Vicente Fox

Hot Or Not?

No wonder Harper doesn't like speaking to the media.

More fun from the CityPulse news Website:



Funny, I always knew Vincente Fox was hot, but it appears he has a nice rack too.

Too Hot for The Newsletter
Here's the pickle picture that got vetoed. (As per my comment to Jen somewhere below.)


Really! What's a harmless pickle between friends?

And the article was actually about the training, it wasn't a gratuitous pickle shot.

The Peter Principle
So! We have a by-election in our riding (A week without an election is like a day without sunshine in our neighbourhood.) Marilyn Churley (NDP) stepped down to run federally (and lost) so now Peter Tabuns (NDP), Ben Chin (Liberal) and Georgina someone (Conservative) are battling it out to be my new MPP.

I was very undecided. There’s been a lot of attacking, but not a lot of platforming.

Last night at 9:18 pm on a Sunday, a Peter Tabuns fartcatcher called to give us the spiel and find out how we were voting.

Let’s just say I made up my mind then and there.

Culture Corner
In honour of spring's imminent return, here for your enjoyment is my favourite poem about spring.

Enjoy responsibly.

No, Not Facile, Facilitate!
Just back from two days at the Behemoth’s training centre in Markham/Upper Scarberia where I took the course : Facilitating for Learning. We would do presentations and they’d film us and critique us. Doesn’t that sound like fun? I’ll do something embarrassing in front of you and then you can comment. Lovely.

Actually, it was okay. I seem to be better than I thought. The instructor said I was a natural facilitator with a gift for course design. A new career? Maybe. Just maybe. I’d love the opportunity to get up in front of groups and yak and make them do games for a living. I’ll be doing a lot more of that in the coming months here, so we’ll see how I like it.

The training centre has an overnight facility (hotel rooms) so I stayed over on Monday night. It was my first night away alone since Ice Prince was born more than five years ago. I had grand plans for my freedom, but ended up working on revising my presentation, jumping on the bed while singing into my hairbrush and watching The Daily Show.

I saw Jen in her natural habitat (she works up there). I hope I didn’t seem rude, but the whole presentation thing was stressing me out. I can be a real Ice Queen when I have something on my mind. Say, you know, that would be a great blogger name. Must make a note of that.

More later. My brain is fried and I need a vacation but I have so much to do and no place to go. Can’t even stay home and sleep because the clowns will eat me. No…actually I can’t go home and sleep because Ice Prince will make me play. “Okay, Mommy, you’re the evil Emperor Zurg and I’m Buzz Lightyear and Mike here is hanging off the eye and his best friend Gabriel saves him and I zap you with my laser, but it’s just a lightbulb and you’re surprised and then you get on the train and we have cookies. Okay?”

In Which Ice Queen Answers Readers’ Questions

Jamie: “Whence the moniker “Ice Queen?”
The story of the Ice Queen isn’t all that exciting. If you’d ever met me, you wouldn’t have to ask. Let’s just say that I do not suffer fools gladly. I also don’t suffer strangers gladly. Sometimes I don’t even suffer friends and relatives gladly. Fresh nicknamed me Ice Queen when we first met and it stuck. Plus I look good in a crown, fool.

Crabby: "Why do we have to translate things into French?"
It’s the Canadian way. Or, as Samantha Bee says in Jon Stewart’s book America: “One other neat thing about Canada: All government business is conducted in both French and English, because a small minority of Canadians, called "Quebecois", never wanted to learn English , and we thought it was rude to ask them to. But the good news is, everyone in Canada has to learn French! Though, actually it's not really French, it's a regional patois that actual French people despise.”

I hope that answers your question.

Fun with HR
I had to elaborate on something because the HR lady said she's "not good with anachronisms."

Culture Moment with Boomer
Boomer has sent me this hilarious video clip. Work-safe, if they like music.

This kind of reminds me of family holidays when we'd sing in the kitchen. My mom and Aunt used to sing the song they do at the very beginning. I said to Fresh “You’re probably afraid this is what might happen at your birthday party, eh?” I can so see me doing this. Me and Sister Staceypatrick. Must remember: not my birthday. Or at least wait until Fresh has had a few drinks.

(But did they have to make fun of the bodhran? That's the hand drum thing with the stick, remember I got one for my birthday?)

Reader-Driven Content
Somebody give me a topic or ask me a question or SOMETHING.

I finally have a moment to blog and there's "nothing in my noggin!"

It’s the First Sign of the Apocalypse


I have signed Ice Prince up for soccer. I am going to be a soccer mom. This should be interesting. How long do you think I’ll last before I BEG Fresh to take him instead?

I’ll have to talk to other moms and dads, probably. Ick.

Really, I should be more open minded. I mean, there’s got to be another mom out there like me I could bond with. One who doesn’t think “Three Martini Playdate” is a work of fiction. One who doesn’t buy her clothes at Weekenders and her make-up from Avon. One who wouldn’t take me seriously when I say stuff like “Mommy can’t buy you that toy because she blew all our money on the ponies.”

Am I a snob? I’m the Ice Queen, would you expect anything else?

The Finger Takes You to Eva’s Concert Last Night
Fresh and I headed downtown to see Eva’s concert.

Here she is! See how popular she is? We had to sit way back here! My camera batteries were almost dead and it wouldn’t zoom, golldarnit!

Proofreading at intermission.

Fresh stood up and moved in closer to get a better picture.

I was trying to catch a pic of Maria at the end of our row. Didn’t capture her, but check THIS out: sacrilege! Eva, please tell me this Neanderthal isn’t someone you know. (okay, okay, it WAS intermission, but still!)


Seriously, this concert was so fantastic, I nearly cried when it was over. It was like having warm water pouring over you. It was like and hour and a half of foreplay. “It was soul stirring,” said Fresh. Yeah. Whoa. So good.

These amazing singers got up and did their songs backed by the full string orchestra, including our heroine, Eva!

Kevin Fox was the best. He reminded me of Elvis Costello crossed with Rufus Wainwright, which is high praise indeed from me. We heard he had a CD, so Fresh asked him about it and he gave us one. What a sweet guy!

It was wicked good. Thank you, Eva.

FRANKSTOCK!


It's Frank's (errr....FRESH's) 40th Birthday and we're celebrating!

Finger foods
Cash Bar

Frank (errr...FRESH) will be playing his guitar a bit and inviting guests to play with him.

Play an instrument? Bring it along and jam! It's like a Kitchen Party...only in a pub.

Big fun. Right by the St. George subway station.

And yes, it's on a Monday because a) I will be in Chicago for the balance of the week and b)on Friday and weekends there is a $1500 and 150 person minimum for the space.

Mark it in your calendar NOW! It's the event of the season!

Oh yeah...no gifts please, but we will be accepting donations onsite to the Regent Park School of Music, who recently lost a whole chunk of funding.

But It's Got a Pretty Leaf On It!
Ice Prince is a HUGE Toy Story fan. Especially Buzz Lightyear. He has some toys, but makes other stuff out of things he finds around the house.

That's why he was thrilled to bits to find this box in the basement. Somehow, though, it just doesn't seem right.

Do Not Adjust Your Set
That sound you hear is the sound of the movie I watched last night STILL SUCKING.

I love a good comedy. And Wallace and Gromit have always made me laugh hysterically.

Their full feature-length movie made me smirk. Once.

Did you see it? Was I expecting too much? Gromit did have great facial expressions, but the story was dumb and the rabbits’ nose looked like pig snouts.

The part that made me smirk was the look on the villian’s dog’s face when he found the correct coin in his change purse.

MONDAY APRIL 24th, 2006.

Write it on your calendar now. You have plans that evening. They involve booze, food, live music and me 'n' Fresh. You will be there. You will have fun. You will tell your children about it. You will write poems and songs immortalizing the night.

Gosh, I hope I'm not overselling it.

Just come, 'kay? Oh, and it's right on the subway line, not Chez Ice.

Details to follow when Fresh approves the creative.

When I grow up
I was just in the washroom and I had an epiphany. (But then I lit a match and everything was fine. Ba-dum-bump!)

I know what I want to be when I grow up. I want to be a Bon Vivant.

Yeah, that's the ticket.

Other Duties As Assigned
Check out underneath, “the customers who bought this product also purchased…”



I mean, what the hell kind of costume is that? What would you be dressed as if you were wearing all these items together?

And no, you do NOT need to know why I was at work looking up “floral bras”.