Will You Accept This Rose?

It's that time again! Another season of the Bachelorette! Yes!!!

I have to say, I'm not liking Ali as much as Gillian, but of course I will still watch and love it!


As per usual, I would like to submit my top picks for the record!




MY TOP GUYS .....dreamy!

Frank: Dorky and a cutie! For sure making it close to the end! He seems pretty into Ali. I heart Frank.

Chris L.: I think his story is sweet and he seems like a really genuine guy. I like him! I think she digs he's from Cape Cod. However, I thought it was strange that he said his parents were "together" on the first episode, instead of telling her that his mother passed away. Given, there is not much time, and he couldn't go into a lot of detail....just a bit odd.

Hunter: Although I don't think he will make it to the end, he seems sweet. I thought the little song he played Ali on the first episode was pretty cute, when I normally would have found it quite cheese!

And now, here are the dudes I'm not overly fond of, but that she seems to be keeping around...

DUDES ALI LIKES THAT I DON'T (yes, there are a lot of them!)

Roberto: Sorry Robby, I'm just not that into you.

The Weather Man: Firstly, ??! Secondly, what a tattle tale and a cry baby!! You know his network is totally replaying the scenes of him in the mankini! Totally overcast with a high probability of awkward!

Kirk: Sorta strange and I'm not warming up to ya brotha!

Kasey: I feel really bad. I can't understand anything he says.

Justin: Sorry, you don't get to use the "I'm injured" card with me.

Craig R.: Dorky and please don't wear v-neck t-shirts anymore. EVER!

DUDES THAT GET NO AIR TIME THAT I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WERE ON THE SHOW

Chris N: Where the heck did you get from?

Steve: I see you now and then.....thought you were part of the crew!

So, that's it. What do you think?

Just for the record!

Here are my picks for the Bachelorette: 

Kipton gets kicked off tonight, followed by Reid...and the winner is, Ed! Yay!

Mattress Money

I'm just going to throw it out there....What is it with seniors and stashing their cash?

I came across a story on CNN.com that grabbed my attention this morning (I know! Of all the news available..). Anyway, it's about a woman who surprised her elderly mother with a new mattress. She thought she was doing good but throwing away the ratty old mattress, until her mother told her she had her life savings of over $1M stashed away in it!

So, seriously, again I ask, what is with seniors and stashing their money? I know my great-grandmother used to do the same thing! The funny little lady used to hide it everywhere - from teapots to planter boxes! She really didn't trust the bank....maybe we shouldn't either?

The story as per CNN.com:

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- It was supposed to be a pleasant surprise, but turned into the shock of a lifetime.
A woman in Tel Aviv, Israel, gave her elderly mother a new mattress as a surprise gift, throwing out the old tattered bed her mother had slept on for decades. The gesture ended up bankrupting Annat's mother, who had stuffed her savings of nearly $1 million inside her old bed for decades, Annat told Israel Army Radio.

A massive search is under way at the city dump, where security has been beefed up to keep out treasure-seekers who have heard Annat's story in Israeli media.

Annat, who did not want to reveal the rest of her name, told Israel Army Radio that she woke up early Sunday to get a good deal on a new mattress as a surprise for her mother.

She fell asleep that night, exhausted after lugging up the new mattress and hauling down the old one to be taken out with the trash. When her mother realized the next day what her daughter had done, she told her that she had been using the mattress to stash away her life savings and had nearly $1 million padding the inside of the worn-out mattress.

Annat ran downstairs, but it was too late. The garbage truck had already taken away the money-stuffed mattress. Annat alerted the two major dump sites in the Israeli city in an effort to locate the bed, but so far she has had no luck. Yitchak Burba, one of the dump site managers, told Army Radio that he and his men are working relentlessly to try to help Annat find the million-dollar mattress among the tons of garbage at the landfill.

The publicity has triggered a wave of people also trying to find the mattress and its contents for themselves. Burba has increased security around the dump to keep them out. Annat told Army Radio that when her mother realized her queen-sized bank had been tossed, she told her to "'leave it.'"

"'The heart is crying but you know we could have been in a car accident or had a terminal disease,'" Annat said her mother told her. Annat is also taking the situation in stride.

"It's a very, very sad story but I've been through worse," she told Army Radio. "It's a matter of proportions in life ... people need to know how to accept the good and the bad in life."

Jon & Kate + 8 = Big ol' mess!

Poor Jon & Kate + Eight. I used to really like this show....watching all the little kiddies grow up and being an observer of the daily challenges that come with having eight kids!

At times Kate seemed a little over powering in the household, but I think anyone would go a little nuts on a daily basis if you were trying to take care of all those children! I don't really blame her, although I do admit she does go a bit over the top at times. I also think Jon seems like a good Dad, but sometimes a bit lazy. That would frustrate me too! Regardless of my feelings for Jon or Kate, I don't think either of their parenting skills could be at fault for the way this whole thing has turned out... from divorce rumours to child service claims. Seems like they are always in the news...even "Kate pumping gas" has made headlines!

I think Jon & Kate were really struggling in the beginning and didn't know how they would support the demands of such a large family. I'm sure the show would have seemed like an attractive prospect to anyone in that situation. Also, the crew has been in their home for four years! I'm sure those extra helping hands were convenient, and would have been welcomed by any large family.

What I want to know is when did Kate go from housewife to glamazon? It seems like some of this has gone to her head! What about on the season premier how Kate said that Jon had "made decisions that they all had to live with." The words she used made me believe he actually did have an affair on her, when I was not convinced from all the tabloid coverage. That episode actually made me sad. It wasn't the usual upbeat show it was in the past. I also didn't like how they filmed the kids saying "Daddy, I don't want you to leave again."

The question is, for a struggling family of eight kids and two parents, do you think they would be happier if they never did the show and didn't have all this fame and money? I'm not sure? I think they would have been in an equally stressful situation if this opportunity had not arose.

PS If they have all these bucks now, I wish Kate would visit some high end hairdresser and fix that do! Arrrff!

PPS The little guy with the glasses is my fav!

Jason is a rose swindler

Oh, Jason. You go ahead and have a good cry. I will not let you do it on my shoulder anymore.

I was a big Jason fan until he totally crushed my dreams at around 10:15 last night. What is this guy doing? Even if you don't watch the Bachelor, I'm sure you heard the news. My Jason is a rose swindler.

For the first time in Bachelor history the guy had the nerve to propose to one woman and then break up with her six weeks later on national television and ask the runner up for a relationship. Even more disgusting was that the runner up, Molly, actually accepted this and they were kissing on the same couch that he devastated his fiancee on about 10 minutes prior. Good Lord man, have some decency.

I think the worst part about this whole thing is the confusion it will cause his four year old son who met and got along with both girls. Poor little guy. Nice role modeling Jason, I'm sure when little Ty becomes a teenager he is going to show all his friends the re-runs and say "That's my Dad!".

I was impressed with the way Melissa handled the break. She has my vote to be the next Bachelorette if she can stand the show again.

Jason, I do not accept this rose!! In the words of my Nana: "Take your rose and stick it where the sun don't shine!"

My Theory

...Yes, Jason...I will accept this rose. Oh wait, I'm not on the show....and I'm married, whoops! Just kidding Marty!

If you know me, you know that I am very serious about my show The Bachelor. Even more serious is that I feel like Jason has been one of the most sincere Bachelors to date - quite a catch, if you disregard a few of his cry baby moments.

The previews for the finale have been driving me crazy! So much anticipation and apparently quite a twist. I have a theory on what will happen....oh and FYI, I have been right about all the ladies that went home to date! (Thinking of putting it on my resume actually)

I really liked Melissa from the start and thought he would select her until he went to her hometown and her parents didn't want to meet him. Understandably, they didn't want to be exposed to the "public-ness" (as per Melissa) of the show. Fine. He met her best friends instead. However, they had never met her parents? I don't have any friends that have not met my parents. Just odd. But I still like her.

Molly is cute but she's far too young for him. She also reminds me of someone I know who is a bit of a crazy person *e-mail me for names*. With that being said I just couldn't warm up to her.

For sure they paid off DeAnna to come back - I'm disappointed in you ABC. There is no way he will pick her.

So, I think all this hype about the season finale is that he is going to pick Melissa but tell her that he can't propose unless he meets her parents. I think the reason the 'After the rose' episode is not filmed in front of a live audience is because the parents go there to meet him and want it to be more private.

What do you think?

Stay to the left

I think I'm finally starting to get comfortable with driving on the left. It has been a difficult transition that has called for a lot of talking to myself while driving. Most commonly used phrase in this one-man conversation: "stay to the left, stay to the left, stay to the left". To add to the confusion, imagine consistent roundabouts across the Island, scooters passing left and right and tourists going the wrong way...this is the crazy place I now call home. When I'm in the circle, stay out of my way people!

Even though I have learned to stay to the left when driving, I realized the other day that I have not carried this through in my other actions. Last night when I pulled my shopping buggy to the right of the isle in the grocery store, I was actually in the persons way! And, when passing people in the street, I go to the wrong side. My goal for the rest of the week is to stay to the left in all I do!

In other news - how about this inauguration? Has everyone missed their fav shows this week due to coverage or what? I do realize that this is a historical moment in time, however, does anyone feel like it's gone a little too Hollywood? I actually felt more emotional finding out the results on election day than watching the star studded, glitzy, week long inauguration. Has it become more about the stars and fashion? Is it necessary? I feel like I'm watching the Oscars. Do we need to know that "Michelle is so real - she wears J.Crew"....so do I, but they don't broadcast it on CNN. What about the concert? Even though I'm Canadian, I'm down with a little 'Born in the USA'...but Shakira? Why? Is she even American? Does it matter that Puff Daddy didn't have front row? Just throwing it out there kids!

It would be interesting to go back in time and see which of these stars were at the Bush inauguration with his face plastered on their t-shirts. Eh?

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