and now, the end is near...

Today is the last day of NaBloPoMo. And I made it! So now that this challenge is over, it's on to the next one. Canada Reads is an annual event in which 5 Canadians make the case for why the Canadian book they chose should be voted the best. So this year's 5 books were announced today. Since I don't read a lot, but really want to, I thought this would be a great way to get into reading. So my goal is to read all 5 books before February 25 when the 5 panelists get the chance to tell Canada why the book they are supporting should be selected as the best. I'd like to be able to make an educated choice. So wish me luck. I've got a lot of reading to do!

joy to the world...

No, this is not a Christmas related post.

It is about the Joy T-Shirt project. Here's the explanation direct from the website.

"Joy apparel is a socially conscious T-shirt company created to promote peace and equality on a global scale. Opposed to all forms of discrimination, every face found on the website has been inspired by a real person. Upon selecting a face, you then customize your own shirt, choosing from a variety of styles, sizes and colours. When you wear your shirt, you are encouraged to think about that person and how your everyday actions can affect others and the world we live in.

After purchasing a shirt, you may then participate in this global project by submitting a photo of your own visage, which will then be drawn by hand and posted on the website for the rest of the world to wear.

Wearing a Joy T-shirt is about taking an active stance against racism and discrimination. It is about loving your neighbor, because in someway or another we are all connected!"

How cool is that? In addition, 5% of the net profit of each shirt is donated to a different charity each month. I've narrowed it down to a few favourites and will be ordering my shirt right after I finish this blog post.

early one morning...

The following article appeared in the Globe and Mail yesterday. (I have included the text below since the Globe cuts off access to non-members after a number of days.) For those who did not grow up in Canada, The Friendly Giant was a wonderful children's program that ran on the CBC from 1958-1985. I have very fond memories of this show and can still see Bob Homme's (The Friendly Giant) smiling face. There was something warm and comforting about the Giant and his faithful puppet companions Rusty and Jerome. These clips I found on You Tube will give you the general idea of what this show was all about. I had nostalgic tears in my eyes watching them. (Although the commercials for Fraggle Rock and The Beachcombers that begin the first clip did make me laugh my ass off.)





I was pretty disappointed when I read this article. Not in the CBC. The only thing the CBC did wrong was not ask for permission to use the puppets. But come on people! Doesn't anyone have a sense of humour anymore?

EDIT: Just found the offending clip on You Tube. Judge for yourself.




Rusty and Jerome will live happily ever - after the CBC
GAYLE MACDONALD
From Tuesday's Globe and Mail
November 27, 2007 at 1:04 AM EST

Two of the most enduring characters in the history of Canadian children's programming, Rusty the Rooster and Jerome the Giraffe, are about to quit the building. The children of actor and Friendly Giant creator Bob Homme, angered by the CBC's recent treatment of the loveable puppets, are removing them from a museum at the public broadcaster, their home since the iconic program debuted in Canada in 1958.

In an e-mail to The Globe and Mail, Mr. Homme's daughter, Ann, asked for assistance tracking down a video of the recent Gemini Awards, which included a skit showing Rusty, Jerome and other stuffed stars now living in a retirement home after their shows were cancelled.

From friends, Ms. Homme had heard about her dad's puppets appearing in the mock clip, where a narrator described them as sitting around, drinking, smoking and having sex.

Rusty and Jerome were not shown engaging in any salacious behaviour.

“The appearance of the puppets, alone, shocked me, as the CBC is required to get our permission to use them in any way… This is the last straw (a big one) and I feel I have to address it,” Ms. Homme wrote.

“Until recently, we were contacted by the people at the CBC museum, where the puppets are on loan, by a very conscientious woman who seemed to guard the Friendly Giant display with her life. Recently, she was let go, and replaced by someone who seems to think our permission is unnecessary. Needless to say, I am going to remove the Friendly Giant props and puppets as soon as possible.”

Ms. Homme and a brother plan to remove Rusty, Jerome and other Friendly Giant paraphernalia from the CBC Museum Tuesday.

Monday, in an internal memo, the CBC communications group invited staff to “say goodbye to Rusty and Jerome in style,” at a midafternoon ceremony at the Graham Spry Theatre, where milk and cookies were served while classic episodes of Friendly Giant ran on a continuous loop.

“While you may have bid farewell to Friendly when you left your childhood behind, this afternoon, you'll have an opportunity to say goodbye to the real Rusty and Jerome,” the memo said. “After a lengthy stay with us here in the Broadcasting Centre, these iconic creations and other Friendly artifacts, which have been on loan to the CBC museum for many years, will be going home – at the request of the family of the man who made them famous,” the memo said.

None of Mr. Homme's family attended.

For 26 years, young viewers were greeted by the tune Early One Morning as Friendly (played by Mr. Homme) lowered the drawbridge on the miniature castle. He would invite them to have a seat: “One little chair for one of you, and a bigger chair for two to curl up in, and for someone who likes to rock, a rocking chair in the middle.”

Then: “Look up, look wa-a-ay up …” and there was Friendly, soon joined by Rusty, a guitar-playing rooster who lived in a book bag hung on the castle wall, and Jerome, a giraffe with blue spots who stuck his head through a nearby window. The two principal puppets were manipulated by CBC radio veteran Rod Coneybeare.

Mr. Homme produced more than 3,000 episodes before the show was cancelled in 1985 after deep cuts to the CBC budget. Mr. Homme was made a member of the Order of Canada in 1998. He died on May 2, 2000, of prostate cancer, at the age of 81.

In her e-mail to The Globe, Ms. Homme called her father “a truly gentle man” who “never caused much of a fuss.”

“But I can assure you,” she wrote, referring to the Geminis, “that he would be very angry about this breach of trust.”

it's all right here in my boxset...

I recently picked up the new Barenaked Ladies concert DVD, Talk to the Hand Live in Michigan. I honestly don't know why I buy concert DVDs. I never watch them more than once. But since BNL is one of my favourite bands, I just had to. Plus, I'm a sucker for the bonus features. So here's my review.

The concert portion of the DVD features 15 songs offering a good cross section of tunes from the early hit If I Had $1000000 to tracks from the latest album. Highlights include the acoustic versions of Be My Yoko Ono and For You and Ed & Steve ribbing the women in the front row for talking on her cell phone. I especially love the fact that they included Powder Blue, a fantastic song that unfortunately, has not made it on to any of their studio albums. Basically, these guys just rock live. They are excellent musicians and performers and this concert is just as good as every time I have seen them live. Very entertaining.

There are 3 bonus features. The first is an interview with the whole band that runs about 12 minutes. Since I've been a die hard fan since the Yellow Tape it's nothing I haven't heard before with the exception of a few tour stories (especially the very amusing "ass-head" story). But it's still great to see them interact in this setting. The next feature is the band in sound check, rehearsing Angry People, including the hilarious dance sequence. Last is a great photo montage of rehearsal and concert pictures.

The band is committed to lessening their impact on the environment and this DVD is no exception. Not only is the packaging 100% recyclable and made from 80% post consumer content, but the DVD tray, usually made from plastic, is 100% biodegradable because it's made from potatoes. How cool is that!

So if you're Christmas shopping list includes a Barenaked Ladies fan, pick up the DVD. It's a great addition to the BNL library.

wrapped up in you...

My knitting has been sporadic lately but I did just finish a new scarf for my husband.


The Reversible Cabled Scarf is made from Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick & Quick. It's 80% acrylic and 20% wool. Very soft and cozy. The pattern is available for free at the Lion Brand website. You do have to create a login to access the free patterns. It knits up very quickly, perfect for my short attention span.


My favourite thing about this pattern is that it is reversible, as the name suggests. So it doesn't matter how you wrap it around your neck, both sides are the front! Scarves that are not reversible kind of drive me nuts. I guess it's the Virgo in me demanding balance and order.

Steve models his new scarf.

you make me wanna cry...

We just finished watching the Grey Cup game between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Sadly, my beloved Bombers lost. But it was a great game. I love the CFL and don't understand why Canadians don't support their own football league. I'm not knocking the NFL but the CFL has some fantastic talent and the games are usually very exciting. I just don't get why the CFL doesn't have a larger fan base.

It's been a busy weekend so that's all for today's post. Only 5 more NaBloPoMo posts left!

it's not easy being green...

I just listened to a fantastic edition of the CBC's Listener's Choice podcast. It's an interview with Michael Pollan, an award winning writer of books and articles on "places where the human and natural worlds intersect: food, agriculture, gardens, drugs, and architecture. " (Quote taken directly from his bio.) In this particular interview he speaks about the organic food industry. I found him absolutely riveting. It's obvious that this guy knows his stuff and he's able to deliver the findings of his research in a calm, rational, seemingly unbiased way. If you have any interest at all in organic food I urge you to listen to this podcast. (It is the November 23rd edition.) It certainly cleared up a few misconceptions for me and further reiterated the fact that we as consumers have the power to influence what happens in the food industry.

Note: I have cross-posted this entry to my other blog, Pure and Green.

what a drag it is getting old...

I have mentioned in a previous post that I am currently overweight. I say currently because I am working to change that. I finally started a regular exercise routine in the spring and I have seen results. My body shape is changing and I'm feeling stronger physically. But the pounds aren't coming off like I would like them to. I've tried a number of diets but this week I decided to go back to the one that I have had most success with. Weight Watchers. Since Monday I have been counting my points and carefully planning my meals and I've done very well. But I've been worrying about keeping up the momentum. Will I get bored in a couple of weeks and start to cheat? Will I give up before I get to my goal weight and end up gaining it all back?

Well tonight gave me the motivation I need. It involved a trip to the Emergency Room with a relative. Don't worry, nothing life threatening. But the few hours in the hospital waiting room, watching the patients stream in an out was fascinating. I'd say that over 80% of the patients coming into Emergency were overweight if not obese. We know that heavy people have greater risks of developing a myriad of different ailments & diseases. So why do we let ourselves get to this state? I understand that for some people there are genetic issues that predispose them to obesity but for most of us, it's completely controllable. But it's much easier to overindulge in yummy food then to have the smaller portion or ask for a salad instead of fries. And it's far more enjoyable to sleep in on a Saturday morning than to get up at 7am for a 5km run. On the other hand, we know what's good for us and we know what we have to do to keep ourselves healthy. But so many people don't start taking care of themselves until it's too late.

I am 35 years old. With the exception of my weight, I am a very healthy person and I want to keep it that way for a very long time. Weight Watchers and kickboxing are helping me achieve this goal. And the pictures etched in my mind of that hospital waiting room are definitely helping.

change the world...

I'm loving the new ad from the World Wildlife Fund Canada!



I think it's excellent. It's a great reminder of the the things that we used to do that we now know are not safe. It really gets you thinking about the effect our actions have not only on ourselves but the entire planet. The print ads are great too. And the WWF website is full of great information and suggestions on what we as individuals can do to help. I don't want to get too political here but seriously, we screwed up the planet. Shouldn't we be fixing it?

you make me so very happy...

Hello. My name is Vivian. I am an Apple addict.

I love my MacBook. I love my iPod. I love iTunes. If it's an Apple product it's pretty much a guarantee that I will love it. Well Apple is putting out the best little video podcast, the Apple Quick Tip of The Week. It's also available straight off their website. Each segment is only a minute of two in length but includes a great tip on how to use your Mac more efficiently. I've learned a lot of shortcuts that I didn't know existed. And this makes me love Apple even more.

so tired...

This may just be my lamest post of NaBloPoMo. It's just after 7:30pm as I begin to write this and I predict I will be in bed by 8pm. These days, I just can't seem to get enough sleep. I am exhausted all the time. So as I haul my sorry ass to bed, be comforted by promises of a quality blog posts in the near future.

Nighty, night.

it's enough to drive you crazy if you let it...

I'm not sure how I feel about this.

Dolly Parton to debut 9 to 5 musical.

I love musicals and I have huge respect for Dolly Parton. But 9 to 5 as a musical? I'm just not feeling it. I hope to be pleasantly surprised.