* "If all politicians were like Pierre Trudeau, there'd be world peace."
                                                                   -- John Lennon.

September 29th:
Good bye, Pierre Trudeau.

Brian once told me, "He was our Kennedy." At the time I understood what he meant. But now that I've lived here, and learned who he really was, well, he was much more than the Canadian JFK. He was the Prime Minister for 18 years and accomplished a lot, and caused a lot. Black October. The Charter. He's the one who insisted Canada become a bilingual country.

Yes, he was charismatic and young, like JFK. He sort of had a romance with the country, as well as being a dynamic leader. But JFK didn't have the time to be our Trudeau. I don't know that we've ever had "our Trudeau." Or that any country has or will have a leader like he was.

I think the Kennedy legacy is the family thing, his youth and charisma and playfulness, but also that almost the whole country saw him blown away. Again and again. Before he really got to do anything, except maybe get US on the moon.

JFK never flipped anyone the bird, or did a pirouette behind the Queen, visited Castro, told a reporter, "Fuck you," or made an infamous and ominous statement like, "Just watch me."

After I shared these thoughts with Brian, some Senator on Studio Two said, "He was the Kennedy we got to keep."

September 27th:
I looked it over, and I honestly think that I have Youthful Tendencies Disorder. I'm not sure what I can do, but I am certain it's genetic. My mom had it. I have it. All indications show that my daughter has it too. In our family it seems to be chronic.

Lynda Barry shares a chapter from my life story with Girlness, one of her "One Hundred Demons." Okay, not exactly. But I swear I can see myself in that panel full of tomboys.

Michael Peca signed my guestbook! Surely you can too. (Um, although I don't know that I believe it was Michael. Wouldn't he have mentioned that time I waved at him on I-90, just outside of Buffalo?)

Capri pants are the work of the devil! So far I have been able to resist whatever has brainwashed so many women into thinking these are fashionable or cute and should be purchased and worn everywhere. But you know, those baggy clamdigger things are looking cooler and cooler...

All my hard work here has inspired someone! Really, a nice collection of quotes and thoughts and links. And I'm not just saying that cuz he's my friend! Be sure to click on the "Smartass dancing rocket scientressa" link.

I am now cast-free and freshly shaven. Although I don't know how I'm going to walk on this scrawny leg.

September 24th:
So, I talked about the "I am Canadian" commercial, where the Canuck guy is getting introduced to some American who rattles off a bunch of Canadianisms. (The actor is so obviously not American, but anyway...) Now there's a part two where they're both sitting at a bar, drinking Molsons. The American has his jacket over his head still. They click their beer glasses together, the 'nuck says, "No hard feelings, eh," and the 'merican, of course, bursts into laughter, points and says, "You said eh!!!"

I love it.

mahalie's henna and tea party was yesterday. I so wish I could've gone and she'd better post some stories about it and they'd better be scandalous, too.

Finally! I'm listed with the CoffeeRooms' hot mug websites. Actually, I have been for awhile but just didn't check. I guess I was expecting a "congratulations" email or something. And yeah, both my journal velvet days and this here page are listed.

September 22nd:
Get a free pillow and some free coffee! (Thanks Heather for the links.)

I love tests that help you do things like "pick your career based on your astrological sign." According to the results, I should be a "banker, artist, accountant, musician, gardener (hey, my avocado tree is doing great) or any profession that requires patience and determination." Determination, okay. Patience, no way. But the big write-up is interesting anyway.

Want to learn your Personal Anxiety Type? I ended up with 33% The Internalizer -- Motto: "I can’t handle it," and 25% The Helper -- Motto: "I can help make it better." Yeah, I guess that'd make me a bit unpredictable. What a surprise.

Today's obsession: Lino cuts. Have a look at Teri's. Beautiful and they last longer than potato stamps.

Since summer re-runs are finished up and NBC is covering the Olympics, up here on CTV we get The Sopranos every night. At first I thought I'd hate it, but Brian is really into it... and damn, that one guy can act and that priest is just too cute.

September 20th:
Metaphysical links:
Get a free birthchart from Astrolabe.com. Learn about crystal power. (I'm wearing opals right now to help my ankle heal.) Find your rune birth sign.

And if none of that helps, ask Kurt Cobain's talking magic 8 ball for wisdom.

Today I'm obsessed with compartment syndrome. (That links to the best explanation I've ever read.) Yes, I have it and still blame the ankle break on it. I've had surgery twice per leg, but it never looked like this. Oh, don't even look. It's just too gross. My incisions were neat and my scars are cute.

I don't know what I could possibly say as a comment on the Vulva Puppet. Go check it out and learn how to use it to empower, educate, honor and heal. I thought it was a joke, but now I dunno. Maybe there is something to it.... they are very pretty. Ahem. (Thanks freakmamas for the link.)

September 19th:
It's amazing to me that someone searching on the term torpedo boobs would find and then visit this site. Why would I even be listed under Google for one tiny phrase like that? What was the searcher really looking for? (No, I don't have them.)

For some reason I like to discuss religion with people.. I don't know. You learn a lot that way and it fascinates me how so many of them come down to the same basic principles. But my point is that I always believed Hinduism to be polytheistic (believing in more than one god, you should know that) and not monotheistic. Well, a friend of mine corrected me, but no one seems to believe me. But! Now I have documentation about the various gods being characteristics of the one God. I think I'll print it out and carry it with me everywhere. (Thanks, Raj.)

Anti-Ezzo Moms, unite! Really, if you know anything about the book Babywise, you should know that it sucks and preaches that you can "train" your baby to fit into your lifestyle the way you would a dog. I'm not talking about teaching and I mean infants, not kids. Well, a bunch of moms from the hipMama boards got together and formed GuerrillaGrrls. Lots and lots of great info there, and links to more of course. If you're a mom or know a mom or plan on being a mom... go check it out. Yes, I'm demanding. Heh.

       

September 16th:
Happy Mexican Independence Day, which also happens to be my dear husband's birthday. Of course he's not getting anything, since I haven't been able to leave the house without him for a month now.

Besides that, I'm purple with envy because he's so much funnier than I am. He saved a credit rejection letter just so that when they sent him another credit card offer he could send their rejection back with his own rejection of their solicitation.

I swear I'm not linking to the Open Directory Project just because I'm an editor there, but because it's one of the best directories on the web, with over 1,200,000 websites listed under various categories. It's run by the people, for the people.

September 14th
Note: This entry contains lots of sarcasm. Please forgive me. Every day is not a party when you're under house arrest.

Okay, so the Who Wants to be a Millionare, eh show started last night, and you know... I've been hearing for months about how the Canadian questions are going to be so much harder. Really. They're going to be tough and you have to be so much smarter than on the American version. I watched it last night. HAH!

Hey, here's a hip new idea -- colored computers! One that comes with "Performance, style, and attidue!" The only difference, really, is that Compaq's are named after stones (amethyst, sapphire, ruby, quartz and emerald) instead of fun foods like iMacs. (Oh, and no matter how cute they try to make it, it will never be a Mac.) I wonder how long til they make them translucent? Ooooh.

Reason number 613 why I'm pissed off about the broken ankle: I have to miss Word on the Street. It's a huge book and writing and magazine and publishing fair. The city closes off about six blocks for the whole thing. I went last year and loved it, plus you get all kinds of free goodies and they have readings and stuff. While I could probably hobble the distance, the thing is very crowded and I'd probably get hurt. Dammit.

Free seasonings blends from Paul Prudhomme. Mmmgood. And a free jazz cd.

I won the Princess Bride contest at WebBauble's Bauble Blog. Reading the book three times and seeing the movie four or more times finally pays off!

September 13th:
Since I haven't been able to use the computer much and and find cool links, all of the following have been lifted from Sympatico NetLife magazine. I mean, that's where I got them. But of course I checked them out. Even though I say that the links are for specific people, it's just cuz they remind me of them. The sites are still worthwhile even if you're not the person in question.

Links for people:
In memory of my brother, Larry, there The memories of a hitch-hiker. My brother used to hitch-hike regularly... I know once it was clear across the country (so he could go cheaply and spend the travel money he got from the Army on something more useful than air fare) and another time from San Diego to someplace in Wyoming. And a zillion shorter trips.

Anyway, the site starts with a huge list of links to various stories in chapters: The Early Years, Europe '95/'96, New Zealand '97, Australia '97. Then the chapters are divided into stories like: "Crazy, Crazy Women," "Hitching Doesn't Work in Malaysia!" and "Yellow Folk, Orange Load, Golden Hearts." Mostly they're short little anecdotes, obviously not written by a pro, but still interesting. It's worth it to read at least a few. I wish Larry had shared more stories with me, but his were probably a bit racier (or maybe law-breaking) than these.

Brian loves maps. One time I gave him a topographical map of Yosemite park and he went nuts. Put it together in one night then framed it and hung it on the wall. Every time we travel through a new state, he insists on visiting a rest stop to pick up a complimentary map. So, for him, there's Pathfinder Maps. It's nothing but maps -- nautical, Canadian national parks, huge wall maps, old maps, aeronautical maps, etc. A cartographer's (or wannabe cartographer's) heaven. And of course there are links to purchase maps.

Also for Brian... Chile Town. Yes, he likes it hot, hot, hot. The site has products to purchase and recipes. All way too spicy for me to even sniff.

Amelia (and any kid really) needs to check out The Truth, which is a site for kids that's all anti-tobacco. Yay! And Snowball.com, well, I just want to say that if "Generation I" is made up of 13 - 30 year olds, what's Amelia? Generation E? (Electronic) Or even better, Generation W? (Wired and web-savvy.) Anyway, the site is okay but doesn't have enough grrl stuff, so go to Kidscklick! (for education) and Kidscom (for fun, and it's super cool) instead.

For Tom, who just might quit nephrology to open an aquarium shop someday, there's the St. Catharines Aquarium Society. Lots of pretty pictures and even more content. Plus tips on keeping fish alive and icthiology 911 situations.

For me, since I'm so obsessed with getting a tattoo -- Tattoo History Source Book. The title pretty much explains it... regional tattoos, study of tattoos, tattoo theory, religious tattoos, a tattoo museum, tattoo current events, and of course, lots of links to more tattoo stuff.

And just for fun, The Spark.com's personality test. I ended up with:

(Dominant Introvert Abstract Feeler) Like just 3% of the population you are an ARTIST (DIAF)--creative, adventurous, and deep. Although you are an introvert, your dominant ideas lead you to assert yourself often--especially through your work. You actively put your creativity to constructive use, and because you are ruled by your heart you are less likely to be inhibited by logic.

You have an intuitive understanding of emotion and know how evoke it in others, but the real world can be a prison of foolishness and embarrassment if you don't get your head out of the clouds a little more. Also, you are 87% likely to write poetry. Please, for the love of God, stop now.

Yeah, a lot of that does fit and I don't plan on changing.

Note:
Okay, so of course I had to copy ericka and add a guestbook. I never thought of having one on a pitas weblog page thingy. And, oh, ericka knows I copy everything she does anyway....

Please sign! Thanks.

September 6th: