Hero

This is the blog I've been begging to write: BRAD'S HOME! I scanned the headlines every day, every hour online, looking for news about the Canadian troops. Whenever I heard that a soldier was killed or injured, my heart fell right into my stomach...Dear God, please don't let it be Brad. Each time I ate a meal at a restaurant, I thought of Brad eating his military freeze dried chemicals that they call "food", under a tent with blowing sand. When I complained about the heat or the humidity on a hot summer day, my mind would flash to Brad, wearing layers of gear, armour, and a heavy helmet while the desert heat forced sweat to pour down his face and into his eyes. I saw the guns in pictures and on TV, but I can't imagine how it feels to carry one... or to use one in defense. Life went on as usual, and I enjoyed the luxury of take-out, tv, and hot showers on a daily basis. I can't imagine the feeling that Brad felt as he looked out the window of the military plane this morning, as they descended into Canada. The arial view of massive forests of green trees with their branches outstreched; the first to welcome them home with open arms. I'm sure even breathing the air feels exhilerating... free air. Freedom.

We really have no idea, do we? Freedom is never free. And as much as I want every troop brought home, and as much as I oppose the war, I will always be grateful for every man and woman who fought and gave everything to make sure that the bad guys never win. Living in New York City, the very spot where 6 years ago, terrorists fought to take our freedom, makes me even more thankful. NYC is the perfect example of resiliance and determination-this city refuses to bow and refuses to move.

Brad, how can I ever say thank you? It was always my job as your big sister to take care of you, and look out for your safety, but you risked your life for me and millions of strangers who will never even know your name. There's gotta be a better word than "hero" for that.

Talking to Americans

I'm posting this specifically for my American friends to enjoy! This show is a Canadian favourite, and there's hundreds of episodes on YouTube. It never ceases to amaze me what comes out of these American's mouths! It makes it even funnier because these people are educated individuals from Harvard, political leaders, and professors, and they think that Canadians live in igloos and eat Beaver Balls. Don't leave mean comments- I understand that not EVERYONE is this clueless about Canada, and I hope that just by knowing ME, you've learned even a little bit about your neighbour to the north!

P.S- If you don't get the "Seal hunt in Saskatchewan" joke, look up Saskatchewan on Google Maps...

I bet Brad's tired of this scenery...

My younger brother, Brad, has been in Afghanistan since the beginning of the year. His tour is ending soon, and he'll be home any day now! If the war hasn't touched close to home for you, then please let these pictures remind to you keep our troops in prayer. You may not support the war, but you must support the brave kids out there.

P.S.- If any Americans are reading this, and didn't know that Canadians are fighting too... shame!

Stupid Headlines

Rentals?! Who would RENT adult diapers? You know, there's some things that just aren't worth a bargain!

Um, I don't know how many people have had their knees strapped to their crotch during a medical exam. Is that even possible?

Aw Nuts

A guy goes into the bar and sits down and orders a drink. Other than the bartender, there's no one else in the place. All of a sudden he hears a voice that says, "Nice suit." He looks around and doesn't see anyone and the bartender looks busy washing some glasses. A little while later the same voice says, "Nice Tie." The guy looks around again and doesn't see anyone. He finally asks the bartender if he just said something."No," replied the bartender, "it wasn't me. It was probably the peanuts though. They're complimentary."

Here comes the Circus!

The big white tents are going up in Bryant Park today! That can only mean one thing! NYC fashion week is here! I was eating lunch today in the park, watching the whole thing get assembled. I also noticed a lot of freakishly-tall anorexic models walking around looking FIERCE! You know why models always look so angry and ticked off when they’re walking down the catwalk? Because they’re hungry! They just want a freakin’ Snickers bar!

NYC fashion week means a lot in our household, because I basically won’t be seeing my husband for the next 4-6 days. All the head honchos from Italy are flying in, and part of his job is to schmooze like he’s never schmoozed before! Diesel is having their fashion show in Bryant park, and I’m sure there will be some fabulous after-parties! Last year, the party was at Gotham Hall, and James Brown was our surprise special performance. (I don’t think he’ll make it this year…)

My Romeo

Romeo is hard to get pictures of; I think he's camera shy. He always moves at the last minute, and he's so alert and in charge that the slightest movement will distract him. Romeo is 3, and he's very much the alpha. When we brought Prince home last year, we made sure that Romeo was always in charge, and Prince loves learning from him. Romeo gets his fill of the crazy puppy sometimes, and he likes to seek solitude in his crate by himself. He'll put himself to bed if things get too crazy, and he just wants a break! Romeo used to have the upper hand because he could jump up on the furniture and Prince couldn't. Then Prince learned, and Romeo was screwed cause his little trick didn't work anymore. Now he's figured out a new way to keep ahead of Prince, though- he figured out how to go up the spiral staircase and get to the 2nd floor! That's an impressive feat for a 5 lb little dog, because the staircase is all open and suspended so it must be scary! It's pretty much like climbing a ladder, going straight up! Romeo goes up 1 step at a time, and at the top, he takes the last 3 steps really quick because that's probably the scariest part!

Romeo isn't a cuddler or a huggy dog- but he's extremely sensitive and perceptive. He's suprisingly intelligent and recognizes alot of vocabulary. We used to spell out the words

"T-R-E-A-T" and "C-A-R", but he even figured those out now! Romie is very loyal and very handsome, whereas Prince is "cute" (there's a difference, you know!). Rome is definitely more of Dan's dog- he was Dan's birthday present and I never wanted a dog- can you imagine? Romeo gets very upset if Dan leaves goes away for a few days, and doesn't say "goodbye." He'll bark and gruff constantly if he doesn't see you pack the suitcase, pick up the keys, and say, "I'm going to work, Romeo you stay." We have to do a little routine with him, and I"ll say to Dan, "Did you tell Romeo goodbye? Don't forget before you leave, or he'll be barking all week!"

Momma & Prince

Prince and Romeo have such personalities- they look alike, but if you spend anytime with them, you'll instantly recognize who's who just by their character. This picture is Prince- he's the baby, and he knows it! He's cuddley and floppy, and he cries and whimpers to get anything he wants (treats, toys, walks...) he's got me whipped! Prince is bigger than his big brother Romeo, but he always lays on his back and lets Romeo wrestle him and boss him around. Romeo's new trick is to run into the bathroom and wait until Prince isn't paying attention, and then he comes RUNNING out and tackles Prince to the floor! He wrestles a little bit, and then gets up and runs back into the bathroom to start the game all over again. It's so funny to watch!

Prince also loves plastic bottlecaps. When he hears someone open a soda, he comes running and then waits for the perfect opportunity. As soon as you set the bottle cap down, he'll sneak up slowly, grab it, and RUN! Mean Momma always takes it away, because they're so easy to choke on. I can't really yell though, cause it's so cute when he does it!

Prince also likes to talk- he doesn't bark, he literally vocalizes like he's talking. He has different sounds and conversations, depending if he's mad, if he's trying to get to you take him to the park, or if he's telling on his big brother cause he thinks something's not fair. He sounds kinda like Scooby Doo!

Dedicated to Jess and Cory

There are few things in life as good as authentic NYC pizza- those of you reading this who have experienced it, will surely agree. Pizza Hut, Dominos, Papa John's, you can all (as Dan would say) "Peace OUT!"

My hands down favorite is from Freddie & Pepper's at the corner of our block. This is the BARBEQUE CHICKEN PIZZA, and it is absolutely divine! Barbeque chicken, cilantro, tomatoes, red onions, and jalapenos for kick! This is the very first meal that I had when we moved to NYC. We had just finished unloading the truck, and we were famished. Jess, Cory and I called up for delivery, and decided to try this barbeque pizza. I promise you, we thought it was the greatest thing we'd ever tasted.

Dan and I ordered it tonight for dinner, as a farewell since we're giving up junk food starting tomorrow. (Isn't that what people always say?)

Watch the Potato Peeler at Work

Very A-PEELing!

I first read about Joe Ades, known in NYC as the "carrot/potato peeler salesman" in an issue of Vanity Fair magazine last year. When we moved to New York, I set out to see this man that I'd read about for myself. He truly is a legend. At 72 years old, this man sits out at various locations every day in NYC and sells these vegetable peelers, which actually are really good peelers. His charm, his cockney accent, and impeccable suits make him an instant standout. In the article I read, he said that his trick is to always sit LOW on the ground, because it creates a crowd and no one can see what everyone is standing around looking at, so they press in closer and it generates more curiosity. The Vanity Fair article revealed that this man is a millionnaire many times over, and no one ever believes him when he tells them he's made his fortune peddling potato peelers!

In December, I finally saw him on 5th Avenue, near my office. Of course, I bought a peeler! When I bought it, he said, "Just one? What about for your friends?" "No thanks," I said, smiling. "Awww," he said loudly with a grin, "Ladies and Gentlemen, a sad sad sight indeed- this lovely young thing doesn't have any friends! What are we to do? Someone, buy her a potato peeler to cheer her up, eh?" (He's good, right?)

I found this video on YouTube, but I shot these pictures myself last week on my lunch break. He had set up his "shop" right outside the entrance to my building on 5th Ave. It cheers me each time I see him around Manhattan. If you come to NYC, make sure you look for Joe... and for goodness' sakes, BUY A FREAKIN' PEELER, TOO!

Tall tails

I heard a statistic that there are 9 rats for every person in NYC. which would mean there are about 72 million nasty slimy hairy skinny tails running around here. I should have never thought about this, because I was living in a healthy state of denial. When I'm waiting for the subway, I play this little game in my head debating which is worse: NOT looking at the train tracks and not seeing the rats, and then one suddenly leaps out at me or scampers up out of the pit and runs across my toes... EEEEK! OR... is it worse to look down into the tracks, and SEE the nasty thing and watch it run along the rails... SICK! Sometimes, I see a tiny little field mouse, and it scares me at first, but I force myself to watch it and pretend it's Templeton from the Charlotte's Web book. Dan says, "awww... he's CUTE, Carm! Look at him, just playing and running." I can deal with it then, but one time, I saw a HUGE gargantuan beast of a rat, that looked more like a feline than a rodent. I couldn't look at it, even though Dan was laughing at it and trying to get me to watch. It's their tails, you know? If their tails were chopped off, then I think they'd look like gerbils or fast running rabbits or something. But I was torn, because I couldn't bear the thought of NOT looking, and then being surprised to see it come up and run up my skirt or something horrendous like that. I just shuddered as I was typing that... can you imagine?!! UURRRGGGHHHH!!!

Anyway, I haven't seen any rats other than a couple times down in the subway pits, and they're usually small and more like little mice. EXCEPT, last night Dan and I came up out of the subway station at 72nd street, at about 1 AM, and there was a DEAD RAT laying right at the entrance to the station!! It was GINORMOUS, and it was laying on it's back with it's feet sticking up in the air. It must have been poisoned and stumbled up onto the street. It was weird, cause it was grossing me out, but I couldn't look away! Dan almost tripped over it at first, because we weren't expecting it. That would've been so disgusting- kicking a dead rat in your flip flops?! OMG!