I Met A Canadian Olympian Today

The firm I work for believes in giving back to the community and, as a result, they support a number of charities. One of them is the Juvenile Diabetes and another is the United Way. We also support a Canadian Olympian, Clara Hughes. Clara is a world class cyclist AND speedskater. In fact, she is the first Canadian Olympian in history (and only the fourth athlete ever) to win medals in both the Winter AND Summer Games.

She is truly a remarkable woman, an incredible athlete and an outstanding Canadian. I had the pleasure of meeting Clara today at my office. The firm hosted a reception for her and invited all staff members to it, serving drinks and hors d'oeuvres. Clara brought her medals with her (one gold and one silver from Torino, Italy) and as she handed them around for us to hold and admire, she admitted to giving them freely and without feelings of possessiveness. The medals belong to all of Canada.

To read more about Clara, go to this website

I Bought It On eBay!!!

During GCV, one of the Goddesses had a small digital camera and when I inquired, she told me that she got it on sale here in Toronto at one of the local camera chain stores. So I went in to have a look and was amazed at the variety and price ranges. I knew I didn’t want anything too expensive because I am basically a “point and shoot” girl but the next model one up from hers was on sale for $170 (regularly $250) and the 512MB memory card was another $50. After adding the GST and provincial sales tax, the total would have been closer to $250CDN! I decided to see if I could do better on eBay.

I’ve only used eBay twice before. I bought a copy of Puerto Vallarta Squeeze (lousy book by the way) and a fake tanzanite ring (the stone fell out of it after one day). So I wasn’t all that satisfied with the results and still considered myself to be a novice bidder. I found the camera I wanted for sale direct from Olympus (additional shipping charges from Michigan were only $6US). I bid on 5 cameras before I finally won one, honing my bidding skills and trying to second guess the other people bidding on the same item.

The bidding on the first camera ended at a time when I was actually at home, sitting on my computer, and I was trying to outbid someone one entry at a time. I’ve since learned this doesn’t work; especially if your internet connection is a bit spotty. I did a bit more research on the bidding process on their website and discovered I could place a maximum bid on an item which, if necessary, would be bid on my behalf in order to outbid other bidders. But eBay would only bid $1 more than the last bid so there was a good chance my maximum would never be reached.

On the second try, using this method, I was outbid by one penny. My maximum bid was $90US but the winner bid $90.01. So on my third try at winning a camera, I bid $91.01 but didn’t win. Then I tried $92.02 and didn’t win. My winning bid of $89.00 was less than my maximum bid and LESS than the winners paid in the previous four auctions. My new camera arrived a week later. My bidding on the memory card was also very successful. Excellent exchange rates also worked in my favour. I paid $170CDN (all in) for the camera and memory card so I am quite pleased. Here is a photo of me celebrating, taken (of course) with my new camera. *grin*

Butt OUT!!!

From The Toronto Star:

Heather Crowe, considered by some to be the face of Canada's anti-smoking movement, has succumbed to lung cancer in Ottawa at age 61.

The long-time waitress is widely known for television ads in which she describes how she contracted cancer from second-hand smoke at the restaurant where she worked.

Crowe's passing comes just one week before the Smoke Free Ontario Act comes into effect in Ontario.

The act will ban any smoking in any enclosed public places and will add restrictions to the promotion, handling and display of cigarettes in stores.

Liberal MPP Jim Watson (Ottawa-West-Nepean) was a frequent customer at the restaurant where Crowe worked and calls her the "matriarch of the anti-smoking movement."

He says Crowe told him she really wanted to live to see the anti-smoking legislation come into effect.

"It's very sad that she's not going to be here to see it, but she should be very happy that because of her influence, Ontarians will be able to breathe easier as a result of the legislation on May 31," said Watson.

Watson said Crowe was an unlikely activist.

"She fell into this anti-smoking passion because she experienced first-hand what so many people have suffered over the years."

Last time I checked, my NOT smoking doesn't kill anyone ...

The Internet Freaks Me OUT Sometimes!

I did a websearch on myself and found this. It is a record of my first internet conversation with my friend Colleen. It seems we have a big anniversary coming up this year. Love You Girlfriend!!!

Patriotism

Canada's federal government narrowly approved our troops spending an extra two years in Afghanistan and that hits home pretty close for me. I have a very good friend who is waiting to be deployed over there in July. Even before I knew him very well, I realized "Joe" was a very serious "weekend warrior" (military slang for a member of the Reserves). He had done a stint in Afganistan a couple of years ago, before things really heated up over there, and was always talking about returning for another tour. Last year, he was called back to full-time service and gave up his regular job to sign on the dotted line. Joe is 28 years old and was still living at home with his parents.

As a former full-time member of the CF, I have an understanding of life in the military that other civilians don't. Despite our age difference and living in different countries, we've kept in touch via email and phone. He often calls me from wherever he's training, just to tell me what's going on and how he's doing. He says I am the only one of his friends who understands what he's talking about and supports him in what he's doing. His parents, who moved here from India when Joe was a small boy, are terrified for him. His friends, all in their late 20s and early 30s, are just starting to get married and planning their young families. They have no idea why he would want to do this. They are afraid Joe might actually die over there.

And he might. We talk about it often. Like Nichola Goddard (the first female combat officer to die while in service) and all of Canada's "strong and free" representing us overseas, Joe believes in the importance of the Canadian mission in Afghanistan. He is cognizant of the risks involved and he wants to participate. He feels that he MUST participate, regardless of what his family and friends may think. The fact that he was not born here is irrelevant. Joe IS Canadian and sometimes, as I dangle his dogtags from my fingertips, I realize that in some ways, he is more Canadian than I am.

God bless them all and keep them safe.

Toronto Really IS A Small Town!

This morning, as I'm walking to work and heading north on Yonge Street (the longest "street" in the world!), someone honks their horn as I am walking by their car. Normally I would think the driver is honking at another driver and I don't bother looking but today I turned my head to discover the driver frantically waving at ME and rolling down his window. As I ducked my head to look inside, I recognized my friend Rick, from high school. The last time I saw him was over two years ago, before I moved to Mexico. The first thing he said to me is, "You're back!" LOL I have his business card and promised to get in touch.

Seriously ...

You might want to take 64 minutes out of your life to listen to this:

Arundhati Roy

And when you're done, pass it on!

Sleepy Sunday

I just arrived back in Toronto after a fun weekend in K-W with my parents. I stayed with my Dad but spent a lot of time with my Mom and even managed a visit with my soon-to-be 90 year old Grandma. It was a nice family-oriented weekend with my brother visiting as well from the U.S.A. I also spent some time with my grade school friend, M.A., and another girlfriend on Saturday night. We ate roasted garlic on fresh bread, Greek salad and whole wheat pasta. From what I can recall, we also drank quite a bit of wine. I seem to remember dancing in the livingroom to Fleetwood Mac's "Rumors" CD and sitting on the kitchen floor doing yoga stretches. *grin*

So, as a result, I am a little groggy today. The weather has been sort of grey and overcast, with some shots of sunshine and a lot of wind. Unfortunately the weather has been less than wonderful lately and we are all hoping for a warming trend soon. The good news is "they" (whoever "they" are) have predicted a warm, dry summer. I am having a difficult time with the aridness here. I was so used to the humidity down south, I barely noticed it although, my friends visiting always commented on how humid it was. I miss the effect the tropical climate had on my skin and hair. I've been moisturizing more than I can ever remember doing my whole life!

The job continues to go well although most of my workmates are 905ers; meaning that they live in the Greater Toronto Area ("GTA") but not exactly in Toronto. Some of them commute more than an hour, one way, every day of the week, in order to get to work. I walk for 20 minutes and I'm there. I had lunch with some of new workmates on Friday (paid for by the firm as part of my orientation) and learned that they all have great attitudes about their jobs, the lawyers and the work done by the firm. They are very proud of the reputation of the firm and morale is extremely high. It is an unusually positive work environment and I am certain I will thrive there.

Life In The Big Smoke

With one week of work under my belt, I am feeling like I am one of the downtown crowd again. The fact is, although I am going through the motions, I do not feel like the same woman who left this life over two years ago. I am not stressed out (yet). I do not have to be the first one off the curb when the light changes. I do not get angry when people bump into me (OK, just a little bit). I offer gum to harried store clerks. I refuse to talk local politics with my bus driver.

I dress the part and I walk the walk but I'm a big, fat fake. I love being here! I jump out of bed every morning with a smile on my face, especially when I look in my closest and have to decide which of my new pieces to wear. I love riding on the streetcar. I love shopping at my neighbourhood dollar store and am now on a first name basis with Helen, the owner. I am reconnecting with old girlfriends and making new ones. Life is good. The weather is changeable and I love it!

My first shock came last week on Tuesday night, traditionally a cheap movie night. Remember Two Dollar Tuesdays? Well the tickets are no longer $2 but they are usually half price, or so I thought. I was meeting friends at the Varisty, uptown, to see Kinky Boots. There is VIP seating in this theatre but we were going into the regular theatre. When I attempted to buy my ticket, the cashier said, "That will be $11.95 please." I nearly fell over!!! I couldn't believe it.

Dinner at my friend Rose's place on Wednesday night brought me back to centre. We met shortly before we bought our condos, within a month of each other, in 1999. Rose still lives in her condo and mine has been rented for over 3 years now. Rose's place is a haven within the busy hustle of downtown. Located just off the subway, I got to experience the rush hour again. Thank goodness I can walk to work!

I seem to be bleeding money these days. I tend to take cash out of the ATM $100 at a time but I am going through it faster than chocolate during PMS. Last night, I met friends for drinks. Three glasses of wine cost me $35. So with the tip, I forked out $40! I could have bought two decent bottles with that amount. Serves me right for drinking in a hotel bar. They're very beautiful, but always expensive.

Today I went to The Clothing Show at the CNE. There seemed to be a lot of t-shirts for sale, with catchy sayings on them. "My Girlfriend Can Beat Up Your Girlfriend" was one of my favs. I was one of the most conservatively dressed people there. The choices were endless: beaded shoes from Nepal; silver and turquoise pendants from Bali; glorious silk scarves from India; Canadian-crafted jewellery, clothing, handbags and belts.

I was recognized by one designer I knew from the St. Lawrence Market. Good thing she approached me because I never would have recognized her with her new short, dark red 'do. Last time I saw her, she had long blonde hair. You can see Nicole's work at Precious Pink Designs. Another wonderful, young, Canadian designer is Racz, at the show with her Mom. Check out her work at Whitelotus Design. BTW, both of these designers are carried by Scott Magee, at his marvelous boutique, the Pink Poppie. Give it a look sometime soon!

That's it for me for now. Remember that I love to hear from you, my readers. Please feel free to leave a comment below. Thanks for your feedback!

In Case You Were Wondering Why ...