Having had spent a number of years living in Saudi Arabia, it never ceases to amaze me how, at times, the rules can be twisted to please the men. Pre-marital sex is so fiercely banned, that unmarried women who become impregnated through acts of rape have been stoned to death. I distinctly recall newspaper acounts where such atrocities occurred.
Yesterday, I came upon this:
JAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesia's vice president said he saw nothing wrong with Arab men paying local women to marry and then divorcing them days later, and he suggested the practice — dismissed by critics as legalized prostitution — could boost tourism.
WTF?! This is THE VICE PRESIDENT of Indonesia making this remark! I suppose he thinks he is protecting the modesty and lives of the women of his country?
Sounds to me like he needs a good stoning.

A very good thing about living in Canada, is that once American Idol ends, the new season of Canadian Idol starts! We are a few weeks into the new season now, and it's looking like there is going to be a really great competition. The men (boys!) are exceptionally talented so far.
This clip has been going around the Email circuit this week. The poor girl was very nervous during her Idol audition: Canadian Idol Fart
Wouldn't you just die a million deaths if this were you?!

LOL! So, I'm thinking that it's probably a very good thing that Greg does NOT sport facial hair! He looks a little scary, eh?!

We had a nice weekend at the trailer, and Greg got busy and finally put up our new awning that we bought second hand last summer. At the start of this season, he put the old one up again, just because it was easier, but it really wasn't very effective. The material was all saggy and collected rainwater. In fact, a few weeks ago, after a rainstorm, TwoFour realized that there was a lot of water and tried to push up the awning to run the water off the edge. She touched the fabric, and Voila! Instant rip and rainwater soaking! (Tee-hee...I would have loved to have seen that!) Luckily, she has a very good sense of humour, and can laugh about it now.
One thing about TwoFour that kind of bugs me, is that she has no faith in her kids that they can do anything. According to her, all her kids have panic/anxiety disorders or disabilities of some sort and therefore are unable to do anything without direction. So, Greg decided that he would put up this new awning. TwoFour immediately says that she will go and get Bill, Dave or Dan to come and help because 'they know what they are doing.' Greg says he doesn't need their help. TwoFour then pulls me aside and tells me not to let Greg do this on his own, he doesn't know what he's doing. I said "TwoFour, let him do it. I have faith, and if he has problems, then he'll ask for help." She then tells me, I'm Crazy, he's going to fuck-up a perfectly good awning.
Well, the new awning is up, it looks great, and TwoFour can eat crow.
Then, at dinner, Greg's 16 yr old sister asked me if she could help make salads. There is a salad that I like to make that has cucumbers, green apple, sweet onion and dill in it, and that is the one she wanted to make. She did a great job. At dinner, TwoFour says to me "you'll have to give me the recipe, so I can make it for Addy." It gave me great pleasure to say, "Well, Addy made this one, so maybe she can make it for you!" It'll go well with the Roasted Crow.

A few weekends ago, I planted all my pretty annual flowers. There is not one petal left, thanks to the wild bunnies that have decided my flowers are the tastiest. They've eaten my impatiens, and have started on my morning glories and the Black-eyed Susan leaves. I was advised that Cayenne Pepper sprinkled on the ground will deter wild animals. Well, I think that this will work. Poor little curious cross-eyed Mao traipsed through the garden and I guess stopped to smell what was left of the flowers. Instant Crocodile Tears! He's ok, but I really did not intend to use him as a guinea-pig (or bunny...) Does anyone have a better idea for a bunny deterrent?

Weekend Cat Blogging

Things have been uneventful. Not particularly bad or anything, but just...uneventful.
So...time to make some fun!
First of all...Weekend Cat Blogging. I missed last week, and have to admit, I missed it! Here is The Dutchess, camping:

Here is Mr. Mao, in front of my very favourite flowers (peonies):

And, a little bit of facial style about what has been going on this week: (Don't ask how I got Greg to pose for these!) But let's just say, that when you brush a hairy cat, and end up with quite a bit of hair in the brush and you start goofing around...this is what you end up with!

It's Gay Pride Week in Toronto!

It's the World Cup in Soccar! Germany Will Win!

And last, but not least, HOCKEY SEASON IS OVER!!!!!!!!!! (is this a bad picture of Greg, or what?!)
For more Weekend Cat Blogging...don't forget to head on over to visit Clare and Kiri!

Have you at all wondered if I was EVER going to blog again?!
Well, it's been a busy week. In between working a bunch of nightshifts, it was my friend, Sal's, wedding on Saturday so I was busy doing my Matron of Honour duties.
The wedding was absolutely beautiful, and Sal was a gorgeous bride. She and her groom were married outside in the garden of an estate home by her father, who is a minister. It was very touching. The flowers, the jazz band, the reception and lunch were wonderful. The only thing I found surprising, was that there were a few guests, who, I'm pretty sure, could play The Dueling Banjos . (The Baked Bean teeth, suspenders, running shoes and fanny pack were a bit of a giveaway!)
KD was in town from Montreal, it was VERY good to see her again. KD, Sal and I met in Saudi Arabia 15 years ago, and I think it's great that we still manage to see each other a few times every year.
Other stuff: the condo is STILL on the market!!! I can't believe it. I thought for sure it would sell quickly, that someone would love it as much as I do, and scoop it up. I'm trying not to get my knickers in a twist about it, and in the meantime we have been enjoying the rooftop, but I'd kind of like to move forward and start house-hunting. That's the frustrating part.
We bought a second car the other day for $200. It's an old car, but in excellent shape, and the deal was too good to pass up. WHEN we get a house, it'll come in handy for Greg. In the meantime, we are going to keep it off the road as we only have parking for one car here at the condo.
Not the most exciting post, I know, but hey...it's all I've got right now!

Garden Gnomes

Ahhhh...it was a nice, quiet weekend! Just us and the garden gnomes. I have no complaints of which to speak of.
Friday night I fell asleep at 7pm. Rocky IV had just started (that's the one with Brigitte Nielsen when she's still HOT) and I woke up during Bloodwork with Clint (He's still HOT!) and then fell asleep again during 4 Wedding and a Funeral (Hugh Grant...really, not so Hot.)
Saturday we went to town, stopped by a few places and then picked up TwoFour. She was a peach this weekend. In the afternoon, Greg and I washed 6 years worth of moss off the one side of the trailer where the cedars had leaned up against it, then washed screens and windows. Sounds crazy, but it was fun, and there was a real sense of accomplishment about it.
Sunday I read magazines and finished my book: Julie and Julia. Visit Julie's old Blog here . 524 recipes in 365 days. It was a book I had been wanting to read, and serendipitously came upon it at the Veteran's Library at the hospital where I work. I can't really imagine a veteran wanting to read it, but...whatever!
We extended the weekend to Monday, but came home early. I gave Greg and I pedicures and we watched Star Wars, Episode 3. I have to admit, I'd now like to watch Star Wars! Can you believe that I've never seen it? I've seen the one with Jaba the Hut, but truthfully, I never really understood the story line. Now, after 25 years, I think I get it!
Back to work tonight, but I am definitely refreshed, with a new outlook on things.
I am back to being me.
 

41 and 1/365th

It was birthday number 41 yesterday and I opted for a quiet celebration with just my mom, brother, Greg's dad and step-mom, and us. It was a very nice day and evening actually, until my mom pissed me off by saying in front of everyone that she didn't like my hair and that I'd better lose weight, or I'd be sorry. Sigh. Thanks again.
Oh well, some people never change, and the sooner I realize that, the better off I'll be. I really should let stupid comments like that roll off my shoulders.
I did get an adorable little garden gnome from the kitties, and my romantic husband bought me a garden hose, and the largest bunch of flowers! The garden hose made me laugh as much as the frying pans that Greg got on his birthday made him laugh! The hose was definitely something I needed, and very thoughtful, indeed.
Well, we are now heading away for a much needed, quiet weekend. I plan to rejuvenate my mind, and come back a much more positive person.
Hope you have a great, relaxing weekend, too.

For more Weekend Cat Blogging, head on over to Clare's for WCB #53

Trashed Trailer

I have not been the best blogger lately. For some reason, sitting down and writing about all the things that have been upsetting me lately, has just seemed too daunting.
For the past two weekends, Greg's sister, her fiance, and their kids (and kid's friends) have come up to spend the weekend at the campsite. I really like Greg's sister, but I think that she is thoughtless, she let's her kids run wild, she stays in my trailer and does not clean up after herself, or her kids, she lets me do all the cooking and cleaning while she sits and does jigsaw puzzles and puts her cigarette butts out on my patio. Her kids will walk right past me in the morning without even a hello, and when I say good morning to them, they don't even acknowledge me. The kids will lie backwards on the couch with their feet up against the window, and don't lift a finger to clean up after themselves. I was stupid enough to do their lunch dishes because I couldn't look at them anymore. (They are 13) She provides food, but that's it. I have spent the past two weekends pissed off. This past weekend, I did not know that they were coming up, it was kind of thrown at me at the last minute. It has taken me DAYS to calm down, and decide how I was going to approach Greg about it. Basically, I told him that if they were going to continue to come up, a) I needed to know about it in advance, b) that his sister was to clean up after herself and her kids on an ongoing basis, and not just at the end of the weekend, c) that they were to respect our belongings, d) that I am not going to entertain, or babysit her kids. I absolutely LOVE going to the trailer, but I have had some serious thoughts lately about setting it on fire. His mom is up there every weekend, she has her own place. As it is, she never leaves us alone. She is ALWAYS at our site. I love his mom, but honestly! Give me a break! Let's just say, that Greg and I never have a romantic moment on weekends. At dinner time, his grandparents always seem to know when the supper bell is ringing. I don't want to sound like a bitch, and I realize that when you marry someone, you marry their family, but how can I be diplomatic about this and keep my sanity???? Greg seems to be understanding about how I feel, but I really think that HE needs to say something to them. Am I wrong?
Anyway, I thought I had calmed down about this, but my blood has started boiling again.
I will take any, and all, suggestions. 

Happy Anniversary!

Weekend Cat Blogging is celebrating it's One Year Anniversary! Thanks Clare for making this so much fun. I would have loved to include an audio clip of Mao because he is such a chatty cat, but I haven't figured out how to do that yet. In the meantime, I'll leave you with pics of Mao and his favourite game. He'll jump sky-high to catch his toy, and if we throw it across the room, he'll play fetch. I can't tell you how many times I've woken up with this ball on a string wrapped around my neck. And, if I'm honest, it doesn't smell all that great, because when he's not playing with it, it is usually in his food dish, soaking up the aromas!
Thanks again Clare, and don't forget to check out the fellow Cat Bloggers! 

The 5's Meme

Kristi has tagged me, which is probably a very good thing since I've been blog-dumb lately.
5 Items in my Fridge
*dill (it's summer, I can always use it in potato salad!)
*parsley (winter or summer, it's in everything I eat)
*cheese (it's how I get my calcium)
*eggs
*spanish onion
*(and, quite possibly, a little cat hair)
5 Items in my Closet
*a variety of size 12 and 14 clothes, most of which don't fit
*a make-shift cat bed on a cardboard box
*a box filled with pictures that still need to go in to an album (including wedding photos!)
*a his/hers toiletry box filled with shit that usually surrounds our his/her sinks. (We tidy our sink areas every morning for showings while we're trying to sell the condo)
*cat hair
5 Items in my Car
*a pass to get into the parking lot at work
*lip gloss, nailfile
*a variety of sunglasses (dependant on my mood) (I should be wearing the rose-coloured glasses to perk me up some!)
*keys to the trailer
*cat hair
5 Items in my Purse
*gum
*lipstick, lip gloss
*pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, loonies and toonies
*cell phone
*crumpled receipts
*(and cat hair!)
People tagged:
Pez ,At Panda, Marching On ...and anyone else who wants to play!

I've been having some difficulty these past few weeks with coming up with thoughts to write about in this blog. Things have been...moody lately.
I don't know if it is because I am on the brink of turning 41 (which, btw, seems SO MUCH OLDER than 40) or, if it's because there are some financial issues going on right now that are eating me up, or because I keep on thinking that my job is not really where my heart is, or that my condo is not selling as quickly as I thought it would, or that while my close friend is pregnant and I'm truly happy for her, I think the reason that I'm not is because maybe I'm just not that good with kids, and the powers that BE think I am not worthy.
Anyway, there is some negetive Karma in the air here at Chez Ramona and that is why I can't seem to find anything blog-worthy to put into words.
So, if for the next little while you find yourself coming here and all I'm talking about is my cats...
...well, it's because I'm still dealing with a few things and sorting stuff out.
Bear with me.
Please! I know it will pass.

ubi

JUST A BIT OF UBI (USELESS BITS OF INFORMATION)
SO YOU THINK YOU KNOW EVERYTHING?

*A dime has 118 ridges around the edge.

*A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.

*A crocodile cannot stick out its tongue.

*A dragonfly has a life span of 24 hours.

*A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds.

*A "jiffy" is an actual unit of time for 1/100th of a second.

*A shark is the only fish that can blink with both eyes.

*A snail can sleep for three years.

*Al Capone's business card said he was a used furniture dealer.

*Almonds are a member of the peach family.

*An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.

*Babies are born without kneecaps. They don't appear until the child reaches 2 to 6 years of age.

*Butterflies taste with their feet.

*Cats have over one hundred vocal sounds. Dogs only have about 10.

*"Dreamt" is the only English word that ends in the letters "mt".

*February 1865 is the only month in recorded history not to have a full moon.

*In the last 4,000 years, no new animals have been domesticated.

*It's impossible to sneeze with your eyes open.

*Leonardo Da Vinci invented the scissors.

*No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver, or purple.

*Our eyes are always the same size from birth, but our nose and ears never stop growing.

*Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite ..

*Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated.

*"Stewardesses" is the longest word typed with only the left hand and "lollipop" with your right.

*The average person's left hand does 56% of the typing.

*The cruise liner, QE2, moves only six inches for each gallon of diesel that it burns.

*The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket.

*The sentence: "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" uses every letter of the alphabet.

*The winter of 1932 was so cold that Niagara Falls froze completely solid.

*The words 'racecar,' 'kayak' and 'level' are the same whether they are read left to right or right to left (palindromes).

*There are 293 ways to make change for a dollar.

*There are more chickens than people in the world.

*There are only four words in the English language which end in "dous": tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous

*There are two words in the English language that have all five vowels in order: "abstemious" and "facetious."

*There's no Betty Rubble in the Flintstones Chewable Vitamins.

*Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur.

*TYPEWRITER is the longest word that can be made using the letters only on one row of the keyboard.

*Winston Churchill was born in a ladies' room during a dance.

*Women blink nearly twice as much as men.

*Your stomach has to produce a new layer of mucus every two weeks; otherwise it will digest itself.

..............

Now you know everything!

WCB #51

Mr. Mao is the kind of cat that ALWAYS has something hanging off his nose. It is a combination of having an extraordinarily big schnoz for a cat, and also being incredibly nosy in general. For more weekend cat blogging, head on over to visit The Guest Kitty (A Lovely Red Abyssinian!)at Clare's .
Next weekend also marks the One Year Anniversary of Catblogging. So, make sure join in on the fun! It promises to be quite the par-tay! 

Would you ever have believed that Canada looks so tropical? The Bleeding Hearts are in full bloom. Aren't they pretty? 

Yay Taylor!

Glad Taylor won!
Highlight of the show was Meatloaf and Kat. (Cause I AM A HUGE MEATLOAF FAN!!!)
no kidding.
If I were on a deserted island...I would want to be there with Meatloaf's Bat Outta Hell.
I swear, it's my all-time fav album.
(The advil cold and sinus has kicked in..........it's working!)

Blogger has not been my friend over the past few days. I haven't been able to see my comments, although I think I fixed that problem. I can't edit posts, so I've stopped trying, because it's just frustrating me more.
My head still feels like it's stuffed with cotton, and I'm coughing and sneezing like crazy. Greg says I sound like his 80 yr old grandmother.
All in all though, I think I'm a little better. Not better enough though to go back to work tonight. Somehow, being up all night with the chills doesn't appeal to me. And, really, what patient wants a nurse with a drippy nose standing over them? I never did understand this concept of work ethic.
Before SARS, nurses used to come to work all the time with a cold. We were encouraged to come, because otherwise it would mean your colleagues had to work short. Eventually, the whole staff, visitors, and likely, patients would be sick. Smart work ethic, huh?
Anyway, I must admit, I am a bit of a baby when I'm not feeling 100%. It really doesn't happen very often, but I do like it when someone else gets to play nurse, and I get to be the whiney patient!
Recommended Product of the Week: Kleenex with Lotion.

...In bed!

It was freakin' frickin' freezin' this weekend.
It was overcast, and raining, and just SO not summerlike at all.
I didn't shower for three days, was so stinky I resorted to bathing with baby-wipes, had the chills, and now have a chest cold. (cough!)
(Aahh-choo!)
So, to turn this around and make something positive out of the past few days, I will try to think of all the good things that happened this weekend:
I read a book: the curious incident of the dog in the night-time by mark haddon. I liked it, it was an easy, enjoyable read. It was an interesting perspective about what goes on in the mind of an autistic boy during a turbulant time in his life.

I kicked ass in poker. And Monopoly. (Even though I am not competitive by nature.) (But...it did feel good to win!)

I re-discovered gin and tonic (G&T) and, so did Two-Four. Gin and Tonic or... my recipe is this: generous splash of gin, top up with tonic and throw in a lemon wedge. Bottoms Up. (When you run out of tonic, ginger ale will do.)
I found some wild catnip and transplanted it in our garden for Mao. He had a very good weekend.

It's lilac season, so I found some wild bushes and cut a few sprigs. They smell Soooo goooood!
My wedding dress sold at the consignment shop for $325. I am happy that my dress will make someone else happy.

We got home this evening and neither of us was interested in cooking, so we ordered Chinese food. And, neither of us really likes Chinese food but we were desperate...Long Weekend and all, there are not a lot of places open. So Ho-Lee Chow!!! came to our door, and, it was as mediocre as we had expected. The best part was our fortune cookies, because you know what you have to add on to the end of each fortune!
1. Others will take notice of your positive attitude...IN BED!
2. A sweet surprise awaits you...IN BED!
3. It is better to get something done late better than never...IN BED!

And, now...I'm going to go to bed. (Ah-choo!)

WCB #50

It's the first long weekend of the summer!!!

OK, so it's still a little early to officially call it summer, but it's nice enough to be outside and sit in front of a cozy fire. Mao and Dutchie LOVE it! Have a safe and happy long weekend, and for more kitty pics, don't forget to visit Kiri at Clare's You might also want to congratulate Clare, as she just recently became engaged. She has the prettiest blue sapphire ring that matches Mao's eyes perfectly!

Another Pity Party a la Ramona

It's been an emotional week. Greg and I had our first serious blowup that took a few days to sort out. At first, we touched upon the problem, apologies were made, but I felt like we were pussyfooting around the main issue. We spent last weekend quietly together, once in a while broaching the subject but no real progress being made as to how to solve the problem.
Then, the other night, the volcano erupted. It wasn't really SO bad, but it was our biggest clash to date. I was proud of myself that I didn't back down, I had made up my mind to just say what I had to say, and be an adult about it. There are lifestyle changes that need to be made, and responsibilities to acknowledge. Thankfully, Greg was in total agreement and we were finally able to discuss and make plans for the remedies to these problems.On
another note, I think I've had a harder time with being infertile than I thought. One of my best friends has recently found out that she is pregnant (and she's 42!!!) I'm so very happy for her, but again, it reminds me of what I'll never have. I think I've been somewhat depressed and haven't dealt with that very well. I've been drinking a lot of wine this year, which I realize, is not the best solution for sadness.
Last night, at book club, in the middle of someone's (very boring, to me) monologue about all the ultrasounds she'd had with her last child trying to determine the sex, I was sitting there politely, but in my head I was thinking 'why doesn't she just shut the fuck up?! I don't want to hear this!!!' Before I knew what I was doing, I just stood up, and said I had to go (in the middle of her soliloque) I guess that I am a little sensitive. But, I wanted to join a book club to talk about books, not talk about other people's kids. I don't care if there's a funny story that someone wants to tell, but honestly, I'm the only member of this club who doesn't have kids, or isn't pregnant. Maybe I have to find a group that has pets that make up their family circle.
Because when all is said and done, my cats are all I have to make me feel like I've got something little and cute to take care of. Sounds pathetic, doesn't it?
Like I said, it hasn't been the greatest week.

After last week, I swore I would never watch another episode of American Idol. I was pissed off that Chris was voted off.
Of course, I watched it this week. And, (I never thought I would say this!)
VOTE FOR TAYLOR!!!!!!!!!!!
P.S. Things have been a little rough this week. Call it 6 month marital jitters. When I have my act together again I'll post less fluff.