Like It Is

Perhaps because I’d blogged about Valentine’s day I was more acutely aware of all the Valentine’s day trappings and interesting little things people were doing… So I thought I share what I noticed today going to and from work. Had to grin to myself.

1. 1. The Hallmark card shops were packed… mostly with guys. I have never seen so many guys in a card shop before! Looks like they’d nipped in to get that card for The One at the last minute. Just like Christmas… (heh)
   2. All the nice classy cards went very quickly. Spotted quite a few empty display holes and lots of leftover cards
   3. Even the crappiest simplest cards were bloody expensive!
   4. I happened to spot the prices of a bunch of flowers in one of the flower shops near where I work. Nearly $CDN40.00 for a smallish bunch!? So.. for an acceptable bunch we’re looking at say $CDN80 and up. But the alternative? Turn up with no flowers? On Valentine’s Day? Not worth the risk
   5. There was a queue (line) in the flower shop. Mostly guys.
   6. Flower wrapping services were available. Mostly guys in these lines.
   7. I did get wished Happy Valentine’s day – to which I replied “same to you.” It hadn’t occurred to me to say it first, because although I’m reminded of it, I just never remember it! Except when I blog

Today is my birthday. January 22. Slap bang in the middle of long January, when people are still getting over their Christmas shopping reality check. Or not. It’s another year but I love birthdays! Birthdays are YOUR special day.

Living in Toronto with my immediate family (Mum, Dad, brothers and sisters) in the UK, it was so nice to have phone calls from England and Europe from my family and friends. As well as my family in Canada. And birthday cards – which they go to extra effort to post to make sure they arrive on time.

But I had a lovely surprise today – around 2.45 at work, the receptionist popped her head round and said to me “ You have something out at reception…”

“Really?” I said, all excited. “Yes. And you can’t miss them”.

So I hurry out – to find a sight that always turns me to mush… a dozen beautiful red roses. Well, she was right - there was no missing them. Sent by my lovely husband, who hadn’t breathed a word even though we’d talked twice on the phone today. They’re sitting on my desk where I can see them and smile at them – and share them with my colleagues (seems to make the men feel guilty, heh heh!).

My day had been hectic, packed full of meetings, but my roses really made my day. Flowers always mean a lot to me because when we were dating – just over seven years ago now – Huzza and I both lived in different countries (Toronto, Canada and London,England) and couldn’t be together as often as we wanted and he always sent me flowers. We made do with the Internet and long telephone calls and transatlantic trips, but whenever I got flowers, they always lifted my spirits.

Anyway we’re back from a leisurely dinner and I’m looking at my pressies, squealing in delight and smiling at lovely day… and wondering – why can’t we have birthday week?!

I vote for a birthday week, but my Sweetie doesn’t think too much of the idea. One day a year is plenty for him!

A Merry Christmas, a safe and peaceful holiday time, and a wonderful New Year to my all readers and friends.

Thanks for all your support and see you in 2007!

Hope you enjoy these Christmas laughs as much as I did

Every Christmas my husband (whom I’m now going to refer to as “Sweetums” when I refer to him on my blog) and I swap Christmas lists with each other. Our lists have a selection of things we’d like and we just pick from the list and we set a budget, so we still have the element of surprise on Christmas Day when we open our pressies. Neither of us is easy to buy things for but Sweetums is particularly hard to buy things for because he either has it already, doesn’t need it, or won’t like it. No point me buying him a watch for example. He never wears them. I’ve been badgering him for his list for a couple of weeks and he’s been sending me ideas and the list is growing nicely. Today he sent me this and I just had laugh – and to share it. I did of course ask if he’d mind me using it as a blog post. He didn’t. So here goes…

“Okay, I really, REALLY need a new wallet, and if you’ve a mind to shop for one, I’ll let you <s> - I’m usually pretty cheap about it, so maybe you’ll
want to look at nicer ones than I usually let myself go for.

Here are my personal wallet does and dont’s (I’m pretty fussy)

Don’ts:
- I hate change compartments - I HATE them, please, no change compartments.

– I hate cheap plastic photo windows - I’d like to have a picture of you in my wallet, but remember that my wallet takes a lot of abuse, so it has to be a pretty high-quality picture slot, so if it’s not, I’d prefer one without a picture slot.

- I really don’t want one of those wallets that allows you to have more than one picture to be displayed - you know, the kinds where a guy flips out his wallet and starts boring the shit out of you with pictures of his kids, his dog, his boat …..

- I like black, but a nice dark reddish-brown leather would be okay - I also like a smooth leather finish rather than a stippled leather, a little bit of grain is okay, but not too much.

- I HATE two-toned wallets, wallets with stitching of a different colour than the leather, embossed or grooved fancy designs: simple and elegant is
my style.

- I don’t like a clasp or button closure - just a simple flip-it-open design - and NO zippers. Anywhere.

Dos:
- I like a nice tri-fold, but it might be time to go for a bi-fold as a change

- I don’t like the money well (where the notes go) to be too deep – remember, I have a wallet I use when in the UK, so I only need a wallet deep enough for Canadian/US currency, so a trimmer profile is good - I like ‘em a little smaller than average

- I like everything to be built-in - the more slots for cards the better, and please, no flip-out card things - you know the wallet I have, it’s pretty much one piece - 12 slide-in slots and some hide-away slots underneath.

Hope that’s not too much! I’ll love whatever you buy me (as long as it doesn’t look “gay” and doesn’t have any buttons, zippers or plastic
flippies!!!)”

LOL! Right… Wallet for the Man Who Has Everything…here I come!

Once upon a time, all a model would get out of bed for was to sashay down the runway. As long as they were doing what they did best (and preferably keeping their mouths shut) no one cared whether they were doing lines or modelling them.

Not anymore. Looks like a large part their energy appears to be being spent on keeping themselves from being thrown in the slammer. But it’s their own stupid fault of course. This time it’s Supermodel Ms Naomi Campbell who, though just 36, has a fiery temper of legend. Looks like her well known temper may actually land her in jail in the not too distant future, unless she again manages to dredge up some more remorse for flying into one of her now-famous rages.

Ms Campbell was told she was “absolutely obliged” (translation: turn up or else) to be at Manhattan Criminal Court on November 15 over the accusations by her (latest) maid that she allegedly threw a mobile phone at her. Her maid needed four stitches. The mobile phone was said to be a diamond encrusted Blackberry. Hello? A diamond encrusted Blackberry!? Wonder if the diamonds are round the screen or the keyboard? I’d love to see one myself. But I digress…

If Naomi doesn’t appear in court in November a warrant will be issued for her arrest. She was already arrested in March this year. Yet this is this is not the first time the supermodel has been in trouble over her “temper tantrums”. And it surely isn’t possible that ALL her maids and assistants are lying.

In February 2000 Ms Campbell pleaded guilty to an assault charge for beating her assistant with a telephone while making a film in Canada in 1998. She expressed remorse for the assault (though she wasn’t in court to enter the plea) and was released without punishment or a criminal record. She was ordered to take anger management classes. In August 2005, Ms Campbell was questioned for assault of a fellow model in Rome.

Those anger management classes clearly didn’t work very well. Ms Campbell might want to ask for a refund.

She’s already denied second degree assault for the latest charge. If she’s convicted she could face up to seven years in prison.Maybe that isn’t such a bad way of teaching someone you just can’t go around bopping people with your bloody phone every time you get pissed off about something they say. Chances are though she has a good lawyer… for starters he might gently encourage her to attend her next court appearance. He’ll be fully clad in protective gear of course – and all telephones (fixed and portable) should be removed from the premises. Just to be on the safe side. Or at least be well out of missile throwing range…

But wait – perhaps the problem isn’t Naomi’s at all. Perhaps it’s all the fault of the telephones, since they now look to be the weapon of choice for temperamental, out of control and otherwise-challenged celebrities.

Remember Russell Crowe?

Source: Times Online

Imagine watching some of the most powerful planes in the world fly right over where you live. Imagine having a ringside seat to watching the F22 Raptor performing acrobatics in the skies right over your head, or the CF19 Hornet or the CP140 Aurora or the marvellous Canadian Snowbirds! Not quite breaking the sound barrier (as they are not allowed to exceed Mach 1 which is the sound barrier) but extremely loud nevertheless. That’s the Canadian International Airshow, one of the best airshows in North America and a huge highlight of the Labour Day weekend in Toronto.

If you are as fascinated with planes as much as I am, you’ll probably agree that seeing these planes is pretty cool. If you’re not, take it from me – it’s pretty cool. Last year the weather was perfect sunshine, we sat on our balcony sipping a beer and watching the fantastic acrobatic performances of the pilots in the Canadian Airshow. The year before we skated down to the Canadian National Exhibition and watched the airshow from a great vantage point in the stands. Watching the show, all I can ever seem to say is “Wow!” “Amazing!” Words always fail me. Because these birds are amazing. Last year we saw the awesome USAF B52 among many other amazing planes.

This Labour Day weekend we’ve had low cloud and rain all day so far so the Canadian airshow wasn’t as long as it normally is on its first day, Saturday. But we still saw the CF18, F22 Raptor, the F16 Viper and the huge C17 Globemaster.

We’ve got Sunday and Monday though, so I’m looking forward to the great 2006 lineup – The F16, the F15 and the Canadian Forces Snowbirds and more. Weather allowing of course.

In England solo women news readers are as common a sight as their male counterparts. But reading about Katie Couric the anchor woman who will fill America’s most prestigious journalism seat as solo anchor, the words “Poison” and “Chalice” floated into my mind. Because CBS’s ratings for its evening news show have been heading southwards for several years now. 16 million in the 1980’s to around 6 million today.

CBS is hoping Katie Couric will help reverse ratings. She’s going to need plenty of help if her critics have their way. I was astounded to read that Ms Couric will be only the first solo woman anchor of an American weekday evening news show. She will also be the highest paid news anchor of any gender, her salary being $15 million. Yet even as this news is announced the gender bias in its reporting is apparent in the extreme. Men still dominate news reading in America, and so many are saying that Ms Couric is a “bit of a lightweight” for the prestigious role. How, they wonder, could this woman be suitable to hold a position once held by Walter Cronkite – a newsman. Or her other predecessors (all men)?

Some are even saying that Ms Couric’s appointment is the end of the entire news anchor tradition. Is there something wrong with this picture? Are we in 2006 or 1806? Are women not supposed to be treated on an equal footing with their male counter parts? It seems not. The bias is alive and doing very well.

The report I was reading made sure to mention that Katie Couric was 49 and single (oh, her husband died of cancer just in case you were thinking she was a Singleton – never married). Why not say she was a widow? And of all the quotes she made, the one that was printed was one where she mentioned that as a single mother with two children she wouldn’t be going to Iraq. She said she was quoted out of context, but now it’s out there. It was reported as an “own goal by Ms Couric”.

Had this been a man being appointed the focus would be on his track record and or accomplishments rather than his personal life. But when a woman is appointed to a role in one of the apparently last bastions of male dominance, the questions as always, are slanted differently. If she’d been still married they’d have made sure they mentioned she had a nanny. Lucky for her she has a couple of kids, otherwise she’d probably have faced even more disapproval.

And it gets worse. A poll released in the Pew Research Centre revealed that the qualities many Americans were using to describe Ms Couric were “fluffy”, “cute” and “perky”. No surprise that none of these words were ever used to describe her male rivals Brian Williams of NBC and Charles Gibson (ABC). Even her fellow reporters have been scoffing, telling The Times, among other things that “things might lighten up a little too much.” and that “[…CBS News ]is a dying institution, let’s hope she can do a strong job and boost ratings.” Some confidence in her reporting talent might have been a better show of support. But of course, they aren’t really supportive are they?

And it’s bordering on the ridiculous on USA Today where the focus of recent stories on Katie Couric have been on how she’ll wear her makeup, her hair colour, her toned legs, the merits of her “over-bubbly personality” and whether she’ll be wearing stillettos. Not a word about her accomplishments as a reporter. However old, handsome or balding her male counterparts are, I hardly think this would be the focus had one of them been appointed.

She will have to not only perform, but outperform her predecessors. If ratings at CBS News don’t increase, we know who’s getting the blame. You wait, it’ll all be the fault of her hair. Or the fact that she’s beautiful.

Good luck Katie Couric. Looks like you’re going to need it in buckets since your myopic peers still seem to believe your ability to do your job is wholly dependent on your hair, your legs, and your personal life.

Pat yourself on the back American journalism. Give yourselves a High Five. Wonderful to see your “progressiveness” in action.

Muslim leaders are blaming the UK government foreign policy for the acts of extremists. Never mind that 9/11was planned and took place well before the US was ever involved in Iraq. They have written a letter to the government stating, in effect that the attacks will continue until and unless the government changes its foreign policy.

I may not agree with some aspects of UK policy. But the United Kingdom is a democracy as is the United States, as is Canada, and if I live in a democracy then I accept that the only way to influence policy, foreign or otherwise is by democratic means. If Muslims or anyone else cannot accept this, then they are welcome to leave and go and live elsewhere.

And the UK government needs to come out of its collective funk of handwringing appeasement within which they are transfixed and get back to standing up for its people – and our collective freedoms.

After an unprecedented terror alert, all UK airports were blanketed today with the tightest security we have ever seen or even heard of. Flights to the UK, and to the US from the UK were either delayed or cancelled, after UK anti-terrorist police foiled a plot to blow up aeroplanes by way of devices smuggled on to plane in hand luggage. All but essential items are banned as hand luggage, with people having to check it in, and take the bare minimum in clear plastic bags to board the plane. O.K. so this is not what travellers are used to or even expect. The ban even applies to crew! And the terror alert level in the UK is at “critical” meaning an attack is expected.

Given the chaos that ensued, most travellers were just relieved they are alive and in one piece even though their travel plans, along with their flights, have been severely disrupted or even ruined. People co-operated, understanding that this is a far from ordinary situation. Considering my husband and I had been talking of travelling to England to visit family in the next few weeks, we are only too happy to put that idea on hold for the meantime. And I was there a month ago if we have to wait we will. It seems, however, that there are always some who simply have to whinge about a situation no matter how relatively unimportant it is. It is usually all about them and how their plans have been ruined.

Reading through some of the travellers’ comments on the BBC web site today I shook my head. They are by no means the majority of the comments people made, but just the fact that we have them in a situation like this is pretty telling. At least I’m not the only one who thought so. Some people really do need to get a grip.

Here’s a light sample of the comments:

“My holiday is ruined!”

“There won’t be in-flight entertainment for my 3 year old”

“Aren’t the authorities over-reacting?”

“I can’t take my walkman on board”

“I was meant to go on holiday today”

“I was meant to fly to (name of place) today, now it’s ruined!”

“I had to queue for ages in the airport”

“I’m a chauffeur and I’m losing business. I hope someone is going to re-imburse me…”

“I couldn’t get through to my airline… they could have given us more info…”

“My flight’s delayed…”

“Who’s making money from this?”

“I can’t take my lap-top on board.”

“I’ve been so inconvenienced”

WHO CARES? You’re ALIVE aren’t you??

BlogHer 06 is over. A blogging conference for women.  From the accounts I’ve read so far it seemed to be pretty good, certainly from the reports on the BlogHer website.  I think it’s great that women’s voices are being heard on-line through blogging. They’re in every sphere of the economy so no surprise they are in blogging.

 At the same time I feel a little uneasy that women who blog are being defined as… well, Women bloggers. Why?  Not that they aren’t women and  not that they aren’t bloggers.  But why describe themselves by their gender?

Do you ever hear people talk about men bloggers? Or a male blogger? I don’t. They say simply bloggers. No gender attached. In what way is a “blogger” different from a “woman blogger?”

Does it matter anyway that women bloggers are often defined by their gender? (and by the way I know there are many bloggers who are women who prefer not to be described as a woman blogger, but simply a blogger. For this reason many remain anonymous or use an indefinable or male pseudonym).

Does it enhance or hinder women as bloggers? What  image appears in your mind when you hear “blogger” to when you hear “women blogger?”   Does it depend on what they blog about? Or does it not matter?

I view this in much the same way as I view the Poker landscape. I  prefer the term “Poker player” to “Women Poker player”. In other words it shouldn’t matter if you are a man or a woman, you are simply a Poker player.  In blogging as in Poker, it seems that bloggers who happen to be women for whatever reason seem happy to define themselves as women bloggers, rather than simply bloggers. And even BlogHer’s tag-line is “Where the women bloggers are”.

Back to my Poker analogy, with the exception of the professional  Poker players there is a big difference in how women play poker compared to men.  And many men (and some women) players consider women’s Poker as somehow “less” (less competitive, less aggressive, less in your face).

Is it the same with blogging? Are women bloggers warmer and fuzzier?  Or are we just as apt to be stroppy as men? Are we taken  seriously when it comes to blogging?  Or should we feel we have to hide our light under a (virtual) bushel?