Why Wear A Poppy?

"Please buy a poppy" the lady said
And smiled at me, but I shook my head
Then I stopped and watched as she offered them there
Her face was old and lined with care.

But underneath those wrinkles the years had made
There remained a smile that refused to fade.
A lad came whistling down the street
Bouncing along on carefree feet.

His smile was full of joy and fun
"Hello Missis" he said "Can I have one?"
She pinned it on and he turned to say
"Why do we wear a poppy today?"

The lady smiled in her wistful way
And answered "This is Remembrance Day
And the poppy here is a symbol for
Those gallant young men who went to war.

And because they did, you and I are free
That is why we all wear a poppy you see.
I once had a boy about your size
With golden hair and big blue eyes

He loved to play and jump and shout
Free as a bird he would race about
As the years went by he learned and grew
And became a man - as you will too

He was fine and strong with a boyish smile
But he only stayed for a little while
When war broke out he went away
I still remember his face that day

He smiled at me and said "Goodbye,
I'll be back soon Mum so please don't cry"
But the war went on and he had to stay
And all we could do was wait and pray

His letters told of the awful fight
I read them still in my dreams at night
With the tanks and trenches and cruel barbed wire
And the mines and the bullets, the bombs and the fire

Until at last the war was won
And that's why we wear a poppy son"
The young lad turned as if to go
And said "Thanks Missis, I'm glad to know"

I shrank away in a sort of shame
And if you were me you'd have done the same
For our thanks in giving is often delayed
Though our freedom was bought - and thousands paid

And so when we see a poppy worn
Let us reflect on the burden borne
By those who gave their very all
When asked to answer their country's call
When we at home in peace might live
Then wear that poppy - remember and give

This Is Cool

This Birthday Calculator tells you how many hours and how many seconds you have been alive on this earth and when you were probably conceived. Scroll down to see what the moon looked like the night you were born.

Birthday Calculator

It's Here!

My couch came yesterday morning and it's smaller than I remembered, which is a good thing because I was running out of room! I bought it because it is versatile. Check this out:







I can also remove all the cushions and it becomes a single bed. Right now, it's a little bit "hard" for sleeping. I must remember to put in a lot of couch time this winter in order to soften it up for overnight guests. :)

Anyway, here's what the living room looks like now:



And other than painting over a few spots in the wall and hanging a mirror, floating shelf and "La Bandida" (framed print by Marta Gilbert), I'm done! Let me know what you think ...

*** IMPORTANT *** New Credit Card Scam

This is happening in southern Alberta right now and moving. From The Medicine Hat City Police Dept This one is pretty slick since they provide YOU with all the information, except the one piece they want.

Note, the callers do not ask for your card number; they already have it.
This information is worth reading.

By understanding how the VISA & MasterCard telephone Credit Card Scam works, you'll be better prepared to protect yourself. One of our employees was called on Wednesday from "VISA", and I was called on Thursday from" MasterCard".

The scam works like this:

Person calling says, "This is (name), and I'm calling from the Security and Fraud Department at VISA. My Badge number is 12460 , Your card has been flagged for an unusual purchase pattern, and I'm calling to verify. This would be on your VISA card which was issued by (name of bank). Did you purchase an Anti-Telemarketing Device for $497.99 from a marketing company based in Arizona?"

When you say "No", the caller continues with, "Then we will be issuing a credit to your account. This is a company we have been watching and the charges range from $297 to $497, just under the $500 purchase pattern that flags most cards. Before your next statement, the credit will be sent to (gives you your address), is that correct?"

You say "yes".

The caller continues - "I will be starting a Fraud Investigation.
If you have any questions, you should call the 1- 800 number listed on the back of your card (1-800-VISA) and ask for Security. You will need to refer to this Control Number. The caller then gives you a 6 digit number. "Do you need me to read it again?"

Here's the IMPORTANT part on how the scam works:

The caller then says, "I need to verify you are in possession of your card". He'll ask you to "turn your card over and look for some numbers".

There are 7 numbers; the first 4 are part of your card number, the next 3 are the Security Numbers that verify you are the possessor of the card. These are the numbers you sometimes use to make Internet purchases to prove you have the card. The caller will ask you to read the 3 numbers to him.

After you tell the caller the 3 numbers, he'll say, "That is correct, I just needed to verify that the card has not been lost or stolen, and that you still have your card. Do you have any other questions?" After you say no, the caller then thanks you and states, "Don't hesitate to call back if you do", and hangs up. You actually say very little, and they never ask for or tell you the card number.

But after we were called on Wednesday, we called back. Within 20 minutes to ask a question. Are we glad we did! The REAL VISA Security Department told us it was a scam and in the last 15 minutes a new purchase of $497.99 was charged to our card.

We made a real fraud report and closed the VISA account. VISA is reissuing us a new number. What the scammers want is the 3-digit PIN number on the back of the card. Don't give it to them. Instead, tell them you'll call VISA or Master Card directly for verification of their conversation.

The real VISA told us that they will never ask for anything on the card as they already know the information since they issued the card! If you give the scammers your 3 Digit PIN Number, you think you're receiving a credit.

However, by the time you get your statement you'll see charges for purchases you didn't make, and by then it's almost too late and/or more difficult to actually file a fraud report.

What makes this more remarkable is that on Thursday, I got a call from a "Jason Richardson of MasterCard" with a Word-for-word repeat of the VISA Scam. This time I didn't let him finish. I hung up! We filed a police report, as instructed by VISA. The police said they are taking several of these reports daily! They also urged us to tell everybody we know that this scam is happening. I dealt with a similar situation this morning, with the caller telling me that $3,097 had been charged to my account for plane tickets to Spain, and so on through the above routine. It appears that this Is a very active scam, and evidently quite successful.

Pass this on to all your family and friends!

Furniture Update

My girlfriends and gay friends have been bugging me for updates on furniture arrivals so here goes. I put the dining room table together but only managed to finish two of the chairs. That thing will be the death of me yet! Those manufacturers in Malaysia have a real racket going with this furniture that requires assembly.



The little red cabinet from IKEA looks adorable!



The stuff from Pier 1 arrived on Sunday. I absolutely LOVE the chair. It was handmade in Indonesia and is fashioned out of bamboo.



The coffee table is also bamboo but the glass top is from Mexico! I thought I was going to drop it when I was trying to place it on the table. I don't why I was worried. I can do anything now.



Here is a close up of the design on the coffee table.



I've purchased some interesting accent pieces. Here is a pillar candle and stand that I really like.



Any my friend Cindy bought me a gorgeous vase for my birthday. The pattern on it (which is difficult to see in this photo) is kind of woven, like the bamboo, so it certainly "works" in the room. I bought the flowers at Pier 1. They are very redly magnificent! *smile*



BTW, the couch is coming on Saturday morning. WOO HOO!!!

Giving Thanks

As some of you may know, we Canadians celebrated our Thanksgiving today. It is my favourite of all the Canadian holidays, followed by Canada Day. To me, it is a day to reflect and give thanks for all the blessings in our lives and all the wonderful advantages we enjoy in this great country. I am so very fortunate to have (1) my health (2) a great job (3) awesome friends (4) a supportive family and (5) a stellar credit rating. LOL

I've been home almost six months and there isn't a moment that I have regretted my decision to be here instead of there. So much has gone right in my life since I arrived in mid-April. I am certain, without any doubt, that this is where I am supposed to be right now. I am so certain, in fact, that I threw out all of my moving boxes. In the past, I would have kept a few of the good ones but I've really made a commitment to stay for a while.

I'm not sure what the future holds for me. My first priority is getting my home into shape. I am still waiting for more furniture to arrive (couch, another occasional chair and a coffee table) and I need to hang a huge mirror and some prints to really finish the place. I have a feeling I'll be moving the furniture around until I can get the right combination of comfort and colour. Here's what I've got so far...

A REALLY BLUE BEDROOM:


SOME IKEA FURNITURE:



AND MY DAD'S OLD RECORD CABINET:



More to follow! :)

Happy Birthday to ME!!!

I can't believe it's been year already. So much has happened in the past 12 months. I will write more later but right now, I'm off to IKEA to buy out the store. YIPPEE!!! Happy Birthday to me.

Edited to add that I spent over three hours at IKEA and only went $13 over budget. The stuff was delivered the next day in flat boxes -- all 15 of them. Now I just have to put the stuff together! LOL

Rose and Heidi took me out for dinner for my birthday. It was extra special to me because I haven't been around the actual day of my birthday in three years! So this year's celebration was very sentimental for me.

Home Sweet Home

After three years and seven months, I am finally back in my condo. I moved in last weekend. And this weekend. And also during the week. I've been living in the same building since I came back to Toronto, sharing with another owner, living in one room, so it was just a matter of slugging stuff between floors. But now, I am finally living in my own place, which I bought almost seven years ago for less than $120K. The exact same unit, two floors above, is currently listed for sale for $225K so I guess you could say I made a good investment!

This place seems HUGE to me! It only has 660 square feet but the floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall windows in the bedroom make it seem larger. And I only have a desk in there so there is a ton of empty floor space. I slept in the living room last night (not much furniture there either) and when I woke up after TEN HOURS, I realized I could easily live in one room, as long as I also had a kitchen, bathroom and laundry room. Does that make four rooms or just a studio apartment?

I'm on vacation this coming week too. I don't really feel like I need a vacation but I do need the time to find some furniture. I've bought a few things but am still waiting for delivery on most things. However, yesterday, my new occasional chair from The Bay arrived. It's actually more beautiful than I imagined it would be. What do you think?