Saturday, December 30, 2006

Zoo and Book Review



Me and My Dad


Dear reader, I hope you are excitedly preparing for New Years Eve, where most get intoxicated and end up in situations they shouldn’t be in! I on the other hand am not. The only thing that I am really doing to get ready is making some Nanimo Bars right now. I only have the base done at this time but the rest is soon to come. One of the most favourite places in Ontario of mine is the Zoo and I was lucky to have the pleasure of going there with my dad. It was a bit chilly (and I was silly because I didn’t wear my coat or bring a hat and mits) but when the sun was out it was not so bad. We were able to get the whole Zoo (minus the animals and such that were not out b/c of the season) done and in 5 ½ hours. I thought that was pretty good because I am a bit out of shape at the moment and there is a lot to see at the Zoo. The one area we did not go in was the Canada Domain because there is a hill that is practically vertical and I was not going to tackle that and have a heart attack and ruin the day. Besides I know what animals are available there and I’ve seen them many times. The one disappointing this was that the Australayasia Pavilion was closed so we didn’t get to see the Night Time Animals or some of the cool animals found there, ie. kookaburra, possum, wombat, sugar glider, tree kangaroo, many fishes and reptiles. The one thing that saddens me is that when I was a kid there used to be painted foot prints to follow for certain trails and since I am growing up the foot prints are starting to vanish. The prints I used to jump on when I was a kid and pretend that I was actually leaving them. Unfortunately they have broadened the foot prints and painted more, there are now 6 trails that you can follow instead of the 3 I grew up with. I had a fun day and enjoyed seeing all the animals. I will include some pictures to show you about my adventure, I hope you like them.

Book Review – Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs

This book will probably have a very confusing review but I will try my best to stay ‘on the beaten path’.

The blurb that describes the book goes as follows:

Augusten Burroughs was just twelve years old when his mother gave him away to be raised by her unorthodox psychiatrist who lived in a world which rules were unheard of and a pedophile resided in the backyard shed. Running with Scissors is Burrough’s painfully funny and unforgettable account of his outlaw childhood – now the basis of a motion picture.



The one quote I got from the book that i really enjoy is this:






Our lives are one endless stretch of misery punctuated by processed fast foods and the occassional crisis or amusing curiousity.






The reason i liked this quote so much was because i could really relate to it. I know that when I am having a crappy time all I want some yummy, greasy fast food to make all my problems disappear. I realize that it never really helps, or at least to this day it hasn't but hey, i can wait for a windfall i guess.
I don’t know about you but from that I get a whole lot of nothing. I choose the book because I saw that it was made into a film that I wanted to see. After reading the book, I am definitely interested to see what the film will be like. The author did not live a regular childhood, but I guess I can’t say or think of anyone that has really, there’s always some sort of tainting somewhere, you may just have to dig a little deeper then the norm. Burroughs is a creative child that cannot stand the boring regimen of school and refuses to go, because he is so young, only 12, he and the psychiatrist and his mother formulate a plan so that he does not have to go. Note that the plan last for a short term period of time and it goes to great lengths involving hospitalization and such but I will leave the rest for you to read if you decide to. The book does describe mental illness a little bit but not in the proper way, it helps perpetuate the stigma that most people have. It is a common denominator in the book though because almost every character has some form of mental illness which is presented to the reader by their quirky character traits as well as common words used in the mental health community. The book is somewhat strange in that it isn’t really a story, it is a bunch of recounted memories and it jumps around quite frequently. It delves into the author’s personal life by the reader and himself learning that he is gay and how he is to handle it not only with the family he lives with but also his own mother. The father character in this book is present for maybe 2 chapters and then chooses to escape Burrough’s mother and try and lead his own life, which he hopes to be ‘problem free’. The book did having me laughing to myself a fair bit because the situations and scenarios involved were so out of the ordinary and outrageous that any reaction the person involved would have, would be hilarious. As a ‘thinker’ type of read, I don’t really recommend it because nothing really can be taken seriously except for the fact that the author had a very ‘different’ childhood. As a light read with a bunch of laughs, I would definitely suggest the book. The only thing I am curious about now is what will the movie be like if there is no real storyline?

Thursday, December 28, 2006

3 Movie Reviews, 2 turtle doves and a .......

Well dear reader, Christmas and Boxing Day are officially over. Was everyone a good boy or girl. Probably not, I know the type of people reading my blog and you are all naughty most of the time, at least from what I hear from you. Those people I don’t know that read my blog, you are probably a good egg. BE AWARE: don’t get under the influence of a naughty person, it can lead to a whole lot of trouble. So I am going to admit the holidays were very anxiety provoking this year. I have a lot of issues with my mum that are not resolved and I cannot begin to give an eta as to when they will be. Even though I was glad she was going away, Christmas was different because she wasn’t there, (it’s an only child thing, some of you may not get it). My dad and I have been have a good time though. I have made sure that there is a large supply of good food, baking especially. Christmas dinner went fabu, and my Yorkshire puddings turned out the best ever. I think I have found the secret to making them. I have basically been doing a lot of relaxing, listening to music, watching movies, and reading. I finally got around to watching a movie I bought a longtime ago and will be giving the review right now.

MOVIE REVIEW – Miami Vice

Well I must start off by saying that if you think Colin Farrell is a sex pot, definitely rent this movie. His hair is a bit cheesy but it’s sexy in his own way (it’s long in the back, not really short in the front, all the party is in the back!). Jamie Foxx doesn’t look to bad either but I have mentioned in a previous blog about the Willie Beamen commercial I always picture him in. There was a lot of guns, sex, cars, and drugs in the movie. I would rate them in that order too. The women that the 2 leading men ended up falling in love with were amazingly beautiful. I couldn’t get over how if they wore a paper bag (which they didn’t in the movie) how hot they would make that bag look. KUDOS to the leading men for getting hot co stars. The story line was kind of boring and regular but there was plenty to keep your attention focused on the movie. I would say it was a great movie for any Colin Farrell loving female. Guys would like the guns and cars part. Overall though, it was a pretty general, nothing too fabu about it movie.

MOVIE REVIEW – My Super Ex-Girlfriend

Now I wasn’t sure why but Luke Wilson looked extremely heavy in the face in this movie. Maybe they were trying to get the average guy look out of him, but that doesn’t mean you have to plump him up. Uma Thurman, what can I say, I am not a big fan of hers, her face is very manly I guess I would say, but in this movie she blew me away. She was hot as hell. The wardrobe they gave her as her superhero outfit was amazing and couldn’t be any more fitting. The movie is supposed to be extremely funny and this and that. Well sorry folks, the movie was only OK. There were a few really funny parts but not as many as there should be. The characters didn’t go together as well as I would have liked either which I found a bit irritating. Another thing that bothered me was a co star was the lead girl from all the “SCARY MOVIE”s and I really just don’t like her. She seems as dumb in every movie as she was in JUST FRIENDS (with Ryan Reynolds). Overall I wasn’t that fond of the movie, wouldn’t recommend for people to buy it, that’s for sure.

MOVIE REVIEW – Cheaper By the Dozen 2

This movie I was watching with my dad (unfortunately, he fell asleep and didn’t watch hardly any of it). This is a great family movie or even a regular person movie. It is packed with laughs because well Steve Martin and Eugene Levy are the leading characters. They are a very funny combo, rent BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE to see what I mean. Carmen Electra makes her first appearance as a parent which is a very strange roll for her but she plays what seems to be her free loving self. Some of the clothes she wears are not very PARENTLY but hey she’s got an amazing body, to cover up would be a shame for most watchers. This movie is so funny I found my self laughing out loud (the big belly laughs) so much that it was starting to hurt. The ending is nice too because it expresses the true meaning of family to the viewers. KUDOS to the characters of Gunner (the Baker family dog) and Chiseler (the rat at the cottage), they were some of the most funny animal co stars in a movie in a long time. One of the funniest movies I have seen in a long time and I really enjoyed it too. Although, Hilary Duff is a bit of a make up twit and stuff, she is the only character that I would really get rid of if I had the choice. Overall good movie, very funny and down to earth, I laughed my ass off!

Saturday, December 23, 2006


Dear reader, I have not been a very good author for you in the last little while. I have neglected to write to you because yet again, I have moved houses and I am now back at my dad’s house. My mum and I weren’t getting along and it really wasn’t a good scene. I have been busy with the hustle and bustle of Christmas as well, which I am sure you have too (hopefully I can use the holiday busy-ness to get me out of complaints and trouble). I will bring you up to speed on a bunch of things though, as long as I can remember them. First I will put a question out to you:

The actor Rob Lowe has been in numerous films and tv shows, ex. St. Elmos Fire, The West Wing, etc. I was pondering today what possessed him to be in the film Wayne’s World, when most of the work he had done was of a more serious nature. (He was good in Wayne’s World, I’m just left wondering….WHY????)

I finally got the infamous Christmas shopping fully completed yesterday. Some good things: I only gave presents to people I thought were important, I did not make myself go bankrupt buying presents, I tried to use my brain when giving presents to people instead of just getting them some piece of junk they will throw out in a few days, I used new and inventive ways of shopping, and even better, I have plenty of money left over to start saving for next year.

Today my mum left to spend Christmas with her sister’s family and her mum is Peace River, Alberta. It’s just me and my pa for Christmas. He has booked 10 days off to help out and take a bit of a break as well. We have planned a few little jobs/outings to do while he is on break. One I am really looking forward to is going to the Toronto Zoo. Even though the African Pavilion will not be active, there will still be lots of animals that we will be able to see. I LOVE THE ZOO, it’s definitely one of my favourite places ever. Dad and I plan to have our traditional dinner of Roast Beef, potatoes, parsnips and Yorkshire Pudding on Christmas. I am looking forward to the feast already. I also plan to bake a variety of desserts so there will be lots of selection on the sweeter side of things.

Movie Review – The Devil Wears Prada

This movie, if anything, I found really quite disappointing. Anne Hathaway, Merryl Streep, Stanley Tucci and Adrien Garnier did not impress me at all. Gisele Bundchen had as small bit part but she was kind of not good either. The movie depicted the way the fashion world is to a T, which was nice to see. It really is a dog eat dog world and I don’t think people understand how bad it can really get. Anne Hathaway and Adrien Garnier did not have any likeable chemistry together, even though they were dating within the movie. Merryl Streep did a fabulous job of playing a complete and utter bitch. I can’t remember seeing a movie where she played a total mean hag, but on this one she nailed it. Stanley Tucci’s character was very different for what you are used to seeing him play. Usually he either has a really serious role (like the tv show 3 lbs.) or he is in a villainous sort of role. Seeing him play an eccentric designer fashionista was very interesting to say the least. The main thing I took away from the movie is that a regular plain jane can be hired into the fashion world and completely transformed just to suit the industry, she gets the un-nice traits as well, ie. stepping on people to get where she is going. The one thing I really did like about the movie was the fashion and such. It was almost a weird version of America’s Next Top Model, I kept waiting to see a sneak appearance by Janice Dickinson, and alas I was let down.

Movie Review – STEP UP

Now this movie isn’t really an actual review because I saw it in theatres and I bought it just recently but I figured I would talk about it since I have neglected you for so long. The movie falls into the dance category and if you know me at all, I love dancing movies. This also was a romance flick but the lead characters weren’t too horrible to look at so it was nice to see 2 hollywood people (Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan)falling in love, in a not real scenario. If I think about it now, it sort of resembles save the last dance but not exactly. The dancing I must say was very awesome and eye catching though.

I finished reading James Patterson’s “Mary, Mary” book. I usually don’t review his books because they all are sort of the same, unless it is one that is totally different from his style. I wasn’t too keen on the ending of the book, but the beginning and the middle were really good. If you like his style you might like the book, his style for those that don’t know is murder, mystery, fiction.

I can’t really think of what else to tell you dear reader, I am at a loss for words. I know that when I move my computer back to my dad’s house there will be more postings and such. My cows, dad thinks, are both pregnant which is a nice thing to hear. We are hoping for girls so that we are able to build our foundation stock of cattle. If we get 2 little boys though it will still be a pleasant surprise. Dad says the babies are about the size of a soft ball, but they have legs, a head and everything. We are expecting the babies to be born around November next year, I am already looking forward to it.

I am going to wish all my readers a wonderful Christmas, or whatever it is you may celebrate. Hopefully, you get all the presents you want and you eat till your heart or belly is content. Season’s greetings !!!

Saturday, December 9, 2006

Book Review - Marley & Me by John Grogan


This picture is of my dog Phil and I am so proud of him. He brings me comfort when I am sad, a snuggle when I am cold, and when I look at him I know that he truly loves me because that’s what the expression is in his eyes. So dear reader if you are an animal lover like myself, I have a very good choice for you. The book is Marley & Me by John Grogan. Now I am going to be honest with you, it took me a long time before I actually decided that I was going to buy it. I pondered as to A)how it would be written, B)how the story would flow, C) and honestly, whether it would be really good and be worth the full price I would have had to pay if I bought it when it first came out. Luckily for me, and the book too I guess you could say, it got to be a bestseller at chapters and there was 30% off the original price, and me being an irewards member I get the extra 10% off, (a whole 40% off for wee old me, that’s good because I buy enough books from chapters, I am probably one of their main supports!). The story is a biography about Marley, John Grogan (the author), his dog. Marley is a very interesting specimen of a Labrador Retriever. He has non-stop energy, loves people, is outgoing, and completely crazy and silly. The sorts of trouble he gets himself into are totally unbelievable and have the reader laughing to themselves quite frequently (or at least that’s how it was for me. You learn about Marley from when he is 8 weeks old to 13 years old (which is a really long life for a Lab.). I will admit I didn’t read through this book as fast as usual because I got a little bit bored with it in the middle but especially at the end, I was reading the book like a trooper. In a strange sense Marley was like the cartoon Marmaduke in the way that he would always be into something or being naughty. Marley and the author hadn’t an instant bond from the very first night he was brought home to the day he died. The author’s wife, Jenny, also was welled bonded with Marley but nothing could break the love Marley had for the author. An example of Marley taking care of Jenny would be that he watched over her and never left her side after she mis-carried her first ‘child’. Jenny would wake up every morning sobbing and inconsolable, Marley would be instantly by her side and she would wrap her arms around him and cry into his furry neck. Marley took care of Jenny and the favour was returned later in the book as Marley aged. The end of the book was very special to me because it made me think of my first dog and my dog(s) that I have now. I value each day of their lives and love them with all my heart. The ending had me in tears, and I don’t usually cry when I am reading (because I am the ‘cold, unfeeling’ type). The ending also showed appreciation for the bond that any animal lover has with said pet, no matter what they have done in the past or present.

Some quotes that I thought I would like to mention are below.

1. Author and wife reminiscing on what his mother had said about the children growing up.

“We both rolled our eyes when my old-school mother clucked at us, “Enjoy them while you can because they’ll be growing up before you know it”. Now, even just a few years into it, we were realizing she was right. Hers was a well-worn cliché but one we could already see was steeped in truth. The boys were growing up fast, and each week ended another little chapter that could never again be revisited. On week Patrick was sucking his thumb, the next he had weaned himself of it forever. One week Conor was our baby in a crib; the next he was a little boy using a toddler bed for a trampoline. Patrick was unable to pronounce the L sound, and when women would coo over him, as they often did, he would put his fists on his hips, stick out his lip, and say, “Dos yadies are yaughing at me.” I always meant to get in videotape, but one day the L’s came out perfectly, and that was that. For months we could not get Conor out of his superman pajamas. He would race through the house, cape flapping behind him, yelling “Me Stupe Man!” And then it was over, another missed video moment.”

I chose this quote because it truly does say something about the moments that children create. It’s almost like the quote relating to some of the smartest things come out of the mouths of babes (it’s like that or a little different but you get the idea). The author was always talking about his family and how they were with the dog, this was one of the few quotes and sections of the book that had not a lot to do with Marley. I just liked how his mum made the statement and then immediately things started happening that would never be done again by the kids. Strange little creatures, kids, are; most humans are creatures of habit, but I think kids a totally different ball game.

2. Author thinking about Marley and how he had truly become a part of the family.

“Marley had earned his place in our family. Like a quirky but beloved uncle, he was what he was. He would never be Lassie or Benji or Old Yeller; he would never reach Westminster or even the county fair. We knew that now. We accepted him for the dog he was, and loved him all the more for it.”

This is self explanatory. They realized that all the dreams they had when they first got Marley were unattainable because of his behaviour and how outgoing he was, but even still, in my mind that made him more special then all the famous pooches.

3. Author speaking to Marley, Marley at this point is older in the book and just escaped death’s door.

“I pulled his head up and made him look me in the eyes. “You’re going to tell me when it’s time, right? I said, more a statement than a question. I didn’t want to have a make the decision on my own. “You’ll let me know, won’t you?””

This relates to a point that I hold very dear to my heart. When animals have been so good over the years and done a service whether voluntary or not, they deserve to die with dignity. If that means putting them to sleep instead of letting them suffer, then my belief that putting them to sleep is the most humane thing you can do for them. If you truly love your pet(s) you wouldn’t want them to suffer, and as hard as it is to say good bye you know that you are doing the right thing. I really felt for the author at this time in the book because he knew Marley’s time would be coming to an end and he didn’t want him to suffer, even though he loved Marley as much as one of his children.

4. Author talking about how he wanted to write an article for work as a tribute to Marley and his life, and what he contents might be.

“What I really wanted to say was how this animal had touched our souls and taught us some of the most import lessons of our lives. “A person can learn a lot from a dog, even a loopy one like ours,” I wrote. “Marley taught me about living each day with unbridled exuberance and joy, about seizing the moment and following your heart. He taught me to appreciate the simple things – a walk in the woods, a fresh snowfall, a nap in a shaft of winter sunlight. And as he grew old and achy, he taught me about friendship and selflessness and, above all else, unwavering loyalty.”
It was an amazing concept that I was only now, in the wake of his death fully absorbing: Marley as a mentor. As teacher and role model. Was it possible for a dog – any dog, but especially a nutty, wildly uncontrollable one like ours – to point humans to the things that really mattered in life? I believed it was. Loyalty. Courage. Devotion. Simplicity. Joy. And the things that did not matter, too. A dog has no use for fancy cars or big homes or designer clothes. Status symbols mean nothing to him. A waterlogged stick will do just fine. A dog judges others not by their color or creed or class but by who they are inside. A dog doesn’t care if you are rich or poor, educated or illiterate, clever or dull. Give him your heart and he will give you his. It was really quite simple, and yet we humans, so much wiser and more sophisticated, have always had trouble figuring out what really counts and what does not. As I wrote that farewell column to Marley, I realized it was all right there in front of us, if only we opened our eyes. Sometimes it took a dog with bad breath, worse manners and pure intentions to help us see.”

This really touched my heart, especially the fact that the author would not rest at work until he was able to complete and print his tribute to Marley. It shows how dogs and even animals in general, have an everlasting effect on the peoples lives they are in. Even the basic things the author wrote about learning from Marley, I can totally agree with because I see the exact same thing in my dog(s). This was the part that really said to me, “This is a good book, and it is worth recommending to others.”

Thursday, December 7, 2006

And the ANTM winner of Cycle 6 is.........CARIDEE


So dear reader I will bring you up to date on my tv habits which are now none. I finally received the America’s Next Top Model Cycle 1 (with Adrianne Curry). I bought it because I hadn’t seen it and I love Adrianne Curry, ever since I saw her on the Surreal Life, where she met her now husband Christopher Knight (that’s right he’s a Brady). I even was so desperate that I found Adrianne Curry’s myspace account and I added her and I even subscribed to her blog. It was definitely her, I know that for sure because the writing was like how she would talk and there was real pics and stuff of her and chris and their wedding, their cat, the guy who was the dad Brady, etc. It’s quite amazing to see how far the ANTM has come since the very first season. Janice was a real stunner for the models because she delivered harsh criticisms and there was no padding on them whatsoever. I kinda wish they had someone like that on season 6, Twiggy is just too polite and she’s kinda wishy washy. She doesn’t make a strong decision and when you’re a judge on something like that you need to be up front and give the criticism because these girls are not going to get better unless you tell them. Most of them don’t know much about the modeling world and they need the assistance that her experience can offer. I don’t know if I mentioned this before but Tyra’s hair this cycle (6) was the most disastrous mop I have ever seen and it was always lopsided. Maybe there’s less brain in one side of her head???? I shouldn’t say that, well it might be true though, the area that holds the fashion sense and information is probably packed with stuff causing the lopsided head issues. Nigel Barker was amazing as usual, and what a sexy man he is. I must say that Jay Manuel has definitely transformed from cycle 1 to 6, but he’s quite sexy and it’s a shame he’s gay…. Miss J. Alexander still has amazing runway techniques and the girls all admit that he has the most beautiful legs and it’s true they are amazing. Well defined and structured and not too muscley, and for a man he can work a pair of heels like no other. So Cycle 6 what should I say. Well I was hoping that AJ would go farther then she did, but oh well and Megg had the same fate as AJ did, they were booted early on. They didn’t even to get a free trip to Spain. The people that are able to hang in are really able to rake in the riches because they get a paid vacation and get to work a little bit but not too much, there is a lot of down time between the tapings. The bottom 3 were Melrose (superficial bitch), Eugena (no personality whatsoever), and Caridee (the loose cannon as Twiggy kept saying). I will make it easy for you and tell you that it got narrowed down to Melrose and Caridee because Eugena got nabbed for having no personality, something she gained in the last 3 weeks but she didn’t convey emotion of her want to win well, hence she was nixed. So out of the two left who would you pick a fake, nasty bitch, would had a big nose and looked stranger or a perrson that is unpredictable, but has a sense of humour that’s amazing and looks good beauty-wise. Well as my picks got booted I started to become a part of the Caridee fan club. Her shots expressed emotion and conveyed beauty really well, and she didn’t crack under the pressure like her opponent Melrose. And the winner is….Caridee….Sorry Melrose you have to return to the hotel and pack your belongings and go home…to bad Tyra didn’t tell her that because I think Melrose would have hauled off and hit her but it would have made for good tv. I’m so happy that Caridee won, she truly deserved it although she did make a deal about the psoriasis thing but hey, every winner has their scars I guess.

Friday, December 1, 2006

Book Review - The Swallows of Kabul by Yasmina Khadra

Dear reader, I have just finished reading a book, The Swallows of Kabul, that has bought light to me on how life goes on in another part of the world. The place is Kabul, which is located on the Afghan countryside. The first thing I found out which was shocking is that the books author is not who I thought it was. The book says it is written by Yasmina Khadra, but inside the cover is this “Yasmina Khadra is the nom de plume of the Algerian army officer Mohammed Moulessehoul, who is the author of four other books published in English: Double Blanc, Morituri, In the Name of God and Wolf Dreams. He took the feminine pseudonym to avoid submitting his manuscripts for approval by military censors while he was still in the army. He lives in France.” For me that sort of set the tone, I pictured that there was going to be a lot of control over people and a harsh society. These predictions were right but not near the extent that I thought it would go to. The book is fiction but it could very well be real, especially how it is depicted by the author.

First – this is an excerpt to describe the setting of the country and what it is like

“The cratered roads, the scabrous hills, the white-hot horizon, the pinging cylinder heads all seem to say Nothing will ever be the same again. The ruin of the city walls has spread into people’s souls. The dust has stunted their orchards, blinded their eyes, sealed up their hearts. In places, the buzzing of flies and the stench of animal carcasses declare the irreversibility of the general desolation. It seems that the whole world is beginning to decay, and that its putrefaction has chose to spread out outward from here, from the land of the Pashtuns, where desertification proceeds at a steady, implacable crawl even in the consciences and intellects of men.”

To me I get the imagery that the city is full of little crumbly rock houses, there are lots of buildings but they are all in a state of ruin. There are people absolutely everywhere, but none of them look like they are well taken care of. The vendors make sure that looming children do not try to steal anything from their carts by slapping their constantly moving hands with thin sticks, almost like a ruler. The children are running absolutely everywhere, there are dogs randomly wandering down streets looking for food or something they can turn into a meal. Any women that are seen are covered head to toe in a burqa, they live in fear of showing their bodies to anyone, including their husbands.

The story is about 4 people whose lives get entangled after the incident of the stoning of a prostitute. The stoning was described so carefully. It was as if people gather the stones and put them in a pile and wait for the prostitute to arrive. She is then buried up to her knees in a hole so that she cannot fall over while being stoned. There is a speech said before the stoning happens and then everyone runs to the pile to grab rocks to be thrown at this poor woman “who has gone against the Lord and given her body to too many men”. There is lots of blood and groaning from the poor woman. I would have expected screaming but I doubt she would do that because it may give the crowd satisfaction. Executions in this country are regular and are often made a public affair. Many times you will find children playing and re-enacting an execution. Women are thought of differently then we think of them her. Women have almost no rights and are only there to be a caretaker to the children, to have the children, keep the house tidy and make the meals for the husband. Men can have more then one wife and if a wife is ill or about to die it is common that she be divorced immediately for a younger woman that can provide and meet all the needs the man may have. In this city the Taliban are lurking everywhere, the quite often disrupt meals and grab people as they are going to Mosque as a way of recruiting.

Second – a conversation between a friend and Atiq, one of the main characters, (just to depict how women are treated)

“…Can there be any greater generosity to a woman than to offer her a roof, protection, honor, and a name? You don’t owe her anything. She’s the one who should bow down before you Atiq, and kiss the toes of your feet, one by one, every time you take off your shoes. She has little significance outside of what you represent for her. She’s only a subordinate. Furthermore, it’s an error to believe that any man owes anything at all to a woman. The misfortune of the world comes from precisely that misconception.”

Third – this quote from the book shows the power the Taliban have over the citizens within the city and to what lengths they will go with such power.

Things in Kabul are going from bad to worse, sliding into ruin, sweeping along men and mores. It’s a chaos within chaos, a disaster enclosed in disaster, and woe to those who are careless. An isolated person is doomed beyond remedy. The other day, there was a madman in the neighbourhood, screaming at the top of his lungs that God had failed. From indications, this poor soul knew neither where he was nor how he had lost his wits. But the uncompromising Taliban, seeing no extenuating circumstances in his madness, had him blindfolded, gagged and whipped to death in the public square.”

I never knew what a powerful force the Taliban was, I mean yeah after 9/11 I thought they were pretty damn important but I didn’t know how they operated in areas which they claim to be theirs. It must be hard for citizens to live in fear of when and where they may be grabbed and have to deal with them. I found it shocking but definitely an eye opener as to how things are in a different country.

Fourth – When Atiq sees Zunaira in the jail cell, awaiting her death sentence (this is when Atiq’s views towards women start to change)

Never before has he seen such a splendor. With her goddess’s profile, her long hair spread across her back, and her enormous eyes, like horizons, the condemned woman is beautiful beyond imagination. She’s like a dawn, gathering brightness in the heart of this poisoness, squalid fatal dungeon.”

I enjoyed this quote because finally a man is seeing that a woman is a beautiful creation, not just an object as they are taught. After this point in the book Atiq’s attitude really changes and he has to deal with the conflicts it causes with his work and other areas of his life. He deals with these conflicts sometimes in a manner that you or I would classify as strange but as I have shown the life is very different in that country. The ending of the book is totally shocking and even still it has you reflecting back on an incident in the book that you read before. The ending is not predictable at all. It is sad but also it is good for the type of harsh world the people of Kabul have to live in. I definitely recommend this book, as it has opened my eyes to a totally different view.

Thursday, November 30, 2006

Movie Review - Match Point

Ok dear reader, I have a small sin to confess. I was watching the movie Match Point with my fav. Scarlett Johansonn and Jonathan Rhys Myers for one really bad reason…..I was told there was a really raunchy sex scene and guess what I felt like seeing something like that tonight. Not porn style just some good lovin’. Well big disappointment folks, and the movie wasn’t that great either. SJ starts off being engaged to the very tempting Matthew Goode (a british babe…lets face it the accent had me) when his friend JRM appears after being a one hit wonder tennis player. MG and JRM are friends and frequently play tennis (the white shorts aren’t hard on the eyes, not as nice as boxers though) and chit chat about what they want to do with their young lives, etc. MG hooks JRM up with his sister and they get along just perfectly. The relationship takes a nose dive between MG and SJ because of a rude and obsessive mother (that being MG’s). SJ has a fit after the mother goes after her about her chosen career and ends up taking a walking trip in the rain, soon to be followed by JRM, and a not really well depicted sex scene is had in a field. The relationship between MG and SJ breaks up because the hottie has found and fallen for another girl whom he soon gets married to and while at the ceremony we find out she is impregnated (with his alien child…end of story…I don’t think so but would have been a good twist). SJ leaves England for a while to go back to the horrid country of America (or so she states) to get some gigs (the posh term for a job in the acting world). JRM ends up marrying MG’s sister which is all fine and dandy till SJ appears back in England because she just couldn’t stand the states anymore. She ends up having this very awkward love affair with the married JRM, there are sex scene but they aren't raunchy at all. There are a few encounters with the wife but he’s able to be sauve and special and avoid any questioning as to if he’s bonking SJ. Key point here, MG’s sister is strange and cannot get pregnant for some reason “But they both were at the doctor and were healthy as can be?!?!?” said by the naïve wife. Then reader, what do you think happens, just ask yourself what would be the next step in a movie like this? That’s right, SJ gets pregnant with JRM”S baby and she becomes a demanding bitch, always wanting to see him and wanting him to break up with his wife and do the right thing (everything after the word AND would be from his perspective of course). He takes it for a while but then decides he just can’t handle having the mistress preggers and look at all the money and job opportunities, and whatever unimaginable things he would be losing out on(MG’s family is beyond loaded). There’s even a point in the movie where he talks with a friend and says “My wife is a retard but has a lot of other good points, her family’s rich, my job was given to me by her dad (he’s got a high up position), their nice to me , I play polo and go shooting with them…. The mistress, if I end up with her, I will have some dead end job working at a local mc donald’s trying to make ends meet, living in a one bedroom apartment (oh no!). Staying with the wife is the better option don’t you think” (the lines he said may have been a bit different but I was paraphrasing…artistic license folks!) So JRM has made the big decision to stay with is wife, what a good guy …NOT. His plan and it’s sucky compared to other movies, hide his hunting rifle in his tennis bag for a while and when the time is right shoot the neighbour who has seen him frequently and then shoot the mistress as she’s coming off the elevator to guess what…. MEET HIM!!!! He does go through with this pathetic plan but eventually he’s a bit sloppy with the fact that IAN the neighbour tried to ask the neighbour JRM killed if she needed anything and THEN he saw SJ on his way out the building and guess what….they had a bit of a chit chat. HA JRM you thought you were so smart with the rifle in the tennis bag, which was really ridiculous when he was carrying it around. People would ask him, “Oh so you going to play tennis or have a match with someone” and he’d act all peculiar and then respond with a nod or a strange YES. I don’t know folks, but that sounds to me like someone with something else going on, maybe an ulterior motive under there somewhere. Then when JRM and wife are at MG”S family’s mansion (using that word is a bit of an understatement) guess what him and wife are going to reveal, after about 3-6 months she’s finally preggers and the evil grand mum, who really likes him, is overjoyed that she can be a “young grand mother”. I found the young grand mother statement pathetic because she definitely looked over 50, and she was a jerk so I’m going to add a few extra years for that. THEN while sharing that the nob-head wife is preggers guess who calls? Come on reader don’t toy with me, you know who it is right? The police, and eventually guess what happens to dear JRM he gets in trouble and the wife is married to a jailbird and will be a baby mama without a papa. So sad when things like this to happen to the rich wouldn’t you say…..(comment works better if you are saying before you eat a scone or a crumpet and are having tea).

I was looking up on IMDB about the movie so that I could properly name the people for you found out a few things:
1. firstly it’s a woody allen film, never would have thought that
2. the tagline = passion temptation obsession = CRAPPY for all 3, none of the characters really loved each other and the last two I guess I will let slide but they weren’t acted out well
3. Plot Outline: At a turning point in his life, a former tennis pro falls for a femme-fatal type who happens to be dating his friend and soon-to-be brother-in-law ( I would hardly call SJ a femme fatale just because she has promiscuous sex and is hated by MG’s mother, AND that she’s an aspiring actress)
4. Brian Cox (who has been in Braveheart, Troy and many more) was under cast, he was only MG’s father and he was good but I would have rather he make a better movie then this one, it shouldn’t go in his good books

Now I will leave you on a quote which was supposedly said at the front of the movie before everything all played out by none other then JRM’s character “The man who said "I'd rather be lucky than good" saw deeply into life. People are afraid to face how great a part of life is dependent on luck. It's scary to think so much is out of one's control. There are moments in a match when the ball hits the top of the net, and for a split second, it can either go forward or fall back. With a litte luck, it goes forward, and you win. Or maybe it doesn't, and you lose.”

Question time: Is life dependent on luck or is it what we make it?

I believe it’s what we make it from all the mess and toil we have to deal with on a daily basis. Luck is for if you win money in the lottery or at a casino, not something for life. For life, there’s co incidence but that’s not luck either. The fact that the ending lines relate to a ball kind of bother me too because it was JRM”S balls (literatlly) that got him into trouble and if he just stayed with his boring wife then none of this would have happened (it probably would have happened to his friend MG!!!!)

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Well dear reader at the end I will ask you a few questions. I was watching How Stella Got Her Groove Back (the movie with Angela Bassett and the oh so tasty Taye Diggs). Stella thought she had everything, a good job, a nice house and a son that would make her breakfast. Her son goes to stay with his father for 2 weeks, and then she was left to entertain herself on lonely rainy night. She sees this commercial with the perfect images of Jamaica, you know the images that make it that paradise in the sun that you want to go to, (if only you could just afford it). Well, Stella having an amazing job as a stock broker decides that her and her best friend (Whoopi Goldberg) are going to Jamaica and let their hair down and party like they used to. One morning when she is out for her ritual run (yeah I know she has a disgustingly beautiful body in the movie…what does she need a run for?) she comes back to the resort for breakfast and meets the young (20 year old) Winston who ends up being the object of her affection. Stella happens to be a 40 year old divorced woman with a son, which Winston later finds out. When Stella gets back from her 2 weeks in Jamaica she gets canned from her job because her boss is a selfish son of a bitch who didn’t want to lose his job. It didn’t matter how much money Stella had made the company or anything, her train at that station had left. Anyway needless to say her relationship carries on with Winston and she goes back and then eventually he comes to America and blah blah blah. My question is “How does one going about getting her/his groove back?” Does said person have to lose their job, or source of stability? Do they have to find a younger person to have a relationship with? Do they have to take an amazing vacation to an ‘enchanted’ land to meet said relationship person? If the ‘groove’ is lost, doesn’t there have to be some stage of admittance and then you go on the journey to get it back? Did in this case, the character Stella, really lose her groove or did she just hit a bad patch? I guess the answer lies within each of us and every person has their own reasoning and answers behind it, it just makes me wonder, doesn’t it make YOU?

Sunday, November 26, 2006

Stuff & Book Review - For One More Day by Mitch Albom

Well dear reader, a few things have happened since I last wrote you. I have been a busy little bee if you will. On Nov. 24, 2006, I hosted a euchre party at my house for a few close friends. From the response I got from the attendees, everyone said they had a really good time and that they really enjoyed the food. My mum and I prepared a variety of foods for the guests, they included: Super Nachos, Pumpernickel bread with spinach dip, shrimp with cocktail sauce, bacon wrapped scallops (they were president’s choice), and for desserts we had butter tart squares and nanimo bars. Mum said she would take care of the savoury and I could prepare the sweet. The food turned out really well, and everyone left very happy and very full.

Next Topic: Book Review – For One More Day by Mitch Albom

This book was pretty close in comparison with Tuesdays with Morrie. It made me sad but also happy at the end, which was the same reaction. It was very much along the same lines as Tuesdays, topic wise. Lastly but not least, it was a feel good book that made you appreciate things as you were reading it (the simple things in life is what I would be referring to). The main character is a has-been semi professional baseball player. Mitch is traveling somewhere and he is taking a walk in this park. The park co-ordinator who happens to be cutting the grass, notices Mitch is not a local person and decides to give him the low down on this has-been character sitting in the bleachers looking sorry for himself. After hearing about this person from the park co-ordinator he decides that he wants to meet this person and hear his story from him. (I must say it’s a good thing he did that because what the parks guy had to say was gossip and we all know how that can get turned around. Mitch introduces himself and proceeds to have a conversation with the main character, he asks him what he’s doing with himself, where he’s from, etc. Through such conversation with the main character, he is told a fabulous story that makes all of us think about the things we have done in left and the things we regret in life. Mitch warns the reader that the story may seem to real to be to, but to the main character this is his soul recount on what happened.

Some quotes in the book really grabbed me and I am going to share them with you. For one reason or another it is noticeable why I choose the quote and how it may relate to the story.

First- conversation between main character’s mother and friend Rose

“Children get embarrassed by their parents,” my mother repeated.

It was true, as a teenager, I had pushed my mother away. I refused to sit next to her at movies. I squirmed from her kisses. I was uncomfortable with her womanly figure and I was angry that she was the only divorced woman around. I wanted her to behave like the other mothers, wearing housedresses, making scrapbooks, baking brownies.

“Sometimes your kids will say the nastiest things, won’t they Rose? You want to ask, Who’s child is this?”

Rose chuckled.

“But usually, they’re just in some kind of pain. They need to work it out.”

This diddy I chose because it’s true. Most of us when we act like a jerk, there’s a driving force behind it that we choose not to deal. I know that many times I have freaked out on someone when really I am reacting to them in a negative way, but the real problem has nothing to do with them. Lashing out, would be the technical term. I also chose this part because the other day I was being a dinkus to my mum, when really the problem was not with her but I had a problem with her boyfriend and how he was disrespecting her. I love my mum to bits and I didn’t mean to come off like a dinkus, it’s just I get a little hostile when I see someone treating my mum inappropriately. It’s a protection system I think, but there’s nothing I can do to change it. I’m sure you dear reader have possibly had situations where you “lashed out” at someone when they really had nothing to do with the situation at all. I put this quote in because I find it grounded me and made me re-think about the way I was treating my mum and how to approach the situation differently.

Second- spoken by the main character

In college, I had a course in Latin, and one day the word “divorce” came up. I always figured it came from some root that meant “divide”. In truth, it comes from “divertere,” which means “to divert”.

I believe that. All divorce does is divert you, taking you away from everything you thought you knew and everything you thought you wanted and steering you into all kinds of other stuff, like discussions about your mother’s girdle and whether she should marry someone else.


Now this I chose, because well it will eventually happen to my family. My parents are already living separated and it’s bound to happen eventually. I like it though because it is spoken in a way that semi conveys anger about it. Yeah I will admit my dad was a dinkus, but the hardest thing I will have to go through is the divorce I’m sure. The separation I still have trouble being totally used to it but I manage. When the proverbial ‘shit’ will hit the fan I know that I am going to be a mess though. It will be like a division of everything, and that’s not an idea that I really want to get used to. As for now, I have enough on my plate, too much to worry about the future.

Three- Letter from main characters’ mother to main character, given to him on his wedding day.

Here is what you are going to find out about marriage: you have to work at it together. And you have to love three things. You have to love:
1. Each other.
2. Your children (When you have some. Hint! Hint!).
3. Your marriage.

What I mean by that last one is, there may be times that you fight, and sometimes you and Catherine won’t even like each other. But those are the times you have to love your marriage. It’s like a third party. Look at your wedding photos. Look at any memories you’ve made. And if you believe those memories, they will pull you back together.


This quote was a must on the blog. It’s kind of a diddy that tells you what is to be important when you are marrying someone. Not that they’re a babe, wealthy, or anything else. It’s the things that you create that you will love and that’s what will keep the marriage strong, no matter what the time frame may be.

Four- Main characters mother to the main character, parting words

“You have one family, Charley. For good or bad. You have one family. You can’t trade them in. You can’t lie to them. You can’t run two at once, substituting back and forth.
“Sticking with your family is what makes it a family.”


This one is special because it’s really the main basis of what family means. For all the cheaters out there, you can’t trade what you already have in, you can only try and fix it and make it better. IF there really is no hope, then yeah there is divorce, but that’s a very last option. This quote hit me hard reader, it’s what I wanted, the ideal of what a family should be. My mum and I are good now, my dad and I not so much, but with that said we are both making a conscious effort to fix what is broken between us. Essentially we don’t live all in the same house, but we still are a family, if you use and understand what this quote says, at least that’s my perception of it.

So reader, I hope you enjoyed the quotes I pulled from the book. I hope it makes you want to order it or go buy it or borrow it. It really is a book worth reading. Some of the things said really change your perceptions about life, family, and other things. I know it did that for me, and really I think that’s what I needed. Sometimes life is too short and you can’t get what you want to do done, or what you want to say said, hence from what I took from this book, you have to live each day as if it were your last and make your life as full as possible because you never know when the rug will be “pulled out” from underneath you.

Thursday, November 23, 2006

Book Review - The Sexual Life of Catherine M.

Dear reader, I am very passionate about reading books and trying to educate myself on things I really don’t know a lot about. In my travels I came across The Sexual Life of Catherine M. by Catherine Millet. The book is about her sex life while she was traveling around Rome and Paris, which was very promiscuous. Some would consider her book as erotica (I did), others may describe it as passionate detail about the bond between people in a sexual relationship (another way I looked at it), and others may consider it a kind of book about a slut (I did not think this way). There were many things I liked about the book, first being that I had never read about anyone’s sexual experiences or travels in this type of writing. In each chapter written, she refers back to many of the same experiences she has had and how they are able to be viewed descriptively in another way (preferably the chapter title). The thing I most enjoyed about the book is how passionately she wrote about what it was like to touch someone, how the skin felt against another’s, and what emotions would be caused by such intimate reactions. The way the whole book is written is in a very analytical and descriptive sense. She had many different partners but the ones that actually made an impact on her sex life and her life are the ones she consistently refers back to. There are many times though for the sake of adding some sort of drama to the book, she will talk about rugged sex she had in an alley with a complete stranger, or maybe how other people would create a conflict when they were deciding at parties who would get to BE with Catherine. It’s a book of a very different sort. It definitely got me thinking about my own sex life, and how little I have actually experienced, not just in the sense of having few partners but also the lack of certain feelings. I am in no way saying I want to be a lady of the night and do everything and everyone in the next 2 or 3 towns, but some of the experiences she had might lead to interesting tales, endings, and what have you.

The next book I am reading is For One More Day by Mitch Albom, who is the author of the amazing Tuesday’s with Morrie. I must say that this book is very much like Tuesday’s, which is good because I really did not enjoy The 5 People You Meet in Heaven. I found that book was very religious and it got me distracted from the actual story, which was too bad. For One More Day may have the same effect as Tuesday’s because I have a feeling that it will leave the reader with a couple of tears at the end of the book. I have a positive attitude and look forward to reviewing it when I have finished it.

Monday, November 20, 2006

My Blister Bubble Burst Badly!!!

Well dear reader, I will tell you my story from the start so you don’t get confused about the ‘blister bursting’ title line. Yesterday I was making some treats for a friend of mine. I used a pot with water and a metal bowl to create a double boiler. I was supposed to be melting caramel and peanut butter at a LOW heat, but silly me I thought if I turned the heat up, I would be able to make it melt faster. Mum kept turning the heat down and stupid me, I would go and turn it back up again thinking “Silly mum, I want this to come together quickly.” Silly me though, something happened, mum proposes that a vacuum was created by the metal bowl on top or something, but the pot with the boiling water exploded and I got boiling water on the stomach, left hand and right arm. My arm and hand aren’t doing too terribly, but my stomach it is an absolute mess. I was beginning to think that I was going to end up with a Quasi Modo stomach it was so blistered. Well me being a picker, I couldn’t help but playing with this extremely large blister bubble. Well this aft. it finally had had enough and burst spewing clear liquid all over. I was trying to dab up the spew when I noticed that as I was wiping up the liquid my skin was actually wiping off too. So now I have a large spot that is red like a lobster with not developed but severely injured skin showing. I decided to be smart and use the bandaging tools that mamma bought me and slathered up with Polysporin (one of the world’s best ever creams made) and then put together a bandage of 2 large gauze pads together with some surgical tape. There was no duct tape involved but I am pretty pleased with the bandaging job that I had to do, and all by myself too, WHAT A BIG GIRL I AM!!!!!

Next topic: Da Vinci Code (the movie).
I have read the book and I don’t plan on giving the ending away or anything but I thought it was done amazingly well. One of the best book to movie translations yet. Although the main character is Tom Hanks (who I dislike with a passion), he actually did a great job of playing the main character Robert Langdon. The cast was quite stellar; several big name stars were involved, Hanks himself being one, Paul Bettany, Sir Ian McKellen, and another fav. of mine Jean Reno. Of course I’m sure Ron Howard was able to convince them to be in the fabu movie for a reasonable price. I don’t like that Ron Howard directed the film because he is great friends with Hanks and therefore the duo had already made their team, if you will. The movie is a bit religious but it’s not overpowering, it actually investigates the mystery behind some certain religious items and objects. I actually have to say it was a lot better then I thought it would ever be, when in comparison to the book.

I will be giving a book review for the book I am reading shortly because I am almost done reading it. It’s title: The Sexual Life of Catherine M. by Catherine Millet. I won’t go into any detail about it right now but I did give the title so browse for it if you think it sounds interesting.

Sunday, November 19, 2006

My Newbie Post

Well reader, let me introduce myself. Some of you may already know me, others this may be your first time being here.

Name: Sarah Gall
Age: 23
Birthday: November 4, 1983 (I enjoy presents!!)
Location: A small town outside of Toronto (about 45 minutes) known as UXBRIDGE or as I like to call it the
U-dot
Occupation: None at the moment and unsure what I want to be
Spouse (?): I am single and semi-content with it
Sign: Scorpio
Smoke/ Drink: No/ No but the occasional pot usage is a YES

That’s the basics for me, from that it sounds kinda boring but I am sure there are ways that I will eventually spice this blog up with. I have a dry sense of humour but lots of people consider me hilarious….I will leave that up to you, since you will become my personal fan club, (BEWARE I don’t give out free smiles or any personal written letters). I am used to blog writing, I used to have one on MYSPACE but the doinks never addressed my problems regarding my MYSPACE being hijacked, so now my MYSPACE is non-existent, just a figment of my imagination if you will. I really missed writing my blog, so after a long waiting period of anger and hesitancy to make another one I have finally decided to do it. I look forward to sharing the quirky and not so great particles of my life story. The idea of having a fan club is making my head grow with nice warm air, I guess I will have to see what the reality is after a few days of actually having this thing. I hope you get to enjoy the stories and educational factoids I have to share with you and by the way, have an amazing day because mine, well it’s not going to great at the moment (but since I started writing a NEW blog, I feel a little bit better).