Happy Hallowe'en!

...From a Philly Cream Cheese Angel and a Chippendale!!

They have arrived...

...No, it's not the latest fall fashions or a hot summer blockbuster movie. It's not a person, or aliens, or the J Crew order I have been waiting on for a month either. It's something I wasn't expecting. Something that I have only seen on others until now. That's right. Both my Nana and hairdresser confirmed the arrival of....dun, dun, dun...grey hairs!!

What? Grey hairs? This is impossible? Was I not just 12 years old last year? This is unacceptable. I thought I noticed them in the washroom mirror at work the other day - so, I decided to ask the most brutally honest person I know - the Nana. She not only confirmed the presence of the pesky silver-ish strands, but proceeded to tell me they were the horrible, stringy, kinked up wild ones. Okay Nana - that's enough.

Requiring a second opinion, I also asked my hairdresser. He confirmed they are in fact grey hairs but not to worry since "it's not a patch of them". Thanks Mister. What exactly does he define as a "patch" - how many is that? What happens if the patch does appear? Who do I call? Is there some sort of emergency support hotline for newcomers to the club? Oh dear!

Things are not like they used to be. I hate to say it but I think I'm getting old. Candy for lunch just doesn't cut it anymore, I'm not sure it would be right for me to continue ordering the cheeseburger happy meal at McDonalds and I think I could be in my last few good years of extreme tubing at the cottage.

I guess it's not a bad thing. I am okay with being in the same boat as some of my celeb friends:

Myth vs. Reality: I was always under the impression that if you pluck one gray hair, more will grow, but luckily, it's an old wives' tale. Since the hair is technically dead, all you are doing is removing a dead cell from the follicle, which will not cause more to grow!

Grey is the new black my friends.....g-r-e-y is the new black.

A real life Sleepless in Seattle

I'm sure some of you are aware of my slight obsession with reality TV - more specifically 'The Bachelor'.

I have to say, I'm not quite as fond of 'The Bachelorette' shows but gave it a chance anyway.

Last night was the finale and boy was I upset! The Bachelorette picked a greasy, snowboarding, socially challenged character with quite a beak over a professional, successful, sweet, kind and loving single Dad from Seattle.

This guy is like the real life Sleepless in Seattle. His wife left him for some other guy and he has been raising his 3 year old son alone. When the Bachelorette went on a date in his hometown the family was the picture of perfection and they even interviewed his son who said "I love DeAnna" - melt my heart. I was crushed when she didn't pick him and felt so sad - she even let him get down on his knee to propose and then made him stand up so she could say 'no'. Come on - don't let the guy get on his knee - at least have the decency to tell him before he starts professing his love for you! I thought that was so unclassy of her. This girl is completely crazy - the third runner up was a dream come true also!

Well, I'm sure with all this my Sleepless in Seattle has rounded up a date or two and I only hope he can find someone to complete his little family. He said in the show last night that he is as aware as anyone that he's got a three foot tall firecracker that comes with the package but I don't think that's a bad thing at all!

That's it - I really am quite emotional about the show but I'll drop it now!

"Good for you"

So, we were out for dinner last Saturday at "One" in Yorkville for Jimmy's Birthday. We had such a good meal and I was stuffed. If you know me, I'm a sucker for dessert. I not only ordered a dessert - but the trio! Nobody else had anything. As the waitress took orders around the table of no's she finally got to me. I placed my order and she responded with "Good for you". Once I finished my trio, everyone at the table said "Good for you", and when I was at a work going away party yesterday having a piece of cake loaded with icing a co-worker said "Good for you".

Ok - have you actually taken a minute to think about what this phrase means? In the cases described above, why would you say "Good for you"? Did they think I was being a pig or did they genuinely think that it was good I was eating all these fatty foods? Were they mad that I was? Did they really want to try it too? What is the deal behind this phrase? Is it malicious or well intended - I don't know. All I know is that I enjoyed my desserts but felt a little guilty after and that the "Good for you's" were loaded responses. I have noticed that "Good for you" is usually shared over food. Does anyone else find this weird?!

I'm hereby making an effort not to say "Good for you" - and when someone says it to me I'm asking what exactly they mean by it because I'm not even sure they know!

PS I have big big big news in the works so stay tuned...although I'm sure most of you already know!!

PPS It does not involve changing diapers just yet!

I love shirts....pants, no so much

Well people, let me be the first to admit that I have a problem. After a complete inspection of my closet I have come to the conclusion that I have about 500 shirts, blouses & tops and only about 3 pairs of pants.

Okay, okay - I have more pairs than that but at best there are only a handful I wear on a regular basis. All the others are too dressy, the wrong colour, so last season (but maybe coming back), and of course my special older jeans and pants I am saving for when I lose all that weight (sure!...when was I that small?!).

I am also fessing up to another problem. When I go shopping I'm drawn to the shirts and completely overlook the pants. I have not purchased an entire outfit in who knows how long. I think this is part of my problem. I have all these great shirts but limit the ones I wear because I don't have pants to match!

Based on this interesting revelation, for my next shopping trip I am going to actually try and pick up some (eek) pants. I think I just don't like trying them on. It takes forever to find a good pair and jeans are even worse! That's probably why I have bought the same pair of jeans repetitively for the past 5 years. I just detest going through the process of 'too tight', 'pockets in the wrong place', 'don't like the wash'...errrr!

I guess you gotta have pants - so here I go! Hopefully this little study has a happy ending....if not, I'm sure I'll find a fab top!

PS: Heather, I know I also have a fleece issue but I'm just not ready to address that one yet. I'm still in the denial phase... and damn proud of it!

PPS: *Update* - I just had a breakthrough - I not only ordered a JCrew top but the shorts to match. Yay!

It's nifty to be fifty...so treat yourself to a bedroom set

This past weekend I headed up North for my Mom's annual girls weekend at the cottage. What has traditionally been a scrapbooking, knitting, baking weekend turned into a rather lazy rest & watch girly movie couple of days which I thoroughly enjoyed!

I must say however that I observed some bizarre behaviour among my friends of a 'nifty' age (that I will not disclose - wink, wink ladies). With this 'nifty' age being the new thirty, and with all these ladies have to look forward to, I found the conversation a bit morbid. Sorry to be a Debbie Downer but it's true! All this talk about 'it's all downhill from here', 'what do I have to look forward to but diapers', 'how to organize your meds' and 'I think I just purchased my last bedroom set' sort of got me down. You ladies are beautiful, talented, healthy and YOUNG! So, no more of this crazy talk....Oh yeah, and be sure to treat yourself to new bedroom furniture at least every 4-5 years.

Last night my parents treated Marty and I to an early Anniversary dinner at one of the top 10 restaurants in the World! It was an interesting dining experience to say the least. We drove over two hours to get to the 'months in advance reservations required' Eigensinn Farm - which was just that - a Farm....and I'm talking f-a-r-m. Michael Stadtlander was a famous chef wanting to get out of the city and now does it all from a family farm. The host was his hospitable, tiny and oddly comical wife. We actually sat in their dining room (just off their bedroom - weird!!) and used their family bathroom. It was strange - I felt like I was at someones house visiting. The menu is only sent out the day before your reservation and you have to pair and bring your own wine. In any case the dinner was great...and I was very adventurous with trying new things!

PS I really want to go see Sex and the City this weekend but I'm staying clear of the craziness! I have a date with Sam & Rebecca to see it on Wednesday so hopefully I won't hear any spoilers before then!

I want to be a Popper

Do you know what popping is? Neither did I until I caught the last 15 minutes of 'So you think you can Dance' last night. Apparently popping is huge in LA but I have never seen anyone do the things that Robert Muraine (AKA Mr.Fantastic) can do! For some reason it won't let me upload the video so here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEbL1XV-r6o Be sure to check it out - it's one of the most amazing things I have ever seen! Of course after we watched it Marty wanted to be a popper and spent the rest of the night attempting what looked like 'the robot' requiring a lot of WD40...we go see a ninja movie, he wants to be a ninja - we watch a show about race car drivers, he wants to be one too.

On the other end of the spectrum I had the privilege of also watching a dancer named "Sex". I have two words - Interesting and awkward! I love how they play "Mr Lover Man" by Shabba Ranks when they introduce him: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Vm7tYkSAhM . Notice also how he says he's "21 plus" and has his Mom tell the cameras that he won't do any interviews until he gets inside the theatre, "he just feels more relaxed that way"...Oh Sex, you crack me up!

Last night on Greys was a night of kisses - I feel like everything was happening in the last 10 minutes of the show! The only thing I didn't like is when Meredith starting talking to herself at the end doing her "stupid, stupid, stupid" feel bad for me, I'm upset for no reason thing. However, I was so happy to see Meredith and McDreamy share a kiss! Not so much for Callie and Dr. Hahn? What is going on? I found Callie an awkward match with George and now have the same feeling of her with McSteamy and Dr. Hahn...when I think of it there really isn't anyone on the show I would place her with?!...McSteamy was sort of creeping me out at the end too!

I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens. I think that's one thing I don't like about summer - having to wait for your shows until the fall!

News Flash!

Congratulations Heather & Lyndon!

They had a beautiful baby girl named Estelle today and I can't wait to meet her. Reports from Grandma say that she is complete perfection and I was happy to hear that Mom did so great!

The Aunties are already going nuts and trying to work out visitation schedules...Alishia and I have a Monday slot!

xoxoxo

The "take care of you, Mr. New York cab driver" campaign

We are back from our whirlwind crazy girls gone wild New York show & shopping extravaganza! It was tiring but so much fun! We got clothes and shoes galore literally shopping until we dropped...or at least until we started to have mental and physical exhaustion breakdowns - we were that serious about our purchases! My feet were so sore I still felt like I was walking when I went to bed!


I must admit I had some high expectations for the trip after the Pope & his posse (by posse I mean the entire NYPD and secret service department!!) drove past our hotel just minutes after our arrival! All the streets around us were blocked off and when he passed they made us go inside. I managed to snap a picture from the window but unfortunately was about 1/2 a second too late. Laura and Jenna Bush were also staying at our hotel so the last of the 100 secret service that were not looking after the Pope were in our hotel lobby! After our shopping on Saturday night we went to see Wicked which I really thought had some creative story writing! It was a very entertaining show. The best part of the trip was the company - it was nice to spend the weekend with some of my favourite girls.

Although the exhilaration of the shopping on our trip made my heart race there was something that made it race even more....our cab rides! Yesterday when Maggie and I were in SoHo I actually thought we were going to get into a serious accident. All I could hear was Maggie saying "Put on your seat belt, put on your seat belt". She was completely horrified as you can see in the picture! Our cab driver was trying to cross over 5 lanes to turn down a side street that we were already passing! We hit a curb - hard - Maggie's head actually hit the roof of the cab. We also came within millimeters of hitting other cabs on several rides. What is going on? It's like New York is a bumper car free for all. Secondly, the attitude of the cabbies is less than desirable - to passengers and other drivers. I feel like it could possibly be one of the most stressful jobs out there. Can you imagine sitting in traffic all day, people honking at you, cutting you off?

With this in mind I would like to propose a "Take care of you, Mr. New York cab driver" campaign where I will recommend the following exercises to each cabby:

• Let's replace the sound of the horn with some music - I propose "What a wonderful world"


• Let's install some vanilla scented air fresheners and practice good personal hygiene- sorry cabbies but your current smell = yucky
  
• Let's paint all the cabs pastel colours - how pretty would that be! Much more calming than the alarming yellow you are currently using. We could even introduce a star system - for each good ride a passenger can give you a star. Based on your annual review you will be assigned a colour to your cab. Of course light pink will mean you are #1!


• Let's practice our manners - Do I really need to know just how much you want those people to "get out of the f-ing way"? No sir, I do not!


• And finally, Let's find our 'happy place' and relax when there is traffic....we'll get there in a New York minute!

I'm a MILLIONAIRE!.....again?

Get your wish lists updated - A Ferrari and caviar for everyone - yours truly has inherited 77.7 million dollars!.....for the second time?

Let me explain. Just yesterday I received a very suspicious letter in the mail with a Spanish stamp and postage markings. The one page letter was very detailed and listed a secret business proposal for me!

The letter was sent by Mrs.Sara Cardona Razo Zamaz of Spain who has been married to Mr. Andrew Paul Zamaz from South Africa for 7 years with 2 children. Sara is a manager of bills and exchange at the foreign remittance department of CC bank in Spain. She discovered an abandoned sum of 77.7M US dollars in a safety deposit vault belonging to Mr.Anderseni Wellon who died along with his entire family on March 11th 2004 in a ghastly train explosion in Atocha, Madrid-Spain.

No next of Kin has come to claim the money and since I have the same last name she wants to give me the secret information to the deposit box so I can claim the money. But wait. Sneaky little Sara isn't in it for nothing. She (who has discussed this only with Andrew - I promise) wants a cut of my money - 60% to be exact. I need to fax Sara so she can fax me an application to apply as next of kin to the bank via an inheritance claim. But Sara assures me "this transaction is hitch free and you should not entertain any atom of fear as all required arrangements have been made perfectly". Sara, you are like my fairy godmother - you can do no wrong. Thank you for looking out for me! Since you have already put in the effort of making this so easy for me - I'll give you a cut...but only 5% since I don't know you. Is that okay?

Dear scamsters, allow me to provide you with some tips of how to make your money grab more believable:

1) Don't date your postage markings for the day before you put it in my mailbox. Unless there is some sort of concord delivery overnight mail service from Spain to Canada.

2) Do some investigating into my first name and don't just address the envelope and letter to "H" as I have listed in the phone book!

3) Your printer stinks and it looks like my letter is photocopied. If I'm going to give you a cut of my money please invest in a new one

4) Let's be a little bit creative with the amount - I have inherited 77.7 Million twice and so has my friends Dad that doesn't live too far from my house! I'm getting a little tired of it - how about 88.8 next time?

5) Let's think out of the box with the story - The first time I received your letter it was in regards to Mr. Regional Wellon who died in a "ghastly" car crash off the coast of Spain March 11th 2005 along with his entire family. Perhaps you should double check your 'sent' list?

In any case I commend you on your very creative efforts. You did capture my attention for a few entertaining minutes and it does makes me think of what I would do if I actually did become an overnight millionaire....hummmm??!!....

PS Sara is calling me as soon as she receives my fax with my full information. "Thanks and God Bless" to you as well Mrs. Sara Cardona Razo Zamaz!

Holt Renfrew needs a serious customer service intervention

Listen up Mr.Holt Renfrew, you best focus on your customer service in the years to come otherwise you are going to be out of luck when someone like Barney moves into town!

Once again I am so disappointed in the customer service at this store! It's not the first time either! At the Bloor store about two years ago I was searching for a white cardigan and the sales lady told me she only had one and she didn't think I could afford it...she actually said that!! Well lady - your cardigan was damn ugly otherwise I would have bought that puppy up in a flash just to spite you. At Christmas I was dealing with the mens department purchasing a polo jacket for Marty - the sales guy was helpful and brought it in from another store but gave it to another customer and then told me he didn't have anymore! A week later I was at the Bloor store and found it!!

Today I called for some help at the La Prairie counter and the lady asked me if I was a customer - sort of shocked I said "yes" - she says to me "you don't sound very sure of that" and then after huffing and puffing about my ask of her said she didn't have time to help me and was quite rude! Well okay then Mary at the La Prairie counter you won't be getting any business from my Mom or I anytime soon! Excuse me but isn't anyone who calls or goes into the store a 'customer' - or do you prefer to look up individual profiles to see how much money they spend with you to determine what level of customer they are and how much service they deserve?

For the most part I feel pressured to shop at Holts because there is no competition that carries the same products. Part of the problem could be the race for commission which typically overshadows a positive customer experience. I also feel that I am discriminated against when I go in there. Service depends on what I'm wearing and it's often better when I'm with my Mom. Watch out for that sales ladies - I hate to tarnish your tiaras but how do you know who has money and who doesn't? You shouldn't judge a book by it's cover.

Sorry for the rant but I really hope we get some decent competition for Holts in town - shouldn't it be here already? We're Toronto - a major tourist destination in the world - I feel like the shopping here doesn't even begin to compare to the US...let's step it up people - don't make me call Bloomingdales or Bergdorf!

Good luck Mr. HR - you are going to need it!

1/2 star and two thumbs down,
Your disgruntled and irritated yet repeat (not by choice) customer

The Blackberry - Finally living the dream like there are 18 working hours in one day

The time has arrived. After receiving an average of about 25 e-mails during the after hours of work each day they have finally decided to equip me with the device that is causing hand cramps around the world known as 'Blackberry thumb'. It is fitting considering I'm a bit of a work-a-holic, e-mail and computer junkie - at least now I will have a bit of mobility!

About a year ago during my morning commute to work I remember seeing a professional looking, well dressed but tired young executive type working away on her Blackberry completely oblivious to the fact that we had already encountered and departed 6 GoTrain stops. Her fingers were moving so fast they looked like they were going to fly off and go through the windows. One of my deepest frustrations with the Blackberry is when the user places more priority on the person that just sent them an e-mail instead of addressing the person who is right in front of them. Why does the person on the other end of your handheld device go to the front of the line while your live conversation is put on hold? It's almost as if we have forgotten how to communicate face to face.

Although the Blackberry does give you mobility and access to what you need in a just in time environment it appears to also take away from work-life balance, induces stress and creates an expectation that people need to respond immediately as if everything is an urgency. A recent study found that most problems stem from people managers who are compulsive e-mail checkers causing everyone to follow suit until receiving a response at any hour of the day becomes the norm. I disagree - I don't think I got this from my manager, I think I got it from my Mom who coincidentally carries her Blackberry (or strawberry as my techno-nana calls it) around 24-7 even in her housecoat pocket! I do enjoy the feeling of being connected and I suppose it's just part of today's working environment that everyone has adapted to over the years. It seems like things are moving faster and people are working on greater demands with less head count and more accountability.

When visiting my dentist last week he recommended a night guard for me - at first I thought it was a scam - just another way for the dentist to earn some extra cash and besides he had also recommended one for virtually everyone in my family! It appears that stress has been causing all of us to chip our teeth through night grinding (or in Marty's case, some severe corn on the cob chomping action). I didn't really believe him until I noticed a huge chip myself! I asked him if this is common - he said when he started his practice 20 years ago he was ordering about 10 night guards a year and now it's that amount every month - an alarming number for such a small practice.

So, maybe we all need to slow down? I'll start when you do! Who am I kidding - It's not going to happen and it's only going to get worse. My case has gotten so bad that if I were on Survivor I would want Internet access as my luxury item :) ...Now I just have to get down with the lingo all the crazy kids are using these days...I'm a nOOb but should be NP LOL and TTYL BBIAF!

Crazy fact: The Stillwater Spa actually has a service called "The Blackberry Hand Massage"!

PS Marty and I are officially Godparents to little Charlotte Rose Cichy!

Welcome home and thanks for the snow

On Friday once again I returned back from an extended stay in sunny paradise to a 'welcome home' snowstorm...not sure who planned that but it made for quite a turbulent and unpleasant flight! I had such a great time with my family and the tropical weather was also pretty nice!

So after a week of sunning, spa-ing, dining, shopping and visiting (pretty much feeling like I was in a week long music video) it's back to reality…yuck. I'm not exactly sure what's happening with the weather but the snow banks on either side of our driveway are so high I can't see if any cars are coming when I back out onto the road. This is getting ridiculous. I signed up for Toronto not Antarctica. In any case I'm looking forward to spring!

On a random note there is something that I saw on television today that I found pretty disturbing. It was a commercial to ensure parents encourage their kids to become more active or they could age faster than normal. Okay - I understand this…However, the commercial showed four 8 year old kids in a nursing home pretending to be seniors playing bingo when one stands up and says "I gotta go...hemorrhoids”… wait a second – did that kid just say hemorrhoids??!! Forget the child obesity for a second - I'm more concerned with the crazed parents that actually let their kids participate in such commercials. I bet this kid has been getting made fun of more than William Hung after his American Idol ‘she bangs’ performance. Not to mention the poor little 11 year old bugger that's on the commercial letting us know he can’t stop wetting the bed. Wake up people – obese children are not the issue – it’s the kooky parents who want to make a buck and would sacrifice their kids to do so. I expressed my concern over this with Jimmy and while talking about random concerns he wanted me to address the crazy folk that go to Sherway to sleep in the leather chairs in the middle of the mall...not just naps...full out drooling sleep....I think that's another entry all together.

PS: You often hear of people being in 'the wrong place at the wrong time' but no situation could be as bad as the one my poor little rooster friend got himself into. We were downtown in Cayman when we came across this unfortunate and confused chicken right in front of the doors to KFC! I had to snap a picture. Poor little guy...danger: run away!

PPS: I almost forgot to report that the sites on the beach last week were even worse this trip! Talk about 'beach no-no's'... these are more like 'beach definitely don't and if you do try and do it when it's dark'. I take responsibility for this unfortunate display - I don't think I wrote my 'when bad bathing suits happen to good people' entry soon enough. Take a look - you can click the image to enlarge but I don't recommend it... do it at your own risk*.

I have named each picture:

Picture 1- 'Matchy, matchy' - from the hats to the shorts to the tatoos it's like I'm seeing double.

Picture 2 - I simply call 'Initiation' - I sort of feel like it might be the first speedo he's ever purchased. Well sir, it's too small. Also, if you enlarge the photo you might see he should perhaps look into one of George Constanza's 'BRO' inventions...if I may be so bold.

Picture 3 - I call 'Sweatin to the oldies' - the reason: because you know he's listening to it on those ancient headphones. Also, Richard Simmons shorts - hello??!! I wonder if he has a watch tan?

* My Aquarium is not responsible for any long term or permanent mental or physical distress these pictures may cause

My Cause

If you know me chances are you already know my cause. Rain or shine each year (usually rain!) we take part in the Multiple Sclerosis walk for the cure with Marty's MomValerie who was diagnosed with MS in 1975.

She had an incredibly fascinating upbringing as the daughter of an Australian Ambassador who was born in New York and lived in Australia & Vietnam traveling the world brushing arms with a prestigious political community.

She was a model, a gymnast and swam in the Pan Am games. She is incredibly strong making life friends wherever she goes and will never let this horrible disease get her down. She is a role model for everyone around her and keeps us strong with the beauty of her bright smile and positive selfless attitude.

She is one of the sweetest ladies I have ever met and I know her joy is Marty, Tiina and her family being around her. If there is anything I can do to help it's to raise money, in honour of Valerie, with hopes of finding a cure for this disease and the families that have been affected by it. The MS walk is hosted by the MS Society of Canada that provides tremendous support for those of the community with Canada having the highest rate of MS in the world. They also fund one of the only pediatric MS clinics for the rare cases of children as young as two years old being diagnosed.

I know everyone has their own cause that is close to their heart and for that reason I hesitate soliciting sponsors, but if you are able please visit my personal walk page to help support our "Val's Pals" team in the 2008 walk. Your pledge is greatly appreciated and means so much to Marty's Mom and our family. Thank you!

https://msofs.mssociety.ca/2008Walk/Sponsor.aspx?&PID=985281&L=2

When bad bathing suits happen to good people

Guilty of#4............................................Guilty of #9.........................Guilty of #8

After all the time I have spent on the beach in my days I am beginning to wonder about some obviously bold choices that are happening when people run away from their lives to tropical destinations.

I have a few questions to ask about 1/3 of the tourists who walked the beach in Cayman over the past week: Is there a shortage of mirrors on the island? Is bathing suit material slowly becoming extinct? Did you forget to pack your "good" suit and were forced to buy something 5 sizes too small in the hotel gift shop? Is your husband wearing your bikini bottom?

I have come to realize that people really must not care about what they look like in a bathing suit. I am by no means implying that I have a beach ready body (Lord knows I'm trying very hard to improve it) but I would like to at least think I know how to cover up my lumps, bumps and jiggly bits in respectable beach attire.

The offenders - You know who you are. I would like to address the top ten beach no-no's:

1) The "Itsy bitsy teeny weenie Grandma bikini" - yes, that is correct, I said Grandma. When I think of a Grandma I think of a sweet lady who likes tea, cookies and housecoats - not an outrageously scandalous bikini that doesn't support in the right places. Granted some Grandma's today look pretty good so please use the bikini at your own discretion

2) The "Hairy Scary" - Is that guy wearing a sweater on the beach? He must be hot...oh wait...that's not a sweater. Okay - let's take it upon ourselves to notice when it might be time to book that esthetics appointment so you are not scaring little ones on the beach

3) The "Is that person a local?" - How is it humanly possible that some people can tan themselves chocolate brown? Not to generalize but have you ever noticed it's usually someone who also might receive the seniors discount at the movie theatre? And why are they wearing Richard Simmons workout shorts? I don't get it

4) The "Banana hammock" - Please, Please...just say no - especially to the high cuts

5) The "Euro" - This was a name we collectively though of for those tight boy short bathing suits. The #1 offender was white as snow, looked like he was from Europe, didn't speak English and had a Burberry check print suit on. I'll never look at Burberry the same

6) The "Is she or isn't she" - Is that a baby bump, a post baby bump or did you just have a burger? Please avoid some possible awkward conversation moments and choose your suit wisely!

7) The "Cheek Eater" - I have never seen anything like it. It wasn't a thong and it wasn't a full bum but it certainly looked like she was going to have a hard time getting it off

8) The "Bring back the 80's multi-layer look" - I saw a lady wearing a beach cover up, water shoes and a neon pink wet suit vest over top, complete with visor. Her husband was also appropriately paired with a neon yellow t-shirt and shorts. Apparently the last time they were on the beach was in 1989

9) The "Please don't jump up and down" - I realize that you don't want tan lines but do you know they actually have very supportive strapless bathing suits?

10) The "Metallic Lover" - There is a time and a place for everything and the beach is no place for metallic

There we have it. Just my opinion - not intended to offend anyone - just to create an awareness of avoiding as much visual pollution as possible while on the beach! Thank you for your time.

The Simple Things

Last night on my way home from Cayman I was part of a magical moment. I made two little friends on the plane - Sophie (5) and Ally (8). It was not only their first trip off the island but also their first time seeing snow. I remember them from the airport before we boarded - they were the only two kids with toques and scarves paired with their flip flops...so excited at every mention of the flight to Toronto over the speakers.

The entire flight they were talking about what it would be like to see the snow as their Dad told them stories of the city where he grew up. As we touched down Ally claimed she saw “magical mountains of white fluffy snow” while Sophie tried to push her aside to get a peek. Then the little ones lit up as the flight attendant announced "Welcome to Toronto - A special welcome to our little friends Sophie and Ally who are seeing snow for the first time" - everyone on the plane clapped so loud and long. I couldn't stop smiling at these little girls who were experiencing one of the happiest moments of their lives.

It's the simple things we take advantage of sometimes. Even when I was coming home from a warm place that feels like heaven to me, I couldn't help but have a new appreciation for the cold white stuff I usually try and avoid!

So long Christmas...hello yucky long boring winter days

Well, it's official - I'm sad. Being someone who typically celebrates Christmas for 25% of the year it's almost traumatizing for me to have to pack up the Christmas decorations... again! An even more traumatic experience was getting into my car on boxing day morning to hear regular music on 97.3...come on! Who is in charge of this? Can we please have a bit of a weaning off period between December 26th and January 1st where you play Christmas music perhaps for half day or something? Speaking of painful experiences has anyone taken a look at price tags after Boxing Day on Christmas paraphernalia you bought before the holidays? All I have to say is that Mr. Pottery Barn and his distant cousin Mr. Holt Renfrew should take up residence in the local hoosegow. Shame on you people....shame on you!

I'm very disgraced to report that yes, I was one of the crazy folk who ventured out to Sherway December 26th in search of an ivory velvet Christmas tree skirt. My experience was not great! Babies crying, merchandise flying up in the air, people pushing - Wow! Not to mention ridiculous lines for unsuspecting stores - the teeny bopper/Mom combos formed a line for Abercrombie about eight stores up. Even my Mom was flabbergasted and said she would rather go back when the sale wasn't on and pay full price then stand in that line for an hour - for what? To buy a pint sized shirt and meet "Jake" - who is actually a perfume they unwillingly spray on you as soon as you step foot in the front door? If my kid was waiting in that line she best have been saving her money for the year and planning to drop some big ones!

Anyway, I'm sad that Christmas is over but Happy to start a New Year.

What would make my New Year even happier? If all the snow, slush and cold weather would just leave as fast as the Christmas tunes on Boxing day. I find January - March a bit yucky and miserable but as quickly as time seems to be going the past little while I'm sure it will be over before we know it! Luckily I have a few trips down to Cayman planned during that time to help me get through it!

My Christmas was great as usual - It's such a special time with family and friends. We had a very generous delivery from Santa that was greatly appreciated, a wonderful dinner from chef Marty and the much anticipated arrival of our beautiful future god daughter Charlotte Rose Cichy on Boxing Day. We spent New Years up at the cottage where we continued with the great company and endless food accompanied by some extreme guitar hero and singsong (80's version) on PS2. I have actually come to appreciate Caribbean Queen...you go Billy. There were definitely a few surprise stars among our group. I'm not sure I would buy their album (sorry guys)

but let's just say they had some interesting techniques (i.e. British accents where they were not necessary) and managed impressively high scores - you know who you are! Surprise, Surprise...turns out my new camera has a video feature....we'll talk later.

With all the goodies I had consumed over the holidays I decided it would be appropriate to sign up for the intense 2 week, 6 session bootcamp which I'm mid-way through with Maggie. Contrary to previous postings I have grown quite fond of the workout and even made a mention on her main web page! http://www.sandrasbootcamp.com/index.html I'm going to keep working at it for the next few months and see what happens but I'm almost half way to my goal! Yippee!

Happy New Year!

PS my mom got me a white Christmas apron with Holly all over it – since it’s name appropriate I’m sort of feeling like I could get away with this one year round to spread a little cheer when baking anytime and not just during the holidays – what do you think? Am I pushing it?