Russian bombers "happen" to demonstrate why the Forces need new toys...
Now there is no doubt, Stephen Harper is indeed a robot...
Friday miscellany - schools, Pink Floyd and a moron in a bad suit...
Future Leaf…
Monday, January 23rd, 2012
Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario
Archive for the ‘Family’ Category
They sure do, B.D…. they sure do…
Wednesday, December 28th, 2011
Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario
Perspective…
Thursday, August 18th, 2011This is what I Tweeted this morning:
ALERT! Black BMW. Male driver. Driving S on Russell about 10 min. ago.ALMOST HIT MY WIFE & DAUGHTER.Any info, PLS call police! #Ottawa
Scary stuff. Got a call from my very upset spouse telling me that a speeding black BMW swerved around a line of cars waiting at a red at Russell and Tupper… doing about 100 klicks.. and just missed hitting two of my favourite people.
Bastard. I would love to have 5 minutes with the asshole.
Everyone is fine and I assured my wife of that. It’s all good. We will all have dinner together tonight.
But damn, here I am at lunch at my desk, more than 4 hours later – and I find myself shaking uncontrollably.
Bastard. Five minutes. That’s all I ask.
Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario
Why work?
Sunday, August 7th, 2011Actual conversation between my 7 year daughter and I yesterday.
Daughter: When are we going to Montreal?
Me: Well, I’m not going. You and your brother and Mommy are going next week. I have to go back to work on Monday.
Daughter: Why?
Me: Because my summer holidays are over and now it’s time for me to go back to my job.
Daughter: But why not just stay on holidays for the rest of the summer?
Me: I’d LOVE to. But I can only take so much time off each year because it is expected that I will return to work in order to earn more time off. That way I’ll be able to have another vacation next summer and we can come back to the cottage and do other cool stuff.
Plus, I have a job to do at work and some people are counting on me to do it. And I don’t want to disappoint them. I have responsibilities.
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Daughter: Then why don’t you get a different job where you can do fun stuff with us all of the time and still get paid? Like a fisherman or somebody who rakes beaches? That way you wouldn’t disappoint me.
Me: Ummmmm…
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So… anyone hiring? At my current salary and benefit levels, of course.
Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario
Thanksgiving at the GG’s
Monday, October 11th, 2010
Thanksgiving at Rideau Hall
Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario
Update on Brian Millar and the Tour de Lance…
Thursday, September 9th, 2010November 11, 2010
It is with a heavy heart that I need to update this post with sad, sad news.
Brian passed away the other day in Montreal.
He was way too young. Yet he lived his life well while here.
My thoughts are with Iain, Margie and Erin… as well as all of his family and friends.
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Brian was sure hoping to be able to ride with Lance this weekend – but the disease reared its f***ing ugly head again recently, so (because he was successful in raising the 25K+) he has nominated his cousin to ride for him.
Thanks to all of you who have donated! You really have made a difference!
Here is the link to a recent article in the Montreal Gazette about Brian and some other tough SOBs who are refusing to quit.
And here is the text…but you will have to go to the site to see the uplifting vid sent from Lance to Brain.
MONTREAL – This weekend, 50 determined souls will strap on their helmets, settle onto the narrow seats of their racing bikes and pedal their way across 100 kilometres of beautiful Quebec countryside – all in the name of improving cancer treatment in the province.
Among the cyclists (presumably somewhere near the front of the pack) will be someone who knows a lot about battling the deadly disease. Seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong, a testicular cancer survivor, will no doubt be the main attraction at the third annual Tour de Lance fundraiser – to be held Saturday in Mont Tremblant – but each person planning to ride alongside him has a unique story to tell. The Gazette caught up with three of the riders to find out what motivated them to sign up for the event, what they’ve done to meet their individual fundraising goals of $25,000 and how they’ve been getting ready for the gruelling physical challenge ahead.
www.tourdelance.ca/cyclists.html
Brian Millar‘s personal battle with cancer began less than a year ago, but the 27-year-old has already confronted major surgery, eight rounds of chemotherapy and numerous hospital stays. When he was first diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in September 2009, Millar said, he was “shell-shocked” and felt helpless in the face of the illness – but a gift from his aunt changed his outlook dramatically.
“She brought me Lance’s book in hospital and I read it in one day,” Millar recounted. “I think reading that book helped me straighten my mind out.”
A few months later, Millar learned about the coming Tour de Lance event and decided it would be a great way to stay in shape while raising money for the Cedars Cancer Institute, a hospital-based charity that provides support to patients and health-care professionals at various hospitals in Montreal.
“I hadn’t previously been a cycling fan and didn’t know much about it, but after seeing in Lance’s book what you can do with fundraising, I thought it would be neat,” he said. “I had no idea if I’d be healthy enough to do it.”
At first, it seemed like he would be healthy enough. Millar began training regularly on a stationary bike and his regular bike, and he and his family organized several fundraising dinners and other charity events to meet his fundraising goal. Then about seven weeks ago, Millar’s condition suddenly began to deteriorate, and he was forced to acknowledge that he couldn’t complete the ride. That’s when his cousin Graham stepped in and volunteered to take his place.
“He’ll be flying in from Calgary,” Millar said. “He has raced bikes his whole life and is one of the biggest Lance Armstrong fans I know. I’ve kept going with the fundraising because it’s really something that I want to do.”
Millar now faces a stem-cell transplant and, depending on how strong he’s feeling, he may or may not make it to Mont Tremblant this weekend to cheer on his cousin and meet Armstrong in person.
“I really wish I could be there,” he said. “But my health comes first.”
Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario
Tour de Lance – help if you can
Sunday, August 15th, 2010Hi all:
I have never solicited funds for any cause whatsoever on this site, but that is ending now, and I hope you can help.
Cuz this is family.
Brian Millar is my wife’s cousin whose health has been nuked by cancer. The guy was living the life – his life – as a 20-something, when this merciless disease hit him. And hit him hard.
Chemo. Radiation. He’s been down all those roads and right now Brian is on a bit of a dip in that road. But it is one that we are all sure he will rise from.
Brian took this disease and said: “Look. I’m going to make this into something positive and raise a shitload of money so I can ride with Lance Armstrong in the name of cancer research.” Brave frickin’ dudes, both of them. He conquered testicular cancer a while back and has become a general leading the war against this horrific monster of a disease. And Brian is still kicking back at the sonofabitch.
So, here’s the “ask”. Please go to the site and decide if this is worth a few bucks or even just posting the link on your site. Colleen (the Resident Love Goddess) and I want to help and this is the best way I can right now.
Do what you can for Brian and his family. Because man, this is Hell for them. And if they can raise enough funds, maybe their Hell will be a little less painful.
Thanks,
Trashy.
Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario
Stephen Harper is a wo-bot
Sunday, September 20th, 2009An old friend recently came calling on the occasion of his son’s arrival at Carleton U. He – let’s call him “Wags” – always was a bit a right-wing nutbar so he was aghast when I asked my 2 year old:
“Who is Stephen Harper?”
And the little ‘un says:
“A wo-bot…”
Having known me for so long, Wags was not too surprised.
Of course Steve’s robotic tendencies have not been lost on those of us who have followed the “shake my kids’ hands cuz they’ll grow up faster” animatron over the years.
And no, of COURSE I haven’t coached my boy to say that! No way!
Other things.
My middle spawn was in one of her bipolar moods today… alternating between “I’m gonna fight you, Mom, little bro’, and anyone else in my way – suckahs!” and “I love you so much Daddy! You’re the best Daddy in the Universe. I hope you don’t die!”
OK – the last part was a little creepy…. but the really self-satifying part of the day was when we bought a new kitchen garbage can at RONA this afternoon. A nice black and shiny model that the little one promptly named – Trashy!
Awwwwwww….
She sat with Trashy in the van, carried it in and even talked to it as Trashy was evidently a bit shy to head to her new home under the sink….
Awwwww….. a chip of the ol’ block, she is!
The eldest DNA recipient didn’t make an appearance today. She too is being a bit bipolar cuz she is (again) grounded.
Though I have to admit that she is moving, however incrementally, a bit closer to adulthood and she seems to realise it.
Saturday nights – a time to socialise for some and a time to reflect on one’s kids for others… and marvel at their inate political acumen to boot!
Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario
Well, so much for procreating…
Saturday, July 18th, 2009Just dismantled my last crib and replaced it with a bed.
Yet, in 1979 if you would have told me that by the time I hit my mid-40′s, I woulda spawned 3 mini-me’s… well, I woulda told ya you were on a sweet herb.
It’s a bit sad. That’s it. No more babies. No more cribs. No more.
Great in a big way, but very much a reminder of my own mortality in another.
But he had a big, big smile on face when he lay down in his “big boy’s bed” tonight. And that, my friends, makes parenthood, however finite, worth every moment.
Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario
On a day like this, I can’t diss anyone – even Harper!
Friday, July 10th, 2009Ah. ‘Tis one of those o-too-rare Ottawa days where the sun is shining, the temps are comfortable, there’s a little breeze in the air and even the kids cooperated by not making my early morning too onerous!
Ah.
I want to bottle up days like these and open them a little during the dark and depression inducing days of January…
Ah.
What kind of negative or critical scribblings can I come up with? Hmmm… well, went golfing this morning… and, as usual, I was reminded of just how bad a golfer I really am.
But even THAT didn’t matter. It was a fun day in the sun with friends, muskrats and gophers. I only lost a few balls and didn’t re-injure my latissimus muscle.
I just scoured the news for something to rant on about re: Our Glorious Leader. But even the robotman is behaving himself these days. Yeah, there was that whole Catholic faux-pas thing, but who really cares, eh? It is an outdated ritual that belongs in the Dark Ages anyways. Big freakin’ deal. C’mon Grits – let it go.. if I’m not getting my knickers in a twist about this, then surely your target market ain’t taking it too seriously either.
The subunits are amusing me more than usual lately. The teenmonster has her face “bolt” removed yesterday – her body was rejecting the fact that there was a steel rod embedded just above her cheekbone – go figger. Addy has been really cuddly lately and was very exciting to start “Treehouse” at her daycare – one level older plus all of her friends had ben transferred there… made her week!
And the O-ster has been speaking SO MUCH lately. Coll stuff that I have NO idea from where he could have picked such phrases as “Cool, man” “OK daddy-O” and, his latest, “bee-zarre dude…”
I love warping molding young minds and personalities.
All in all, Trashy is a happy dude today and is looking forward to a weekend with the family. Yeah, it’s supposed to rain tomorrow, but then clear up again on Sunday…
Summer in Canada – gotta love it.
Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario
