Battle of the Planets

Ahoy, battle o' the Planets was my fa'orite cartoon when I was a wee child of 4 and on. I used to get me Mom to draw the characters and cut them out so I could play with them. Me Mom was pretty good at drawing my "paper action figures".
I remember once asking my Dad to draw the characters for me and he drew stick figures.
4 year old me: Daddy you can do better than that!
Dad: No I can't.
I never asked Dad to draw G-force characters for me again.

Ye'll ne'er get me buried booty!

Oh geez how could I forget

I forgot someone very special to me when I was writing about my dear friends. My friend Andrew Clark is an AWESOME friend. We met in high school and I loved the fact that he would challenge Mr.Tramble so much. I sat beside him in OAC History because it was like of like being with an intellectual rebel. We went to clubs, played soccer, went camping, and have had some wonderful discussions over the years.
We lived together in university in my favorite year - 3rd year. We had a blast in that house and I miss it a lot.
Andrew is currently in England. I miss him dearly.

WHAAAAAT? Say it ain't so Coxy!

Aaaarrrgh! If you have been watching "Scrubs", you'd know that I'm very concerned that one of my favorite characters, "Dr.Cox" might be leaving the show.
Dr.Cox is the greatest character - here are some of my favorite quotes:
Dr. Cox: [in response to something J.D. just said] Oh, my God; I care so little, I almost passed out.
Dr. Cox: Let me introduce you to, A Man Who Doesn't care.
Dr. Cox: You are, in fact, a perfectly healthy 26-year-old doctor who keeps whining about how horrible his father was.
J.D.: Well, he did some considerable emotional damage, so...
Dr. Cox: Every one of our parents does considerable emotional damage, and from what I've heard, it just might be the best part of being a parent. Now, if some guy ever does put a ring on your finger and you're lucky enough to pop out a youngster, I'm sure you'll understand. But for now, believe me when I tell you I wouldn't care if this was the first time you ever met your daddy. Because, in reality... well, he could have done a much, much worse job.

And the BEST quote of all time:

Dr. Cox: Relationships don't work they way they do on television and in the movies. Will they? Won't they? And then they finally do, and they're happy forever. Gimme a break. Nine out of ten of them end because they weren't right for each other to begin with, and half of the ones who get married get divorced anyway, and I'm telling you right now, through all this stuff I have not become a cynic. I haven't. Yes, I do happen to believe that love is mainly about pushing chocolate covered candies and, y'know, in some cultures, a chicken. You can call me a sucker, I don't care, because I do believe in it. Bottom line: it's couples who are truly right for each other wade through the same crap as everybody else, but the big difference is they don't let it take them down. One of those two people will stand up and fight for that relationship every time. If it's right, and they're real lucky, one of them will say something.

In a sea of childhood memories

Argh, while the little first mate is a snoozzin' I decided that I'd look up some free fortune telling for fun on the internet. Then I saw it...a piece of my childhood - the fortune telling fish!
I had forgotten all about the fortune telling fish. You would simply put it in the palm of your hand, and according to how it flipped or curled, it would give you your answer.
It was so much fun.

Deep thoughts on the high seas

The photos are of the little mate and I at "swimming" lessons. Mostly its a lot of floating and the odd time dunking (as seen in the second picture - don't worry, the little first mate is fine).

This whole experience has made me think a lot about parenting. Usually (I say usually because there are always some exceptions) parents try to do what is best for their children and want to help them through life. But at some point, you have to let go and allow your children to try things on their own. There is a fine balance between taking over and letting your kids "sink or swim" and I think it's really hard to know the balance.

Luckily the little first mate and I have a lot of time to learn that balance.

There's somethin' in the waters

Not to be a downer, because that isn't the goal of this blog, but I was watching "Marketplace" on CBC, and they are currently doing a series on the rise of cancer rates in Canada - and I'm scare. According to the CBC, 1 out of 2.3 men will have cancer in their lifetime, and 1 out of 2.6 women will have cancer. That's really scary.
Also on CBC webside (www.cbc.ca/marketplace) there is a discussion about all of the chemicals that cause cancers and how they are in every day products like "Mr.Clean magic eraser", and cosmetics and clothing detergent. Why are we allowing products to even be sold if they can cause cancer?
Also on the show they mentioned that "the pill" if used for a long period of time (over 8 years), can cause cancer - WHAT? Why didn't anyone tell me this? I didn't take it for that long - but its really scary.
It has really made me want to do more research into what I am exposing my family to.

I really feel we need to do something - our government needs to get involved. I mean, since the government pays for our healthcare (I know in the end, we do because of taxes), but if we found ways to prevent cancer rather than just pay to treat it, think of the money we could save.

"Friends are a mirror of who you are"

THE GALS....When I switched schools one of the things I missed most about my old school was the friends that I had made. It took me some time, but I made it a goal of mine in my second year at my new school to make some good friends. Luckily I found them.
(In no specific order)
Shayne...she's funny, she speaks her mind, she loves kids, and she is so wonderfully open about herself, her thoughts and ideas. I love her sense of humour and how everytime I see her I am reminded of what a wonderful outlook on life she has.
Heather...full of grand ideas, very smart and lots of fun. She's the gal pal I wish I had when I was in high school. I can imagine us working on plays together, going to movies or parties or concerts or whatever and just having a blast.
Carmelina...for such a small body she has huge ideas and takes the risk to take them on. I don't think the word "rest" is in her vocabulary. I admire that in a lot of ways and she has taught me to be reflective on my actions and teaching.
Bonnie...she is a wonderful human being and if I was going to discribe her, I'd call her "a big ball of sunshine who sometimes has cloudy days". I love her dedication.
Sue...she is so wise. That's all I can say.

Friends make life more fun, they help carry the load and help you to discover who you are.

I really believe that "friends are a mirror of who you are" and having written about my friends I am really proud of what is reflected back. I hope I am as good of a reflection.

School chums

In the photo are two wonderful mates Panico and Paul. Panico is a mate of mine from school and Paul came a long for the voyage. Both are very wise people and I am very lucky to know them.
Panico is a blast to have "on deck". He allows me to express my anger and frustration and is a wonderful sounding board. At times I am in awe of his ability to speak his mind and make comments that I would never dare to say. He is a much braver person than he thinks he is. Panico stands up for what he believes in, and that is what makes him such an amazing, inspirational friend.
He also really likes my little first mate ... but then again, who wouldn't :)

More mates

Aye, on the high seas it is good to have friends who have been along for the voyage for years...did I say years, I meant decades! Anthony has been a mate of mine since grade 2! I still remember playing "Muppet Babies" in the show banks, playing the piano together (okay I only had a cheesy electric keyboard with lights on the keys that told me which one to "play"), going camping, being on student council together, doing plays, etc...etc....etc....lots of etc.
Its amazing when you are able to grow up with someone. You sometimes still see them as the kid you hung around with all the time, and don't always noticed that you both have grown up, then it hits you...he starts his own theatre company - and its not in his backyard, he starts making movies - and its not with his own video camera. He gets engaged, lives in a house that he owns....somewhere it hits you - WE'RE GROWN UPS NOW. When did that happen?

Sick Kids Hospital

I know I'm supposed to be talking about me mates and how much I love them, but I wanted to pause for a moment and encourage everyone to donate what they can to Sick Kids Hospital. I'm sure everyone knows someone who has benifited from Sick Kids, and its an amazing place. I know the big first mate and I are so happy and lucky that we were able to bring out little first mate to Sick Kids for his treatments.
The staff is so wonderful and caring there, and it must not be an easy job. The research that has taken place at Sick Kids has changed so many childrens' lives.

Once again, please donate what you can.

Two Good Mates Find each other out at sea

Carla has been my friend since before I was born, and Richard came on to the scene about a year ago for me (longer for Carla). They are two awesome people, and the little first mate loves them both.
I am really lucky to have both of them in my life.
Carla is a fantastic friend who has taught me a lot about how you should care about people, and I am so proud of her for everything that she has accompished over the past few months (i.e relationships, work, etc). I look forward to knowing the both of them for many years to come. I love visits with them and the topics we end up discussing. Good friends are hard to find, and I'm happy that they found each other, and that I get to come along for the ride.

Aye, good friends be hard t' find

On me voyage I'm very lucky to have many mates that are good mates. I've decided to write about my mates over the next few entries. The first one is A.L.H. She is an awesome person, who in her own way, has an excellent out look on life. I am in awe of her ability to go for what she wants to do. I'm very proud that she's decided to "walk the plank" and take Second City courses, and that she continues to do her stand up comedy. That my maties takes guts! I know she may not believe me, but I love listening to her on the phone, she always has something interesting to say; currently, me, not so much.
I also love the fact that she is collecting my little ponies.