Enjoying springtime in January!

We can all enjoy the mild temperatures to ease on the bulking of extra layers of our jackets, and take away some of our shoveling responsibilities, yay!  While I am still enjoying the smoking ban in public places, it still looks as ridiculous as ever to see a huddle of people puffin' away.  Yeah, yeah it's an addiction, I know... I am the dreaded EX-SMOKER!!  =o  You know, the one who asks you why you smoke because it's so stupid?  That's me. 

When I got to work the other day, there were three people having a smoke outside our building here on Fort.  I work with these three, and greeted them as I got closer.  After wishing them a Happy New Year, and getting my wish back, I quickly added that I would've thought they would've quit smoking as their New Year's resolution.  Their original smiles dwindled, and as I walked on I said, "Happy thoughts..."  Yes, bitchy for sure, and I felt a bit badly until I spoke to our morning security guard.  I asked him if he smokes, and told him about the bitchy-Sharon my co-workers had just encountered.  He told me no, that he had never smoked in his life.  He told me this in his whispered delivery; he has polyps in his throat that have taken his voice away for now.  He told me that second hand smoke has been the cause of his condition.  Suddenly, I didn't feel as badly about my earlier comments to my co-workers, and was assured that my ex-smoker tendencies to call out current smokers were all good.  Hey, if you can't quit for yourself do it for the rest of us who want to make the most of what we've got. 

BLOGALOT

It appears to me that I'm blogging a bit more than usual lately; it can be a great release.  September 11th.  Today is one of those historical days where we can all quickly recall where we were, or what we were doing when the terrorist attacks happened back in 2001.  I think I blogged about it on this day last year.  Anyway, today I mentioned it on the air; I wanted to give it some attention, and still keep the listening day light.  In doing so, however I made a mistake and said "...five years ago" instead of six.  I know that I made this mistake, because someone called to tell me.  Some people recognize human error when they spot it, while others can be keenly aware of these mistakes, and then are quick to point them out as if it were done on purpose.  That was the vibe I got on the phone today. 

BritBlog

So, not the kind of Brit that requires an accent, just a reaction to the "comeback."  I like the MTV Awards because the artists show up, and it looks like everyone is having fun.  I don't know why MTV Canada doesn't carry the show on show night... They had a pre-show stuff, and were advertising the post-show breakdown for the next night, but didn't carry the show while it aired.  What is the point of that channel??!! 

Elsewhere, I'm tiring of the Britney watch we've been forced into over the last couple of years.  Really, WHO CARES??  It boils down to a whole set up to fail procedure of creating uncomfortable scenarios for her, that are followed by instinctive reactions, and then typical twentysomething behaviour that combined with all the 'holding the  baby while driving' pics and unflattering butt shots that frequent the internet and run as top stories on Entertainment Tonight and Access Hollywood (don't get me started on those once-entertaining-now-tabloid-'we knew about her downward spiral first and told you' shows - if their personal lives are that troubled, don't talk about them, help them!), make a no win situation for her.

blogaddiction

"Hello my name is Sharon and I'm addicted to Doritos." (all) "hiiii Sharonnnn." 

As I write this there is a bag of Chili Cheese Lime Doritos 3 feet behind me, calling my name... you know, like the devil would.  Mind you I think that the devil would come in the form of the Sweet Chili Heat variety... which I also love.  I don't know when my weakness developed, but these tri-sided pieces of snack delight have me somewhat convinced that they aren't junk food.  I mean how could they be with the 'made of corn' quality and the cheese association, we all need dairy in our lives, right?!  (uhh...unless we're lactose intolerant, which I am not... "phew" said the junkie) and what about the spices??  Lovely spices... aren't they a cleanser?? Furthermore, to drive my truth home, it is indicated right on the bag that there is "0 of trans fat," so there you go; we've got the dietary basics covered... and stained fingers... yes during my tirade the bag that WAS unopened 3 feet behind me is now a delicious memory of my committment to a well balanced diet.  See you at the next meeting. 

Blogcycle

So with the sunshine and nicer weather come the bicycles, and yahoo for anyone making the most of our too-short summer season.  It's all shapes and sizes on wheels... and one official language.  All the signals that indicate what the cyclist is doing, or going to do.  Quite a bit more than the tap on a flicker to indicate changing lanes that licensed drivers learned how to do in driver's ed, but rarely put into practice... but I digress.  (I'm good at digressing...) 

Now, if you're on a bike you should know a few of these signals.  There's the 'bent arm' that says 'Ill be turning soon.' There's the 'arm sticking out' that says 'I'll be turning soon, just in the opposite direction.'  And so many more that are unfamiliar to me.  I was a couple of cars away from a cyclist on Sherbrooke in Westmount the other day... during rush hour... busy times.  Anyway, this fellow's signals seemed more like gestures.  Like his arm-down-hand-open move that said, 'I will be going that way, don't rush me.'  His bent arm gesture seemed to say, 'how 'bout these pipes?' (but it was windy so I may have heard that one wrong.)  Finally, there was the one not exclusive to the cycling world.  I guess after all his signaling he was feeling rushed, and his pipes didn't impress anybody else, so he shot off his one-finger salute to the guy in the car who turned seemingly at the last minute.  I'd bet he knew all along that he'd turn just didn't have the time or muscle to use his flicker. 

BLOGRESS

Far be it for me to complain about progress... (hmmm... look at how smart I look starting with "far be it"!  Hope I can keep it up...) but I've got a problem.  The other day I noticed a pain in my shoulder (and by 'noticed' I mean complained).  I thought it was from something I did at the gym... you know trying to do too much... (yup I wrote that with a straight face) anyhoo... I've discovered that it was not my tremendous workout after all.  After the continuing series of full body slams into the women's bathroom door here at work, I now know that I can lay blame on the newly installed door knob. 

Liberally blogging

I mentioned this on the air the other day, and I am no further along with my understanding, or lack thereof (you always seem smarter when you use words like 'thereof'...) about why all the Liberal candidates poster board photos have them touching their face.  I thought maybe it was a coincidence that two had the portrait studio pose goin' on, but noooooo... they all have them.  Like someone said, "hey, wouldn't it be good if we all got together and made a fake fist to demonstrate..." ....See?? What could that demonstrate??  Most of the body language info indicates that touching your face means that you're hiding something, and I can't imagine any political party wanting to 'fess up on that.  (you can also seem smarter when you abbreviate words, like 'fess up; it gives the impression that you lived in the olden days when people wore suspenders because they had to, and if there was any 'fessin' up goin' on it was because people knew the difference between right and wrong, and the responsibility that went with it.)  Kinda like it's the wrong idea to have people touching their faces in photos if they want others to believe what they're telling them.  Bottom line?  Don't judge a book by its cover.  Proof?  The PQ candidate in one of the West Island ridings looks like he hasn't had his first shave; do I vote for a teenager??  The line after the bottom line?  A picture is worth a thousand words, OR maybe some people don't have a lot of facial hair?  Hey... don't forget to vote.  =)

Bloggin' Ball

It's no wonder why I'm a bit sore today.  My action-packed weekend included a birthday party for my friend Alana on Saturday afternoon at Fort Angrignon where we split into teams and competed for points in a bunch of challenges; some required protective head wear and knee pads 'cause of the crawling and  climbing.  It was totally fun!!  Alana sent a thank you today and described it perfectly by saying, "what a way to celebrate being 40... by acting 12."  Interesting note... bruised knees on a not-yet-40 year old are a) not pretty and b) an easy set up for off-color, wink-wink, nudge-nudge kind of jokes... made immediately by this not-yet-40 year old.  =)

Bloggin' idiot!

Why is Donald Trump talkin' smack about anyone with that awful hair-hat that he wears?!!  He can have words, or disagree with anyone, but how old are you when you finally get past playing the 'you're fat' card?  Even kindergarten kids are saying, 'come on!' 

As a side note, has his show lost some cred with the absence of George and Carolyn?  Who's going to care about what his kids have to say about their performance on The Apprentice?  Maybe it's in keeping with the pre-school logic of 'I'm gonna tell my dad y'know!' 

A Bloggin' good year!

This past October I crossed the ten year line of working on CHOM.  I love that I get to do this everyday, and wanted to thank everybody for letting me.  Happy 2007! 

Bloggin' a month later

I saw Aerosmith and Motley Crue at the Bell Centre last night; a kick a$$ show for sure.  Aerosmith have long been in the category of Rock Gods who could never play all that everyone wants to hear - there's not enough time in an evening.  Still, they rocked!!  Motley Crue played all the hits and more, and didn't seem to do it.  I don't think their hearts are in it... at least it didn't feel that way last night. 

I am in the age group that remembers when Motley Crue were new, with those who remember the debauchery, the chicks, sex, drugs and rock & roll attitude as an integral part of what the Crue did.  Never taking it too seriously, all part of the package.  Not that much has changed which is fine, it just seems to me that they are using the cliches as crutches.  Rock without heart is just going through the motions.  So three or four songs in, when Nikki blasts the crowd for "sitting down during a f**king Motley Crue show" whose fault is it? 

How 'bout not flashing the same, now relatively boring, images of skulls, gritty scenes and chick-on-chick action on the monitors, and showing the band in action?  Is the video feed part of the crutch?  I will admit that because I am in the aforementioned age group I can't see as well anymore and would like to see the band rockin' out.  lol!! 

Anyway,  can't change what's happened,  I hope they find their heart again.  Until then, Aerosmith gave it their all, and totally left us wanting more.  That's the sweet emotion.  =) It didn't hurt that their mid-50's abs were in fine form!! 

Haven't blogged in a while...

...so why not use this opportunity to bitch about a couple of things?  =)  I am worried about the state of our youth.  It seems that no one taught them how to make change without using the cash register, nor did anyone teach them how to hand back the change properly.  Here's the lesson:  it should go coins, then bills.  Not coins balanced on the bills that you end up crumpling to avoid dropping it.  One then the other = simple. 

Next... I bought socks the other day, riveting, I know... anyway I wanted to get some little ankle socks since they stopped making the ones I like. (which is a whole other whiney blog - why do companies do that??)  I thought I'd found some, and despite the sizing on the package, I was optimistic.  After washing them, I've lost my optimism; they don't fit!  Now I can't get the sizing out of my head; 4-10.  I thought that by being in the middle that it could work, but no.  How could socks that fit the smaller size fit the bigger, and vice versa??  Couldn't they narrow down the size window just a touch?  4-10 is like leprachauns and giants... no, that's inaccurate, 'cause either of those fine citizens could have surprisingly sized feet.  So much to think about...  Why are leprachauns always so dressed up, and giants not so much?  Top hat and nice coat... the leprachaun is ready for any occasion.  The giant... dusty apparel, and a slouch.  Is his bad posture an effect of the wardrobe?  Does he just lack confidence?  We have a lot ot learn...  uuhhhh... I've gone off track... in closing, it is obvious that I have not found my replacement socks.  Tomorrow's another day. 

George W. Blog

I caught a bit of the televised press conference held in the Rose Garden at the White House earlier today, and noted a few things... I wondered when he repeated "this is what the American people want" a few times, if that was a way of making it seem like he was aligned with the people.  Isn't he still maintaining the lowest approval rating? 

Anyhoo, at one point George Dubya said that no one had ever accused him of having a sophisticated vocabulary... true indeed, but it would've been funnier if he had mispronounced it as vocha-bewlery.... but he obviously wasn't going for funny.  Incidentally, that he still mispronounces nuclear, by saying nucular, isn't funny either.  However, that he shrugs his shoulders with that 'how should I know?' nervous chuckle is funny.  Funny in that 'uh-oh' kinda way. 
 

getting unblogged

Here's a final thought for the day... shouldn't something called All Bran consist solely of bran?  Not the case with those All Bran bars.  The ingredient paragraph indicates quite succinctly that there's much more to it.  Maybe "Some Bran" isn't as commanding a name.  Now I'm thinking that after this bran chat that this is not going to be the "final thought" after all... gotta go...  :o  lol!!!

Blogmeal

Asking the tough questions... how is it that Wilford Brimley can sell life insurance just as effectively as he can sell oatmeal?  It's like an implied wisdom that says, 'you better take care of things, trust me.  Now eat your oatmeal.'  Or maybe it's the power that comes from the moustache-sweater vest combo.  Maybe we'll never know.  

and the blog blogged on...

I was driving around today... just running some errands, not in circles or anything... and I saw a cloud that looked a lot like Disney's Chicken Little.  I thought, 'I have to tell someone!'  Then I paused.  What I determined from this pause was that the re-tell would make me look like an a$$.  Kinda like when you relay a dream to someone; how the vividness of how you were at this party and everyone was there even your high school history teacher who wasn't there for the party but really to collect the assginment you didn't finish, or even know you had to do, and then all of a sudden you're in the chip aisle at Wal-Mart in your bathing suit and slippers unable to find your basket which ended up being in your bathroom which now has a floor made out of water?  (probably why I had my bathing suit on, but I digress...)  Yes, that vividness that seems logical at the time... not so much when you're halfway through telling it.  That cloud really did look like Disney's Chicken Little though. 

Other than that, not much going on.  

9/11

Courage. Something we pray for, something we draw from, something we hope to find when we need it. When I think back to September 11, 2001 I remember the suspended feeling I carried throughout my time at work; never really knowing what was coming next, and settling in to that feeling of uncertainty. 

I remember exhaling when I got off the air that day five years ago, like I hadn't really taken a breath for those hours I spent watching everything unfold. The kind of sigh that brings tears to your eyes.

I will remember many examples of courage from ordinary people thrust into an extraordinary, life-altering situation who continue to find whatever amount of courage necessary for each day since.

Hearts beat and souls live
Beyond structures and walls built. 
Spirits mend and soar again
Amid moments ever still.

Blog that ignor-og... I'm learning that not much rhymes with blog

A couple of weird things today...

I actually saw a woman, yes an adult (as in someone who should know better) put something in the garbage outside of WalMart... or should I say that she tried to... you see when it didn't make it into the garbage can, and fell on the ground she looked at it and kept walking.  ???  wtf??  Is it really that hard?  Maybe she was a one shot kind of gal, or maybe she's just dumb.  I'm guessing more the dumb. 

You know how sometimes things catch your eye?  Like you focus on something odd and out of the blue?  Anyway, on my way into to work today, this grasshopper came into my eyeline and I followed it until it landed on my windshield, right in front of my face.  I was in a 40 zone, but I still thought this was pretty daredevilish.  I was going in and out of focus between the grasshopper and the road... a bit daredevilish on my part too, but amazed that this oddly shaped insect (with no tiny helmet) managed to keep hold even after we (me and the grasshopper) picked up speed on the T-Can.  I started rooting for this Evel Knievel of the bug world to make it all the way downtown, but when I saw the little ticket pad I feared he'd nail me for going too fast, even though I'd achieved a good balance of speed and focus on my new hero, and just then he went flying.  My focus then went to trying to make sense of the farewell he was undoubtedly shrieking, or squealing, or just tiny yelling.  "I think that lady at WalMart is dumb too."  Farewell new friend.  

Blog that dog...?

So, what is it about hot dogs that are so damn good?  Rhetorical question really, especially if you're veg... 'cause I come in peace, hot dog-eating peace.  Now with pieces in mind, urban legends have always relayed the idea that only the elbows and noses go into the final product to be steamed or grilled, so how is that good?  Is ignorance not only blissful, but tasty too?  I'll take my rhetoric toute garnie, svp. 

More screams to come... Nuit Blanche at LaRonde is tomorrow, and the screamers are winning their way in with me.  Helpful hint to winners and 'coaster riders everywhere... maybe don't have hot dogs before going on the rides.  =)  

Elsewhere, the hot dog lines at CHOM's Movies In The Park are always long.  Folks love 'em.  Someone got so enraged at the thought of not getting an additional free hot dog that they threw the one they had at one of our interns.  I haven't decided if that's committment to the hot dog or to the stupidity.  However, I do know how hard the intern team works, and how little get for it.  So, to have to deal with that kind of rudeness is insane, thus rendering the hot dog wielding goofball stupid.  My blog, my opinion.

I'm starving now... yes, for a hot dog.  :o 

Blog that blog

My first blog entry... where to begin?  Maybe I could change every verb and adjective to 'blog'... like this: I was bloggin' down the street, and blogged this blog.  See, it could be like a special code language, not unlike pig latin.  Hub-i fr-ub-ends... 'member Zoom??  Good times. 

Okay I  probably won't do the verb/adj substitution... mostly because I was lost after hub-i fr-ub-ends back in the day and the secret code was blown when I started talking normal.  I never had my Mushmouth-from-Fat Albert-dictionary with me, which might have helped but how would I have looked anything up in that thing??  I mean let's be realistic.  =)  That said, I will post when it strikes me, and will try to keep it real... I'm just tryin' to keep it real, yo.      

<pow!>

I had a winner on tonight who screamed like he was on The Monster at La Ronde, and while it was a bit higher than you'd expect, it made me laugh and he's off to Nuit Blanche at La Ronde on Friday night.  =) Porn Flakes are playing at this overnight party, and I'll have another pair of tickets to give away tomorrow.