Ubalblog

[  Mood: Fed Up WIth Life ]
Currently Dharma is leading a well intentioned, but poorly informed poll on the Greatest Canadian is. (Somewhere in there is a comment on the audacity of an American telling Canadians which one of them is best, but I am letting it go.)

This lead me to think about what makes one great. The BBC started the ball rolling with their greatest Britons special. Churchill, the PM who got the through WWII, won. In the US, Discovery Channel’s version named Ronnie Reagan, although that may have more to do with the fact that he had died just before the show aired. Cause he beat Lincoln, MLK and FDR.

Here in Canada, our number one was never Prime Minister. Instead, he was Premier of an agrarian province that brought in universal health care. Then he was the leader of the third party in the Parliament who was used political wiles to get the same program for the whole country. This meant that no matter what, we get health care. And don’t let the right wing, insurance company hype that you see on Fok an Friends scare you. Every time I have needed emergency care, I have gotten it in a timely fashion. God bless you Tommy.

Our number two was Terry Fox, a young man who lost a leg to cancer and then decided to do something about it. He started a Marthon of Hope where he wanted to run accross Canada to raise money for Cancer research. Running 26 miles a day, he made it all the way to Thunder Bay before he had to stop. The cancer had reimerged. He died ten months later. By that point he had raised $24 million dollars for cancer research. Every year since then there has been a Run in his honour all over Canada and the world. In total, these run have raised over $360 million dollars.

The fact that Tommy beat Terry shows you how important medicare is to Canadians. I also find it interesting that in Canada, unlike the US, UK and Germany, a national leader (President/Pime Minister)is not number one. In fact it isn’t until number three that a Prime Minister shows up in Pierre Elliot Trudeau, the father of bilingualism and multi-culturalism. And dater of Barbara Streisand.

I believe that greatness should be measured by your actions to make the world a better place, not by whether or not your movie had a really good explosion in it. Unfortunately, too many people in our celebrity obsessed culture seem to think greatness come from shallow places, like beauty, the ability to catch a ball or sing a pretty song.

[  Mood: Happy ]
[ Currently: Breastfeeding my son ]
Geeklet underwent a huge milestone today.

He got his first library card and took out three books.

They grow up so quickly!!!

[  Mood: Sleepy ]
M is for Maple is a beautifully illustrated alphabet book. It’s focus is on Canadiana, which suits me fine. H is for Hockey. Geeklet enjoyed the colours.

If I have quibble it is that E was for English, but that they don’t mention French until the get to Q is for Quebec. Given that Husband Unit is Francophone, I would have like more of an emphasis on French.

This one is fun and helps me raise the next generation of Canadians.

[  Mood: Cool ]
[ Currently: Breastfeeding my son ]
Counting books are a part of motherhood. You read them with/to/at your child hoping that it will help them pick up numbers. Most of them are as dull as dishwater.

But not this one. Sandra Boynton has created a world where a total of 44 hippos comne and go through the book, all rotating around an impromptu house party. The illustrations are fit the silly tone of this book. Whimsical and entertaining for parents as well, the book is fun to read with/to/at your child.

Enjoy!

[  Mood: In Love ]
[ Currently: Pumping breast milk. ]
Note this entry has been in the works since Friday, but due to a variety of "fun" and "interesting" things that have happened, which I am not getting into right now, you are getting it now.

I have spoken before about my love of the fabulous Tim Gunn. Well Tim has come out with his own book on fashion.

This book wants to show women how to dress. Not in a What Not to Wear way, where they belittle you and humiliate you. That would be the tear you down to build you up philosophy.

No, Tim Gunn wants to shows women how to dress without losing site of their personality. "We can do better" is his motto. Tim feels that he is taking women on a journey of growth and self-discovery that will lead them to look better and feel better.

Tim’s philosophy about fashion is that women really only need a few essential pieces to make a wardrobe that will be ready for any occasion. All the pieces must be soul stiring and look fabulous on you. You deserve no less.

This book is written to mimic Tim’s breezy and verbose speaking style. As you read it, you feel like you are watching Project Runway and he is your mentor. And that makes it easier to remember his advice when you shop. The book has also inspired the Bravo TV show Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style.

If you are looking to update your look, are fashion challenged or just like a good non-fiction read, this is the book for you. And fellas, just cause it is written for women, does not mean it can’t help you either.

[  Mood: Sleepy ]
[ Currently: Breastfeeding my son ]
Jade is having nightmares in which women are being strangled. While she sees some of the assault from the victim’s point of view, she does not see the killer’s face. The police are skeptical, her parents are concerned. Jade races to find out who the killer is before he claims his next victim. This race is made more desperate when her dream reveals that the next victim is Jade’s best friend’s mom.

This is author Carol Matas’ sequel to The Freak. Like the first book, the story moved along quickly, with lots of excitement and turns. Jade tries to learn more about her powers so that she can better use them.

Good book. I understand there is a third one on the way.

[  Mood: Shocked ]
You may remember how I have blogged about the fountain of poop. I have now seen something far, far more terrifying – the Poozooka.

This morning, Husband Unit was changing our son when suddenly he projectile pooped. (The boy, not the Husband Unit.) That’s right, poop shot out of his butt and across the room. It stopped a foot away when it hit the diaper wipes box. Given the speed it was travelling, it would have gone further, so we count ourselves lucky.

My boy has revealed his mutant power. He will be able to use his ability to poop to blow badguys out of the sky. As a bonus it will fertilize the garden. Beware, enemies of Canada, we know have a weapon of mass destruction – well beyond Celine Dion.

Although, as his mother, I am concerned about what his costume is going to look like. And will I have to make it. And will hemroids be his kryptonite?

We will keep you informed.

[  Mood: Sleepy ]
[ Currently: Breastfeeding my son ]
Sookie Stackhouse thought her life was going well. She had a boyfriend, Bill, who also happens to be a vampire. Given that Sookie is psychic, having a vampire as a boyfriend is a good thing. Psychics can’t read vampires minds. So for Sookie, it means that she can relax and truly let her guard down, something she can’t doe around human men.

Then one day, Sookie arrives at work to find the dead body of one of the cooks stuffed into the back of a local cops’s car. She wants to find out who killed Lafayette, but before she can delve too deep into that mystery, Eric, the local vampire master sends her and Bill to Dallas to help that group of vampires find one of their own who has gone missing.

This is the second in Charlaine Harris’ Southern Vampire Series. And unlike many series, the second book is stronger than the first. Sookie’s adventures in Dallas open up whole new parts of the supernatural world to her and the readers. Harris has now given herself a great deal of options for sequels. This is good as there are only so many people you can kill in a small town before someone gets suspisious – Jessica Fletcher, I am looking at you.

Good book – will read the third.

[  Mood: Sick ]
[ Currently: Breastfeeding my son ]
It is 500 years after the end of the world. The old gods are dead and their magic along with them. The world follows the Nameless on and the Word.

Maddy has magic and it keeps getting her into trouble. An outcast in her village, she has no friends, except for the pedler One-Eye who comes by once a year. One-Eye also has magic and he begins to teach Maddy how to use hers. During one of these lessons, Adam Scattergood witness the lesson. A bully, he begins to taunt Maddy. She turns the rune (the base of all magic) on him. Humiliated. Adam runs back to the village to rat on them. Maddy and One-Eye know the jig is up, and One-Eye sends Maddy into the Red Horse Hill, and ancient reminent of the time before the end of the world.

Author Joanne Harris has created an amazing fantasy story based on Norse mythology. She is essentially telling the story of what happened after Ragnarok. Maddy is really Modi and signals the start of a new age. Harris has opened up the possibility of a sequel with the ending, but it is a very nice stand alone novel.

[  Mood: Angry ]
This is the ninth in an ongoing seriers of entries where I look at the upcoming TV season. Why? Cause I am a TV junkie. I need a hit!

The networks have a special set of shows they call midseason replacements. These shows sit in the vault waiting for one of their predecesors to weaken and die. Or at least weaken and be taken out behind the woodshed and shot.

We have already covered the NBC contributions to this group. Let’s look at the other freshed faced kids who are waiting in the wings.

ABC
Lost
This series is back for its penultimate season. I predict that a new group of castaways, called the Cargoies will join the island team. Their name comes from the fact that they were illegal immigrants hiding in the cargo section of the plane. I also predict Locke will do something cool. This one will last the season and be back next year.

Scrubs
Not a genre show per say, but it has legions of followers among the geek set. The show has found a new home after NBC discarded it like a piece of used Kleenex. It too will the last the season. Next season? Depends on whether or not Zac Braff wants to do Garden State 2.

CBS
Harper’s Island
This series tells the tale of a group of friends who go to an island near Seattle for a wedding. And then a serial killer starts picking them off one by one. How festive! Don’t look for this to last. It is being retooled and recast as you read this. Wave bye-bye.

CW
Reaper
YEAH!!!! Sam, Sock and the Devil are back for another season of tomfoolery. Watching the boys go after the escaped souls is fun and, let’s be honest, casting Ray Wise as the devil is genius. To be honest, this show doe not have to get super high ratings to be renewed next season. It is on the CW after all. So hopefully this means more Reaper.

Fox
Dollhouse
This is the show that has caused the most buzz on the internet. Joss is back. And he’s bringing Eliza with him. And Fred/Illyria too! And FOX has increased their order fom nine to thirteen episodes. But FOX has broken our hearts before. The fans are already mounting a ”Save Dollhouse” campaign. Will this last? Hard to say, I hope for Joss’s sake it does, but FOX has burned me many a time. I am not holding my breath.

Sit Down, Shut Up
This animated show appears to be an Americanization of Bromwell High but without Natella, Keisha and Latrina. It has the voice talents of a bunch famous people. Will it last? The clips they have released don’t look funny, and it appears there is a laugh track. Not good.

The Cleveland Show
This Family Guy spin-off is getting hype. Not many details beyond this:

Will it last? Hard to say. American Dad has lasted this long and it isn’t very funny. Some people also say that about Family Guy. It has at least thirteen episodes. Beyond that, hard to tell.

Next time: back to your regularly scheduled Ubalblog.