=en&lr=&sa=X&oi=images&ct=title

Happy Halloween!

2006-10-29T20:19:00.000-08:00

Oh, what a party!
I was responsible for the Raffle Table which made $460 for the club. The turnout was small, but we had a lot of fun. Here are a few of the pictures:

There were a lot of very unique costumes, too many to post here. Maybe someday I'll learn how to attach a slide show.

The "before" renovation pictures

2006-10-29T19:11:00.000-08:00

These are the jobs still "in progress"
- install dishwasher (had portable that had to be rolled up to sink and hooked to the tap, now have built-in which still needs to be enclosed into an extended counter.
- cutting out wet spots on dining area and small bath ceiling, repair drywall & Spackle(?)by Chris,
- install new bathroom vanity in both bathrooms and toilet downstairs
- Bathfitters installing new tub, walls, glass shower doors Friday,
- Ceiling to be spray-painted throughout
- Downstairs room to be refinished (new paint, carpet, etc)
I will be soooo glad when this mess is over!

Cat with a foot fettish:

2006-10-06T13:26:00.000-07:00

Don't believe me, check out Babie:

He does this all the time!

My Off-World Getaway

2006-09-16T19:00:00.000-07:00

I had a beautiful picture of the "Starship" at the entrance to Vulcan, but it's lost somewhere in cyber-space. also lost the picture of Joan's summer house we stayed at in Vulcan.

Visit to Saskatoon Berry Farm

Exploring the countryside

Picnic at McGregor Lake

We all gathered in Vulcan, 8 middle-aged ladies, having a blast!

August in Calgary

2006-08-24T10:08:00.000-07:00

Well, I got the dryer working again with a new thermostat. The bathtub has been re-caulked and is no longer leaking, so now I have to re-do the ceiling to hid the ugly water stain. The car has a new muffler and is working fine. The dishwasher is toast, but I'm now used to doing dishes the old fashioned way. Since my last blog entry, I went to a Stagette, and to Yuk Yuk's with friends one night. The girls and I went to see RV at the movie theatre after brunch at Stage West on the 13th - both lots of laughs. I've always enjoyed comedy in all its forms.

I've cancelled my trip to Newfoundland in September, mostly because of things going on at the office. I've decided to spend the holidays with family in New Brunswick, which I haven't done for so long that I can't remember the year. Looking forward to sitting around the table with family for Christmas dinner, eating Mom's meat pies for breakfast, and visiting with everyone.

My Progress Club is hosting it's annual huge garage sale, which will be hosted by a member in Ranchlands this year. I'll help set up on Friday night, and spend Saturday there with the girls. It's always a fun day. I will try to restrain myself and not come back with a carload of stuff I don't need. I need to organize the stuff I want to donate, and I need to be totally ruthless and do some serious downsizing of all the clutter in my place.

I'm on the road again starting Sunday evening when I drive to Medicine Hat, do business in the morning there and drive back in the afternoon, back in Calgary office Tuesday morning, leave for Lethbridge in the afternoon for site visits and a board meeting that evening. Return from Lethbridge Wednesday morning just in time to attend a seminar being given in our boardroom that afternoon. Thursday afternoon I have my follow-up appointment at the Sleep Clinic. I'm eager to discuss what they learned from that machine I was hooked up to three weeks ago.

Sometimes it sucks to be me...

2006-08-08T18:22:00.000-07:00

If you want to know why I haven't added to my blog for so long, it's because I don't like to enter negative thoughts. But a blog is supposed to be about real life, right! So here's what has happened in the past 3 weeks or so:

I got the worst Summer cold I ever remember having, spent 3 days in bed
I wrecked the bottom of my car by driving over one-too-many concrete lane dividers. (Saturn dealership noted "Customer drove over cement block and is hearing a lot of noise from undercarriage. A good scratch but no safety/mechanical issues") Getting new muffler parts installed tomorrow.
I discovered a huge wet spot on the ceiling in my downstairs bathroom, hoping the re-caulking of the tub upstairs will stop it from spreading until I can get the bathroom re-done. I've been putting it off for too long, hard to get plumbers in booming Calgary.
Oh yeah, and the dryer is broken again. May cost less to buy a new one.

I picked up a machine at the Centre For Sleep & Human Performance which I have to hook myself up to tonight. I have been going to every specialist my doctor could think of to try to determine why I'm so tired all the time and gaining so much weight. They think I have a sleep disorder called Obstructive Sleep Apnea. The clinic takes a holistic approach to health and wellness, and Dr. Samuels has tried to assure me that he can get me feeling and looking well again. My philosophy: can't hurt - might help. Not cheap though, $165 just to wear all those apparatus and get the analysis, which is the first step. Wish me luck.

On the job front, I finally completed all the study and practical requirements for my Leadership Certificate. Five from our office started it, and only two of us are still in it. There should be some sort of presentation ceremony soon. The housing/homeless shelter situation in Calgary is critical and we are begging social agencies from other provinces to let people know they must have a place to stay before they get here!!! As the liaison between the government and the shelter operators, I am constantly trying to get them funding for what they need, but what we're doing is obviously not working. People are getting 150% rent increase notices because landlords want them out so they can condominiumize the projects. The result is more and more people living in their cars or on the streets. The camp grounds are full, and social services can't even find motel rooms for homeless families. There will never be rent control in Alberta. It's all very complicated and stressful.

On a more positive note, my brother-in-law Nick arrived July 25th and is visiting friends in Calgary area and different parts of BC. He's just using my place as home base, but we did get caught up on family news. I'm supposed to go to the Progress Club convention in St. John's, Nfld Sept 13-16th. Mom was going to join me for a week of sight-seeing afterward, but changed her mind. I haven't decided yet if I'll go to NB for that week afterward.

And that's all folks. More cheerful entry next time - I promise.

ps. Go see the Miami Vice movie, I loved it. Colin Farrel and Jamie Foxx are HOT. Just don't expect something like the TV series.

James (Jimmy) Doiron Wedding

2006-07-16T14:08:00.000-07:00

Just an update on one of our lost cousins. James and April have been living happily in downtown Calgary for about 15 years. They have an 11-year-old son named Brandon. James has worked at Calgary International Airport for many years.

Kitty's Summer Haircut

2006-07-15T23:00:00.000-07:00

Summer can be very uncomfortable for cats with lots of fur, so I take mine to a place where they get a nice bath and grooming. Angel and Babie also get shaved. By the end of summer, they'll have healthy new coats. Although they're somewhat embarassed, they are very greatful to get rid of the clumps and to stay cool. They even got to wear western bandanas for a day.

My Summer Garden

2006-07-15T22:31:00.000-07:00

Even though I have limited room with my postage-stamp sized back yard, and small space in front, I do have some color to enjoy.

Calgary Stampede

2006-07-15T21:52:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of Stampede 2006 on Sunday 9th when the hail stones were the size of golf balls. Needless to say, we didn't spend much time on the grounds. They had to stop the Grandstand Show halfway through.

But we did get to see a lot of interesting indoor exhibits.

June Encapsulated

2006-06-25T18:50:00.000-07:00

I am going to try to summarize the past month's activities. This will take a while, so get yourself a drink and relax... Thu.1June: got hair trimmed and roots done at 9:00 then had pedicure, did some last minute shopping, and picked up Shirley - headed out for our weekend in Jasper. Did you know it now costs $13 per day to go into the national parks! The drive up was fantastic. We left Calgary at about 2:00 PM and didn't arrive in Jasper until 8:00 PM. Fri.2June: This involved a full day of golf, and I am so not ready for 18 holes on such a challenging course. I had asked to be with a team of people from other clubs soI could meet new people, and I ended up in a foursome with three guys who were pretty good golfers. It's a good thing we used golf carts, or I never would have made it through the whole day. Sat3Jun was progress business: AGM, Awards Luncheon, evening Ball, dance & hospitality suite. The whole convention was very low-key because a well-loved and respected Progressian from Calgary was killed in a car accident the week before in Calgary. There wasn't the usually amount of partying and frivolity. We had a chance to go up the Jasper Tram (gondola). What a view, it was like looking down onto the town of Jasper from a plane. The drive back was great, we made a lot of stops to take pictures.
(Jun.5-7) I had to go into downtown Calgary for a computer course (Excel VBA) which was very challenging. Even moreso on the last day when I got food poisoning from the shrimp & avocado sandwich I had them make for me downstairs. I dashed out in the middle of the last class, threw my business card at the instructor mumbling "I have to leave" and proceeded to suffer the agonizing half-hour drive home. Spent most of Thu-Fri in the bathroom and in bed. Didn't accomplish much on the weekend either, read two books and slept a lot. Mon12th I had to put in a 12-hour day at work to try to get things caught up, Tue.13th I left for Edmonton after lunch. Presented my shelter budgets to the Asst. Deputy Minister and worked all day in Edmonton, home at 8PM. Thu14th drove to Lethbridge for meetings and another AGM that evening. Spent the night in Lethbridge, met with shelter operators Fri. morning and observed the new soup kitchen in action at noon. Phoned the office and told them not to expect me back in that day- I was exhausted. Sat.17Jun:Tried to get caught up on house work on weekend, went to see The Omen with Chris. Meetings and another AGM downtown Mon-Tue 19-20. Went to a Weekender Wear party Tue20th night hosted by our club president. I promised myself I wouldn't buy anything, but... Wed.21Jun got a call from one of the shelter operators, he had tickets left over from a fundraiser: Dinner Theatre in Rosebud (a charming, very small town 90 minutes from Calgary that boasts a School of the Arts, a Bed & Breakfast, and lots of craft shops. The play was on Thu night 22nd and I was able to get Shirley to gather five of my friends together and we saw "Joseph & the Technicolor Dreamcoat" which was really awesome. Didn't get back until after 1AM so tried to hide in my office most of Fri. 23rd. Sat.24th morning I met my friend Linda for brunch at Ricki's - a belated birthday outing. Sun.25th we saw "Jesus Christ Superstar" at Stage West. The cast was so good I was practically dancing in my seat, and of course I know the words to all the songs. That play never gets old. And those lithe young male bodies with six-packs showing was a treat too.

Mon. 26th have to leave for Edmonton again for a two-day course at the Stats Canada offices there. Should be interesting. I probably won't get home until late Wednesday night. I have Thu.-Fri. 29th-30th off. I've invited my former neighbour, Bev, to visit me for the long weekend so she should arrive sometime Friday night. I haven't done any house cleaning for a long time, so I have 2 days to make the place presentable. I'm having some of the girls over on Sat.24th for a BBQ and we're supposed to take a day trip west to see all the flowers in bloom in the foothills. Oh, and I have Mon. off too! A nice long weekend to look forward to.

And that's what I've been up to for the past month. I'll try to post more pictures.

The Cats, Spring 2006

2006-06-05T20:38:00.000-07:00

Babie being rude

Angel & Teddy

SweetPea in her "tube"

The Da Vinci Code

2006-05-30T15:46:00.000-07:00

I went to the move Sunday night, by myself, so I would have no distractions. ******
The movie stayed pretty much true to the book, and I thought the characters were well developed and convincing. I don't know why the critics didn't like Tom Hank's look for this movie. The Robert Langdon character is supposed to be an intellectual "nerdy" professor type anyway, not a hunky leading man like Brad Pitt or Richard Gere. Seeing all the locations where it was filmed really made me want to go back to see more of London and Paris. I'm sure they've changed a lot since I was there in 1985. Anyway, back on topic, you don't have to have read the book to enjoy the movie, but it will help you keep up with the plot and characters. If you enjoy action, there are lots of chase scenes and fights. Even after all the hype, I thought they managed to keep us at the edge of our seats for the most part. Yes, it is long (two and one-half hours) but there wasn't anything I would have taken out. I had no problem seeing the movie as a good piece of fiction (it was never represented as anything else) with enough parallels to historical fact to make you wonder about some things. As a matter of fact, I'd like to see them do Angels and Demons as well. It would make a great movie.

The Appointment

2006-05-18T14:58:00.000-07:00

Since Leslie posted her favorite e-mail ever, I think I should post mine too!

I actually kept my mammogram appointment.

I was met with , "Hi, I'm Belinda!" This perky clipboard carrier smiled from ear to ear, tilted her head to one side and crooned, "All I need you to do is step into this room hereee, strip to the waist, thennn slip on this gown. Everything clearrr? "I'm thinking, "Belinda ... try decaf. This ain't rocket science." Belinda skipped away to prepare the chamber of horrors.
Call me crazy, but I suspect a man invented this machine. It takes a perfectly healthy cup size of 36-B to a size 38-LONG in less than 60 seconds. Also, girls aren't made of sugar and spice and everything nice...it's Spandex.

We can be stretched, pulled and twisted over a cold 4-inch piece of square glass and still pop back into shape. With the right side finished, Belinda flipped me (literally) to the left and said, "Hmmm. Can you stand on your tippy toes and lean in a tad so we can get everything?" "Fine," I answered. I was freezing, bruised and out of air, so why not use the remaining circulation in my legs and neck and finish me off?

My body was in a holding pattern that defied gravity (with my other boob wedged between those two 4" pieces of square glass) when we heard, and then felt, a zap! Complete darkness and the power went off! "What?" I yelled. "Oh, maintenance is working. Bet they hit a snag." Belinda headed for the door. "Excuse me! You're not leaving me in this vise alone, are you?" I shouted. Belinda kept going and said, "Oh, you fussy puppy...the door's wide open so you'll have the emergency hall lights. I'll be rightttt backkkk." Before I could shout, NOOOO!" she disappeared.

And that's exactly how Bubba and Earl, maintenance men extraordinaire, found me, half-naked and part of me dangling from the Jaws of Life and the other part smashed between glass! After exchanging polite "Hi, how's it going" type greetings, Bubba (or possibly Earl) asked, to my utter disbelief, if I knew the power was off. Trying to disguise my hysteria I replied with as much calmness as possible. "Uh, yes...yes I did, thanks." "You bet, take care," Bubba replied and waved good-bye as though I'd been standing in the line at the grocery store. Two hours later, Belinda breezes in wearing a sheepish grin and making no attempt to suppress her amusement, she said, "Oh I am soooo sorry! The power came back on and I totally forgot about you!

And silly me, I went to lunch. Are we upset?"

And that, Your Honor, is exactly how her head ended up between the clamps

The Wedding

2006-05-18T07:56:00.000-07:00

I just had to share this story after so much talk about weddings.

My friend Kathy sent me an e-mail on Wednesday last Fall to ask if I could be her Maid of Honour on that Saturday. Her MOH had to leave the province because of a death in the family. Kathy was frantic because her only bridesmaid was her 12-year-old daughter. She wanted to know if I could fit into a size 12 dress (Yeah, right!!). I asked what her colour scheme was (emerald green) and told her I would do this as my wedding present to her. I rushed over to a consignment store during my lunch break and found the perfect dress. I had one of the girls in the office take a picture with the digital camera which I sent to Kathy for approval. Then we made plans to meet Thursday night to discuss details, and for me to meet the groom-to-be. Great guy, a perfect match for her. Then I learned that the person who had promised to take care of the flowers didn't come through. Off we went, to the nearby Safeway of all places. We were helped by a very friendly lady in their flower shop, and by the end of the evening, we had them picked out in nice fall colors. The rehersal dinner was Friday night when I got to meet the rest of the wedding party and the family members. It went well except that the lasagna was still half-frozen so had to be micro-waved in small batches. I particularly enjoyed meeting the Best Man as we had a lot of interests in common. He used to be a "roadie" with some rock bands when he was younger, and he loves to dance. We made plans to meet at her place on Saturday morning for the hairdresser appointment. Kathy had made reservations at her hairdresser for 10:00 AM (in Kensington which is at least a half-hour from her place) then we had to find parking. I ended up with an interesting "fifties" updo (remember bubbles??). The wedding was at 2:00 PM and I still had to do her make-up before getting dressed. The ceremony was in a charming little church in the NE, and the reception was in Balzac which is about a half-hour north of Calgary. I was a little surprised when I was handed the microphone and expected to make a speech, but I blustered my way through it even though it was a "dry" reception. Being outside the city, it was pitch dark when I finally left, and of course I got lost and drove around in circles in Coventry Hills, NE Calgary for awhile before I found Deerfoot Trail and made it home.

God, I love my life. It's never boring!

Mid-May in Calgary

2006-05-16T12:03:00.000-07:00

Greetings, all. It's 28 degrees at lunch time in Calgary, and I'm stuck in an air-conditioned office. I hope it's this nice for the long weekend. I'm taking Friday off as well, giving me four days off in a row. Everybody will be putting in their bedding plants this weekend. My tiger lilies are a few inches high, and there are some other mystery shoots coming up from last year's plantings. Last year the lupins I planted in front were 3 feet high, but all leaves. They don't seem to grow well out here.

I hosted a Fifth Avenue Jewellery party at my place on Saturday, but only 5 people came if you count the the two kids Kathy brought with her. We had fun watching them acting like typical happy 12-year-olds. There was lots of wine, fruit, cheese, and other goodies and, surprisingly, not too many left-overs. At Gail's party last weekend, I had bought a tiger-eye bracelet & earring set, silver/gold chain chocker, silver marquisite ring with black stone, gold anklet, and a beautiful earring and pendant set in crystal called "Cracklin Rose" . I also ended up with a pewter colored heart pendant with 5 stones and got 50% off the most expensive purchase for booking my own party. At my party, I got the tiger-eye necklace to match the set, a chunky silver ring with 3 big blue topaz stones, another anklet, toe-rings, and a fancy pinky ring. I'm not quite sure how their bonus gifts work yet, but I was given another pewter necklace, and a beautiful earring and necklace in carved sliver flowers with cubic zirconia in the middle for free. I'm planning to host a lunch-hour party here at the office on the 24th. After that, I'll be covered for all the birthdays, and even have some for Christmas gifts.

I'm going to my first Progress Club meeting in over two months tomorrow night. I've been so busy and travelling out of town so much the last couple of months for work that I didn't have time for much else. It will be nice to see the girls again and get caught up. I'm sure everyone will be talking about the upcoming convention in Jasper as the beginning of June. I've been so looking forward to getting into the mountains again.

I was supposed to golf with Linda on Sunday morning, but my back problems were too bad to even consider it. I had her over to my place for lunch instead, and gave her her birthday gift. She brought me some beautiful yellow tulips. Linda is 3 weeks older than me, and we've been close friends since I lived in Fredericton.

I called Mom late on Mother's Day, and she is doing well. She hadn't gotten my card yet and thought I had forgotten (as if!!!). Louis had another accident on his motorcycle on the way home from taking Mom out for Chinese food. Not his fault, apparently, he ran into a car that pulled out in front of him and the driver admitted it was his fault. He wasn't badly injured, no broken bones, just a lot of painful scrapes and bruises. They didn't even keep him in the hospital overnight. I think it's time for him to hang up his helmet for good. Lee Anne is still doing very well in her pharmaceuticals course, and she and her boyfriend, Al, is renovating Mom's house. Mom is very excited about getting the things done that she's been wanting for so long.

I started massage therapy at the same office as my Chiropractor yesterday, and although I found the whole experience quite painful, it seems to have helped. I paid for five sessions in advance to get a discount, so hopefully it will make a difference. The recliner I bought at The Brick is now in my living room and gives me pretty good back support when I'm reading or watching TV. I guess I'm just not quite as limber as I used to be.

And I think that brings everything up to date.

New Baby at the Office

2006-05-09T14:47:00.000-07:00

My friend and co-worker Diane is a proud new Grandma of Baby Myles.

Home Again

2006-05-07T19:04:00.000-07:00

Started a busy week Wednesday afternoon when I left for Edmonton. I couldn't get into my usual hotel, so I booked into Sutton Place. It gave me a 10-block walk to the office, but it was a nice day and I needed the exercise. Unfortunately, I couldn't find it right away and drove around in circles a few times before I saw the right turn-off. I got some interesting comments as I was driving with windows rolled down on such a nice day, it seems I had forgotten to remove my Calgary Flames flag from the car window. There is no comparing the rivalry between Calgary & Edmonton. I removed it as soon as I settled into the hotel parkade, and was really glad I did after watching the game that night. 'nuff said!! Calgary-bashing is a favorite passtime in Edm, and they had lots of ammunition after that sad game.

My two days in Head Office were very productive, I claimed over $17 Million of the province's housing budget for my shelter projects. It's been a rough couple of weeks getting the supporting information I needed before I could process the requests, shelter operators are great social workers but do not usually have much background in business and accounting. The homeless shelters in Calgary and Southern Alberta count on me to make sure their paper work is in order so that they can get what they need from the government. I work for the provincial government as a Housing Advisor. Since my counterpart in Edmonton has been on sick leave for 2 years and probably won't be coming back to work, I had to do some work on the Edmonton and North files too. Things should slow down a little in June, July & August.

Thursday night I met my former neighbour, Bev, and we shopped for a bathing suit for me. I took her to dinner to celebrate her birthday, and she gave me a tour of the new house she was finally able to move into. What a great design - high ceilings, 3 levels, a loft area. Makes my little townhouse look pretty shabby. Bev is happy with her new job and her new home, and that's what's important.
Friday afternoon our ministry hosted a Employee Recognition ceremony where the Minister recognizes people who are celebrating milestones like 5, 10, 15, 20 etc. years with the government, or who have retired during the year. One guy in our department had 35 years! There was a fancy buffet lunch and lots of boring speakers, but I got to sit with some of my friends from Head Office. We got out early, and I drove to Morinville to spend the night getting caught up with 'Berta & Joe.
It's been a long time since it was just the three of us, and we enjoyed hours in the hottub, with me in my new bathing suit. I gave the "big guy" his birthday present early because we never know when we will see each other. Every time I visit, 'Berta's done something new to the house. This time it was a new and improved home office.

I got up relatively early because I had to be back in Calgary for Vertigo Mystery Theatre with the girls. The play was great "A Spider's Web". You've heard the saying : "Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive". It certainly described this play, and was one of the closing lines. I had just munched on some junk food on the way from Edmonton, so I went out to The White Spot for dinner with the girls afterward. If you ever go there, you have got to try the Victorian Chicken Salad - delicious.
At 7:30 I joined some of my work-mates for a "girls night out" where Gail hosted and had representatives from Fifth Avenue jewelry and some Intimate Products. Sad to say I didn't have a clue what most of the things were. There were 2 ladies doing massage and pedicures. I really needed the massage after 3 days on the road. I got a little carried away with the Fifth Avenue jewelry, so those of you who live in Calgary will be invited to attend my party on Saturday the 13th. I got 50% off my purchases just for booking a party, and my guests don't even have to buy anything. By the time I got home, and unloaded the car with my suitcase, briefcase, etc. I was exhausted - I hadn't been home since Wednesday morning. I didn't get up until 11:00 AM today. I was surprised the cats stayed in bed with me that long.

And now I'd better sign off so I can finish my laundry before I go to bed.

Adrienne's Grad pictures

2006-05-07T18:56:00.000-07:00

Adrienne Lisa Tossmann - Class of 2006

The Sprinter...NOT!

2006-04-23T13:01:00.000-07:00

I was contemplating my life yesterday (Saturday!) as I was rushing to a city planning presentation downtown relating to Calgary's "gentrification" of the East Village area where most of my shelter projects are located. Meanwhile, I was worrying about the appointment I had forgotten that was scheduled at the same time with City of Calgary water works who want to install a new meter in my house. Chris usually doesn't work on Saturdays, but he did yesterday, so he wasn't here to let them in. They gave me a window of 1:00 to 3:00PM, but I saw the van drive away as I was pulling into my back alley around 2:00. I suppose now they'll sic the By-Law enforcement people on me. Do you ever feel like most of our lives, we are like sprinters at the starter's block waiting for the pistol to go off? After my second cup of coffee, usually consumed in the car on the way to someplace, I'm like a coiled spring ready to let go. But don't worry, I'm not heading for a heart attack. My doctor referred me to a cardiologist for a stress test. I have a strong heart, low cholesterol, and good blood pressure. They assured me if I lost some weight and got more exercise, I'd probably live forever!

I went to the AGM for the YWCA where my department provides some of the funding. I ended up in a newspaper photo with what looked like a scowl on my face. The reason I was looking so intense is that we were discussing domestic violence and shelters for women. That kind of funding usually goes through another department, Children's Services, but it seems that when it comes to homeless shelters and special needs housing, there is a lot of overlap. We fund only 5 beds there. I'm not very good at politics, but I hope to be able to find them some provincial funding for more beds under our programs.

The walking program I started is stalled for a while. I have blisters on both heels from my foray last Thursday that have to heal before I can do much on my feet. The solution, I suppose, is to get my bike up from the basement. We certainly have been having good enough weather for biking in the park. Fish Creek Park, which is just down the hill from where I live, has miles and miles of biking and walking trails with beautiful scenery. I took my new digital camera, but got a "memory card full" message after only five pictures, so I guess I'll have to read the manual to figure out what I did wrong.

So today, I've got a few reports to compile on meetings and seminars that I attended in the past couple of weeks, and I'd better get started.

Aunts & Uncle

2006-04-20T12:42:00.000-07:00

Here is the picture I've been trying to post.
From left to right:
Top: Melina (Mina), Alcid, Marieanne, &
Bottom: Elizabeth (Betty), Therese, Irene.

Easter Weekend

2006-04-18T12:05:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, I started my long weekend with a virus that surfaced on Wednesday. I had been going full speed for too long, and it finally caught up with me, so I slept for two days! By Saturday, I was feeling fine, but didn't get much done before then. I had bought Dan Brown's other two books Deception Point and Digital Fortress, both of which are real page-turners. I finished both of them in 4 days. They do not relate at all to Angels & Demons and the DaVinci Code which I read earlier, but I highly recommend all of them. I am awaiting the opening of the DaVinci Code movie next month with great anticipation.

I did some shopping on Saturday which included more clothes (of course) and a new digital camera. I haven't had a chance to completely set it up yet, but am looking forward to some pictures that I can post. Maybe you'll get to see my "babies" as I practice with the new camera.

I made a bit of a dent in sorting through my closets to sort out and separate the seasonal stuff into the 3 different sized wardrobes I now own. Regardless of size, if I haven't worn it in the past year, it gets given away to friends or Goodwill. I gave Winona 8 blazers and a few suits and a box of miscellaneous items to distribute among her family. The nice new summer dresses
I bought last year in size 14 will have to wait a while longer. I also need to sort out the size 16's which are now tight for me, and put them aside too, hopefully only until the summer.

I had some friends at my place for turkey dinner on Sunday, and Chris did all the cooking. Shirley brought a big home-made chocolate cake for dessert, and I had Kinder Surprise eggs at each place setting. We had fun assembling and playing with our little toys after the meal. I sent Shirley home with most of the leftover turkey and stuffing by mistake, instead of the plate I had actually prepared for her to take home. Chris and I went downtown to the Doiron's on Monday for another turkey dinner. Of course, Chris and Brandon spent most of their time playing video games. James and April are doing well.

Crystal had her birthday last week, and Steven's is today. Both are now "Sweet 16" and loving it. I should be getting Adrienne's actual graduation pictures soon, and will post them for all to see. I'm looking forward to seeing them if Adrienne has her graduation exercises in the Fall.

I'm interviewing a cleaning service tomorrow to come in twice per month. I just don't have time to get my housework done properly and still keep up my social life, Progress Club duties and other activities evenings and weekends. I have so many gadgets to set up and learn how to use properly. Every item, including scanner, digital camera, MP3 player, palm pilot, cell phone, etc has a manual I have yet to read and connect to my computer and printer. If I can get someone to come in every second Thursday, I won't be embarrassed to have people visit me at home, and I won't feel guilty about relaxing or playing at the computer on my days off if I feel like it. I do most of my reading after 9PM and weekend mornings.

And now my lunch break is over, and I need to get back to work. I hope you all had a Happy Easter.

Still keeping busy...

2006-04-06T10:29:00.000-07:00

It seems like so long ago since I last wrote in my blog, but hasn't even been 2 weeks. Last weekend was relatively slow, I went to the Windmill Dinner Theatre in High River with friends and enjoyed great food and a very good play. Sunday morning, Chris and I did the recycling thing which we put off until absolutely necessary. After that, I volunteered for "Feed the Hungry" at St. Mary's Church and ended up delivering lots of desserts that didn't get served to one of the shelters in Calgary. It looked like one of the grocery stores donated all of their leftover birthday cakes, pies, cheesecakes, coffee cakes, brownies, etc. It was tempting to take a detour and unload some of the goodies at home, but I was good and didn't keep any for myself.

I attended the Safe Street, Safe Cities conference at the Round-Up Centre on Tuesday and Wednesday. When my office registered me, I didn't realize it went from 7:30 AM to 9:30PM each day. It was very interesting and educational, but that's some very long days. I attached a news clip below about the conference.

I was supposed to attend a third day downtown, but there was a crisis at the office and I let someone else go in my place. I tried to clean up the mess somebody in Edmonton created with one of my projects, and am still steaming about how I will have to explain the error to the people who will receive their money late because of it. My Chiropractor took a little longer than usual to get the kinks and knots out of my neck and shoulders today, and urged me to relax. I assured him I have a 4-day weekend coming up for Easter.

I've decided to take young Brandon to a movie tonight. I want to see the Ice Age movie, and I'm sure I'll enjoy it more with a kid. It's playing at the Eau Claire theatre downtown close to where he lives, which means I won't have to drive back and forth from South Calgary to downtown with him. The girls and I want to see Memoirs of a Geisha sometime this weekend, and I also want to go see Syriana which is now at the cheap theatre close to my place. Other than that, my weekend plans are flexible and I hope to get in lots of quiet reading time, and maybe some outdoor time too.

http://pabmedia.gov.ab.ca/ramgen/clips/A162042.rm

Whirlwind Weekend

2006-03-25T10:04:00.000-08:00

Well, it's 11:00 on a Saturday morning, and I'm already behind! I meant to get into the office by noon to fishish up a few things. I was on course at the Sheraton across from Canada Olympic Park for two days, my mileage for the two days was 118 km. Just goes to show you how big an area the city of Calgary covers. Anyway, it's kind of thrown me behind, but it was a very good course on communications and remembering things like names and lists. I met some interesting people, and it was kind of a nice break.

I'm meeting the girls at 1:15 today and we're car-pooling to the Vertigo Mystery Theatre which usually goes from 2:00 to about 4:30. We'll figure out where to have dinner, after which I'm heading to the NE to visit with Kathy to meet her newborn grandson. I found the cutest gift at Baby Gap! I have to stop somewhere to get gift wrap and a card. Tomorrow will be just as busy because we have Stage West brunch(Forever Plaid). We usually try to space the two theatres in different months, but were unable to accommodate everyone's schedules to do so this time. After the play, I need to go into the office to pack my briefcase with all the essentials. Later Sunday afternoon, I'm driving to Medicine Hat for an early Monday morning budget meeting.

Luckily, Winona is in both of my theatre groups, and she's an accountant. I need her to check my income tax calculations - I can't really owe them another $1,300!!! Maybe she'll have a chance to look at it tonight and tell me tomorrow at Stage West that it's not that bad.

I was hoping to find time to re-install my scanner. I had asked Chris to do it and he is always very accommodating. However, the program that will allow me to edit and size documents is in Spanish which doesn't really work for me. I have a great picture of all the aunts on Mom's side, with the one uncle, that I'd like to post but it's too small and appears sideways. I figure if I un-install and start again from the beginning, following step-by-step with the manual, I should be able to figure it out.

Next week is the last week before our fiscal year-end at work so it will be very busy. It ends with my performance appraisal on the 31st. Of course, I have to find the time to write it up before then, in between budget meetings with my groups. I'm hoping April slows down enough so I can get my _ss to the gym. I start weekly evening courses on nutrition and how to deal with IBS next month, which I'm hoping to use as a catalyst to a better diet and lifestyle.

So I guess I'd better get going...

LeeAnne connected

2006-03-22T18:37:00.000-08:00

Lee Anne's e-mail
labertin@nb.sympatico.ca
She's finally on line. I invite all of you to surprise her with a bunch of messages to welcome her into the cyber world.

Progress Club Mini Convention - Jasper

2006-03-13T15:35:00.000-08:00

The Western Region (Saskatchewan, Alberta, BC) has scheduled its Spring (mini) Convention at the Sawridge Inn and Conference Centre in Jasper, June 2nd, 3rd, & 4th and I can't wait! (See http://www.sawridgejasper.com/). Looks like a really nice hotel. I haven't been to Jasper for at least 10 years. It's quite a bit further from Calgary than Banff where I would usually go to spend time in the mountains.

A typical mini-concention starts out with a golf tournament, registration, and welcome party on Friday. There's usually a hospitality suite open after the party where you can socialize and party until the wee hours of the morning. Saturday it's usually a buffet breakfast where you see how many survived the night before, then the Annual General Meeting. There is an awards luncheon after that, then a few seminars. Saturday night is the semi-formal President's Ball. Of course there's another hospitality suite after that. Sunday we have breakfast/brunch and some get ready to leave while some stay on a few days to spend more time exploring the area. It's sort of a mini-version of the national convention in the fall.

It can be expensive, the convention fee itself is $140 and the rooms are $119 double occupancy per night. I'll be driving up and sharing a room with one of the other girls. I'll leave on Thursday, and it will take most of that day to get there since I really want to enjoy the scenery on the way. Hopefully, by then, I will have my digital camera and can post pictures.

Crystal Lynn

2006-03-11T17:06:00.000-08:00

This is my brother Louis' daughter, Crystal. She has turned into a beautiful young lady as well. I took this picture of her in downtown Calgary when she visited me this summer with Mom. She had her portrait done in charcoal by an artist on Stephen Avenue Mall and surprised her father with it when she got back home.

Crystal is an "A" student, and will probably be able to get into whatever field she likes when she graduates. She has an open invitation to come live with me and go to university or college in Calgary, much to Louis' dismay. Can you believe she's in 10th grade already.

Adrienne & Steven

2006-03-11T16:51:00.000-08:00

I now have a scanner, thanks to 'Berta and Joe.

These are my sister Aline's kids, Adrienne and Steven. The picture was taken last summer. I know I'm prejudiced, but I think they're both gorgeous. I really enjoyed spending time with them when they visited me this summer. They've grown up so much since they left Calgary, and I've only been able to get to Pickering to visit them twice.

Aline got a new digital camera for Christmas, so I'm hoping she might consider starting a family blog as well.

LeeAnne Going High-Tech

2006-03-11T16:36:00.000-08:00

LeeAnne and Al have purchased a computer, and are in the process of getting hooked up to the 'net at Mom's place. I can't wait to start exchanging e-mails with her. Anybody,PLEASE go over there and show her how to set up her own blog so someone in my immediate family can share in the experience. I'm older and probably more set in my ways than both my sisters, and I caught on pretty quickly. I've given up on Louis, but Crystal is a possibility.

By the way, an update on LeeAnne. She's back at school taking a Pharmacy Technician course and loves it.

Power Shopping

2006-03-10T07:05:00.000-08:00

Spring is around the corner, time to freshen up and thin out my wardrobe. Although it appears I'm destined to be "sveltely challenged" for awhile longer, that doesn't mean I can't look good. Anything that I haven't worn during the season gets taken out and either packed for the shelters, taken to consigning, or stored for that time when I can fit into them (that includes most of the clothes I bought during my power-shopping trip with you 'Berta). Anybody who wants to benefit from the fall-out, visit me this weekend!

Power shopping is not to be confused with impulse shopping, oh no, it has to be researched and carefully planned out. I've been stalking the Pennington store that is undergoing renovation for a month now, and they are finally having their "Buy 1, get second for 40% Off sale". When I get into the store, I make sure I have at least an hour, two would be better, and wear a quick-change outfit to save time. I enlist the help of a good sales rep to help me pick out sizes and colors, then we fill up a dressing room with dozens of outfits. The sales rep hovers by the door to snag the items thrown over the divider with instructions to get one size bigger/smaller, etc. Be prepared to try on 3 to 5 pairs of brown pants to get the ones that match a few jackets, are already on sale, and fit comfortably. By the way, did you know brown is the new black this season? I found three separates that go very well together, olive brown shorter-length blazer matching pants and a wonderful satin blouse with turquoise, brown, beige, pink, in a sort of tie-dyed pattern, a great business suit. Add a brown tiered long shirt with a matching peasant blouse, and of course a second peasant blouse in blue at 40% off to wear in summer. Found a nice blouse with a kind of sky-and-clouds pattern. Got light-weight tweed blue pants with a tailored blouse in a pin-stripe pattern of corresponding colors, 4 pairs of trendy cotton capri pants (brown, navy, beige, and black) which were a great deal, 2 funky belts marked down from $16 to $5 and 40% off that. Whew, what a rush! When I got the bag home I found the sales rep had thrown in a bracelet to match the belts. I had to take back one of the blouses next day because the snaps kept opening, got it replaced, then also bought a coral "hoodie" and a great tan purse that will hold everything I like to carry around. All for under $400! There's a 3-piece pant-suit that I have my eye on too. It's only $89 but I'll wait until it goes down some more before buying it.

Now for the impulse shopping. I was in Chinook Mall and happened to be passing by Payless Shoes. I did my usual quick walk-through to check of the Size 7's and did a double-take at a wonderful pair of fashion boots. You know, the kind you can't stand in for more than an hour at a time, and that you wouldn't get anywhere near rain or snow. They're tan suede and leather, with almost a cowboy boot kind of trim, on sale for $30. And to top it all off, I saw a fancy shirt in a butterscotch color while walking by Ricki's that I just had to have.

Now I'm ready for the Spring Convention in Jasper, the Fall Convention in St. John's and all the business meetings I have to attend at work and out of town in the next couple of months.

Oh yes, and right beside Pennington's is a Goodwill store. I'm always amazed at the treasures you can find in those places, sort of like "Frenchies" in New Brunswick. There was a satin evening bag that is a perfect match to the gown I bought when I was maid-of-honor at Kathy's wedding. Found a tall bud vase that matches the green glass collection I have in my downstairs bathroom; some traveling cosmetic/toiletry bags; an owl to go with the bird house collection I have on top of the bookshelves in my living room; and miscellaneous wall hooks for belts and necklaces. All for under $15.

It's a good thing I allow myself only one credit card for business purposes. Sometimes my shopping forays can get a little intense.

Winona & Shirley

2006-03-06T07:36:00.000-08:00

I count these two ladies among my best friends, and spent a very enjoyable day with them yesterday. We went to see Tristan and Isolde at the movie theatre because we enjoy historical dramas. This one was post-Arthurian and kind of a star-crossed lovers story. It gave some insights into English history that were very interesting - did you know the Irish used to control most of England? Of course, we had to go out to eat at the Carriage House afterward, what's a movie without a dinner afterward to discuss it? Shirley isn't a Progress Club member, but always helps us out with our fundraisers and attends most of the events, so she's considered part of the Progress family.

Winona is a charter member of my club, the Calgary Eves. Winona lives in Nanton now, and is also the one who connected me to the two groups with whom I attend Stage West and Vertigo Theatre plays. There are 5 girls in one group, and up to 7 in the other. Shirley, her sister-in-law, lives here in Calgary and is the one who organizes all the tickes to these many events for us. We like to go to the local dinner theatre in High River as well where they put on some very entertaining productions for such a small theatre group. We count on Shirley to give us a call a few days beforehand to make sure we don't forget. There's a turkey dinner coming up there as well that I'll attend with Winona and Shirley. It's a fundraiser the church ladies put on, and always a big treat. In summer, we all like our impromptu "day trips" where we pack a picnic lunch, and just drive - may end up in Crowsnest Pass, or Waterton Lakes, or Kananaskis. We're thinking of maybe doing a tour of southern Alberta's ghost towns sometime this summer.

This week at work will be very busy, and I really hope to complete a lot of those projects that have been sitting in my "to do" piles for so long.

American Idol (1)

2006-03-02T08:08:00.000-08:00

Hey, check out Chris Daughtry
http://www.idolonfox.com/contestants/chris_daughtry/
Looks like Vin Diesel, sings like Jon Bon Jovi
Definitely my pick of the guys.

I think Lisa Tucker is the best of the girls.

The Power Within

2006-03-02T07:59:00.000-08:00

I attended The Power Within at the Telus Convention Centre Tuesday with about 2,500 other women. Speakers included Suzanne Sommers, Bianca Jagger, Lynne Cox, Dr. Christiane Northrup, Irshad Manji and Loretta LaRoche. All very inspirational and entertaining. To learn more about the conference check out http://www.powerwithin.com/ . It's the first time I've been to one of these, and I hope to make it a yearly experience. My boss approved it as an expense item because it is considered a "personal growth" thing. It's hard to stay motivated somethimes when you work for the government, and perks like this really do help.

Brandon's birthday

2006-02-26T18:36:00.000-08:00

My little buddy Brandon turns 11 on March 2nd. Brandon is James (Jimmy) Doiron's son, and he and I have become friends in the past couple of years. I don't have a recent picture of him, but hope to have one soon that I can scan.

Today, we went to see Eight Below at the Chinook theatre at around 1:00PM, a time when more than half the audience is under 10 years old. Needless to say, it was noisy enough in the theatre to be somewhat distracting, and tiny feet kicking the back of your chair didn't add to enjoyment of the movie. I think we had a birthday party of about 10 six-year-old boys in the row behind us. I drew the line at one little darling trying to balance his empty popcorn bag on my head. Regardless, the movie is a must for any animal lover, some sad parts, but with a happy ending. The story line is easy to follow and kept our interest. The story is about the dogs, not the people, but of course there had to be a love interest and some conflict among the humans. Unless you're taking kids, go to the evening show.

We then proceeded to shop for Brandon's birthday present, looking for a pair of "heelies" (those sneakers with the wheels in the heels all the kids are wearing now) and had no luck after three malls. They apparently have them at Market Mall, but it was after 4:00 PM and I had gone to Marlborough Mall instead. However, Brandon steered me to a store called "Beanies and ???" where we picked out "Yu-Gi-O - The Master Collection (Volume I)" and that seemed to make him very happy. We had supper at Smitty's and then I took him home and visited with his Mom April for awhile. I tried to get his home computer working, and was successful up to the point where I needed the right connections to get the mouse working, and had to give up. All in all, a pretty full day.

It's going to be a very busy week at work with meetings most of tomorrow, a course on Tuesday, and several deadlines to work against. Oh yeah, and tomorrow night is my meeting with my Jenny Craig counsellor, Wednesday is my Progress Club meeting, and a very important meeting Thursday that I have to prepare for. I keep taking work h0me expecting that I'll find time to do some catch-up, but I never get around to it. At least I had a chance to meet my friend Linda for breakfast Saturday morning, and we got somewhat caught up with each other.

I've decided that friends aren't a part of my life that I can fit in my "spare" time, I will make time to spend with the people who keep my life interesting and balanced.

Halloween 2005

2006-02-14T12:19:00.000-08:00

My cub, CPC Calgary Eves, launched its first "Halloween in Hollywood" fundraiser in the fall, and I'm sharing some of my favorite pictures of the event. When it came time to pick the best male celebrity costume, we had a tie between Elvis & Michael Jackson, Elvis won. The bottom picture is of my club members, I'm the Phantom of the Opera in the black tux and half-mask.

Biker Chicks

2006-02-14T08:36:00.000-08:00

This is a picture of me with some of my Progress Club pals at a "Biker Chick" themed fundraiser at the Westin Hotel. This was hosted by one of the other ladies' clubs in Calgary, and included a couple of very impressive male strippers. There were lots of interesting items in the silent auction, and I escaped without even one purchase - unusual for me. There were lots of companies exhibiting their wares, including Harley Davidson and an "audult toy" store which shall remain nameless. Maybe buying a Harley should be added to my list of "List of things I want to buy, do and see" We all have one of those lists, don't we?

Mom & Crystal

2006-02-13T08:51:00.000-08:00

These are pictures of Mom and Crystal during their visit Summer of 2005.

Another Weekend Done Gone

2006-02-12T17:54:00.000-08:00

The past week at work was very hectic, but I believe two alligators have been slain, and the others are lined up like ducks in a shooting gallery.

I felt I needed some major escapism and talked Christian into going to a movie with me. I wish I had known that he was not aware of what "Brokeback Mountain" was about. It would have been entertaining to watch his reaction. I'm sure withing the first 20 minutes I would have had an elbow in the ribs with a "What the %*?# is this..." snarled at me. Anyway, we compromised and went to see The Chronicles of Narnia instead. It was very good, amazing photography and visual effects. I wanted to see Syriana, but he wanted to wait until it came to the "cheap" theatre. I'll give a review after I've seen it. Chris will have to go to see the vampire/werewolf movies without me.

Went to Vertigo Mystery Theatre with the girls yesterday to see "I'll Be Back Before Midnight". I highly recommend it to anybody who likes thrillers that have you jumping out of your seat. It's nice to see Vertigo getting back to the basics of Agatha Christie type mysteries. We all went to Little India afterward for delicious buffet of a great variety of dishes. If you'd like to try something different, it's a great restaurant. Service is good, staff is friendly, and price is reasonable. The girls and I like to sample different cuisines after the theatre.

I'll be going to a couple of the shelters in Lethbridge Wednesday-Thursday and attending a meeting at city hall. It's always a nice ride down there, so I don't mind when my job takes me there for a few days.

My first photo download

2006-02-12T17:45:00.000-08:00

Oh my God! I did it! I had no idea it was that easy to post a picture. You just "click" on the photo icon, browse for your pictures, pick one, and then Voila!

This is Aunt Irene and me at Leslie's place during her visit last year. I was delighted to spend time with one of my favorite aunts during her visit.

Stay turned for more pictures.

6-Feb-06

2006-02-06T07:31:00.001-08:00

I noticed in the Calgary Herald on the weekend that there was an article titled "Ralph-isms" and I want you all to know that I thought of it first! Actually, I have to give credit where it is due, Fred Blaney first came up with the "Lucie-ism" title.

Was talking to Mom on the weekend, and she is excited about her upcoming trip to Newfoundland. She will meet me there on Sept. 17th. I will already have been there for four days for the Progress Club convention. We'll probably tour around for a week.

Aline's daughter, Adrienne, is graduating from high school this year, so I will be taking a trip to Pickering sometine this Spring. She's grown into a beautiful young lady, very much into sports and music. I'll try to post a copy of her grad picture as soon as I get it.

Week One

2006-02-01T21:08:00.000-08:00

I will aim for weekly updates as that is all my schedule will allow. I hope to build this blog into a place where I can post pictures of family and friends, share the latest "Lucie-ism" (more on that later), trade jokes and stories, give my own reviews of movies I've seen, share thoughts on current issues and events, etc. I have been called opinionated (among other things) so if you don't want to hear my two-cents worth, read no further.

I haven't got my digital camera yet, but I do have some interesting pics stored at work that I want to share. Being a Gemini, I have may different personalities, and many of them have been recorded on film.

And, of course, my babies: SweetPea, Angel and Babie will figure prominently in many entries. Being a single lady over 30, who counts 3 cats among her best friends, I fit right into the stereotype.

If I can ever tame the alligators that are snapping at me in the office, and deal with the occasional asteriods that fall on my desk, I need to start planning my spring trip to Pickering for Adrienne's graduation, and my September trip for the fall Progress Club convention at St. John's, Newfoundland, where I'm hoping my Mom will join me for a week. Stay tuned.

Introduction

2006-01-30T18:10:00.000-08:00

This is my first foray into the "Web-Log" world.
Stay tuned for more entries.