"Chirp"

I've done it.

I caved and signed up for Twitter.

Lord, help me; block the refresh key from my computer screen.

Well-Heeled

For Christmas the Big Hit commissioned his good friends to do up a pair of shoes for me. I love them but I'm afraid to wear them out. I think they may just become a mantle-piece item. They've even got my nickname on the back heel. <3

Big love to the girls of Cocopunkz for their lovely creation.

Young Love

'Excuse me, have you ever heard of 'Twilight'? asks a chirpy voice belonging to a girl no older than 15. She stands in front of me and the Big Hit with her silent partner, another girl of the same age beside her.  'Anyone who's not braindead has heard of Twilight', I thought to myself but instead answered "Of course!" echoing her excitement.

"OH MY GOD! That's sooooo awesome cause we have been all over Vancouver trying to find Robert Pattison and we're from the States and we have to go back soon." I wanted to ask where their parents were but instead said that they would have a hard time randomly running into them in Vancouver.

"But I swear, everyday we read about it in the free newspaper that they are spotted right HERE in Vancouver!" Desperately she points to the most current photo of the adored movie couple, poking Edward Cullen right on his forehead. I had to laugh. They both look exhausted and quite frankly, deflated. I remember this feeling well so I offer them some hope and tell them not to give up.

The Big Hit pipes up and suggests they hop on the skytrain and take a trip to the suburbs or anywhere out of the city, since Vancouver is so recognizable. He takes the map she is holding in her hand and shows her where they are likely to be found, where all the big film stages are and how to get there (I love this guy).  I could have sworn I saw the stars reignite in their eyes with their new sense of hope. They said their 'thank-you's' and goodbyes as they ran off in the direction they were steered towards. 

I can remember so well being 12 and love-sick with Christian Slater. I had just seen Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and my heart was aching. I recruited my two closest friends and together the three of us did our hair and makeup and did an impromptu photoshoot. We recorded ourselves singing Bryan Adams 'Everything I Do, I do It For You', naturally, and when all was said and done and our personal letters were sealed with lipstick kisses, we mailed off our package. And waited. And waited. And waited. 

I'm still waiting. 

Twit.

So lately I have been coerced, persuaded and forced into peeking inside what is lovingly-dubbed 'Twittersphere' by my own twitterpated friends. They insist it's a practical tool for networking and doubly insist I sign up. But why? I have yet to figure that part out and they have yet to convince me.

It seems everyone and their Grandma are now updating their Twitter status every 9.5 mins. And I will admit, it is mildly amusing, but not enough to the point that I make an effort to stay updated. I already feel some people update their Facebook status far too often (I can't keep up!); perhaps this is the new method to their madness?

Does it not seem a bit vain to assume other twitter/ites/onians/philes want to know every mundane detail that's happening in our lives? I can understand Ashton Kutcher overtaking CNN and Oprah, but the rest of us don't lead such interesting lifestyles where our income is made from punking other celebs.

I sound cranky. I think I'll check out what my Facebook friends are up to-that oughta cheer me up.

School's Out for Summer?

Well, maybe not quite.

It's well into August now and raining outside. No kidding.

I stayed up late into the wee hours last night, hoping to catch a glimpse of this meteor shower everyone seems to be talking about. I caught about 5 falling stars, which considering I live in the city and can barely make out the Big Dipper anymore, is nothing to complain about. 

Oh, but it's not the same. 

As I sat outside on the deck gazing up at the night sky, I was suddenly back to my childhood summers spent camping with my family and cousins. All of us kids would struggle to stay awake as long as our eyes would let us to watch this phenomenon. After we were bored of campfire songs and the fire burnt out, we would all grab our blankets, lawnchairs and sleeping mats and sprawl out in a large clearing where the trees seemed to present the sky proudly. Sprawled out in a disorderly circle, our heads touching, little outstretched arms pointed out spotted satellites, and one by one we would nod off. 

Yes, even a satellite was a big deal. They were nowhere as near in abundance as they are today, which is sort of a shame. 

Falling Stars were unlimited and satellites were few; today, the opposite is true. 

So as I sat there last night trying to spot the burning lights shooting across the dark sky made light again from the city, I was able to relish a time I will always hope to return to: when everything was carefree and the life was as wondrous as the night sky.

Life Lessons From Randy

Many of us would find it difficult, if not impossible to conjure up an image of Randy Todd not smiling; it's almost as if the two cannot be apart from one another. If one were to ask those of us fortunate to have known Randy, to name one feature that really defined who he was, the answer would be his smile. Not only was it his most identifiable characteristic, it also told of his personality. It defined him.

Many of the reflections left by visitors to his Facebook page pay homage to his cheerful, fun-loving demeanor. People thank him for being the first one to show them kindness in elementary and high school, for getting into trouble with them (and no doubt helping them get out of it), for being a part of their memories. His humour was second-to-none, his character infectious, his zest for life contagious. He made friends with ease. There was no criteria for his friendship, you just had to be there and be willing to have fun. He was kind, fair and a friend to all. 

Trying to piece together rumours I had been hearing about Randy, without anyone to confirm what I had hoped wasn't true, I searched news articles of events that happened over the weekend in Calgary. Instinct had told me that the story of a young man who had died in a motorcycle speed-race, was the written end of Randy's life. It wasn't even that it involved a motorcycle, or that it was a race, it just seemed to be a spur of the moment opportunity that Randy would take. And it's not to suggest that he was reckless, as many inconsiderate readers with anonymity were blatantly stating, because he was not; no, it was simply an observation of the Randy Todd that I knew. 

He seemed to embrace what so many of us fail to see—that life is full of chance and opportunity. With that shine in his eye and smirk on his face, he would seize the moments that presented themselves to him. His own hobbies of music, skateboarding and BMX biking as a kid will attest to this and it was a rare moment I didn't see him participating in any of those activities. This side of him didn't change even as he got older when he discovered his love for cuisine and became a chef. His endeavours saw him move out to Calgary where he began to establish his life. Not one to accept the status-quo, he was a go-getter and after working as a manager at the Cactus Club restaurant, he decided to try his hand at real estate. Risks were not something he was afraid of, instead he pursued them. 

Randy was crazy about his family and the pictures and stories he leaves behind confirm this. I know that many of you who loved Randy are experiencing bouts of anger mixed in with your sorrow. No doubt some of you are wondering why he would put his life at risk when he has such a wonderful, young family waiting for him at home, when his life was seemingly perfect. Not one person who has spoken to him since he was married and welcomed two wonderful little boys into this world can deny that he knew how blessed he was. The Randy we all know would never chance losing that. But he was confident and full of fire and in the high of his life, the last moments of his life, took on another opportunity that presented itself. 

LIVE is both a verb and adjective. Randy took on both meanings. He understood to truly live meant to taste, savour and experience life to its fullest—to be ALIVE.  He was also lively, full of energy and pursuit. He taught us all, as adults and as youngsters what it meant to be present in the moment; what it means to grab life by the reins and go for the ride. When you want something, you have to go after it, because an idle moment is wasted life. 

Hopefully we all have had moments in our own lives when we have experienced euphoria, a tremendous feeling of great happiness and well-being. It is in these short lapses of time that life is suddenly simple and carefree again. The urge is there to take it to the limits and to live with abandon. Some of us make it our mantra for life, others heed more caution. But we all make decisions without really thinking them over. We all feel over-confident in our capabilities, especially when life is going well and the cards are in our favour. If we had the ability to see where our decisions would lead us, we might think twice. If Randy thought for a second that this challenge would change the course of his life and that of so many, we all must know he would not have gone ahead with the race. 

But speed is a thrill and thrills let us experience life to its fullest even if there is an element of risk involved. And I believe that is what Randy saw on Saturday night, July 19th. A chance to celebrate LIFE for what it was and what was ahead. After all, it was so good. And it was. 

Thank you for being part of our lives Randy, they are better for having known you. 

RrrimRrrrollerrrr to the Rrrescue!

Big news here in the Land of the Strong and Free : 

Now you don't need to lose your teeth to find out if 

you've won a bagel or a Toyota Hybrid!

A man from Ottawa—with the true Canadian spirit of giving—has created a tool to help coffee addicted Canadians have an easier go at rolling up the rims of their paper coffee cups.

I was at a Timmy's establishment the other day while on a lunchbreak with my co-worker Steve. I noted that Steve has roller-thumbs, which implies he has the ability to unroll the rim of his cup with great ease. If you look carefully as you go about your daily errands in public, you can witness Canucks fighting their coffee cups to unlock the prize that is hidden in the rolled rim. Various methods are employed for this task: pearly-whites (or coffee-stained, depending on how determined one is on winning the prize), car keys, nailclippers (did anyone else just throw up in their mouth a little?) and the fingernails of nearby seated Timmy patrons (hey, we're Canadian, we help eachother out). I can tell you, that I was not born lucky enough to possess roller-thumbs. My teeth no doubt, will come back in another life to eat me as I have been left with no choice but to bite into the rim in order to learn if I am a lucky cash prize winner, or the recipient of one of millions of Honey Crueller and Boston Cream doughnuts to be awarded.

Because it is such a time-consuming and stressing task (and we Canadians are too laid back to be bothered with this sort of thing), the Timmy Ho's corporation has actually posted how-to instructions on their site to keep us double-double drinkin',maple syrup eatin', salmon fishin', hockey-playin' freaks, happy. 

And they are as follows :

Like the professional curlers we watch on TV, they make it look so damn easy; but the truth is when we try it, it's embarassing and humbling, and it's not so easy getting out of the hack when you are gliding on the ice with only a broom to support you and the skip is hollering at you keep the rock steady. No, it's not easy for us amateurs —we need to eat wax still, because like Steve we were not all born lucky with roll-up-the-rim-to-win thumbs.

Enter Paul Kind, from Ottawa. He has created the RimRoller , a small apparatus you carry with you on your keychain, guaranteed to be with you any time you might feel a pang for a double-double coffee, or suddenly feel really, really lucky. 

So I'm thinking... shouldn't we nominate Paul Kind for The Greatest Canadian?