I needed a giggle...

... after yesterday and from the comments, I think some of y'all did too! These did the trick... for me. How to stop a fight: this NEVER fails... big ole brains... I know! Travis.. kitties, you and peas. Finally, how much does this make me smile... you know what to do Love you all more than my luggage! Hugs, smooches and gropes!

Two for Tuesday sillies.. return of the video monster!

I hadn't planned on this until I paid my bro Travis a visit this morning. This one's for you Trav... hehehe This is for Dana... Memories of youth... *sigh* Man I loved these tunes... so.. if y'all have been paying attention, in every post I mention a certain game and deftly craft it into my post... How am I to do it this time? Well, it's a word game.. so I thought, what are other word games? Word association! (also a potent psychological tool - and no, I don't need treatment) Cow Patty... patty... paddy... rice paddy... FREERICE! Phew... that was a stretch. Immagonna go lie down now... maybe on The Couch. The tuneage alone is therapy... But today, there's an important post so be serious and go read it please (bring tissues cause Vince used up all of his). Love you all more than my luggage! Hugs, smooches and gropes!

blue tea, squirrels, the X-mas tree and trouble

You might think by the title of this post that someone spiked my tea as I was trimming the tree with chestnuts roasting on an open fire and a squirrel ran in and tried to get them and it all got me in trouble... That would be an excellent supposition... but no. You see, apparently I’ve been tagged by Mimi Queen of memes, and in the spirit of positive foreign relations I decided to break down and do the deed… because apparently she’s been hearing this a lot lately and she’s in no mood to be trifled with (like THAT would stop MOI!). This meme comes from The Blue Tea person (hello, pleasure to meet you, I hear from Queen Mimi you are quite nice)… Mimi was tagged by Lee and according to Mimi we should all go and say hello to the brave chap… Hello Lee, how’s the moat? Rules: Devise a list of 5-10 courses you would take to fix your life. It's more fun to be in classes with friends, so include one class from the person who tagged you that you'd also like to take. Tag five. Here goes... my personal improvement plan. 1. Squirrel training – Master class: It’s always been my ambition to get a squirrel act together and cross over into Ohio to serenade Matt-man with a band of happy and clever squirrels in an effort to cure him of his unreasonable hatred of the bushy-tailed creatures. We’d pile in the Jeep and take a drive (I think I saw Travis and Songbird in there…) We might want to stay away from Neil Diamond songs though… seriously. So far, I’ve had success with Chipmunks, so I’m encouraged. 2. Hydroponics for beginners: I believe it might assist me in growing rice so I can keep feeding the world. Although… playing this game not only enhances one’s vocabulary, it too feeds the world (did you think I was going to put up a post without Free Rice in it? HA!) and I actually wouldn’t need to flood my basement to build a rice paddy. I might look cute in the hat though... don’t you think? Speaking of hats… 3. Knitting 101: being Canadian and already having had to scrape the car windshield off because of snow and ice, I’m letting “practical Anndi” choose this one… plus combined with my wicked Be-Dazzler skillz I could make some stunning outfits for the squirrels. Presentation is everything. Plus, it’ll come in handy for … 4. Holiday decorating – Christmas semester: As I patiently wait for Queen Mimi to authorize tree trimming, I thought I’d take a class. You can never know enough about de-squirreling the tree… maybe Matt-man would like to join me in this one. 5. Downhill skiing: As I’ve already stated, I’m Canadian. You’d think I could do this… but no. I used to, but I sprained my ankle a couple of times and it feels like I’ve lost the strength needed to avoid crash-landing up a tree staring at a squirrel's nuts. Maybe I'll stick to sledding... 6. Foreign Affairs 303: I’ll join Mimi the Queen in this one… you see, although I have some skills when it comes to entertaining peaceful foreign relations I still have a long way to go. I mean, I’m doing the meme so as not to cause a rift between Bloggingham Palace and Canada, but I still posted too many versions of this: Oh.. I forgot one more class: 7. 1001 ways to escape dungeons and moats… You asked for it Mimi... Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! I tag: Travis, Songbird, Bud, Matt-man and Julie… good luck! Love you all more than my luggage! Hugs, smooches and gropes!

Here's your sign... not quite Wordless Wednesday

My dear friend Bond aka Vinny Bond aka Vince aka The Couch aka Boss (to Bruno and Guido) aka Blog God (or he who asks so many questions and attempts to solve all problems in the known universe) wants to know where he can get a certain sign following this post. You know me.. you get what you ask for! - well... my interpretation of it anyway ;p! Here's your sign Vince, hand it to whomever you wish (don't y'all dare start a nasty tag with this!) Here's one for Matt-Man (I know he'd LOVE to put this one up on his property): This one is for Dan... next time sweetie, look for this: This one's for Travis... bro, you were right! Love you all more than my luggage! Hugs, smooches and gropes!

For Travis...

My big bro Travis keeps pulling my pigtails, and as I was looking through some old pictures (I really do mean old.. some of the pictures I was looking at are of me as a very wee lass!), I came across this one and it made me think of him. Wasn't I just adorable? Come on now, I can hear you say :"awwwwwwwwwwwwww!". Until you get a look at what my mother felt could pass for appropriate little girls footwear! (ACK!!) Yes dear readers, THOSE shoes are most likely what is at the root of my passion for shoes... WOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOO!! Hey I just thought of something. Now I have an excuse everytime I walk through a shoestore! It's therapy! Can I pass off a Jimmy Choo purchase as a medical expense on my income tax do you think? Will my insurance company cover that? Hmmmmm.. better have a look into that. Maybe I could write-off the Richmond trip since Pia, The Chicklet and myself did have a look at lovely shoes... If there are any Canadian Tax Specialists out there please drop me a line, I'd be interested in discussing the finer points of those lovely forms we fill out every spring. You can impress me with your wizardry with numbers. I'll ooooh and aaaah as you explain some obscure tax law for trappers and furtraders. In order to make amends for the ickiness of what looks like junior army boots *shudder* I'll have to find a lovely shoe, something with a nice open toe, or something strappy .. anything that actually shows off the ankle. Yes folks, you couldn't tell by that picture, but I actually have ankles (and WTF with the socks???) Want to know what else disturbs me? They propped me up on a ledge! Travis, here's a paper bag... breathe dear. Don't ask me HOW I ended up on this video.. but Travis, your knee thingy is SO much better! Love you more than my luggage! Hugs, smooches and gropes!

Yipee!! Music tag!! And I'm it!

Travis knew this would be right down my alley knowing I’m a rocker chick with an affinity for guitars, Rock, and the Blues... and on Mother's Day he gave me a wonderful gift.. homework. GUITAR solo homework!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Getting to share this with Chicklet and her cherry (actually the colour is raspberry) new Alvarez guitar, fantastic! Favourite Guitar solos, no problem! Wait… picking just 5? Big Problem! I decided to pick from my favourite artists and give you a taste of what some have called the best guitar solos of all time. I could have gone the "safe" route, but I wanted to share songs that mean something to me, either because of how it makes me feel, the memories associated with it, or the plain righteous vibe they set forth. There are obvious choices... and Travis already covered some of my all time favourite solos… Be sure and visit him and listen to some outstanding guitar solos. The first song that came to mind blows me away every single time I hear it… It's slow, simple, long and it makes me close my eyes and sigh... You won't find it on any of the "official" greatest guitar solo lists.. it was one of those previously unreleased songs that was most likely laying around in a vault until someone realized just how sweet it is and included on a career retrospective CD. I share with you... Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Blues Medley. It’s a sit out in the sun, with a beer and a gentle breeze kind of tune. It includes bits of B.B. King's Sweet Little Angel, one of my all time favourite songs. It's one big ole guitar solo and if you love the sound of a guitar, it's one of those songs you just might enjoy. So... get your favourite beverage, go outside, sit in the sun ( I should probably remind you about sunscreen)… kick off your shoes and TURN IT UP! You can't... Well, I can't have a guitar list without The Great One himself: Mr. B.B. King. This has to be one of the best of all time... if I could just find a way to see him perform live, I could scratch one of the great to-dos on my list. The Thrill is Gone I share my birthday with one of the best guitarists who ever graced us with his talent, one who was tragically taken from us too soon, Stevie Ray Vaughn. His death left a void that has not to this day been filled. The great thing about this version is... the great B.B. King and the late Albert Collins play on it. Three of the great guitar legends... It may be too much for me to stand. Texas Flood … that’s some mighty righteous guitar on there. I’ve seen Carlos Santana live 3 times.. one of the best experiences was back at the stage at La Ronde in Montreal. They have some phenomenal shows and fireworks displays. That was were I saw Santana for the first time.. outdoors, on a hot Montreal summer night, and you could actually see stars (which can be hard to do with all the light pollution). And the sounds of Santana filled the air.. SWEET! Europa appears on the usual guitar aficionados lists… At a Santana concert, something happens.. you can feel the music course through your body.. you can see it run through the crowd… and it takes over. A truly orgasmic experience as far as concerts are concerned, he gives great guitar solo. There are no words to express what takes over at one of his concerts.. the atmosphere is charged, electrified. It's MAGIC. I had to insert a video for this one. Watching him play is a joy. One of the reasons I love Carlos so much (apart from his shoes and charity) is the Joy he clearly feels when he shares his great love of music with the audience, and especially with the musicians onstage with him. It took a long time for him to garner the kind of recognition he deserves.. far too long. Travis justly referred to Santana’s Samba Pa Ti as “seduction through guitar”… this next song fits the bill. It's one of the greatest rock songs of all time – from one of the greatest rock bands (oooh and Robert Plant- the Hair.. the Voice... the jeans... oh my.. THUD). Jimmy Page makes his guitar sing… watch his fingers in this clip. If you've never seen "The Song Remains The Same", do yourselves a favour. Led Zeppelin’s – Since I’ve Been Loving You. Prepare to THUD or THUMP. It's a lying in bed naked, sweating and panting, exhausted and exhilirated kind of song. Well.. I don't know about you but I'm breathless... I know what you're thinking... No Clapton? THE Guitar God? Well, Travis already included him and I would have (were I a cheat) included "Crossroads" ... but I had to try and follow the rules. No Jimi.. . well, that's simply because I can't pick just one... It's like trying to eat just one chip or peanut at a party when the bowl is staring at you calling out your name! Oh.. and um.. you might want to give "Comfortably Numb" a listen (find a live version - Pink Floyd was easily one of the best concerts I've ever been to). Just sayin'... I guess I'm supposed to tag people... I tag John, Angell (I really do love tagging you girlfriend!) and Starrlight. That should cover diversity. Anyone else who wants to play, just join in! Love you all more than my luggage! Hugs, smooches and gropes!

What I won't do for Travis....

There are actually numerous things I won't do for Travis... Kiss a Rainbow Butt Monkey square on the cheek is a perfect example of one of them(and I'm not talking about the members of Finger Eleven)... But when my darling Bro tags me.. well... he was tagged by Janna and then he tagged me... and... well... to tag or not to tag... you shall see... Oh... Thought I'd give you a radio to listen to while you sit and read... I've heard Janis, Blossom Dearie, Aretha, Ray Charles and The Supremes all in the space of 30 minutes on this station.. hopefully you'll enjoy some of the selection.. nice feature: you can skip ahead... and that's a good thing! (I just heard Shirley Horn sing Here's to Life.. *sigh*... Hope it plays for you!) LIST FOUR SENTENCES YOU'VE NEVER SAID BEFORE: 1. I don’t need a new pair of shoes. 2. Cheesecake or fruit salad? I’ll take the fruit salad. 3. I’d love an enema, how relaxing! 4. I LOVE plaid on you! LIST ANY NUMBER OF SONG TITLES THAT DESCRIBE HOW YOU'VE FELT THIS WEEK: 1. World on Fire – Sarah McLachlan 2. The Bitch is Back – Elton John 3. I Can’t Decide – Scissor Sisters IMAGINE YOU'RE HAVING THE IDEAL PERFECT DAY. WHAT FOUR THINGS WOULD YOU BE DOING? 1. Waking up to a warm summer breeze and spending the morning in bed with sweet music playing and the perfect person to share it with. 2. Hiking to a waterfall in the mountains. 3. Sit on a park bench to people watch (this includes making up stories about the people that walk on by…) 4. End the day by making love during a fireworks display (trust me.. it's quite the experience). MAKE UP FIVE CREATIVE NAMES FOR A NEW ROCK BAND: 1. Green Jello Wrestlers 2. Accidental Tourista 3. Monsters in the Backyard 4. Lawnmower Incident 5. Ted Nugent’s Shirt CONGRATULATIONS! YOU GET TO GO BACK IN TIME AND ENSURE THAT THREE SONGS WERE NEVER WRITTEN, THUS SPARING HUMANITY FROM EVER HAVING TO HEAR THEM. WHAT THREE SONGS WOULD GET THE AXE? 1. Popozao - K-Fed 2. Party All the Time – Eddie Murphy 3. Having my Baby – Paul Anka So... I tag Angell... (sorry babe.. just had too...) Love you all more than my luggage! Hugs, smooches and gropes!

Manic Monday - the BLOW edition..

After some fast and furious e-mailing that occured this weekend between some crazy people Meri, Travis, Julie -yes.. you too, Vinny (bad bad man LOL.. please don't ever change bwahahaha) and poor Dana our Queen who was subjected to our wild and crazy ways (I could think of worse things to be subjected to.. really...) I almost went the way of the obvious for this Monday's Manic assignment... I know.. you're expecting a dissertation on one of the most wonderful tools given to man... the leaf-blower! What? Not what you thought? Well... as I am always willing to throw a curve ball (ugh.. baseball talk.. I blame The Couch)... My use of the word BLOW... well a variant... So I saw this and it blew me away! Well... don't that beat all. Thank to all the sweet people who dropped by and shared their thoughts about my Friday Funk... I'll answer each and everyone as soon as I can but I must say I appreciate the concern, the support and especially that you took the time to really think about my little rant (except Matt-man.. who was too busy thinking of a big juicy lovely braised piece of beef....... how's that lent project thingy coming along?) OOOOOH!!! I have a double topic.. Things that might make Matt-man blow his lent project thingy... bwahahahahahahahahahaha! Duck of the Irish? I have officially 'De-funkified' as Matt-Man put it! Love you all more than my luggage! Hugs, smooches and gropes!