Friday, September
30th, 2005.Yo.
Wha's up? Wit' yo bad self, hmmm? Ailsa inda
house, finally! Man, can't believe it's the
end of September, already, and here I am still stuck in Canada. Crap of all
crap -- I was hoping beyond hope that I'd at least have a big plan for being
further South by now. Ah, well. What's for ye 'll no go by 'ye, as my Mother
says (although, when she was here for a visit, she said it must not
have been meant for me, since it hasn't happened yet -- moving South, I mean..).
Oh, Parental Support. Wonder what that's like...
And, yes, I do have
a bad attitude, today, and no, I can't get The
Four Agreements to work for me this morning, because I'm all mad at Dwight
and I can't seem to remember what the book said about what to do when your spouse
won't agree to put in a Fireplace Mantel. They need a Construction & Renovation
'Agreements' book -- maybe I can call up the Author,
don Miguel Ruiz, and see if he has any time to help out all the folks who
are in the middle of a Build or Reno, who might just need his help in staying
calm during a 'building dispute'! ha,ha,ha!
Cannot believe we are
still dealing with the Fireplace Mantels. Ugh. I decided to go ahead and call
our 'Mantel-Guy' the other day, because I am determined to have a real mantelplace
instead of Dwight's favorite look -- plain as day. No, no. He calls
it "Contemporary", but I just call it "indecision", and
there's nothing that annoys me more than indecision that prevents things from
getting done. That's one of the biggest problems people have when they are Building
or doing a Renovation -- inability to make a decision and stick to it.
If someone (especially a problem when only one
partner is the indecisive one, but also a control freak, which is often the
case, since the vast majority of control freaks are afraid of making
any permanent decision in case 'it's the wrong one'... and that's why they're
soooo much fun to deal with... the sad part is that they're also the
one's most likely to have the money to build, because they're always good at
making substantial amounts of cash, so it's a balance thing! ha,ha!)
is unable to come up with a reasonable solution to whatever building thing they're
doing, be it paint color, number of bathrooms, whether you can really afford
separate Bedrooms (which can be surprisingly appealing by the end of a build!
ha,ha!), and, of course, whether to have the guy come over to build the Fireplace
Surrounds. Or maybe those are just my issues,
and if they are, I need to add in 'wants to get more trees',
too, since this continues to be an ongoing battle around here.
Anyway, I'm going ahead with the Mantelplace,
and the Fireplace in the Great Room is the first one to be done. And just to
be fairish with Dwight, the fireplaces do look good
with the Granite Surround, I just want them to look like I visualized them a
long time ago! Dwight wanted the Fireplace in the Media Room (on the Walk-Out
Level) done first, but I said (loudly, which is annoying, since I hate
to raise my voice, but I think I was sufficiently provoked, but still, must
try to stay calm during 'construction conversations'... easier said than done!)
that the Upstairs Fireplace has to be the first one done, just in case Dwight
changes his mind, again, and I still don't get the Mantel in time for Christmas.
(Who doesn't love a mantel at Christmas? Okay, maybe the majority of people
on the planet, religiously speaking, but I'm sure they would also like to maybe
put a Floral Arrangement or perhaps some candles on the mantel... really, my
point is that I think I'm right, and am willing to risk the fight with Dwight
to get this done. Wish me luck! ha,ha!)
Here. I was going to talk about The
Apprentice, which I love, and now I'm running out of time.. but just quickly,
how do you like Crazy Markus? No, no. I shouldn't
cloud your judgement by sneakily adding 'crazy' to the beginning of his name.
And maybe when he stops talking, he's not crazy, but the chances of
him keeping his endless thoughts to himself seems doubtful. Too bad Good-Looking
Chris has to be Fired, last night. What is it with this group
of Candidates that they don't remember the Cardinal Rule for Going to The Boardroom,
"Bring the Number You're Allowed, so's you're not a moron, and increase
the odds of being fired from 33% to 50%". Yes, it's true, I am paraphrasing
a tiny bit, but man, what are they thinking? You should get fired just
for that. As Suze Orman would say, "Stoopid,
stoopid, stoopid!".
Okay, one more wee bit and then I'm done -- I
joined my New Gym (Greig's
Gym in Okotoks) a couple of weeks ago, and already I've 'toned' half an
inch off many,many parts! WooHoo! I always say,
if you really want to change your Body, you have to lift Weights. (That's
not completely true, but I hate running, so it's true for me! ha,ha!) And I
don't bother much with the Bathroom Scale (da scale, she no mah' friend no more...),
because I'm focussed on being trim and leanish, not obsessed with a
number. Oh, and when you are losing wieght and changing shape, there's no need
to throw out or give away all your 'fat clothes'. Just sew up the sides of sweaters
and shirts about a 12" to an inch at a time. And add a series of buttons
to your skirts and pants so you can just keep moving them over. Works for me!
I gotta go get Leaner. A Lean, Mean, Fightin'
Machine -- at least about the Mantels and the Trees, and hopefully no more fighting
after that! ha,ha,ha! Thanks for dropping in for a wee visit. It's always lovely
to see you! Say, have you lost an inch or two, yourself? You're lookin' fabulous,
Baby! See you soon! Oh, and click here to
pop into my new Gym Page -- I just made it!
Love & Laughter (or whichever one comes first...
hopefully both at the same time!), Ailsa!
Thursday, September
22nd, 2005. Hey, there Good Lookin'! Looove that comb-over
-- that's totally working for you, so just ignore all those annoying looks you
might get later -- what do those people know, hmmm? Nuthin',
that's right. And if that one little strand keeps falling in your face, maybe
just give it a wee trim so it's right above your eyebrow -- that always
looks good, and it's easy to do in the morning... it's all about saving time
in the morning. Oh, hey, guess where I got to go, last night?? Dwight scored
a couple of fabulous (everyone at the Hockey
Game says 'fabulous', only some folks not as loudly as the others, mostly
out of fear of incrimination, whatever that means...!) seats at the
Opening Calgary Flames Hockey Game! Yahoo, Hockey's back!! Oh, and we missed
it so... Some cynics said that Hockey Fans wouldn't forgive the Players for
the Strike (and the length of the Strike), but that ain't so. People were sooo
excited to see the Players skate back onto the ice -- including slightly
drunkme! ha,ha,ha! <NHL
Team Gear - Get it now at SportsFanfare.com!>
Okay, so you know how I had to go to that icky
French Farce with my parents, last week? Well, it didn't turn out to be nearly
as creepy as I thought it would -- no Live Nudity while we were eating our Dinner,
so that was a huuuge relief. The acting was painful, (it was Dinner and a Show)
except for 'The Gay Guy' who was really funny. And I think it might have been
written by a Science Fiction-Right Wing kinda guy, since 'The Gay Guy' ends
up sleeping with three women in one night, then magically becomes
Straight by the morning... ha,ha,ha,ha! Really, that was the best joke of the
evening, and I'm not so sure it was entirely intentional... good to know that
it's just a matter of finding the right three women, and that's that done. Wonder
how that play goes down, so-to-speak, in San Franscisco (and everywhere else
on the planet...!)?
Since my parents were here for a wee visit, we
popped out to Banff,
Alberta, on Saturday. It's always beautiful in the mountains, and what used
to be my favorite Chocolate
Shop is out there. I say 'used to be' because the girl who served
me was really rude (there's no room for rudeness in a Chocolate
Shop, especially an expensive chocolate shop...), and then when I got home,
waited for my parents to leave, and made some tea to have with my chocolate,
it was terrible chocolate, so I'm not going back. Well, not to that particular
Shop -- I'll just go to the other members of the same Franchise. So
the question is, 'Would I go back if the chocolate had been fantastic, like
it used to be?' Yes, of course, and I would just hope that meannie girl would
be gne by then, since I don't plan to go back to Banff for a while. Perhaps
a long while, especially if some sort of great
opportunity happened to present itself , and I had to move South...
fingers crossed! ha,ha,ha!
Quick Tip: It's a Cleaning Tip,
since I seem to have doing a lot of cleaning, lately... anyway, you know those
Squeegies that they have at the Gas Stations (and if you live in a large City
and it hasn't been 'outlawed', the poor kids who squeegie your car windows to
make ends meet...) to clean your windows? I don't know what they're really called,
but I call them squeegies. Man, I gotta get to the point! Anyhooo, you can get
those squeegies in a fairly small size at the Superstore or where ever, and
you can use it to quickly clean the Glass
Doors in your Shower (we have a lot of glass doors in showers, because it's
sooo important to have something to look at while you're in the shower, I suppose...!
ha,ha,ha!). Just squeegie off the glass before you step out of the shower (turn
the water off, first...). You can use it for the Bathroom Mirrors, too, if you're
so inclined. I only did the mirrors twice, then I forgot all about that. I'll
clean them again if I have an Open
House!
Oh, I almost forgot to tell you -- I just joined
a new Gym, and it's great! I'm very excited about it, because it's been a long
time since I actually got to go to a real gym -- since I moved here 10 years
ago. Dwight didn't want me to join a gym way back then, and frankly, I was a
bit worried I might meet someone else at the gym (it's hard to resist 'gym boys'!
ha,ha,ha!), and I was trying to settle myself into this new life back then...
anyway, I joined with Cara, my 17 year old, so we can go together.
Hey, that reminds me of a weird thing that happened
at the Hockey Game, last night. I was wearing a very nice (!) Red Top, Black
Mini-skirt, and long Black Jacket (& Black Stockings, which is actually
useful to the story, not just fun to mention...), since the Calgary Flames colors
are Red and Black. So this woman sits down beside me, and it looked like she
was struggling with her seat, since you know how you have to hold the seat down
at the Stadiums... and I asked her if she'd like me to help her. She says, "No.
I'm a mother." True enough. But she said it like I'm not a
mother (which many people will tell you that I am... but more on that later..!
ha,ha,ha!). Makes me mad when people have a set image of what anyone should
look like. Yes, I have two lovely children (17 & 6), and yes, I want to
look great. That in no way takes away from my 'mothering' ability -- maybe it
even adds to it. Whatevah'. I've gotta get to the Gym!
See ya', Baby! Thanks for popping in,
it's always great to see you! Have a chocolate on my, today -- come on, you
know what I mean! ha,ha,ha! Love & Laughter, or Laughter & Love, whichever
comes first!Ailsa
Friday, September 16th, 2005. Yo!
Yo, yo -- ma...no, that goes from sorta cool
to some slightly boring concert... anyway, welcome in. Come on in and
sit down -- I've already got the Drinks poured, but I might have accidentally
drank most of yours, so just swirl the ice around your glass while you wait
for me to go get more Gin. Ooooh, just thought about something
-- wonder if Costco in the States sells Lemon Gin by the Case??
Wouldn't that be great? Then there'd be some left over for you...!
ha,ha,ha!
Oh, and speaking of things I hope to be drinking at, guess what I get to do
this weekend? That's right, I have to go to a French Farce
with Explicit Sexual Content, with my parents.
I know. I'm sorry to make you so jealous of my incredible luck... if only you
could also do something equally creepy with your own parents, I know
your life would be complete. Ah, well. The only thing that's keeping me going
with the thought of the beautifully subtle humor that is the essence of the
French Farce is that I can write about the experience, later. We'll laugh, we'll
cry (or maybe it'll just be me crying -- we'll see! ha,ha,ha!), we'll cover
our heads in mortified embarassment... what an evening it'll be!
Man, I wish I had a better handle on technology (God Knows what lovely
joke the French Farce Folk -- the 'FFF', I think I'll call them... in an effort
to keep myself sane -- would come up with for anything that involves 'getting
a handle' on anything... oh, they're witty, the French! har, har! That's French
for 'ha,ha'...). And a better attitude about the French Farce! Whatevah'...
I'm using The Four Agreements
to make my way through this week (and then the rest of my Life, since I find
it so very functional), so I'll be repeating the
Four Agreements in my head most of the night...
But I digress. What I was going to tell you about was my incredible lack of
ability to manage technology. Namely, the VCR. I know. It's sad. But I can't
figure out how to get the tiny tape in my Digital Video Camera to get the taped
piece I did for Ellen (it's me cooking -- a Cherry
Cheesecake, my favorite Apple
Crumble and a Peach Pie) onto
a VHS tape so I can send it in, then with any luck (hopefully better luck than
today...), I'll get to cook on Ellen's
Show. Alls I gotta do is figure out what AUX means, and how to
get that on the TV screen. Sounds easy, but for me it seems insurmountable.
There, that's my 'big word for the day', right there. Insurmountable. Wonder
what the French would do with that one?? ha,ha! (sob, sob...)
Hmmm. I haven't said one word about Building, yet. Because there's
so much great TV on these days -- I can't help it. All the New Shows, and my
favorite 'Oldies' back to start their New Seasons. The
O.C., Survivor, my
fave Daytime Shows (Ellen & The
View). Oprah doesn't start until next week, but she had the best coverage
of the tragedy in the Southern States. Man, she'd make an amazing President,
wouldn't she? She's brilliant. An Kind. Good traits in a President. The job
doesn't pay as much as she already makes, so maybe just a Good Will Ambassador...
think of how many people would be housed, fed and educated if Oprah
had a lot of power.
I think what's happening right now is more of a 'rebuilding' than just regular
building, given the state of so much of America. The million or more people
who were displaced from Hurricane Katrina
will have to rebuild their own futures, and their own homes. What I would like
to see for those folks is an opportunity to train for good jobs, so they can
break the cycle of poverty, which
so very many of the people were in. There's no excuse in a First World Nation
for Poverty, or lack of a good education.
Too many people ( a lot of them, High School Counsellors, but that's starting
to get better..) have a focus only on 'The Professions', and if a kid going
through school doesn't go to College,
for whatever reason, they think that's the only path for them. Crazy. We need
to make sure more men and women (especially in the Teen Years) are familiar
with the Trades,
and all the opportunities that can come with a viable Skill. Like a Job.
And get the word out that Trades People often make more than the Professionals,
and have a great life. You know how much I love Higher
Education, given that I'm
a Teacher, but I firmly believe that there are many paths you can take,
and some solid skills will at least put you on a path where you can eat -- on
a regular basis! (And you know I like to do that -- which reminds me... Cara
and I are going to join a Gym... since I saw myself on that Tape for Ellen,
and now I see that if I were ever to actually get on TV, I would want
to 'shake less', especially if it's unintentional jiggling! ha,ha,ha!)
Okay, gotta go. See this wee Google Box? Hopefully, it'll come up with some
good links for you -- maybe even about The
Trades. Just so you know, I don't control what comes up in the box -- it
adjusts itself to the area of the world where you are (which reminds me -- I'm
working on making an 'International Building' Page, with a focus on India,
so I'll let you know when that's ready... oooh, and that reminds me
of Ali G - Sacha Baron Cohen's hilarious character... he was
on Conan O'Brien's Late Night Show, last night. It's Ali
G Indahouse -- sooo funny!<Da
Ali G Show - The Complete First Season
> "Peace. Respect", says me Ali G...!<
>
Love & Laughter (or whichever one comes first!),
Ailsa!
<
> You can get pretty much any TV,
Movie or Music thing at eMerchandise.com. This is one of my favorite online
Shops!
Sunday Morning, Sept. 4th, 2005.
Hello there, You! You're looking fabulous, today! Is that an earring in your
nose? No? Okay, I won't look... but still, you look fantastic, and I bet you
really 'clean up good', as I've heard say in some really fancy circles! ha,ha,ha!
Well, we have something enormous to deal with these days -- the devastation
that was caused by Hurricane Katrina. So sad. But I see glimmers of Hope all
around, so that's a Good Sign. I'm hoping that the people of New Orleans can
use this as an opportunity to stand back and see how they can really improve
the lives of all of their citizens, to create nice new homes (and new lives)
for everyone.
<>
The situation in New Orleans and the Surrounding
Area is so horrific, right now. You can use this Link to pop in and make a Donation,
if you can. Mostly, they just need money, but if you are skilled (and you very
well might be, since you're on my Building Site!), you can always let them know
that, too, if there's something else you could do to help. Click here for more
info on how to deal with Flooding.
Normal Flooding, though -- this makes our Flood
in Alberta this past Spring seem tiny, but all floods cause massive amounts
of damage, so maybe there's an idea you will find useful for you.
I just got this in my email, this morning, and
made my Donation through this link, since Warner Brothers is offering to match
our donations through The
Ellen Degeneres Show website. Double the money, right there! I'm hoping
these links work, (I'll check them after I post this to 'da Net'!), but if you
have any bother, just go into Ellen's
website the normal way, click on 'Site Map' at the bottom, then 'Give a
Little'. You'll see the Red Cross Symbol and can click on that.
As part of the relief effort, Warner Bros. Entertainment is donating $500,000
and will match your contributions up to another $500,000.
It's extra-easy to donate online, now -- what an enormous change from the past,
when you'd have to remember to go to the Bank, hope they're actually open, find
'the jar' and put in your donation. Ah, the Internet. How I love ye so...! ha,ha,ha!
The last I've heard, the American Red Cross had raised $200 Million for the
Disaster Relief for the Victims of Hurricane Katrina, so that's fantastic. It's
wonderful to see how people really rally together to support a Good Cause, isn't
it?
I'd still like to see a Program in place where you could add an extra Dollar
(yep, just One Dollar) to an existing Monthly Bill
(like a Long Distance Phone Bill, or another Bill that isn't already
to high...). Can you imagine the money that would generate?? Massive amounts
of money, and it could go to a variety of Charities... If you know anyone who
could help implement this, for Goodness Sake, tell them yourself, or drop
me a line and we'll work on it together. It's good to help -- good for you,
good for everybody, right?
Oh, and Ellen's
new Season starts on Monday, Sept. 5th, and it looks like it'll have a lot
of stuff on Katrina, and how we can get involved in helping out. Can't wait
to 'see her again'! Man, I must start living in the Real World, as opposed to
my little TV Haven I've got going on, here...! If only there were a lull in
great things on TV (thanks to my beloved Satellite Dish, there's always something
good on TV!), I'd be more likely to turn it off! ha,ha,ha!
One more Ellen-related thing, and that's it.... I
spent all day yesterday, preparing and baking things so that Cara
could Tape me, then I can send in my tape to Ellen's Show so one day I could
maybe go down and make her a Cheesecake or a Delicious Pie! That's my Dream,
right now! People love Home-made Treats, so maybe I'm
the one to get America (and anywhere else the show airs!) back into the kitchen
to do do a wee bit of Cooking! So I made a lovely Cherry
Cheesecake (I just had a piece for Breakfast!), a cool and delicious
Peach Pie, and another batch of my favorite Apple
Crumble, since I'll need that after all the Treats I've made! (The Apple
Crumble is part of the Scottish Diet
that I developed, if you're new to my Site!)
Thanks for popping in for a wee visit -- it's always lovely to see you!
Love & Laughter (or whichever one comes first!),
Ailsa!
Hey, you can help spread the word about my Site
-- here's a new 'Tell A Friend' that my friend James made for me.
He's been working away to teach me some new things for my website that I desperately
need to learn to make the improvements I really want. Oh, and don't feel restricted
by the whole 'Tell a Friend' thing. You don't even have to really
like someone to tell them about www.buildyourownhouse.ca!
What do I care? I'm just interested in loads and loads of people coming in for
a visit -- maybe even buying something through the Site! And who knows??? Maybe
they'll quit borrowing money from you by learning how to Manage
their own money after reading my Articles!
ha,ha! So here it is, and it's easy schmeasy to use!<
> Thank You!! Soon we'll be enormous!
(And I don't mean just because of all the Caramel Apples, neither! ha,ha,ha!)
Uh, oh... I see there's no apostrophe in the Friends Name Box --
must tell James! Rest assured ( I don't want you to lose sleep over this!),
I do know it needs and 's... we'll fix it for you! See ya'! Ailsa
-
At Home with Ailsa -- My Update Page!
- 
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