For Christopher

Mr. Sunshine
You are so Bright
Mr. Sunshine
Light up my life
Mr. Sunshine
Light up my world
Mr. Sunshine
You're not a girl
Mr. Sunshine
My little man
Mr. Sunshine
Black as a pan
Mr. Sunshine
You are so nice
Mr. Sunshine
You play with mice
Mr. Sunshine
You are my wish
Mr. Sunshine
Where is your sis?

TTC - Public Consultation

The Toronto Transit Commission has launched another (un)successful campaign, with the hopes of informing city-dwellers about the serious budget crisis they are currently experiencing.

First, some background information, taken from http://www.toronto.ca/ttc/myttc.html.

In the past 10 years the TTC has grown by over 90 million riders. We’ve been replacing our aging vehicles, expanding our network, and improving our stations. We’ve launched our Transit City plan, a vision for transit that will bring high-speed light rail to Scarborough, North York and Etobicoke.
But that’s where the good news ends. This year, there isn’t enough money to operate the TTC’s service, and the City has been forced to ask for major cuts. We need your help.

Our budget crisis

A decade of underfunding has created a financial crisis for the TTC and the City. While other world cities thrive, Toronto’s reserves are empty and it is struggling to pay for services. We can’t afford to invest in transit or other programs.

The TTC has a plan to keep up with growth, but without a combination of uploaded services, property taxes, and some new taxes like the Land Transfer Tax or the Vehicle Registration Tax, we can’t afford it. City Council delayed its decision to approve new taxes until after the provincial election this fall. Without new revenue, we are forced to find cuts now.
If you haven’t laughed so far, then you’re about to! Now for the advertisement that is appearing in newspapers, and on posters everywhere…

My TTC:

“a safe ride home”

“cleaner air for my kids”

“getting to work before my boss (she drives)”

Hah. Nice try TTC! I would say for the majority of unfortunate riders, a more accurate representation would be something more like:

My TTC:

“puts my life at risk, as I wait for 15 minutes or more at the shadiest bus shelter in Toronto after work”

“does not have air-conditioning, is muggy, and smells of urine, deodorant-less people, and cheap perfume” Okay, so not ALL TTC cars and buses do not have A/C, only about 90% of them.

“means that I will have to call work AGAIN to remind them that I’ll be late”

P.S. I still love you, Toronto. We all have our flaws - yours just happen to be worth billions of dollars.

Goodbye, Precious

to my precious little minniature:

although right now my heart is aching for you to stroll into the room and jump on my lap for some brushies, i know you are in a better place. i feel sooo lucky to have had you as my furry, stinky daughter for most of my university years. i love you so much. i smile whenever i think of your special ways, and i laugh when i imagine your new kitty friends teaching you how to finally purr!

a mother's love

i know you all miss your precious goddaughter more than you admit, so i know none of you would dare to roll your eyes and think to yourselves, "another goddamn post about the goddamn cat!" so what if she is a former dragqueen? we're all family and you love her, so keep reading....

on thursday night, it dawned on me that my ray of sunshine has not been eating. in fact, it had been about 2 weeks since i had filled her food bowl and the only explanation for my oversight was denial. frantically, i called adam at kap's and informed him of my concern.

"please tell me that you've been feeding our daughter!!" i exclaimed.

he hadn't. not since i had been to the dr!

shit. deep down, i've always known i am only deserving of a goldfish, and this confirms it. but i LOVE her, and i feel my heart rate slow as ad reassures me that he'll pay the vet bill.

later this afternoon, i confide to my manager about why i am so preoccupied. then, on my lunch break, i call ad about 14 times until he answers his cell and beg him to buy minn her old food and a can of tuna.

well.....it's no surprise that ad ran out and bought the entire cat food department at shoppers. he phoned me at work to proudly announce that he had completed the task and when i thanked him profusely, he grumbled, "well, she's my daughter, too." awwww.

so, these pictures pretty much speak for themselves. minn devoured her whiskas, and as per my suggestion, proceeded to work off the calories on her alpine scratcher. everything is back to normal, meaning the claws are back out.

Silky Jacket

Who is the girl with the silky coat?
*Minnie Minnie*
Throw her in the water and she will float
*Minnie Minnie*
Who is the girl that we love the most?
*Minnie Minnie*
THAT is the girl with the silky coat

What A View!

All of you are aware that Ad has moved out in pursuit of bigger and better places. Well, it didn't take him long to find the place of MY dreams! His suite is located at one of Toronto's most desired addresses, the prestigious Pantages Towers. The building boasts a 24 hour concierge, impressive gym, equisite martini bar, and a full spa to boot. From the 37th floor, one can admire the magnificent city and imagine that one day this can all be theirs!

Little House on the Thai Restaurant

On occasion, my little lionness and I like to play dress-up. On this day, Minniature is donning a fashionable bonnet inspired by the infamous tv show, "Little House on the Prairie." I love my little English Fold!

Best Steakhouse in TO

Ad and I have recently initiated our latest project which involves searching for Toronto's Best Steakhouse. Once a month, Addy and I are going to visit a steakhouse recommended to us via friends, websites, etc. Criteria will be based upon a number of factors including host/hostess greeting, ambience/atmosphere/environment, extensiveness of wine list, price, service, and, not surprisingly, taste.

The first contestant was Le Biftheque (www.lebiftheque.com). For starters, we ordered the meaty portobello mushrooms served atop a sizable portion of leafy greens. Ad giggled with joy when our appetizer arrived along with his chilled Corona. Immediately, I knew we were off to a great beginning...or so I thought. The frown that quickly appeared across Addy's face when he began to butter his warm dinner roll left me questioning our meal choice. For the butter was cold and barely spreadable, which left Addy slumped deep into his booth until our server appeared with our parmesan-covered caesar salads.

"They're back in the game!" I exclaimed to myself as I watched the young man accross from me gobble up his fresh salad. Amused, I smiled as I quietly finished my own, just as the main attraction arrived at our table. A 24 oz. T-bone and fries for my hungry man, and a more modest New York striploin for myself served alongside a scoop of garlic mashed potatoes. We each had a glass of red wine too; I chose a glass of Santa Carolina Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile, while Ad settled on E&J Gallo (my recommendation). Delicious!! In fact, I even considered that my boyfriend might've briefly been transformed into the Tazmanian Devil! I discreetly had to remind Addy that we try to use our best table manners at nice restaurants. Oh, well. Despite Ad's protests, he agreed to share a slice of tantalizing apple crumble and we nibbled at the dessert as we discussed our experience together. When the bill was dropped off at our table, Ad was too stuffed to remark about having to pay himself. Fortunately, the damage totalled $140....not bad for a nice piece of meat with all the extras!

Stay tuned for next month's visit to Ruth Chris Steakhouse with Kap!

Brendan aka Diva

Brendan really is a fashion diva, which was made apparent by these photos....three different outfits in under an hour! Who is this guy?!?

Big Storm Pics

Freak snowstorm blamed for 3 deaths in Buffalo - CTV.ca News Staff

At least three deaths in Buffalo are being blamed on a powerful autumn snow storm....two people were killed in weather-related traffic accidents, while a third person died after being hit by a falling tree limb while shoveling snow.

The nearby town of Fort Erie, Ont. has called a state of emergency, as residents find themselves without power and roads blocked by fallen trees. A leisure complex is open overnight to provide people with cots and warm meals.

As much as 30 centimetres of snow fell on some regions of southwestern Ontario, and almost 60 centimetres covered sections of western New York and Buffalo, making it that city's worst storm in 137 years.

Video footage of Buffalo's airport showed the nose of a massive jetliner tipped into the air, as heavy snow weighed down the aircraft's tail.

In Fort Erie and Welland, where the storm was at its fiercest on the Canadian side, residents were bracing for more lake-effect snow on Friday as weather analysts predicted the region could receive another 15 centimetres.
Environment Canada described the wintry blast as "significant snowfalls of historic proportions.''
The heavy snowfall and winds of up to 90 kilometres an hour caused tree branches to snap onto power lines, leading to power outages from Port Colborne to Fort Erie, Ont.

Environment Canada meteorologist Geoff Coulson said the early October storm is historic.
"I've been looking into the records of Fort Erie ... this amount of snow, this early in the season, I couldn't find anything even approaching it, as far back as 1870," he told CTV.

This is what my Mom's boyfriend Geoff had to say about the event:

"Thought I'd send you a few pics of what it's like here after the storm. The photo titles should be self-explanatory.

I guess you've been talking to Sandy and know that everything is back to normal there.

I got a half inch of water in my basement, so my carpets are toast. ServiceMaster pulled out the carpets on Monday night, which is just as well as they were beginning to stink. However I only had half power until Thursday morning, so ServiceMaster only just dropped off drying fans an hour ago. Guess it will be a week or two until my basement is restored (by the insurance company), but I'm not going to complain. Lots of people are worse off. Buffalo still has 30,000 homes without power.

Two doors up from me my neighbour had 2' of sewer back-up in the basement. Gross!! They had the same thing four years ago during the last extended blackout..."


And that is that reason why I grew up despising winter, especially lake-effect snow (unless the schools were closed, of course).

I LOVE the summer but....

This post is for everyone who loves my blog as much as I do. The reason for my hiatus is simply the unrelenting heat. I sweat just conceiving about what to right.....err, I mean write. See? I can't think! For as long as this dreadful humidity continues, I will remain in a state of stupidity. I'm sorry to all of you who are entertained during a mundane day at the office by my stories...haha, I sound so conceited! And I still have people who love me!

Just one last comment before I toss and turn all night from being clammy and uncomfortable...I will be posting pics along with a brief description of Sar and James' bbq that I went to over the weekend. It was the most delicious meal I've had all summer and I can't wait to subtlety invite myself over sometime soon!

And the Winner of the Best Romantic Comedy Goes To...

....Failure to Launch! I know, I know....when it comes to suggesting a great movie, I've disappointed a lot of people (let's just say some of my favourites include Cruel Intentions, Great Blue Sea, and Coyote Ugly) and have even left them questioning our friendship. (:). Well ladies, put your trust in me one last time because I am certain that you will enjoy this whimsical chick flick!

Candace and I reunited after almost a week apart and decided to rent a movie. As we were both in the mood for something playful, we ended up choosing Failure to Launch starring Mathew McConaughey and Sarah Jessica Parker. Without divulging the entire plot, the movie is about a thirty-something slacker (McConaughey) who suspects that his parents are setting him up with his dream girl (Parker) in order to get him to move out of their house.

What an excellent choice we made...this movie is a riot from start to finish! Cand. and I both agreed that Kit, a role played by actress Zooey Deschanel, deserves two thumbs up for her performance in the film. Girls, if you are reading this I was slapping Cand. on the knee throughout the entire movie, so you know what that means! Entertainment at its finest ...5/5 stars!!

Friendship From A Distance

The only explanation for this stiff picture is that one of us must have had really bad B.O. or bad breath! Better yet, one of us was paranoid that we smelled, which would be very likely knowing us. The photo does not reveal any indication of our history, which began as two young students at Western. We've been through everything together, from our Jane Fonda exercise craze to having panic attacks at Richie's Family Restaurant, plus everything inbetween. We've shared lots of laughs, and probably even more moments which are accompanied by blank stares. Haha, it's been wonderful. Cheers to you and I, Sar!

Clueless About Canada

I received this email from one of my roommates and spent the next two days erupting into laughter. Now it's your turn.

Now that Vancouver has won the chance to host the 2010 Winter Olympics, people from around the world are asking questions about Canada. These questions were posted on an International Tourism Website:

Q: I have never seen it warm on Canadian TV, so how do the plants grow?(UK)
A. We import all plants fully grown and then just sit around and watch them die.

Q: Will I be able to see Polar Bears in the street? (USA)
A: Depends on how much you've been drinking.

Q: I want to walk from Vancouver to Toronto-can I follow the Railroad tracks?(Sweden)
A: Sure, it's only Four thousand miles, take lots of water.

Q: Are there any ATM's(cash machines) in Canada? Can you send me a list of them in Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton and Halifax? (UK)
A: What did your last slave die of?

Q: Are there supermarkets in Toronto and is milk available all year round? (Germany)
A: No, we are a peaceful civilization of Vegan hunters/gatherers. Milk is illegal.

I feel sorry for those idiots. May the Lord be with them.