Good night Irene: soooo long 2006!

Here we are... finally the last day of 2006, and let me tell you, I am looking forward to putting this year to bed.

Honestly... 2005 was the best year of my life, so I should have known that 2006 would never be able to top 2005, but I thought it could have at least came close... or at least tried to come close.

The entire French nightmare really put a damper on the year... I wasn't looking forward to 2006 in the first place, and I didn't get any pleasant surprises along the way either. French was draining, it consumed and continues to consume my life... leaving me miserable at the end of each day, but the end is near!

Along with French came the demise of my curling team, another reason to kiss 2006 goodbye and turn over a new leaf for 2007.

I guess there were no real highs this year... but at the end of another year I can still be thankful for PC, our families, our friends, our health, and most all our happiness.

Although 2006 was a downer... I am looking forward to 2007... my one resolution is starting talking nicer to PC... which will mean not using the frequent phrases of 2006, such as: shut your mouth, you shut up, yeah right loser, I doubt it, and other phrases that include my mother's favourite word: F&#@!!!

So... goodnight 2006, and here is looking forward to 2007 and all it has to offer us!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR FAITHFUL READERS!

Christmas Tour

Today's post hails from Thessalon, Ontario... home of ... ahhh... not much (but that's besides the point)!

PC and I arrived here on the evening of the 27th and we have been on the go since the minute we walked through the door!

The 28th became Christmas morning/day with my immediate family. As usual Connie and Timbo outdid themselves.... there was rumour that they were cutting back due to a small fixed income issue, but apparently that didn't happen!

Here is a copy of our family picture from 2006!

PC and I got ipod's for Christmas... quite exciting! We almost sold them out front of Future Shop in Sault Ste. Marie as there appears be a shortage of them in the North! But decided they were too good to pass up... and kept them for ourselves!

Friday night, the 29th, PC did the Greyhounds game... so we took in that spectacle.

The Hounds lost 7-2... not a very good game, but we got to see the new Steelback Centre... a really nice facility... and of course there were a few fights throughout the game... (one I managed to capture on tape and hope to get up on the blog soon... once video streaming functions properly in the NORTH!!! Stay tuned)!

Now we have managed to make it back to Thessalon today on the 30th... and we will prepare for the New Year's Eve tomorrow... an end to a rather exhausting year!

Only a day late!

So... the white Christmas I was dreaming of finally arrived... only a day late, but I guess I can't complain... except for the fact that we have an 8 hour drive North to make tomorrow!

Christmas day was enjoyable... we stayed at the in-laws all day long and opened too many gifts, ate too much food, and did a whole lot of lounging around... !! Santa was good to both PC and I... although I don't have time today to recount all of the loot... I will hopefully get to some more blogging in a few days!

My uncle Rick turns 60 today... so here is wishing him many more profitable years! The Bellerose gang will gather for our annual boxing day celebration... PC and I will have to be there in spirit!

Here a few pics of the snow we got overnight... enjoy!

Merry Christmas!

So its finally arrive... la veille de Noël.

Its seems hard to believe that Christmas is actually here.... afterall its +5 outside and the sun in beaming in my window as like its a hot summer day.

However, I can get past this fact and move on to the idea of ripping open thousands (okay 10) presents tomorrow morning!

I am not sure what it is but on Christmas morning every year, I still get a little bit of upset belly excitment... I wonder what everyone has gotten me, and once I open my eyes, there is not going back to sleep (which is rare for me). The excitement forces me out of bed and directly to the tree where the gifts have rooted themselves for the past 15 or 20 days!

The other thing I really like about this day is that I get to see the look on people's faces when they open the gifts that I gave them. I really enjoy giving gifts... I like to think that I put some thought into the gifts I give so naturally I enjoy seeing if the person enjoys the gift they get from me!

Tomorrow will be a day of excitement all around... at many households!! PC and I will be in Maxville this year taking in all of the events there... so to my family I would like to say 'Merry Christmas, Mom, Dad & Erin'... hope Santa is good to you... can't wait to see you on the 27th!

Merry Christmas to all... and to all... DRINK UP, its the holidays!

Gift Certificates: Love 'em or Hate 'em

Nothings says Merry Christmas, like a gift certificate ... or does it?

I personally love getting gift certificates for gifts... but some people have mixed emotions about them. I realize some people believe it to be impersonal and somewhat of a last resort type of gift... but to me a gift certificate says: here... go and find something you will absolutely love!

The gift certificate is a safe bet... you can't go wrong. I don't know one person who gets a gift certificate and says: oh damn it, now what will I do with this?

In this day and age everyone is over-spoiled (if that's a word). I mean seriously... we live in a society that says if you want something, buy it ... so when it comes to gift giving its a very difficult task to buy something for someone that they don't already have. A gift certificate means that the person doesn't have to rush out tomorrow and get something they want at their favourite store... they can sit back and shop around for a few months, until they find something they need or love.

However, others view gift certificates in the same way they view giving cold hard cash as a wedding gift... its just not something like to do... they would rather find the 'perfect' gift instead of simply putting a crispy hundred dollar bill in a card.

My thing with gift certificates is that its a bit of lonely gift... so I like to get a little something to go with it... like a bottle wine, or a pair of earrings... just something little that people can show off with the gift card.

The other great thing about the gift certificate is that its portable... you don't need to rent a truck to take it home, you can throw it in a carry-on bag if your flying... heck these days gift certificates come like credit-cards so you can just slip it in your wallet... no real packing necessary!

Its rare to find a store that doesn't give a gift certificate these days... Tim Hortons, Harveys, Home Depot, M&Ms, Winners, Roots, Chapters, East Side's, Future Shop, Canadian Tire... you name it, they have a fancy gift card for it!

Personally, the gift certificate is an easy, yet thoughtful, gift. To me, it says: Merry Christmas... I like you!

What's your take on the subject... is a gift-certificate a good gift to give? Is it something you like to receive... or is just an impersonal gift that you hate getting?

Exhausted!

I really don't know what it is lately, but I can not seem to get enough sleep. I try every night to go to bed early, but I am always hoovering around midnight before I actually get there.

The last couple of mornings (who am I kidding... the last 2 weeks) I have literally had to be dragged out of bed in order to make a half decent appearance in French class. Since curling has slowed down, I thought I would have much more free time to do my Christmas things, but apparently that is not the case.

I don't seem to be stressed out about the holidays. I have the majority of my gifts bought and wrapped. I didn't have a hard time buying for anyone this year... and I mostly feel that I deserve a pat on the back for being AHEAD of schedule this year.

However... somewhere along the way I have exhausted myself. Every morning the coffee doesn't seem strong enough... my body is tired... my eyes want to shut (even during the most interesting conversation in French!), and I am a total drag when it comes to good conversation lately (hence the crappy posts the last few days).

I am not sure how to get myself out of this funk... as it stands now the holiday schedule is shaping up to be a busy one... and I don't anticipate any extra time for sleeping in.

It seems its going to be an exhausting road until the end of the year... so I will apologize in advance for lack of coherent posts over the next week and half!

Hang in there folks... the New Year is just around the corner and I vow to be more interesting in January (after all it will be my Birthday month)!

Oh NO!

Want to know what will be inside your stocking this year... ? Take the quiz below!

Unfortunately it doesn't look good for me!

Your Christmas Stocking Will Be Filled With Coal

You haven't been *that* naughty this year.... Santa is just screwing with you

CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE QUIZ

A world of followers!

So here we are... a week before Christmas, 7 entire days before the big event.

Its one week until we all gather together with our families, rip open some presents, and then sit around eating and drinking for the rest of the afternoon/evening.

I tend to have a problem with the speed at which Christmas comes and goes.

We, as citizens of this planet, spend weeks and weeks preparing for this grand occasion... we shop our little hearts out, some of us bake, some us prepare fancy meals and drinks, we wrap gifts, throw up a tree, decorate it, put some lights up outside... and even go as far to hang stockings over the fire place.

We prepare all of this for 1 hour (at best) of gift ripping chaos -- you would think prepartion of this magnitude would be worth more then an hour of so-called pleasure?

I mean seriously... if I was planning a vacation, I would take weeks to prepare for the vacation... finding the right flight, hotels, restaurants, buying the necessities for the trip, packing, etc... I wouldn't do all of this work for 1 hour of vacation, would I? No... I would take at least a week, if not more.. so this begs the question:

Why do we spend some much time preparing for this occasion... ?

I think the world forgets to remember the religious aspect of Christmas... from the eyes of the church, the preparation is much needed (after all, I don't think the lord baby Jesus was created in an hour... at least I hope not), but for the rest of the non-religious world, we go to great lengths to prepare for such a short celebration.

I tend to believe that the world is filled with followers... somewhere back in history... someone decided that celebrating the birth of Christ was necessary (no argument there), then someone followed with the idea that by celebrating we must invite people to the party, and those people who come must bring gifts. Then someone else said, 'why don't we have a meal too' and others followed along by agreeing to all of this.

Then years laters, more and more people followed the lead of that first person who said we needed a celebration (forgeting about the birth of Christ all together) ... AND... thus we have arrived at TODAY where the followers of this world have made Christmas such a huge deal, that anyone who chooses not to follow is considered not normal.

There you have it folks... a world of followers, thats the reason Christmas has become so out of control! What do you think... have I got something here?

Driving Karma... ?

While driving home from Ottawa the other day... I was listening Global on the radio and a story about a study that claims your astrological sign and driving habits have a connection.

This study of 100,000 drivers based its findings on the North American driving statistics complied by an online insurance quoting service. The statistics show that your astrological sign determines whether or not you are prone to being invovled in driving accidents and/or receiving tickets.

Luckily for me, the Capricorns of the universe were not ranked the worst (although in some cases close to the worst)... meaning that I do have some driving abilities, but apparently not as many as say... Cancer, who was ranked much higher than the Caps, and just happens to be the astrological sign of PC (let's hope this little study doesn't find its way into his hands... or it will be a 'see Sars, I told you so' type conversation!).

However, the findings of this study become a little hard to believe for me when it claims that those who are most prone to getting traffic tickets are Pisces (Feb. 19 to Mar. 20)... which is my Dad's sign.

Timbo????
The man who is the most cautious driver alive. The man who has never committed a major traffic infraction in his life... (except the odd rolling stop on Algoma street when he's late for church on a Sunday morning). The man who prides himself in driving 100 km/h and only 100 km/h on all major highways of this country.

(Mind you... there was that one time he got pulled over by the cops... because he passed a crusier on the 4-lanes doing 98 km/h in a 90 when the cop was trying to reduce the speed of traffic during the Christmas season to set an example... but once the cop recognized him from the curling rink... he let him off... however, I digress... the point being, the man is a good driver!).

Nevertheless, the study does hold some truth when its states that Libra (Sept. 23 to Oct. 22) have the greatest risk of getting in a traffic accident. Libra is the sign of my Mom - that would be the woman who does not have her license and probably never will... this being a good thing, because according to the study, she would be a liability to every driver on the road when she gets behind the wheel (I have to wonder if she subconsciously knew this, and that is the reason why she never wanted to learn how to drive). So Mom... for all of the drivers of this country I would like to say: THANK YOU!

I found all the findings to be interesting... click here to read the story with all of the astrological signs ranked from best to worst. Where do you rank...? What do you think... does the study hold some truth, or could I still be a better driver then PC afterall?

Green Christmas GO AWAY

Today while out on my lunch... I was moody, irritable, and hot... and all this is to blame on the weather.

I HATE YOU WARM WEATHER IN DECEMBER, I HATE YOU.

I mean don't get me wrong, I like nice weather, I like good driving weather, I like hot in the summer, breezy in the spring, cool in the fall... and C.O.L.D. in the winter. That's right, winter is no fun, unless there is tons of snow and tons of windchill! Okay... so I could probably do without the windchill, but the SNOW is mandatory.

For me, without snow, there might as well not be a Christmas (Mom, I will still be accepting presents though!). Seriously... its hard to be in the Christmas spirit when I can wear my flip-flops outside without even getting cold.

Early in the month we were teased with this form of percipitation that was some what snow-like, but more of a freezing rain... however in the last 3 days, anything thing that could have been a good base for the snow has completely vanished... it looks more like April outside, as oppose to December... December 14th, 11 whole days before Christmas.

Environment Canada doesn't seem to care too much about this either... today they released the forecast for the next 10 days, which includes highs of plus 7 & 8... its almost certain that there will be no snow for Christmas.

Its depressing, and unacceptable in my opinion.

Excuse me while I have a tear ...

1 for you, 1 for me!

Today while shopping for some Christmas gifts, I notice a bit of a trend .... the trend being that at every store I shopped at, I bought one gift for the person on my list, and one gift for ME.

This is the problem with Christmas shopping. Lately, since being on French training for a century (12 months), I have been away from the Rideau Centre (which was/is located 10 steps from my office), so I practically never go shopping.

The last time I bought anything for myself, was back in September when PC and I went to Montreal for our anniversary - that makes 3 months of no purchasing for me... which is definitely a record. So... today when I set out to hit a few stores, I naturally found some good gifts items, but since I hadn't been near a mall in FOREVER, I also found some things I needed wanted.

3 stores & $75 later I had myself some new accessories!

Why do I do this?

I think with every purchase I made for ME, I rationalized the fact that NO ONE would buy me these items for Christmas... and all the items that I purchased were on SALE, so that's a good thing! I mean seriously... let's be realistic, I am the wife of Peter Coleman.... he would not want me to pass up a SALE all because of some measley holiday we call Christmas... (lord knows he would never show that kind of restraint)!

So... the purchases in my head were justified, but now that items are at home starring me in the face, I must admit I do feel a little guilty!

Does anyone else have this problem... ?

It's great being a WIFE!

Now this is the time of the year, that every wife says to herself 'it's great being a WIFE'.

I know many of you are probably thinking, yeah right... but well I was browsing some news articles on the web yesterday, and happen to come across two very interesting quick facts about Christmas shopping:

Canadian men spend an average of $216 on gifts for their spouse.
Canadian women spend about $158 on their spouse.

Gotta love those stats if your a WIFE. Your entitled to $58 more in gifts per Christmas.

You don't have to ponder very long to wonder why the numbers are seperated by the margin they are... but let's:

Is it because husbands love their wives more then wives love their husbands?
Is it because wives deserve more then husbands?
Or is it the simple fact that wives are pre-planning-purchasers when it comes to gift giving and husbands are last minute fools?

I think I will go with the latter.

Wives think in advance of what they will get their husbands... on the weekends they research, they shop around, they compare prices.... while men spend all of November watching NFL Football .... and when December rolls around, they have no clue what to get their wives, because while the wives were carefully dropping hints as to the gifts they would like to receive back in November... the husbands were on the couch, completely tuned out watching the game, but nodding as if they got the hints.

So... when December 20th finally arrives (and for some I know that is early) ... husbands across Canada ban together and hit the stores, buying luxurious, over priced gifts for their wives. Hence, the $58 seperation.

Really, in the grand scheme of things... who cares... if you're a wife these days you are making out pretty darn good, so let's not dwell on the logistics I guess. The best thing to do now is... start thinking of a gift that costs in the neighbourhood of $216 (that being the average which means its more like $250 for at least 35% of the population) ... and stop being subtle.... find a picture, draw a map of the store... and leave it next to the TV remote!!!

Good luck wives... !!!

Editor's note: I should confess that this post doesn't in anyway apply to PC. He's actually the exact opposite of the typical male shopper... he shops all year long (like his mother), and is rarely at a loss for ideas.... (thanks to my subtle hint dropping)... and being PC, he always finds a good deal... so even if he spends $216... he gets a lot for his $216... but the part about being tuned out on couch during the NFL games... COMPLETELY TRUE!).

The Christmas Card

Really... these are the times you want to murder the creator of Hallmark. Why must there be a card for everyone damn occasion, and why must I be guilted into these activities by commericals that end with: when you care enough to send the very best.

NEWSFLASH: I don't care. Actually, let me retract that statement, I do CARE... and I want to care enough to send the very best... but. well. ummmm. ALRIGHT - I have no valid excuse.

Originally, I wanted to send cards that had a picture of our Christmas tree on it, and although the concept was good, it just never materialized... when I put it all together, I thought the card looked stupid (if I am going to go with a picture card I needed a cute kid, and when I realized I didn't have one of those handy, and couldn't get my own in the next 2 weeks... well, the concept was turfed).

Once my original idea flopped, I decided that I wasn't going to send out cards at all.

I think it mostly has to do with the fact that I haven't fully recoverd from sending out the wedding Thank You's a year ago. By the time you hand write a message to everyone who sent a gift... (155 cards later) you just about want to shoot yourself, literally (and I still firmly believe that Thank You notes are the glue that holds a marriage together, they tell a bride: THIS IS WHY YOU ONLY DO THIS ONCE IN YOUR LIFE!).

However, last evening we received our very first Christmas card... from the Robertson's (Gary & Enid) and in the card was this clever, hand-typed, one-page letter with the update on their family, including pictures.

I thought to myself after reading it, what a nice idea... how thoughtful. The letter was in a sense a lot of bragging about the kid's and their successes, but it was nonetheless, informative, and well put together!

After reading the card/letter, I decided ... it's back on... CHRISTMAS CARDS for EVERYONE!

But moments later, after I whipped out my address list, which essentially is the address list from the wedding, I realized that we really can't afford to send out 210 Christmas cards. So here's the question... where and with whom do you draw the line at sending Christmas cards? Should I start the receive one send one policy... or should I only stick to close family and friends, or just family?

I have no idea.

Now I have myself soooo worked up, that I can't decide what is the best approach, and it basically has me back at square one... thinking I should just forget about sending Christmas cards to anyone.... because its EASIER.

(AND... to top things off... now that I've mentioned it on here, all my faithful readers will be expecting a card! Perfect... juuuuuuuuuust perfect!)

What's your take on Christmas cards?
Am I a bad person for not sending any?
How many Christmas cards do you send a year?

I need to come up with a plan and quickly... time is of the essence here, because according to Canada Post, if I want my cards to arrive on time, I have to have them in the mail by no later than December 18th... that means, only 10 days to buy the cards, write in them, address them, and bring them to the mail. If I miss that date, they probably won't get to my receipients until the middle of January, and from here on in, I will be known at the girl who sends out the late cards..... ooooh the pressure!

Welcome to the Mafia

Dear Mr. Coleman

Thank you for your interest in the Mafia. It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to our industry.

After reviewing your resume, I can see that your association with the Canada Revenue Agency in the collections function will serve as a good cover for the day to day business transactions you will be required to complete as a part of our family.

As you are no doubt aware of the nature of our business, it will be necessary that you purchase a vehicle that will allow you to conduct business with our preferred clients. It would be preferable if you choose a car that has ample trunk space, in order to allow you to transport large, heavy items, such as 3 to 4 human bodies at one time.

As well, in true Mafia fashion, the colour black will be essential in order to communicate to our clients that we are serious business peolpe. Below I have enclosed some photos of the ideal Mafia vehicle that many of our associates have taken the opportunity to purchase, I hope you will find this helpful in your search for the perfect car.

Although I realize that your wife may be somewhat reluctant to follow these guidelines, I trust that you will be successful in convincing her that a vehicle of this nature is of the utmost importance to your new business venture.

Should you have any questions or problems, please feel free to contact me at the private number I have forwarded to you under seperate cover.

Thank you for your interest in our business, I look forward to working closely with you in near the future.

Sincerely,

Tony Soprano

Note: We are now the new proud owners of this 2006 Dodge Charger! After a long and gruelling seach, PC finally found THE car... we are now fully equiped to do business with The Sopranos!

Here's a surprise... women talk more then men!

The other morning, while driving into Ottawa, I heard some radio morning personalities talking about this new book by Dr. Luan Brizendine entitled: In the Female Mind. Apparently, Dr. Luan states the following:

'women talk almost three times as much as men, with the average woman chalking up 20,000 words in a day - 13,000 more than the average man.'

Women also speak more quickly, devote more brainpower to chit-chat - and actually get a buzz out of hearing their own voices.

And, if that wasn't enough, the simple act of talking triggers a flood of brain chemicals which give women a rush similar to that felt by heroin addicts when they get a high.'

So ... seeing as I like to think of myself as a talker... when I open my mouth in public I am pretty much preceived as... a woman all buzzed up on heroin?

Perfect! Just what I need in addition to the fact that my english roots seem to be escaping me.

I guess these facts clearly explain why PC can't seem to get a word in edge-wise at the dinner table... once I start talking, I have anywhere from 2500 to 5000 words to cover in order to reach my daily quota... and that's assuming that I've actually already put in a good 15,000 words throughout the day before I even get to him. If I happen to not speak to anyone during the day, PC better set up for office hours, as he practically has to listen to 13 short university essays before I can call it a day!

I guess its not easy being a man. Women do most of the talking... so that doesn't leave men with much time to say anything.... which may also explain why a men love to give one word answers...

For example:

Me: What do you want to have for dinner?

PC: Whatever.

Me: What time are you getting up in the morning?

PC: Early.

Me: Did you take out the garbage?

PC: No.

Me: Do you want to have to sex?

PC: Sure.

In PC's world... why use 25 words to say what can be clearly communicated in one!

I guess women will continue to get use to the fact that men don't say much, and men are coming around to the fact that women just don't shut up... and never will!

Oh the joys of communicating!

I should probably wrap this post up... all this typing has made me lose my buzz!

The French in me has taken over!

It's official... the French have had their way with me.

Short of having the tacky blow up lawn ornaments all over our yard, I am convienced that this damn French training has taken over the all the witty, rational, and intelligent anglais in me.

First our exterior Christmas lights were on before the 1st of December, and as of yesterday at 5 pm, mon arbre de Noël is up, lit, and well decorated.

I couldn't help myself yesterday, with the snow falling... I took one look at the Christmas tree box on the living room floor, and ripped it open with franglais pride.

PC decided to head to the wood show with Scottie Don't and Dad C... and I was left in the comfort of my own home to do nothing - but for once I was actually productive!

I am officially decorated for Christmas, now all I need to do is buy the 89 gifts to throw under the tree, and I can sit, back, relax, and start eating the holidays away!

Here are a few pics of my efforts... and some of the outside of our house as well... enjoy!