My City Monday

Gah.

I've been up in my little turret, studying all day. Big test on Wednesday.

(by the dubs - advancing one's intellect and striving for certification? Highly overrated).

(especially when the G.D. Olympics are on.)

(and in my city, no less...)

(wah)

It's still Monday, right?

Well, unless you fall somewheres off the east end of the Canadian Map.

Then too bad for you.

So, I know that the subtitle of my blog is "The Good.The Bad. The Irksome."

But just for today, I am going to change it to "The Happy. The Sad. The Awesome."

Come along, now. We don't have all day.

The Happy:

I was thrilled to come upon this during a regularly-scheduled gallavant - nice to know that we have someone local who has Banksy aspirations...(does it count if it's on your own fence?)

Here's a close-up - the striped pants are pretty fee-usss!

The Sad:

*note to dude on left:
Put down the sign when we're losing...

Oh, Canada.

What.

The.

Frickin'

Hell?

Yeah, buddy. We're living something...(I think it's call Get-Back-In-Yer-Net-You-Idiot-Itis)

The Sad (But Proud):

Making nice. Shaking hands. Because he's such a lovely young man. And we are nothing.

But polite.

The Awesome:

I think I may have died and gone to heaven. Even though I was home slaving away over sarcomeres and xiphoid processes, my friends saw it in their hearts to still go downtown and play amongst the international jet set - they knew I would have wanted it that way.

My absence was noted, and my hard work hitting the books was rewarded when the Good Countess Jaeger came home with the most AMAZING present ever.

It is called a "Hockey Sockey", which is an offshoot of "The Pook" (go here for the fantabulistic website).

In its relaxed state, it looks like this:
But it can be so much more.

It can be a brooch. It can be a pterydactyl.

It can be a mullet.

Or it can be this:
I am currently rocking the 'Double Trump Comb Over'.

I'm still trying to perfect 'The Moose' where you knot the top ties and put your Olympic mittens on top. Picture to follow!

Happy almost Tuesday, my lovelies!

My City Mondays

Something I'm sure everyone can relate to - regardless of homeland - is the pride one feels when one hears their national anthem.

To be able to belt it out loud and proud with a building full of compatriots is a powerful thing. It can even be a transformative thing, turning the cynical into the heart-proud.

So, when one starts tweaking with what is pure and good and wholesome and don't need no fixing , well...

Just well.

When, at the very opening of Friday's Olympic Opening ceremonies, Canadian jazz singer Nikki Yanofsky started out on her (seemingly) 2 hour adventure in and around the-tune-of-what -could-have-possibly-been-our-national-anthem-but-I'm-not-really-sure, well...

Just well.

I am sure that the decision to slow it up and dance it all over the place was not her decision alone - she had people. And people who have people?

They're the luckiest people. In the world.

Because to begin to atone for this sorry attempt at rousing our nationalism, 16 year old Nikki is also the voice behind my newest earworm.

It is downright miraculous how a woman with an absence of hormones (me, not Nikki) can indeed get so hormonal and squidgey listening to this, but there ya go. I believe.

The song and accompanying video has all sorts of elements - cheddar cheesey elements, in fact - that somehow manage to dig right in there and tug at an old Baroness' heart strings.

Things that get me every damn time, such as:
. someone skating on a frozen lake
. men in tights
. a still sassy 82 year old Barbara Ann Scott, both as a young Canadian figure skating darling and as a modern day arsonist, terrorizing Parliament Hill with her fire stick
. the running of the torch (reminiscent of the man who carries my flame)
. Wayne Gretzky
. Nancy Greene (one of the first skiers I remember watching on tv)
. Inukshuk
. the kickassery of our women's hockey team
. a successful torch lighting (go figure!)
. kids singing
. candlelight
. flying through the air with the greatest of ease

I hear (when I can) that the cure for the common earworm is to diminish its power by sharing it with as many people as possible. Be part of the cure, people:



And as corny as it sounds, I do believe in the power of you and I.

Merry Monday, everyone.

My City Monday

Well, it is that day of the week (tell me why...) where I give you another little glimpse into the wonderment that is completely altering my city.

It's time to meet another yet another fine young athlete that will hopefully do us proud (no pressure, hon).

Join me as I once again infiltrate the Olympic Athlete's Village and meet up with JodiAnna Tomie - Canadian Skeleton racer - to discuss life, levity and lycra.

My City Monday

Make a Smilebox collage

Well, it certainly is Monday.

And here in our wee corner of earth, somewhere betwixt the Starbucks mothership and Sarah Palin territory, the excitement is getting pret-ty darned crazy.

You know that phrase, 'Busier than a one-armed paper hanger'?

Well, imagine about 100,000 one-armed paper hangers, planting and cementing and hammering and paving and volunteering and basically whipping themselves into a collective frenzy to get everything all shiny and ready for this upcoming sporting event that will soon overtake us all. You'd think it was a big deal or something.

Big or no, we are the party hosts doing that last-minute, crazed tidying: dusting the surfaces with our shirtsleeves, chucking undesirable viewing material into cupboards, stacking the unneeded into the garage, filling the icebuckets and hoping like hell that no one shows up early.

(whatever you do, please don't look in that closet in the Valley - that's where we moved the homeless)(just for now...)

Anyways...

Things are afoot. (askate?)(aboot?)

And, as one of the many Unofficial Blogosphere Ambassadors to the 2010 Winter Olympics, I will attempt to keep you in the loop.

The loopy loop, as it were.

For as is the privilege of one so connected as myself, I have been told* that I may have press access to some of our fine Canadian Olympic athletes.

Look for upcoming interviews with Vivi Kocher, Biathalon. Jodianna Tomie, Skeleton. Christina LaRoche, Women's Curling. Sam Sean White, Snowboarding.

Maybe even Sidney Crosby.

I think he has something to do with Men's Figure Skating. (Loved, loved, LOVED his father's music).

Don't worry - I'll get this all figured out. And when I do - I promise you that I will bring you the goods.

Because I can.

Because they're here.

In my city.


* 'I have been told': A very useful phrase which I first learned from this wise sage - it covers a multitude of misperceptions and potentially humbling observations.