Born Again Virgin

Against all better judgement, I went out today and got a cell phone for use in Canada and (apparently) the U.S. As many of you know, I've been resisting this step for a long time now and have only ever owned a cell phone out of necessity when I was living in Mexico and didn't have a land line coming into my apartment. So for $20 a month (plus tax), I have 200 minutes for incoming and outgoing calls. The only part of cell phone usage that I really liked was text messaging so I'm paying another $3 a month (plus tax) for the privilege of sending text messages to people in Canada and the U.S.

The catalyst was actually my 70-year-old mother who called me one night to tell me that she and her friend, Helen, were "Virgins". They'd been talked into buying cell phones by some guy at the mall. They both drive so a cell phone is probably a good idea (especially in this cold, cold weather). Since I don't drive, what's my excuse? Well, it's pretty difficult to find a working pay phone in this City. Plus I think it costs more than 25 cents now (I remember when it cost a dime!). There are a number of times when I'm out and about when I need to confab with my significant other (he has a Blackberry through his work) so I thought this was the lessor of two evils.

I went with Virgin because it was cheap (around $25 per month, in total); they have no extra charges for the service or 911 (everyone else charges $6.95+ per month for these items) and all the extras (calling waiting, call answer, call forwarding, etc.) are included in the price. Plus, I can manage the account online which means no trying to call real people to get answers to questions about my account. And there's no contract so I can change or cancel it at any time. So wish me luck and if you want to call me, send me an email for my number (which I can't remember right now -- must look in the box when I get home). LOL

This is NOT a Knitting Blog (not that there's anything wrong with that)

I used to knit quite a bit. In fact, I've made four adult-size Fair Isle sweaters "in the round". However, it's been a while since I've picked up any needles. After reading CAP's blog for a couple of months now, I've kind of had a hankering to start knitting again. I know, I know ... the power of persuasion. But I always liked knitting so I thought I would give it a shot, especially after she posted this really easy pattern for a "Mistake" Rib Stitch scarf on January 17th. I thought it was a great way to get back into knitting and I've been sort of obsessed with scarves lately.

So I bought some wool at Walmart. Remember when all department stores used to carry wool and fabrics and other "crafty" wares? Not anymore ... but I did find some great "wool" at Walmart for under $5 and the needles were even less. So for a small investment, I've got myself the makings for a beautiful homemade scarf. Unfortunately, I cannot wear wool or mohair or anything remotely related to a sheep next to my skin. So I bought 100% Acrylic "wool" and it is soft, luxurious and washable.

Here is the ball of acrylic product I bought:














And here are the sexy lavendar metal needles I bought. I wasn't sure of the size to buy because I wanted the scarf to be big, but not too big, so I settled on size 11(US) or 8 mm (Canada). Here's what they look like:














So then I started knitting. Actually, the pattern is K2, P2 so it's fairly easy and mindless. We watched the Godfather last night for about 4 hours and then I put in a few more hours this afternoon and the scarf is already over three feet long!














Anyway, I am having a lot of fun and Rob can't believe how fast the scarf is growing! LOL

Monster Children

I recently read this on an internet bulletin board:

I will be travelling to PV in a couple weeks with my family. My daughter (6) is a VERY picky eater -- no point in fighting her, she's stubborn, too -- so we're thinking of bringing along her favourite brand of peanut butter, ketchup and cheese slices. I know, she sounds awful, but she's a lovely girl, eating habits notwithstanding... I know that ketchup is readily available at the resort we're staying at, but not her brand (I know, I know...) My question is, is it 'legal' to import a small amount of these items for our personal use? It would be just enough for a week's stay. Thanks!

Being non-breeders, my girlfriends and I had a field day with this one! One of us thought the family should "stay home". Another one of us proclaimed that monster children grow into monster adults! I thought she would probably grow up to become a serial killer. LOL

We've all met children like this and the parents who coddle them in order to "keep the peace". We experienced a few of them when we were in Mexico, using the hallways of the condo as their "playground" or acting up around the pool. The one at the pool was especially evil since she insisted on emitting ear-splitting screeches every time her parents did not watch her performances in the pool. I'm actually surprised everyone's sunglasses didn't shatter from the level of this girl's screams. Her parents just smiled and capitulated to her every whim. I wanted to drown her.

My brother used to be a "problem" child. He was very hyper-active and loud. Well, to be fair, we were all loud on my Dad's side of the family because of that Italian blood. My Mom used to cringe whenever the whole "tribe" got together. My Dad has five sisters and even one or two of them in a small room can make a lot of noise! So whenever we were invited anywhere as a family, a familiar question was "Are you going to bring Greg?" I actually enjoyed having my brother be the centre of attention -- it left me free to do my own thing without any supervision. Haha ...

We finally decided that these monster children and their parents need an attitude adjustment. You only need to watch one episode of Super Nanny with Jo Frost to understand this. Once you let the kids run the show, it's becomes "all about them". If the parents of this finicky six-year-old don't fix this now, Miss Thing will be ordering peanut butter, ketchup and cheese sandwiches well into her 30s!