Logan - The DandeLion King

Found Poetry

2010-06-28T15:17:00.005-04:00

Thumbing through a book on Frank Lloyd Wright architecture at the Friends of the Experimental Farm used book sale on Saturday, I came across the following handwritten note.

Desire

A red jacket
good hoop earrings
a DVD player with VCR
digital camera
someone to design my interior!
joy!
sex before dinner

time to read
time to do embroidery projects
someone to shovel my sidewalks

a clean house --> cleaning lady

diamond engagement ring.

Logan and Molly

2010-04-18T22:46:00.006-04:00

Logan and I went to Montreal today to help celebrate my sister-in-law's birthday. Logan finally got to meet his cousin Molly (excuse the lousy cropping).

Duncan decided to stay home with his drinking buddy.

The Good Old Days

2010-04-18T07:03:00.004-04:00

Not a very eventful night last night. Duncan and I just sat around with our knitting and reminisced about the good old days. It went something like this:

Duncan-the-DogCat (DDC): Remember the days when I would bring a mouse upstairs and knock it around the livingroom like a punching bag?

GeeSee (GC): I remember.

DDC: And remember when you would give me snacks and try to distract me?

GC: I remember.

DDC: And remember when the only thing that would REALLY distract me was a big can of tuna fish? Those were the good old days, eh?

GC: I miss Zoom Zoom.

DDC: Meow.

When the Girl's Away...

2010-04-17T10:34:00.005-04:00

Picture this... I was playing Bejewled on the computer in the living room. Duncan was pawing me and meowing. I said "DUNCAN, NOT NOW!!!" The next thing I know he's playing with his catnipped mouse, swatting it across the floor the way he normally does and then pouncing, except he usually stops after a few swipes. This time it was going on for a while so I stopped to observe.

It was alive... the catnip mouse was alive!!!

It looked just like one of Duncan's toys except it had eyes that moved!!!

It was curled up in a fetal position and then he swiped it again. It rolled and quivered. Duncan picked it up and moved it across the floor and kept playing. I didn't know what to do. That poor mousey. I tried to give Duncan a salmon kibble snack but he wouldn't take the bait. I even shook his catnip container. That usually makes him excited with anticipation, but this time he only paused. He looked at me. He looked at Mousey. He looked at what I was holding. He swatted Mousey again and chased it across the living room floor ignoring the catnip. He was enjoying the moment. No point in getting stoned!

The way he handled that mouse, I wondered how Mousey could possibly still be alive. I had to DO something. I formulated a plan. I took 2 of Logan's poop bags out of my back pocket and doubled them up. I went to the fridge and pulled out some of Duncan's dental treats. I tossed them near Duncan and when he paused for a moment. I scooped up Mousey and put him on the back porch.

Then I felt doubly bad. I had taken away Duncan's pet and there was a mouse suffocating in a poop bag on the back porch. Duncan ate the treats and then looked everywhere for Mousey. I went out back and carefully emptied the bag in the laneway. I figured perhaps the drizzle might revive Mousey and he would live to tell the tale of the Monster Dog Cat... or another neighbourhood cat would cart him off as his own.

Duncan went back to the basement and sat in the bathroom staring at the hole in the wall in the cupboard. It's a fairly large hole. He just sat. I went to the computer and every 5 minutes I went back to check on him. Duncan was still there, just sitting and staring, occasionally glancing up at the ceiling. One time I went back and he wasn't there... nowhere. I looked through the laundry room, the storage room, everywhere. There was no sign and no sound. I figured he must have gone into the hole in the wall.

It was midnight... I was alone! My sweetie is away. How I miss her!!! There was a mouse on death's doorstep lying in the gutter in the back laneway. My cat had disappeared into the tunnels beneath the house. How could I possibly go to bed?!

I lay down and read. Eventually I drifted off. In the middle of the night, I awoke to Duncan licking my face. I remember thinking "Ewww, he had mouse on that tongue" and I pulled him away from my face and we gently snuggled ourselves back to sleep.

Spanning Two Cultures

2010-04-05T13:13:00.003-04:00

Zoom hosts Christmas and Easter dinners with a roast turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberries, gravy and an assortment of vegetables. I host Passover and Rosh Hashanna dinners with matzoh ball soup, roast brisket, carrot tsimmis, kugel and an assortment of vegetables. Two cultures, lots of feasting!

"Tsimmis", a traditional Ashkenazi dish is a sweet vegetable stew and has become one of Zoom's favourite dishes from the Jewish fare.

Even though we just ate tsimmis days ago at the Passover seder, I offered to make another batch for Easter dinner at Zoom's house. It would be a test to see if tsimmis could hold it's own with a non-Jewish crowd.

Well it was such a hit that I promised to post the recipe.

Fruit & Vegetable Tsimmis*
3/4 cup pitted prunes
3/4 cup dried apricots
1/3 cup raisins
2 lbs carrots, peeled and sliced
1 sweet potato, peeled, quartered & sliced
1/2 cup honey
14 oz can pineapple chunks, drained (reserve 1/2 cup liquid)
1/2 cup orange juice
salt & pepper to taste
2 tsp margarine
1 tsp cinnamon

1. Soak prunes, apricots and raisins in boiling water for 1/2 hour, until plump. Drain well.
2. Meanwhile, cook carrots and sweet potato in boiling water until tender but firm, about 15 minutes. Drain well.
3. Mix together the drained prunes/apricots/raisins with the drained carrots/sweet potatoes. Add the reserved pineapple juice and all the other ingredients EXCEPT the pineapple chunks.
4. Place mixture in a sprayed 3 quart casserole and bake covered in a preheated 350°F oven for 35 minutes.
5. Stir in pineapple chunks and bake uncovered 15 minutes more, stirring once or twice.

*From MealLeaniYumm! by Noreen Gilletz.

Yours, Mine and Ours

2009-11-08T14:46:00.008-05:00

Cookie Girl told me she was looking at the Ottawa Humane Society's blog and saw a couple of lovebirds up for adoption and their names were Robbie and Suzie, just like ours. What do you the think the odds of that are? She said we just HAD to go meet them.

And so we did and you know what, we fell in love with Robbie and Suzie.

So Cookie Girl and I ran to Pet Smart, bought all the things lovebirds need: a cage and toys and different kinds of pellets and seeds and perches, and then we scooted back to the Humane Society before Last Call for Adoptions.

As I looked over the adoption papers, I smiled when I saw listed as the birds' names "Romeo" and "Juliet". Cookie Girl asked me why I was smiling. I said "Nothing" and signed the papers. We are now proud parents of two 11-month old lovebirds.

"You know," I said to Cookie Girl in the car on the way home, "it might be a little corny to call them Robbie and Suzie. Maybe we should think of new names."

"How about Romeo and Juliet?" suggested Cookie Girl with a devilish smile, but we both agreed those were stupid names.

I think we'll go with Billie and Lester (Billie Holiday and Lester Young) unless you can think of something better.

Busy Weekend

2009-09-25T16:04:00.006-04:00

The Castlebrook Village Breakfast Club is meeting Saturday morning and has kindly agreed to an early sitting so Cookie Girl and I can get to Wakefield for 10 a.m. I look forward to CV Breakfast Club because firstly I love to go out for breakfast and secondly because it will give us a chance to catch up on all of our summer adventures. Topics will likely include Trip to Wine Country - California, Trip to the Maritimes, New Vehicles, and Discussion of Past and Upcoming Surgeries. Who'd want to miss an agenda like that!

Following breakfast, Cookie Girl and I will zoom up to Wakefield for the Chelsea/Wakefield 2009 Artists in Their Environment Studio Tour. I'm not familiar with very many of the artists on this tour, but CG is pretty excited about it and she hasn't disappointed yet! Last night we bumped into Sue Glazer at the City of Ottawa Art Exhibit. Turns out Sue's jewellery studio is part of the tour.

Then, if that's not enough... it's THE CARP FAIR!

Who could forget the silly mirrors!

For those of you who missed the West End Studio Tour last weekend, you get a second chance. Look for our favourites Garry Bea Joyce and Andrew King.

Sweet and Sour

2009-09-23T09:17:00.007-04:00

Nesting Instinct - 2007 - Reid McLachlan

It's Cookie Girl's Son's birthday Thursday and she always makes chicken balls for his birthday dinner. When Son of CG asked if we could do chicken balls Wednesday instead of Thursday, we realized we could now go to the Opening Reception of The Collection's Cabinet at the City Hall Art Gallery. One of my local favourites, Reid McLachlan, will have at least one piece on display.
Happy Birthday Son of CG.

The Dragon and the Hospital

2009-09-08T21:02:00.003-04:00

On Saturday, I captured a dragon and then spent the night at the hospital, but I really don't have time to talk about it just now.

A New Addition

2009-04-11T12:15:00.005-04:00

Logan joined us when my boys were 9 and 10. I don't remember his early days that well anymore. He was a fluffy little thing and as you can well imagine he was an instant hit and was loved by the boys. Logan was the object of someone else's affection though.

My niece Tali was born about 2 weeks before Logan. Tali lives in Montreal and Logan lives in Ottawa, close enough that she could see Logan from time to time but far enough that it was infrequently. Tali's older brother and sister were mildly interested in Logan, but it was Tali who would wrap her arms around Logan like a teddy bear and smother him with kisses each time she saw him.

Tali loves animals in general and at four years old she decided she would grow up to be a veterinarian. It was about that time she also decided she HAD to have a dog of her own. She cried and whined and stomped her feet. My brother and sister-in-law told her she COULD have a dog but only when she was old enough to care for one properly. She cried "when, When, WHEN??". She was told "When you're ten years old!" "That's SO-O-O long", she whimpered.

Meanwhile Tali called my house every couple of weeks to speak to Logan. She would say hi to me but would quickly ask to speak to Logan. I told her I would get him and then I would bark into the phone while she would say, "Hi Logey, I love you, I love you, I LOVE you. I love you SO much that I ADORE you". Then she would blow kisses into the phone. I would get back on the line and ask Tali what she said to Logan because his tail is wagging and he had a big smile. She would then repeat her whole conversation to me.

That went on for a few years. Eventually she "suspected" that I was the voice of Logan, but it was okay, she still enjoyed the charade. She kept asking her parents for a dog and her parents still held firm and told her she had to wait until she was ten. Tali put pictures of Logan all around her room. She read books about dogs and studied the different breeds. Time dragged on!

Tali still loves Logan and still wants to veterinarian. Last week she made a special phone call to wish Logie a Happy Tenth Birthday!

Yesterday Logan and I came to Montreal to meet the newest addition to the family. Here's Tali with her new dog Molly!

Does Anyone Really Care Where I Buy my Oatmeal?

2008-12-03T09:52:00.000-05:00

The other night CG (Cookie Girl) and I discovered our newest most favourite health food store, Rainbow Foods on Richmond Road near Lincoln Fields.

Here's how it happened:

CG and I sometimes fall asleep in an embrace. One Saturday morning about a month ago we woke up in the same embrace we fell asleep in the night before. My shoulder and neck were KILLING me. I thought it would get better on its own after a day or two. Well it didn't.

Day 2: neck/shoulder massage given by CG;

Day 7: neck/shoulder massage given by Shannon at LiveWell on Centrepointe;

Day 11: read Jo Stockton's blog post about Shawn the Accupuncturist and thought that would be my next step if relief didn't come.

Day 20: saw Dr. Shawn... he stuck some needles in my upper back and the pain subsided a bit. He recommended the use of Traumeel a "magic ointment" and that I should apply ice for 20 minutes at a time. All those things "sort of" did the trick... The pain is 90% gone.

Day 27: saw Dr. Shawn again, this time to discuss natural solutions for some of my age-related stuff. I take medication for diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol. These are all borderline conditions (but just over the border) and the meds help keep it all under control but if I alter my diet slightly, and walk Logan more often that may be all I need*.

Anyways, long story short, Dr. Shawn gave me a diet to follow (which included oatmeal!) and suggested a couple of supplements. One supplement was only available at NutriChem Pharmacy on Richmond Road. While looking for the pharmacy I found Rainbow Foods and went in to check it out. Didn't have much time to explore because I had to get back to work but noted that THIS would be a cool store for me 'n CG to visit.

So we did ...just the other night and as expected CG loved it and we bought lots of stuff.

These are some of the things I picked up:

a tin of John McCann's Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal;
a jar of pure Smooth Cashew Butter;
a box of Ginger Yogi Tea.

They also make great homemade soup vegetarian soup for lunch.

*NOTE: I haven't discontinued my meds, but I'd like to eventually if I can retake control of my blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure through diet and exercise.

Does Anyone Really Care What I Eat for Breakfast?

2008-12-02T11:19:00.002-05:00

Here's how I made my oatmeal this morning:

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup steel cut oatmeal
2-1/4 cups water
1 cinnamon stick
1 inch cube of fresh peeled ginger
2 cloves
1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper

Put all the above into a pot, bring to a boil, lower heat and cook for about 30 minutes, stirring every once in a while.

While that was happening, I did the following:

fed Logan (1 cup dry Eukenuba for large seniors with 5 squirts of Omega-3);
let Logan in the yard to greet the kids walking to meet their school bus;
emptied the dishwasher;
made a strong capucinno (using 3 shots of espresso);
prepared my bowl (more of a small casserole dish) to receive the oatmeal:
- handful of fresh raspberries
- handful of fresh blueberries
- kiwi peeled and cut into cubes
- handful raisins
- handful of chopped unsalted cashews
- 1/2 teaspoon of each cinnamon, ginger powder
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar;
put the oatmeal in the dish and top with leftover steamed milk from step 4;
put a little oatmeal (2 tbsp) in Logan's food bowl;
let Logan in.
WE EAT!

I'm a Balanced, Secure and Realistic Guy

2008-11-20T11:08:00.004-05:00

When my partner and I visit art exhibits or galleries, we sometimes play a little game. If a number of paintings or other pieces of art are in close proximity, we each choose the work of art we prefer and then see if we agree. Most of the time we do agree but occasionally we don't. Art, after all is subjective and people have different tastes. But did you know that you can determine your personality type from the type of art you like. Today at Haphazard Life, Jazz linked to an art test that makes that claim and this is what it said about me (I'm not sure I like it):

Your result for What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test...

Balanced, Secure, and Realistic.

6 Impressionist, 1 Islamic, 3 Ukiyo-e, -11 Cubist, -9 Abstract and -2 Renaissance!

Impressionism is a movement in French painting, sometimes called optical realism because of its almost scientific interest in the actual visual experience and effect of light and movement on appearance of objects. Impressionist paintings are balanced, use colored shadows, use pure color, broken brushstrokes, thick paint, and scenes from everyday life or nature.

People that like Impressionist paintings may not alway be what is deemed socially acceptable. They tend to move on their own path without always worrying that it may be offensive to others. They value friendships but because they also value honesty tend to have a few really good friends. They do not, however, like people that are rude and do not appreciate the ideas of others. They are secure enough in themselves that they can listen to the ideas of other people without it affecting their own final decisions. The world for them is not black and white but more in shades of grey and muted colors. They like things to be aestically pleasing, not stark and sharp. There are many ways to view things, and the impresssionist personality views the world from many different aspects. They enjoy life and try to keep a realistic viewpoint of things, but are not very open to new experiences. If they are content in their live they will be more than likely pleased to keep things just the way they are.

Take What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test at HelloQuizzy

Obama-349, McCain-162, Undetermined-26

2008-11-05T10:48:00.005-05:00

This week colouring night was brought to you by the voting American population with special thanks to A&J for providing the link to an electoral colouring map.

unReal Estate in the Neighbourhood

2008-10-31T14:20:00.003-04:00

The real estate agent:
The current owners:
Logan thinks the whole thing is funny.

Thanksgiving 2008

2008-10-13T20:01:00.004-04:00

Dancing in the Pumpkin Patch:
Taking a break at Bruce Pit:

Because I Want to Be Smarter

2008-10-07T14:13:00.003-04:00

A new puzzle showed up on page 2 of the Ottawa Citizen a few weeks ago. It's called Ken Ken and is billed as "the logic puzzle that makes you smarter". I decided I wanted to be smarter so I sharpened my pencil and dove right in.

I love this puzzle and I put into the category of puzzles I love, which so far only had one other member... Cross Sums (aka Sum Totals or Kakura).

Puzzles I don't love and are sort of a waste of time but are alright for doing on the bus: Sudoku.

My Deep Dark Past

2008-10-05T21:52:00.004-04:00

I was recently asked if I had any deep dark secrets. I don't have ANY! Do you????

NOTE: Platinum viewers of Logan's blog have the option of making their comments private by typing "PRIVATE" at the top.

If You Don't Want Conservative in Ottawa West Nepean

2008-09-27T16:14:00.004-04:00

Ottawa West Nepean has traditionally been a liberal riding until John Baird won in the last election. I think the only way to prevent Baird from being re-elected in this riding is to vote Liberal. Logan met David Pratt today and asked him for a lawn sign.

Just Another Night in the Park

2008-09-24T12:50:00.000-04:00

Logan-the-Dog here. Skylark has been too preoccupied to blog so I'm filling in until he gets his shit together.

Here's what happened the other night at the park:

I ran in front of Skylark's girlfriend and tripped her. She fell and I was free!
Skylark went to the aid of GF and I ran to the duckpond. Nothing to eat there.
Skylark called me to come back so I came very close to him and then ran away again. Ha!
GF called me to come back so I did because she gives me treats sometimes.
Chased a porcupine up a tree but Skylark wouldn't let me get him because he knows the trouble that could cause.
Put a frog in my mouth but it tickled so I spit it out and barked at it. He went away.
Skylark and GF put me in the house and then they went to get ice cream. I sat by the bay window and barked at squirrels.
Skylark and GF came home. Skylark rubbed my belly and GF gave me TWO cookies.

The End

Should Have Stayed Home!

2008-08-18T14:52:00.003-04:00

Home sick today and should have stayed home ALL day!

I worked most of the morning at home then took a bit of a nap, then helped Son #1 move his desk and computer to his new apartment.

It's hot out there today, or maybe I have a bit of a fever... I'm dripping.

I got stopped by a policeman on my way downtown, the bastard! I went through the intersection at Laurier and Nicholas just as the light was changing from orange to red and there was a motorcycle cop who was having a bad day and wanted to take it out on someone... ME, the bastard! I didn't argue with him, "Yes sir, I know sir, I'm sorry sir, $#%&^ OFF sir!" I stopped at city hall on my way home and paid the ticket so I don't have to think about it again. Let's just say it cost more than the 2 tickets to the folk festival that fell out of Zoom's pocket the other day.

I wonder if I really have a cold or I just want somebody to feel sorry for me.

The Shouk

2008-08-01T16:27:00.004-04:00

I just don't know where to start with the Jerusalem market. I took some pictures (see below) but they don't do it justice. There were so many sounds and smells too. There were soldiers with guns and off-duty soldiers not in uniform but with guns. There were lots of people begging for money... religious people trying to get enough money to buy food for the Sabbath, there were buskers. There were shady-looking people standing in doorways smoking cigarettes watching people walking by, watching me watching people. There were people smoking LaSheesh hookah pipes. There were scavenger cats running about the produce tables. There were tourists screaming for their kids to stay near. There were teenaged tourists greeting friends in funny accents.

This last one is Aroma Café, the "Starbucks" of Israel

A Few Random Pictures from Trip

2008-07-31T15:42:00.008-04:00

Finally figured out there WAS a card reader on the laptop so here are few images from where we've been:

1) In the market in mystical city of Tzfat, cradle of the Kabalah

2) Taking a break to rest weary feet after hiking at the Menara cliffs

3) Another market shot from Tzfat:

4) McDonalds in Tel Aviv:

5) Danger 1:

6) Danger 2:

Israeli Cats

2008-07-31T15:28:00.003-04:00

Cats are not treated the same way in Israel as they are in Canada. I have yet to see a domesticated cat. They all seem to be strays and I've only seen them scavenging in the markets and at outdoor cafés.

Rafting on the Jordan River

2008-07-30T18:04:00.002-04:00

Attack of the Scary Monster at the Bonfire

2008-07-28T19:37:00.005-04:00

Instead of staying at the kibbutz resort this evening and having dinner at the buffet with the older contingent of our group, I went to the mall with the other 2 young families in hopes of finding a store that might carry a USB cable so I could upload pictures to this blog. Even though a USB cable was on my packing list and I was reminded a couple of times to bring one, I still managed to not pack it.

The girl at the camera store didn`t have a cable that matched up with my camera but had a universal cable that appeared to fit.

Our plan was to spend about an hour at the mall picking up supplies, have a quick dinner and then back to the kibbutz where there was to be a flashlight hike through the woods followed by a bonfire, singsong, marshmallow roast. This was to be mainly for the kids so in the end I decided to opt out and upload pictures instead. But wouldn`t you know it, the stupid cable didn`t work. I don`t think pictures are going to happen until I get home.

I walked to the main building pretty pissed off at the cable thing and had a capuccino outside by myself. I figured I shouldn`t be messing around doing computer stuff so decided to find the bonfire. I managed to find it about a kilometer away by just following the music.

There was an Israeli folksinger leading the grownups in song while the kids were running around the bonfire roasting marshmallows. I went to look for my niece and nephew by the fire. Zachary found me and gave me one of his marshmallows. I stood around watching the kids when all of a sudden one of the boys starting screeching and was running wildly looking for his mother. Even as he found her, the instensity of his screaming increased. I looked around the ground and saw lots of stray embers and figured he must have burned himself. I looked down at my sandals and noticed that most kids were wearing similar footware and how stupid wearing sandals was at a fire with embers everywhere. There was a crowd of grownups gathering around the screaming child when I felt a sharp pain on my upper arm. I brushed at my arm thinking that a flying ember had just caught me but that wasn`t it. I realized I had just been bitten by something. By this time word came out from the group of people around the screaming boy that the source of his agony was also a sting. Another adult had also just got stung.

Very quickly the singsong broke up and everyone scattered. As we left, my 9-year old niece Tali, let out a shriek and collapsed to the ground. She too had just been stung in the leg. In between the crying and screaming, she claimed she didn`t see anything and it was a monster that caused her this pain. Her father picked her up and carried her to safety. Another member of our group who happens to be a doctor came running out of the woods to see if he could be of assistance, tripped on a rock and cut his leg.

The victims were all brought to the main hall where ice cubes were applied to wounds. The injured sat around sharing the experience even though we didn`t all speak the same language. After a while the kids calmed down and people dispersed to their rooms.

I never saw what stung me and there were no bees or wasps in evidence so Tali could have been right, perhaps it was a monster.

Tomorrow we`re going kayaking.

Good night from Kibbutz Ha Goshrim in northern Israel.

New Journeys

2008-07-26T09:28:00.001-04:00

I'm leaving on a trip overseas for 2 weeks. I'm going with my parents, my brother and his family and my sister-in-law's extended family. It's a trip that we've been planning for a year and is expected to be the "trip of a lifetime". I'm left with ambivalent feelings. I love to travel and it's been so-o-o long since I have, yet I want to stay here and put my life in order.

I'm taking Logan-the-Bear to keep me company and also to act as a reminder of what waits at home.

I'll take lots of pictures and try to make posts on the journey, but if that doesn't happen, look back here in 2 weeks.

I Miss Logan!

2008-07-25T07:46:00.011-04:00

Six months ago I decided I had enough of living and working in my basement and that I was going to do something about it. I accepted a 6-month contract downtown. I started getting out more and meeting new people. I did all the festivals this summer in Ottawa and for the first time in a long time I was happy!

In the last two weeks, I left my wife and my home and moved into my son's apartment in the Market. He rents it with 3 other guys all in their early 20s, but only one of them (DG) is living there now. The others, including my son are moving in this September. I assured DG that I wouldn't cramp his style and he would hardly know I was there and this was a temporary thing and besides he had lived with us last year for a month when he couldn't find an apartment right away. He was good with it.

The first thing I did was buy the guys some things for their place:

a router - so I could get online and then eventually so could all the others.
bathroom stuff - a toilet seat, a shower rod and curtain, bathmat - because I've gotten used to some of the finer things in life like stepping out of the shower onto a fluffy mat and like sitting on a toilet seat.
general cleaning supplies for the kitchen and the bathroom.

I know, you're thinking I assured DG that he would hardly know I was there and here I was acting like a parent. Well he was OK with my changes. I think even though young guys like to live amongst beer bottles and playing cards and poker chips that are strewn about, they still appreciate a good roll of toilet paper.

The biggest problem with my new adventure is that I had to leave Logan at home. I've been allowed to walk him a couple of times since I moved out but I miss having him follow me around constantly. This is only a temporary arrangement (September 1st, latest) and wherever I end up living after, Logan will be there with me.

At the "moment of breakup" when I scrambled around the house filling a suitcase with things I would need immediately to start my new life, I picked up a little Ty teddy bear named Logan that I had sitting next to my computer. Here's a picture of Logan-the-Bear and our living arrangements.

My Canada Day

2008-07-01T20:48:00.019-04:00

Not much worth talking about in the morning. Walked Logan at about 6 a.m. Made myself some 7-grain toast with 1 teaspoon of natural almond butter, side of fresh fruit (kiwi, banana, blueberries) and a cappucinno. Took care of the laundry and did some computer stuff (facebook, blog reading, e-mails, checked on my scrabulous and word twist games).

Decided to go "adventuring" in the afternoon.

I have never been to Parliament Hill on Canada Day so thought this year I would check it out. After lunch, equipped with my trusty fisherman's hat for protection from the sun, I walked the 1.2 km to Baseline Station to catch the 95 downtown.

On the bus ride I exchanged seats with a young mother so she could place her ginormous Peg Prego stroller and baby boy in a more strategic spot. For the rest of the way downtown the baby and I exchanged silly googly eyes — of course I made sure no one ELSE was looking at me!

I spent about 3 hours walking around downtown — a bit at Parliament Hill and then a bit at Confederation Park listening to the last sounds of the Jazz Festival.

I met a man who designed the "Canadian Duality Flag". It's the Canadian flag with 2 extra bars of blue that are supposed to represent the Francophones, and it supposed to symbolize the Anglophones and Francophones speaking together. He's been lobbying for this new flag for the last 4 years. I engaged him in conversation about the flag and then just let him talk.

I met a man with 2 dogs that were wearing Hawaiian leys. I asked him if I could take a picture of his dogs which the man proudly let me do. I mumbled something like EVERYBODY dresses up for Canada Day, but already I thought this would be a good picture to put on a blog and say something to the effect that Logan stayed at home because he didn't have anything to wear.

I stopped and listened to music and watched entertainers:

1. at Parliament Hill there were Pirates walking on stilts;

2. there was also a 15-person drum band who played drums in the style of colonial days, tom-tom like;

3. I listened to a Jamaican band playing music beside the restaurant at the NAC just bordering the canal. People danced in front of the stage; and

4. I listened to 2 other bands at various ends of Confederation Park but stopped in the middle at an ice cream concession to have 1 scoop of mango and 1 scoop of vanilla in a sugar cone.

It was hot and the ice cream made me a bit thirsty. I saw a kid with a cooler filled with water bottles and a cardboard sign which read "$1 a bottle". This is half of what the real concessions' price was. I asked him if his water was cold. He showed me a couple of bottles on the bottom that were almost solid ice. I said, with a grin, "It didn't have to be that cold!" and I gave him $1 for a bottle.

I got a seat on the bus ride home but a few stops later, three generations of a Chinese family got on - a baby in a stroller, his mother and grandmother. I offered the old woman my seat. Behind the seat, were two chubby teenage girls with short hair and various face piercings. At some point on the journey uptown they started making out. I looked again and then wasn't sure if they were both girls or if one was a boy. I guess it didn't matter anyways.

I got home and prepared a BBQ for supper because Son #1 had worked all day at summer camp and would probably come home hungry. Son #1 came home but said he was going out to his friends for supper and then were heading downtown,... so, I made the BBQ for myself – chicken breast on the grill and a "chick pea-feta salad" with cukes, tomatoes, red pepper, red onion, feta cheese and chick peas in a dressing of olive oil, lemon and oregano.

Logan and I took a big walk in the park just before dusk and now I'm home to chill out and protect him from the booms and crackles of the fireworks.

THE END

Remember When

2008-06-29T19:56:00.005-04:00

Photos from March 9, 2008

The Swap Box Lesson

2008-06-29T17:09:00.009-04:00

In which Logan illustrates the concept of the swap.

1. Logan enjoys a red ball he found on his morning walk:

2. But what's this -- a doggie swap box!!

3. Let's look inside:

4. The red ball is relinquished:

5. The new prize is enjoyed:

Logan & Mushrooms Don't Mix

2008-06-22T18:18:00.001-04:00

Logan's been a bit under the weather recently. He may have scooped up a wild mushroom when I wasn't looking. Mushrooms upset the fragile balance in his well-tuned diet — a diet of Eukanuba Senior, Large-Breed, Dog Food ("premium food with Vitamin E and Beta-Carotene") supplemented with a smattering of dandelions, Kleenex, twigs, old coffee cups (preferably Starbucks), and crap from the ducks in the park. He just can't tolerate mushrooms.

What this means is that we have a few messy walks. I don't feed him for about 24 hours so he can dry out and then he gets to eat boiled hamburger meat and rice for a day or two until his tummy mends. It also means he's a bit lethargic and doesn't want to do much. I wanted to stay home to smoke cigars and play poker with him last night but I sensed he wasn't up to it. I went to the Fringe Festival instead.

Saving the bunnies

2008-06-19T07:28:00.002-04:00

I was recently tagged by Zoom in a music meme. As a ~~young~~ new blogger, I'm not exactly sure what a meme is, except I know it has something to do with saving rabbits. Logan says I should participate because without rabbits he'd have to chase squirrels and perhaps big golden cats all day.

Zoom also knows, because I recently told her, that I love making music lists. In fact I may have been "bragging" a bit about all the lists and mixes I've made. Now I'm wondering if, similar to her most excellent challenge to Dan and Dwight, she is telling me to step up and do something for the betterment of bunnies. So, on Logan's encouragement, I accept the challenge.

Here are 7 tracks of musicians I'd like to see at the upcoming Ottawa Jazz Festival:

1. Madeleine Peyroux - Getting Some Fun Out of Life - 1996 (June 23)
2. Return to Forever - Light as a Feather - 1972 (June 26)
3. Herbie Hancock - Watermelon Man - 1973 (June 22)
4. Molly Johnson - Another Day - 2002 (July 1)
5. Buddy DeFranco - Rose Room - 1957 (June 21)
6. Brad Mehldau - Get Happy - 2004 (June 29)
7. Lee Konitz (w/Marshall Brown) - Struttin' With Some Barbeque - 1967 (June 24)

That wasn't so bad! But part II of this meme is a problem because I have to choose 7 other people to tag. Logan and I are new to the blogging community and don't know that many people well enough to tag just yet:

1. JuliaR - the Demystification Guru - is doing an excellent job blogging about her trip to France. Perhaps 7 songs that she sang while sitting at the ~~bars~~ cafes in Arles may be appropriate.

2. BikeRider - Views from the Saddle - photographer/artist extraordinaire - must be humming something ~~under his breath~~ as he works away in his studio.

I could tag Zoom again but that may start an endless loop that could cause the complete annihiliation of the bunny population. Therein lies the problem, I'm 5 tags short of a meme complete. What to do? Logan suggested that perhaps if HE choose 5 songs it would be enough for a bunny offset. I thought that was a good idea and I can only hope this would be acceptable to the blogging community.

Here's Logan's list:

1. Frank Zappa - Dog Breath - 1972
2. Rufus Thomas - Walkin' the Dog - 1964
3. Patti Page - How Much is that Doggie in the Window? - 1953
4. Bette Midler - Skylark - 1973 (I told him to choose that one)
5. he couldn't think of another one but promised to turn a blind eye the next time he spotted a rabbit on our walks… but only ONE free pass he insists.

Buffy Sang to Me

2008-06-15T09:18:00.006-04:00

I didn't buy a lot of records when I was a teenager, so the ones I had were played over and over and over again until the skips from the scars and scratches became part of the listening experience. Some of the early albums included Imagine (John Lennon), Hot Rats (Frank Zappa), Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II, Your Saving Grace (Steve Miller Band) and the Best of Buffy Sainte-Marie.

Lately I've been bummed out that I spend way too much time sitting at my computer OR sitting in front of a TV OR doing Kakuro puzzles and that I don't DO much of anything else (aside from the obvious -- working, sleeping, eating, doing laundry and Logan time). Then I heard that Buffy Sainte-Marie would be playing at Westfest AND it was a free concert AND that my weekend plans for a going to Montreal were canceled AND the weather was perfect for an outdoor concert. The stars were perfectly aligned… I had to go!

No one in my home was interested in joining me, so I set out by myself, parked the car on the fringe of Westboro and headed for the mainstage (I think it may be the ONLY stage). I got there at about 8 pm. There was a fairly large crowd enjoying some of the earlier concerts (Holly McNarland, Lucie Idlout). I stood near the front of the stage but off to the side, just inside the crowd barrier. I noticed that two people had gotten up to leave, sitting about 5 rows back from the stage (centre) so I jumped at the opportunity and, trying not to appear too excited, made my way over and staked out a plot of land. The people in the immediate adjacent spaces were friendly and made sure I had enough space to be comfortable. The ladies behind me had been there since 3:30 taking in all the concerts waiting for Buffy's appearance at 9:30. To my left were a group of very animated Inuit, dancing to the music and cheering on the performers. One of them told me Lucie Idlout was her cousin and was screaming out to her on stage prompting Lucie to smile and answer back in her native tongue.

As I said it was 8:00 pm and I wasn't sure I could hold out until Buffy showed at 9:30 but I felt lucky to have such a great seat and the crowd was really starting to build, and I was so proud of myself for actually getting out and doing something that I had to stick it out.

Buffy came on stage and she looked fantastic. She didn't look much older than she did on the album cover I had from 1970. This morning I calculated she is 67 years and was surprised. She was bouncing around the stage to the heavy beats of her music and if I didn't know she was making music in the 60s, I'd have guessed she was in her early 50s. Her voice was a vibrant and crisp as her early records.

I wasn't let down. She played most of my favourites from the olden days… Cod'ine, Universal Soldier, the upbeat He's an Indian Cowboy in the Rodeo and others from her early albums that drew large approval from the crowd, Piney Wood Hills, and Cripple Creek. On my album, I always thought Buffy played a Jew's Harp on Cripple Creek and on a similar sounding song Ground Hog, but it turns out she used a Mouth Bow, which looks like a tiny bow from a bow & arrow (see photo). She also played a few tunes from an upcoming album. There is a kind of Reggae air to her music which I never noticed before.

As she spoke and sang to the listeners, Buffy scanned the crowd and because I was sitting so close, we actually made eye contact a few times. Because she has such a radiant smile when she looked at me I naturally smiled back. I imagined she was singing to me!

Can't wait to journey out again!

Grandma's Cheese Pie - The Recipe

2008-06-09T16:30:00.002-04:00

CRUST:
3 to 4 cups corn flakes - crushed (not fine)
1 cup flour
2 cup brown sugar
1/4 lb. melted butter

Mix together and use 2/3 of mixture on bottom of rectangular pyrex dish.

FILLING:
1-1/2 lbs. dry cottage cheese
2 eggs
1 tbsp. sugar
salt

Mix together and spread over mixture. Add remaining corn flake crumb mixture. Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes.

Grandma's Cheese Pie

2008-06-09T12:54:00.002-04:00

Earlier this week my Mom called to tell me I needed to come to Montreal to change the ink cartridge on her printer. A little side fact about my mother. She has a BSc from Sir George Williams from back in the day when women rarely had Science degrees and she worked on computers in the '50s when they looked liked this — even before Bill Gates was born! My point is she KNOWS how to change an ink cartridge or she could figure it out, but this is her way of asking me to come visit.

So... I got a late start but I showed up at about 2:00 pm. Mom was just starting to make a batch of Grandma's "famous" cheese pie as I walked in the door. For those that have never tasted Grandma Rose's "famous" cheese pie, it's a crust of corn flakes mixed with brown sugar and a little butter. The inside is dry cottage cheese mixed with egg to bind. Then it's covered with more corn flake stuff. You bake it and serve it warm, topped with some kind of fruit (raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, etc.) and maybe some sour cream... you know... to die for!

My Dad joined us for some afternoon snacks and told me, as he's done so many times before, that it's a good thing I dropped by because Mom doesn't feed him unless I or one of my brothers comes by the house.

Before leaving, I checked the printer... the black ink was about half full and there was still plenty of colour left. I told Mom there was enough for awhile but I would have to come back in a few weeks and check it again.

Dinner is Served

2008-05-07T20:50:00.003-04:00

What's for snack?

Beware the DandeLion King

Will the automobile become a "floppy drive"

2008-04-27T09:52:00.010-04:00

I'm not a MAC person so I'm not sure when it was – perhaps 5 years ago, maybe further back – that Macs were released without floppy drives. I remember wondering WHAT they were thinking! How are you supposed to get your data OUT of the computer. Writable CD drives were fairly new (OK so maybe is was longer ago) and I thought Apple must expect CDs to be the new floppy. As it turned out, e-mail, ftp, and jump drives pretty much eliminated the need for floppies and Apple had the foresight to remove these drives from their designs before they just became unnecessary vestiges.

PC design has always been slightly behind MAC, so by the time these changes happened to my PC, I barely noticed. Because I'm in desktop publishing, primarily a service field, I've had to be able to accept data from as many sources as possible and so for a long time, I insisted on having 2 floppy drives – 3.5 inch and 5.25 inch. I now look at the two PCs I have on my desk, one about 6 years old just has a 3.5 inch drive and the "newer" one about 3 years old doesn't even have a floppy and I don't think I ever noticed!

Yesterday, while taking the early morning walk with Logan, I noticed how the new Minto development evolving in our neighbourhood seems to have very little room for parking and then I wondered if Minto has the same foresight that Apple had in the 90s. With the cost of fuel skyrocketing and the trend towards enviro-friendly consciousness, maybe cars themselves will become obsolete in the near future!

Walking the dog

2008-04-26T21:17:00.009-04:00

Now that winter's done, I think it's finally time to "break the ice". It's almost 4 years since I started thinking about blogging and made a test post.

Logan-the-Dog is now nine years old (63 dog years). Our walks are not as lengthy as they were 4 years ago and they are less frequent but we still get out 2 or 3 times a day. Some of our walks are pure "business" trips, like right after work. Some are social walks (early in the evening) when we walk with Casey and Riley, a few of Logan's buddies, although those walks are less frequent because Casey and Riley are out at 6:30 p.m. sharp and we can't always make it.

Here's Logan-the-Dog (centre) with his buddies Casey (left) and Riley (right).

Our best walks are the early morning ones. We have a few regular paths and unless the weather is inclement, I'll let Logan make some of the initial choices to determine our path. I use this walk to wake up and usually let my mind wander. Sometimes all I can think about are the projects I'm working on, or whose pissing me off lately!

Mostly I work at home but since December I've been on an on-site contract downtown. At first this was traumatic for me and Logan-the-Dog. For me because up until then my days had been very fairly unstructured and I could work in shorts and bare feet and although I liked to get started by 8:30 there was never any pressure to do so. Now I have to walk and feed Logan, shower, shave and dress and be out of the house at 6:44 to catch the bus downtown. And I'm not around to let Logan outside in the backyard every hour or so to chase squirrels or to toss him cookies.

Sitting in My Favourite Chair

2004-05-18T15:03:00.001-04:00

Getting Started

2004-05-12T16:19:00.001-04:00

My human dad thought it would be a good idea for me to have a web presence and after he heard a show on CBC-1 about blogging, he decided to help me set up my own blog.

Honestly, I don't know much about computers, but I think they're so cool. My human brothers are on them all the time and THEY are cool so what the hay.