Blog or white ... because it never is.

  Sometimes, you just want a nap.  Can you relate?   Yeah, I will admit it.  I am one of those grandmother's who shamelessly look for any opportunity to show pictures of her grandson.  However, this time, these photos illustrate the premise behind my blog.  What my grandson is doing is finding a common sense solution to a complex problem.  He wanted a nap and used the resources that were readily available to him to come up with a solution.  He used his common sense.   And, before you tell me, taking a nap is not a complex problem, let me tell you, for a 2 year old visiting grandma, there is no more complex of a problem.  Visiting grandma means that you are manipulate her to be off schedule, grandma just wants to cuddle, play, or feed you, and taking a nap means you might miss something.  Plus, when you are two, you have this whole "I don't need a nap, I'm in the terrible twos" thing going on.   The ...

I don't know much about Mac's but I got a decent cup of coffee from circa September 2 circa 6:00 am.  I was getting a little concerned that I wouldn't get coffee that morning.  I drove by two Tim Horton's and I certainly wasn't going to give them a penny, so I was quite happy to find an alternative.  Hopefully, I don't have to explain why Tim's is such a horrible company.  They are certainly getting enough bad press.  If you are still under the illusion that they are a good company, or under the illusion that they are a Canadian company, send me a message, and I will set you straight.  The company has done several things to try and restrore their public image.  One of their marketing ploys was the introduction of a smile cookie at the end of September.  They advertised that 100% of the sales of these cookies was going to charity.  I believe it was September 23 - 30.  I only know one Tim Horton's who has indicated where the proceed...

The person who owns this car is having a bad day.  Car trouble on Portage Avenue on a Friday evening across from the MTS Centre. This was taken about an hour before a Jets game.  Also, there was a Bomber game.  Portage Avenue was going to be quite busy very soon.  The car would have to be towed.  This would cause some confusion and delays in traffic.  Road rage happens very quickly and the people who would be delayed by a few seconds would be thinking they were having a bad day.  It sometimes amazes me how little empathy we have, especially since the vast majority of us have been there.  Car trouble seems to happen at the most inconvenient place and the most inconvenient time.   Something bad happened to me in 2003.  It was a traumatic event and I suffered emotionally for a long time after.  I didn't have panic attacks, I had hour long periods of convulsion.  I cried a million tears and seemed to cry all the time....

Missouri may be the "Show Me" state, but Donald Trump is the "show me" President.   First of all, it was Obama.  Show me your birth certificate, he demanded and demanded.  It was shown.   Show me the DNA test, he demanded to Senator Warren.  He further went on to say, if she has one drop of Cherokee blood in her, he would donate a million dollars to a charity of her choice.  I have watched that tape comment several times.  She showed the DNA test and she is 1/32 Cherokee.  Who cares?  Donald Trump denies saying that he would donate money to charity, surprising no one.   It is a commonly accepted practice for Presidential candidates to show their income tax records to the public during the campaign.  The only candidate who has not complied is Donald Trump.  He is too busy going around getting others to show things.  I'm sure your audit is done by now.  Trump, show us your income tax retu...

You know fall is officially here when you can get your flu shot.  This is the second consecutive year that I got mine at my neighbourhood Shopper's Drug Mart.  Both years, I got the same pharmacist administering me the vaccine.  He remembered me from last year, as I did him.  Let's face it. We both are adorable.  Both times it was the sensation of a mosquito bite.  I told him I had a trick to getting the flu shot.  I took a deep breathe in as the needle was going in.  He told me he also has a trick and it involves holding the skin taught at the muscle.  Of course, I am certain it was my trick that made the difference.  Either way, it didn't hurt.  Last year, they had a whole box of suckers.  This year only a small jar.  That's ok, I only needed one for being so brave.  It is hard to remember the last time I had the flu.  But, I don't get the flu shot for me.  If I got the flu, I would be in bed or nea...

The civic election is over.  The top picture is some members of Team Thompson.  We were not successful in electing Michael. I didn't predict what an emotional hangover the disappoint would cause.  Michael is doing appropriate things to bring closure and take positives from the experience.  I am sure Sherri Rollins will do a good job representing the interests of the Ward and will be an asset to Council.  While working on Michael's campaign, I made a lot of friends and deepened some other friendships.  It is easy to display character when times are good.  No challenge at all.  Displaying character and ethics when times are bad is a challenge.  Through out the highs and lows, Michael always displayed ethics and character that made me proud.  I came to admire and respect 5 more candidates that put their name forward as candidates in the Fort Rouge - East Fort Garry Ward.  If you are a math whiz, you realize that this leaves one ...

There are many reasons why I love Winnipeg, but if I had to pick just one, it would be because Winnipeg offers opportunities to chose the road less traveled.  No one forges his own trail better than my friend, Ryan. I have to tell you how I met him.  Any big city has problems, and Winnipeg is no exception.  We have poverty, homelessness, and addiction.  To ignore this would be a disservice to our great city.  Do I do enough to make a dent in these issues.  Unfortunately, I don't.  I wish I could contribute more.  I am particularly uncomfortable when I am stopped at a major intersection and there is someone asking for money while standing on a median.  It is awkward.  I only have plastic in my wallet so I don't even have money to give them and I also have concerns where this money is going.  A friend gave me a great idea.  Give them a completed coffee card from McDonald's.  This way, they can atleast go inside and have ...

The #MeToo Movement has changed society for the better, and in my opinion, decades too late.  However, it hopefully will make a difference to the next generation and society won't be subjected to treatment that my generation accepted as being normal.  Yes, I am passionate about this issue because something happened to #MeToo.   Unfortunately, every time someone comes forward with their story, there is someone who brings up false allegations.  How can we believe women when they have heard of a false allegation?  Yes, very small insignificant percentage makes a false allegation.  It is tiring when a woman comes forward to have others dismiss her allegation.   Cyber bullying is another real issue that deserves attention.  Unfortunately, the person who is taking on this issue and trying to bring attention to it is the First Lady of the United States.  Given who she is married to, she doesn't have much credibility on this is...

Every cup has a story.  Or so, I have been told in the advertising of that horrible company that claims to be Canadian. The cup in my picture has a story.  It is a long story.  It is a story of happiness and despair.  An emotional roller coaster, but, I digress.  Perhaps if there is an overwhelming request (2 people), I could be persuaded to tell the story. Regardless, I enjoy a good cup of coffee.  As I have previously disclosed, it has taken me a while to fall in love with Winnipeg. One of the ways that people love a city is to be connected to its vibrancy at a direct level.  Sociologists tell us that one way to do this is to sit and observe a busy intersection and to watch the flow of traffic and observe people hustling and bustling.  You see the good and the bad and you also see the diversity of the city.  Traveling in rush hour doesn't help you to be connected to the vibrancy because you are too focused on driving (hopefully)....

"When people know better, they do better."  Simple, but so true.   There was a time that it was a societal norm to use corporal punishment.  Thankfully, those days are over.  Not only was it abusive, it simply didn't work.   We still have a long way to go when it comes to reducing stigma for mental illness, but we still have come an infinite distance from what the stigma used to be.  People are knowing more and acting better.   When my son was born 25 years ago, disposable diapers were the big threat to the environmental movement.  They actually weren't called disposable diapers back then, they were called plastic diapers and for a reason.  Young moms like me struggled with cloth diapers while the diaper manufacturers focused on change. Now, disposable diapers are more environmentally friendly.   Six months ago, society was alerted to the issue of plastic straws and how wasteful they are sitting i...

The statistics on breast cancer are both alarming and hopeful.  Alarming how many great women are still losing their life, but, hopeful because early detection can make a huge difference.  I have a beautiful friend who is a survivor.  I confess that it is a club that I don't want to join.   There is a commercial on tv which talks about how easy it is to get a mammogram.  I want to tell you about my experience.   First of all, I have to tell you a secret about myself.  I don't tell many people this since I am very good at hiding this secret so very few people know.  I didn't even tell my best friend this secret for 5 years.  Ok, here it goes.   This will surprise you.  Gulp.  I have big boobs.  I know.  You are shocked, right?   It is my genetics.  I am Ukrainian.  We tend to be all T no A.  The Dauphin Herald classified used to run an ad when I was growing up....

I loved my mother.  But, the funny thing is, I love her more each day that she is in heaven.  When things were happening while I was growing up, I didn't fully appreciate her actions and I didn't fully appreciate the amazing life lessons I was receiving. One day, when I was in Grade 12, she came home and said she had signed me up for Tap Dancing Classes.  I wasn't thrilled.  Then, she told me that one of her friends was teaching in her basement.  My mom had just found out that her friend was a professional tap dancer in her 20s.  For a reason, that I don't remember, my mom's friend had to find a job.  She had been a homemaker her entire life and was past middle-aged, so she was going to teach tap dancing in her basement.  While I thought I was a rebellious teenager, I clearly wasn't.  My father had a strategy for raising me as a teenager.  He didn't want me to work.  I babysat all through junior high but once I was in high sch...

Steph Meilleur is a candidate for City Council for the Fort Rouge - East Fort Garry Ward.  She is having a Public Safety Forum tomorrow, Thursday, October 18 at 6:30 pm.  Unfortunately, I have another commitment and I can not attend.  However, I have several questions for her.  I tried to track her down most of the afternoon yesterday but was unsuccessful so I couldn't ask her these questions personally?  1.  It is one thing for a candidate to live outside of the Ward to run for Council.  It is an entirely different thing for a candidate to live outside Winnipeg, thus, not pay property taxes to the City.  If elected, it would be our tax dollars that she would be responsible for spending and/or raising them.  If she has no interest in contributing these tax dollars to our public roll herself, how can we trust to use this money wisely?  She lives in Warren, Manitoba which she describes as her dream home.  She has rented a small ap...