Andy and MC,
Congratulations to you!!! I bet it feels pretty good to finally be able to see what you have been waiting for all of these months! When is your “first sleep” in your new home? Has Angel Pie seen her new pad yet? I know when you drove Alfredo and me past the outside of your place, we were pretty impressed so we are anxious to see pictures of the rest of it.
Tina 
You’ve finally caught up, old man :P And now, a special bday treat…
Looking forward to our lunch date today 
Happy Birthday!!!
MUAH <3
Hello Folks,
I thought that I would post about a few really good bands that I discovered while surfing on the net. It all started when I googled The Crow Soundtrack. You see, I have always really liked the song “Burn” from The Cure. I have always been a fan of dark movies and themes with a fascination in things “goth.” But don’t get me wrong, I don’t like “elements” of the goth culture that you see on the streets nor do I like the various subcultures perpetuated by popular media that define themselves with their own sensational spin-off themes like S&M, Deathrock (you know, the kind with lyrics of teen suicide), satanic worship, mutilation, etc.
What I do like and what kind of goth am I talking about? Think the style of dress from the Renaissance and Victoria era, not so much the punk and deathrock stream. Think medieval romances, gothic revival architecture and yes, even the horror genre with ghosts, vampires, graveyards and old country castles.
What surprised me, however, was when I started looking up “Goth Rock” bands, I came up with some surprisingly mellow and very emotionally charged music. So lately, I’ve been expanding my repertoire of music reflecting that taste. Once I got “Burn” from The Cure on my Youtube playlist, on a list of related videos, I came across these great songs from a Finnish Band called Entwine. Well, 4 hours later of exploring, I discovered this great band along with others that fall under the “Goth Rock” label including Lacuna Coil and H.I.M.. And now a lot of their music makes up my very best list for songs from the late 90s to now. So I am including links to the songs that I like most. These songs move me. They make me feel something. Not a lot of bands do that for me anymore.
If you are interested, check out the links. Regrettably, not all of them have a video per se, but some do include the lyrics which is nice…
Here is a list of songs from the band Entwine…
Entwine
And 2 from Lacuna Coil
And 2 from H.I.M.
If you went to these links, I would really like to know what you think.
Tina
Hello Folks,
I’ll have to thank Oneuma for letting me know that Sarah Brightman will be in Ottawa at the Bank on Friday, November 28th - Thank you so much Oneuma! As I have had the priviledge of seeing her 3 times already, Alfredo and I were just waiting to see when she would be on tour again. And lucky for us, she is coming back to Ottawa and we were able to get some decent tickets for her November visit. I am so excited as I have always been blown away with her amazing concerts - the music, the theatrical mood and feel of her show, her incredible voice, the beautiful stage and backdrops and the dancers she tours with all make for a very impressive, dazzling and exotically romantic evening.
I have to tell you that the first dinner date that I had over at Alfredo’s, he prepared me a huge feast which we indulged in with Sarah Brightman music playing in the background. And after our 2 hour dinner, Alfredo, Keisha and I watched her La Luna concert on DVD (after watching a horror movie we both very much enjoyed). And I’ll always remember that evening because it was very romantic and exciting because Alfredo and I were just getting to know one another and it was nice to discover that Alfredo likes Sarah Brightman’s music and style as I do.
I’ll have to say that the last time I dropped this amount of cash down to see a show was for Coldplay back in 2006 (which was a huge success and money well spent). But since owning a house, I really don’t spend a lot on going out to shows - and I really have to pick and choose were my money is spent. But we both agreed that this is very much worth the price of admission and too important to miss as it will be yet another special memory to go down in our history book.
I can’t wait! I have butterflies in my stomach! Now we have something to look forward to in the Winter!
Tina
Good news!
I hope that this is not too premature to announce, but as far as we know, Alfredo’s house is sold conditionally! He and the buyer are now working out the fine details, but all indicators point to it being a mostly done deal! Way to go Alfredo! So this means that my man is going to be moving in with me and Keisha permanently, very soon! And this is really a relief as it has been a real busy pace to keep, maintaining and caring for 2 houses for the last 2 years.
Here is a link to his agent’s site. The best way to view his listing is to go to the “Photos” tab and then click on “Large Photo Gallery” There is also a panoramic view option. And yes, I did notice a lot of typos in the listing - but at least it is sold!
If that link does not work for you, here is the listing at OREB…..
http://orebweb2.oreb.ca/mlssearch/frm_SearchMlsDetails.asp?x_mls_num=694575
It is hard to imagine that this was a totally white canvas before we put our heads together and did the paint and decor over the last 2 years. We painted the kitchen a really nice taupe colour last week so it has really made a huge difference - very cozy. And if you look closely, you will see a picture of Keisha in one of the bathrooms, done in black and white - a shot that Alfredo took of her in his backyard.
This is a bit of a bitter sweet thing for me as I am nostalgic about the good times that we have had at his house, but we are looking forward to making all of the changes at my place to make it the best it can be. And then time will tell when I decide that it is a good time to sell as Alfredo and I want to start looking for our “Together Home” in the very near future. Alfredo is not so attached to his house, funny enough, as he tells me that it is because he wants to be with me and Keisha and is very anxious to start our lives together - under one roof….Awwwwww….
I can say that based on my first time experience of being a home buyer and seeing the process with Alfredo being the seller, we have accumulated some solid knowledge regarding the real estate market and have learned some very important facts. And it really makes a huge difference when you purchase a home in the country vice buying a city dwelling. There are more considerations and hurdles when it comes to selling and buying rural properties - water testing, septic system testing, building permit verifications (if you build your home vice hiring a contrator), etc…But it has been so valuable, learning new things as we go along. Knowledge is definitely power! And also worth a few extra bucks, here and there along the way……The Devil is definitely in the details!!!! And you’ll win if you pay attention to them…..
Talk to you later!
Tina
Hi Everyone,
I don’t know if you have been listening to the news this morning, but unfortunately a body was discovered and pulled out of the Rideau Canal very close to NDHQ before 7:00 a.m.. And much to my horror, I saw the police lift the blue tarp which was covering it as I was walking by in the Concourse (which put me at a perfect angle for seeing it). It was hard to tell from where I was standing if it was a male or female, but I guess we will find out more as they break this story.
The weird thing is that this is the third time that I have seen a body on my way to school or work. The first time it happened, I was 7 years old and I saw an elderly woman lying on the road who had apparently been hit by a large truck. All I can recall is that her head wounds were so severe that her brain matter was on the road with the blood. Let me tell you, I was pretty disturbed by all of the commotion as bystanders were pleading for my bus driver to get help. Her priority at that time was to get a bus load of grade school children as far away from that scene as possible. And this was way before the days of cell phones. I think we all went home to our parents feeling very shocked and scared. All I remember is that I was telling my Mom about the incident and that I was determined to pray for that poor lady and hoped desperately that she did not suffer before she died. The terrible thing that also stood out about this scene was the fact that I saw her feet move back and forth, which, to my young mind, lead me to believe that she was still alive when we saw her. My adult mind tries to console me by rationalizing this observation as just nerve impulses (reaction) to the extreme trauma, something I heard can happen post-mordem. But to this day, I still get chills just thinking about it.
The second time occurred when I was on the bus on the way to St. Mark’s High School when I was 16. Our bus driver noticed a car that had driven off the road into the ditch. It did not appear that anyone was in the car, but as he approached it, we saw a human form. As he was also an emergency services dispatcher for the area, he sprang from the bus and investigated. There was a middle aged man hunched over in the front seat and it had appeared that he had died of a heart attack or some other natural cause which caused this car accident. Again, I went home feeling very vulnerable and sorry for the poor soul who left for work that day and never came back home to his family.
Today is the CF Walk / Run in Red to show our support for our troups - a new annual tradition that CF members and DND employees have adopted. Oddly enough, our Department is due to take position exactly where the body lay along the Canal. I don’t know if there is a contingency plan in place, but I must admit that my esprit de corps will definitely be very much dampened as I walk over that spot, still wet from the Canal water…
Tina
Hello Everyone,
Here is a bit of humour to brighten this day. I am going to share what Fred sent me last week - this little funny “Dog vs Cat Diaries” …..
DOG DIARY
8:00 am - Dog food! My favourite thing!
9:30 am - A car ride! My favourite thing!
9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favourite thing!
10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favourite thing!
12:00 pm - Lunch! My favourite thing!
1:00 pm - Played in the yard! My favourite thing!
3:00 pm - Wagged my tail! My favourite thing!
5:00 pm - Milk bones! My favourite thing!
7:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favourite thing!
8:00 pm - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favourite thing!
11:00 pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favourite thing!
CAT DIARY
Day 983 of my captivity. My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength. The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet. Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of however, they merely made condescending comments about what a ‘good little hunter’ I am. Bastards!
There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event, however, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of ‘allergies.’ I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.
Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow — but at the top of the stairs. I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released - and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously deranged!
And then for my reading pleasure, Alfredo became inspired and, as a result, he e-mailed me his version of Keisha’s daily diary, based on a day in the life of our Little Miss Bum Bum - a routine that has particularly materialized while “Chez Alfredo”….I got a really good chuckle out of it because the account is sooooo accurate….. So as I promised you MC, I am posting it here….
2:00 a.m. - Wake up and make Fred take me outside to sniff the ground and do a token pee.
2:08 a.m. - Give Fred a hard time when he tries to dry off my paws before I move further into the house.
5:00 a.m. - Make noise, just for fun.
6:30 a.m. - Give Fred a hard time when he asks me if I have to go out and “do my thing.”
6:40 a.m. - Jump on the bed and rub myself on it. Look like I don’t know what’s going on when Fred tries to make the bed and tells me to get off.
6:42 a.m. - Enter my house (her cage) for the day and wait for Fred to give me my bickie - Idiot! I wanted the red bickie!
6:40 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. - Sleep and relax.
3:45 p.m. - Start planning the crap I’m going to pull on Fred.
5:45 p.m. - As I exit my home, ram into Fred and lick his hands, arms and … if he bends down … lick his face!
5:50 p.m. - Go outside, do a pee right in front of him, then sniff the ground. Sniff the ground some more, move over 5 feet and sniff that ground, walk around a bit, sniff some more, move around in a circle, scratch at the ground, take a dump, walk 1 foot to the left, rip up Fred’s grass in a vain attempt to cover my poop. Make a run at Fred.
5:55 p.m. - Jump on the bed and rub myself on it, messing it up.
6:00 p.m. - Gorge on my food and hump Fred’s leg to assert my dominance over him.
6:15 p.m. - Sit attentively beside Fred as he and Mom (Tina) prepare dinner. Get angry at him for only giving me little bits of stuff.
6:20 p.m. - Hump Fred’s leg to assert my dominance over him (he’s dense and needs re-enforcement).
6:45 / 7:00 p.m. - Walk around the dinner table and hope Fred will give me some of his meal.
7:20 p.m. - Jump onto Fred’s lap at the dinner table and make a stab at his empty dinner plate. Give Mom that big brown eye cutie look so that she gives me some food. Let out a fart on his lap.
7:30 p.m. - Hump Fred’s leg as he washes the dishes.
7:50 p.m. - Pick out a toy for tonight, grab it by the neck and whip it around. Make a run for Fred.
7:51 p.m. - Play tug-of-war with the toy with Fred. If he doesn’t want to play, drop the toy on his reading material. If he’s lying down, drop it on his face. If he’s sitting up, jump on his lap and rub it against his face. If he’s not responding, remind him that he’s subservient to me by barking at him.
8:12 p.m. - Insist Fred take me outside - there’s more sniffing that needs to be done. Do a token pee (just a little though, don’t want Fred to think I had to go out for anything other than sniffing).
9:30 p.m. - Jump on the bed and rub myself on it.
10:00 p.m. - Make Fred take me outside, because this time I really do have to go.
10:08 p.m. - Rub myself on the bed.
10:20 p.m. - Try to nest around Fred’s crotch area. If that doesn’t work, sit on top of the covers so that Fred is given a hard time pulling them over him fully.
10:30 p.m. - Begrudgingly move underneath the covers and walk around a bit, trying to lie close to Fred so that I can bug him as he tries to sleep.
10:32 p.m. - Obey Mom when she tells me to move over to her side (You’ve won this round Fred, but IT’S NOT OVER!).
Anyway, I hope that this update finds you all well.
More to follow soon!
Love Tina :) ox
Hey all!
I’ve been quiet and I’ve decided to break my silence to brag
I was sparing for a league team throughout the winter and for the first game of the playoffs, their regular goalie couldn’t make it so they asked me We were losing 3-0, then 4-1 and managed to tie 4-4. I drove out to Kinburn to play that game. Anyone been to Kinburn? Wow, that is the middle of nowhere. We went on to win the next one 4-2, the next one 5-3. thus ended the round robin of three games and we were in first and undefeated. If we won the next game we went on to the finals if we lost that was it. We won 4-1, so we were off to the two game final. It was the first team to three points that won the two game final. Well, we had to make it exciting….we tied the first game 3-3. We came back from 3-0. So we needed to win the last game. Well, we won 4-0 so not only did we win the championship but I got a shutout. This was this teams first time they won in 12 years. Actually I think it was the first they won a game in the playoffs. I felt pretty special
So that was a Marc story right?
Now, I hope Montreal wins tonight. Hoping this post finds everyone well. Take care and have a great day,
Marc
Well folks, it’s been a while since I last posted, but it hasn’t been for a lack of thoughts or news. The truth is that so much is happening on a continual basis these days that it is hard to nail myself down to a seat long enough to even write a timely response to friends who are kind enough to e-mail me…to you, my sincerest apologies…So today is catch up day as this promises to be a very busy year with loads of change and lots to do to get there…
First, Alfredo and I are staging his house for the market - for real this time (after many false starts). After many trips to Winners, HomeSense, Jysk, Ikea and many other stores in between, I think we have nailed down “the look” for his house. The real estate agent is practically hired (after a 2 and a half hour interview thanks to my endless questions and our quest to determine the “right fit”). There is a bit of sadness for me in that I will miss going to Alfredo’s to see our Little Miss Bum Bum running around playing “disk doggie” in his backyard, but it is the right time and we want the family unit all under one roof.
Now that the snow has completely melted, it signals the start of tending to our lawns and landscapes once again and to nurture my new found passion in plant rearing and gardening… a surprising new obsession that came about strangely after receiving a beautiful plant arrangement in a red, velvet lined, wooden box from Alfredo’s Zia Lisa after my father passed away. And I am happy to report that all 8 plants still live…and are actually thriving quite nicely after I transplanted them all into their own individual pots (Can you tell that I am “nesting?”). One of them that I received - the African Violet - is known to be very finnicky and hard to keep, but mine is still alive and kicking! Thank goodness for South facing windows!!! I also planted these mystery seeds about 4 weeks ago and I have been finally rewarded with a little sprout of something! YAY!!! So far, I have about 20 plants in my house and I watch them like they were my children. :) Every day after work, I check every plant to see if something new came up. I think after a period of death, grief and loss, I turned to a new passion that involves growth and life. Now I am on the hunt for some perennial bulbs to plant in my front yard as I need to awaken it from its anonymity and mediocrity. I even got 2 books on plants and gardening at Coles…I will say that really means that I have become hooked.
Oh, and my other new passion is beadwork. Alfredo bought me a starter kit and I have been slowly building my collection of beads since December. I scout for sales at Michaels now, perusing the flyers and I plan on making some jewelry when I have some down time, possible next Fall…As the wedding season approaches once more, this will prove to be a very active one for the social calendar as Alfredo and I have 3 wedding engagements on our calendar and one engagement party - gotta love those huge Italian families…there is always a party to go to! My boss also gave us theatre tickets to see a play at the Centrepointe theatre for next week. This is especially nice since I have been itching to go a production for a while.
As for a trip somewhere out of town is concerned, your guess is as good as mine as Alfredo and I will be making some changes chez moi this summer! If we can, we may toss in a romantic weekend getaway here and there, but there is too much to do before Fall to travel too far away.
Other than that, life has been very different since Dad has passed and I won’t even try to describe how I feel since it changes from day to day from anger to sadness to frustration to intense doubt to borderline acceptance - but that acceptance is not constant. I am still waiting for the “at peace” part which seems to elude me. I am so lucky in that everyone has been so incredibly supportive, and even now, I still have friends, colleagues, family ask how I feel about everything and how I am coping. And I am totally functional on the outside and able to continue with life as usual, but my mind races all of the time on the inside. Oh, don’t get me wrong, I adore my life and everyone in it. In fact, I embrace and keep loved ones that much closer. It’s just that I question things all of the time…Could something more have been done for my Dad? Did the medical community do everything possible to minimize his suffering? Did he hear our words spoken to him shortly before he passed? Did he know he was dying before his diagnosis? Where is he now? You see, some very strange things have been happening since he passed, but I don’t place too much on these strange occurences as I must admit that my belief system and, in some aspects, my faith have been challenged. I would say that I seek more definitive proof that life continues after a physical death and the interest in paranormal investigation grows for Alfredo and I, but we are going to reserve that interest for the future when we have more time to dabble in it. For now, we are more focussed on the living and getting our family through the first year without Dad, which at times, is very hard emotionally. But I am so proud of Mom and how she is remaining very strong and very determined to keep going - because she has so much in her life and is surrounded by people who love her and will keep her going even through the loneliest of times.
Other than that, I will be seeing a Naturopathic doctor to seek help for some health related issues that I am hoping are due to stress. So if anyone has had any experiences that they wish to share, please let me know. I am going in with an open mind, but at the same time, I am going to be cautious and I plan to do my homework (no one is going to sell this chick any snake oil!) :P . I will just say that this person came highly recommended by a very close friend and, as most of you know, I have pretty much very little faith in Western medicine and less so in practicing Western doctors. The first step is going for a massage treatment (courtesy of my wonderful man) and to follow up with Reflexology (as my first experience with that was very cool and informative). Next I try Reiki and gosh knows what else…Basically, my criteria is that it has to work and, for the most part, it has to feel good and productive. Thank God our govt. health plan covers for most of these services.
Anyway, I will let you know how everything works out.I hope that everyone is doing well. I think of you all often and although I do not comment as often these days, do not take that as the tempo for the future. I will have more time when things settle down. I have to say that I really enjoy reading your articles Andy and I encourage you to keep going. You are definitely being heard (even China knows about you now! :P) and making your imprint on the world. Keep those drumming lessons up and you’ll soon have your one man show any day now!
Take care guys, be good to yourselves.
I love yas!
Love Tina :)
Hi Everyone,I am posting a quick update to let you know that Abbigale and Cheyenne are still at CHEO, but their diagnosis is RSV - a common virus found in children under three years of age. A small minority end up in hospital and, unfortunately, for my little sweet nieces, they were a part of that group. They are getting very good care though - being suctioned intermittently to get rid of the mucus build-up, receiving oxygen when their levels dip below acceptable levels and Epinephrine mist masks to open up their airways. It looks like we have passed the worst part (we are hoping), but they may be in there for a while longer. The doctors and nurses have given my brother and sister-in-law a good prognosis for both babies so no need for us to be concerned at this point. Thank you very much for your concern and we appreciate your thoughts. I am so sorry that Alfredo and I had to cancel out on our plans with you, but these things happen and we’ll catch you around the next time for sure.Now that I have my account active here - thanks to your help Andy, I will post again soon. I was sick today so I am going to bed early so that I am bright eyed and bushy tailed for work tomorrow. Sleep is hard work these days….I seem to have developed a bit of insomnia since my Dad passed away. Aren’t you guys as anxious as I am to see this #$%^&@&$# snow go away!?!?! I usually enjoy a peaceful snowfall with flakes gently falling down, but because the snow banks lining my driveway are so bloody high, I want to puke every time I hear of another dumping about to come around our town. I cannot shovel any more snow! I am just too short! The snow just rolls right back down again because I cannot clear the top of these monster snow banks! ARGH!!! 
Oh well, Spring is around the corner! Thank God!G’Night All…Tina
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