Cause That's How She Rolls.

This past weekend the Princess finished off her Rock 100 experience with a concert performance. There were approximately 15 "rock bands" that were performing a song or two each, and her band was first on the list.

Being her first really Public Performance, I was expecting her to be nervous and full of butterflies (as I would be...) but she surprised me and stayed calm and composed. Quite the cool cucumber, I guess. Their band performed "About a Girl" (of the The Academy Is variety, not the Nirvana tune.) and I have to say that they did very well. Their volunteer producer was one of the best that we saw that night and her hard work in leading the band paid off. There was only one or two groups that, in my opinion, did better -- and they were all older kids. Needless to say, I was pretty proud of my lil girl.

We had lots of fun getting ready for the concert. We don't do Halloween around here, and so I'm always happy to go the extra mile for other fun dress-up events. I promised the Princess she would be Rockstar... I think we did it.

A-Z also known as TMI)

A
- Available: Nope.
- Age: 33
- Annoyance: commercials
- Animal: in theory, there is nothing cuter than a hamster.
- Actor: Mark Wahlberg
- Adidas / Nike: Adidas

B
- Birthday/Birthplace: November 11, North Battleford, SK
- Best Friends: I am lucky to have a few people I treasure.
- Body Part on opposite sex: ummmmm... that spot where hipbone meets waistband. Me likey.
- Best feeling in the world: playing Tickle Monster with my kiddos or nephews/nieces.
- Best weather: I love a rainy afternoon. But mostly sunny works for me.
- Been in Love: Yes.
- Been bitched out?: Also, yes.
- Been on stage?: Lots, actually.
- Been beaten up?: Not any Real violence; but I have taken a few at Krav.
- Believe in yourself?: I'm trying!
- Believe in life on other planets: hmmmmm... I guess it's possible.

C
- Favorite candy: is chocolate considered candy? if not, then Jelly Belly beans.
- Color: aqua like the ocean.
- Cried in school: probably.
- Chocolate/Vanilla: vanilla
- Chinese/Mexican: Chinese
- Cake or pie: neither are my favorite, but I'll go with Pie
- Country to visit: Would love to go to Israel.

D
- Day or Night: I'm a night owl.
- Dance: Yeah, baby!!!
- Dance in the rain? Sure, why not?
- Do the splits?: It kills me just to think about it.

E
- Eyes: blue
- Everyone has: a bad habit
- Ever failed a class?: I don't think so.

F
- First crush: new kid in class. short-lived.
- First thoughts waking up: "already?" "how quick can I get ready? Snooze button?"
- Food: fresh strawberries
- Feel Sexy?: depends

G
- Greatest Fear: outliving my children.
- Giver or taker: Giver? I think?
- Gum: probably cinnamon gum.
- Get along with your parents?: Yeah, they're great.

In guys/girls
Eye colour: whatever color
Hair: Kinda like that whole shaved head w/ wicked facial hair thing.
Clothing Style: urban, a little bit Rebel.


H
- Hair Colour: light brown naturally, currently various shades of blonde and brown.
- Height: 5'5
- Happy: Most of the time! :)
- Holiday: Someplace beachy and tropical, please.
- Hate: being cold. brrrrr.

I
- Ice Cream: DQ soft serve.
- Instrument: piano.

J
- Jewelry: Don't often wear it.
- Job: I like mine.

K
- Kids: supercool
- Kickboxing or karate: kickboxing.
- Keep a journal?: does blogging count?

L
- Longest Car Ride: North Battleford, SK to Jasper, AB
- Love: My family
- Laughed so hard you cried: Yes, and snotted and peed and snorted as well. Not all at once, though. That would be unfortunate.
- Love at first sight: Sure, why not?

LAST PERSON WHO..
1. Slept in a bed beside you: Mr. F.
2. Saw you cry? Don't know. maybe Mr. F.
3. Went to the movies with you? my husband and kiddos
4. You went to the mall with? my bestie, J
5. You went to dinner with? my husband and kiddos
6. You talked to on the phone? derby girl, D
7. Made you laugh? D Ablo and Anna Filatic (derby girls)
8. Person you hung out with? girlfriends, J and A


M
- Milk flavor: white milk 1%
- Movie: I love (thoughtful) comedies. Not sophomoric, crass ones, though.
- Marriage?: yes!
- Motion sickness?: sometimes. urrrghh.
- McDs or BK: can I say A&W? BK is gross and McDs usually makes my tummy sick.

N
- Number of Siblings: one brother
- Number of Piercings: 3

O
- Overused Phrases: I say "dude" and at my age that just isn't cool.
- One wish: Really?
- One phobia: Moths. *shiver* They freak me out.

P
- Place you'd like to live: acreage or farm with dogs and horses.
- Perfect Pizza: pesto, spinach, red pepper, red onion, mushroom and feta.
- Pepsi/Coke: either

Q
- Quail: Never had it.

R
- Reason to cry: life sucks.
- Reality T.V.: So You Think You Can Dance
- Radio Station: can't stand radio -- I hate commercials.
- Roll your tongue: not sure. Lemme try. Yup.

S
- Song: There's no way I can pick just ONE!!
- Salad Dressing: maple balsamic
- Sushi: veggie only. Don't really like it.
- Scent: GoodSmellingGuy scent.
- Skipped school: Yes. Not much, though.
- Slept outside: Like tenting? Yes. Like on a park bench? No.
- Seen a dead body?: yes

- Smoked?: No
- Shower Daily?: twice daily -- sometimes three times. Ridiculous, I know.
- Sing well?: passable.
- Swear?: trying not to. But sometimes.
- Stuffed Animal? I had this sock monkey that I really, really loved. It had velcro hands and feet.
- Single/Group dates: both
- Strawberries/Blueberries: Strawberries~!

T
- Time for bed: 11:30 on a good girl night.
- Thunderstorms: Love, love, love storms of all kinds!
- TV: don't really watch much. The Office, UFC, Chuck
- Touch your tongue to your nose?: Is that even humanly possible?

U
- Unpredictable: maybe somewhat

V
- Vegetable you hate: I don't know. Swiss chard looks pretty vile.
- Vegetable you love: Peppers.
- Vacation spot: Anywhere!

W
- Weakness: Jumping to conclusions
- Which one of your friends acts the most like you: I'm not sure.
- Who makes you laugh the most: my kiddos!
- Worst feeling: knowing something bad is going to happen

X
-X-Ray: knees, sinuses, skull, spine

Y
-Year it is now: 2009
-Yellow: submarine?

Z
- Zoo animal: penguins!!
- Zodiac Sign: scorpio

Smell Ya Later!

My latest bottle of fragrance is nearing it's last few splashes and I'll soon be looking for something different. I always find shopping for perfume (ewwww... isn't that just the most horrible sounding word for something so lovely?) a bit overwhelming. I know that many women have sort of a signature scent... they pick a certain fragrance and stick to it with tenacity and verve. My moms is one of those people and to this day every time my kids catch a whiff of Elizabeth Arden's "Red Door", one of them is bound to exclaim "GRANDMA!!" before I can count to three through the smiles in my brain.

Me? I'm not really a signature scent kinda girl. But I am a monogamous scenter. I don't ever have more than one scent in my possession... So, in a way I try to claim the "ideal" of a signature scent, but without the commitment.

Yeah... I just lost respect for myself, too.

Anyhow, with the prospect of finding my newest fragrance Love in the near future, I thought it would be... uhhh, how you say? APROPOS... to take a brief look back at all the lovely (and some rather unfortunate) frangrances I have called my own.

1.) Ahhh, first ever perfume... your name has been long forgotten but I will remember you always. One in a package of five tiny sample bottles that my Mom didn't want, I chose you first because your name was something like "Sea" or "Paradise" and smelling you made me think of clean, clean water and sunshine. Unfortunately, our love affair was short as there wasn't much of you in the bottle and I soon found out that "Real" perfume costs more money than an eleven year old can concieve of.

Which led to my brief affair with cheap, stanky perfume that was adored by pre-teen girls and featured in Seventeen on every third page.


2.) Love's Baby Soft. My first issue of Seventeen sent me spiralling down the deep dark vortex of Advertising Targetted to PreTeens. Who wouldn't want to be like one of those perfectly perky collegiate babes, posing with their side ponytails and scrunchy socks? They had clear skin and big earrings and surely they must smell really, really good and be wanted by everyone! OK, so technically I didn't OWN this one, but beyond coveting it, I regularly borrowed a spray or two from my friend who was (dubiously) lucky enough to own a bottle of it and freely let me partake of the LOVE that is the Baby Soft.




3.) Exclamation. Honestly, I didn't really even like this one. But every single SuperCoolGirl(tm) wore it and I was phasing through that rough, but necessary "I really want to be Super Cool" patch. From our spiral permed hair teased within an inch of it's life to our Asics Tigers volleyball trainers, IKEDA baggy sweatshirts and tight jeans, teenage girls of that particular vintage were barely discernible from one another.




4.) Colors by United Colors of Benetton. There was a few different varieties of this one; my first "real" fragrance. I was fondest of the clear bottle with the black top and stuck with it for a few years. I was also allergic to it at first. Which meant I got a bit red and itchy around all those pulse points you were supposed to dab at. My allergy eventually subsided, though and this is probably the closest I became to being a "signature scent" girl. I think I used at least two or three bottles in succession... a record no other scent has come close to.




5.) Eternity by Calvin Klein. I really liked this one, as well. "ETERNITY, inspired by the ideal of lasting love and intimacy, is a romantic floral fragrance. This harmonious blend of both classic and contemporary scents is a perfect combination, created to reflect timeless quality and modern style. I think it's the low notes of sandalwood and patchouli that hooked me (don't get me started on those two... a am a certified sandalwood junkie) and kept me lovin it until the bottle was finished. Ummmm... the sexy beach ads didn't hurt, either.



6.) CKOne. It was a Christmas gift and it didn't quite hit the mark. I had first sniffed it out on a friend and actually really liked it. This was my first experience with the First Rule Of Fragrance "What smells good on someone else, will not always smell good on you". I'm sure there's some scientific reason involving skin chemistry and other such factual stuff. What matters is that it smelled really rather fake-ish and one dimensional on me. For the record, though... I did try to use it all. Waste not, want not, right? Besides, it was a gift.




7.) Hemp. Sandalwood. Patchouli. For a while I nixed the fragrance search, opting instead to become a human incense stick. Well, I wasn't that noxious... it was really a very subtle thing. It's not like you can go out and buy Hemp-scented perfume. Well, maybe you can. But I preferred the body lotion and shower gel route. Hydrated skin is happy skin!




8.) Curious by Britney Spears. Seriously... I hated that this was in any way, shape or form associated with Ms. Spears. I just happened to be flipping through a magazine and the sample strip fragrance hit me and it was kismet. Having learned my Chemistry lesson well, I took this one out for a tester date and it was love at first sniff. My skin + Curious. Heart! Arrows! But I hid the bottle and didn't let anyone know what I was wearing. Cause, ewww, pop princess... *shiver* But, yes... the sandalwood wins again. "The fragrance is a white floral scent. Its notes are Louisiana magnolia, golden Anjou pear, lotus flower, tuberose, star jasmine, pink cyclamen, vanilla-infused musk, sandalwood and blonde woods."




9.) Euphoria by Calvin Klein. This is my current fragrance. With an ingredient list that sounds as delicious as exotic, how could you not love this one? "The main notes are rose hip, Japanese apple, green leaves, Lotus, black orchid, red woods, black violet and amber." And look... no sandalwood! It's dark and sensual and fun. And almost empty.

And so the search begins. Any suggestions?

Finally!

I wanted to give my sis-in-law time to make her announcement on her own blog before I popped up over here and shouted it all over my own blog. And so I've been sitting on my hands and biting my tongue for the past few days, waiting to announce this:

Finally, after months and months and endless months (And, yes, I fully realize that it was far worse for the lovely pregnant mommy... but I'm not the patient sort, either) my beautiful niece, Samara, was born on April 9th at 10:56pm.

AND SHE'S GORGEOUS!! (Of course! Just look at her parents...)


Just look at those beautiful blue eyes! And those lips! Auntie is SOOOOO smooching those lil lips!

*squeee!* And now the countdown is on until Mr F and I and the grommets can make the trip to go visit. (Don't worry, JJ, we'll give you some time to recover!)

A big hug and high five to my lovely sis-in-law, JJ -- GOOD JOB, MAMA! I'm so proud of you. I know this was a long time coming, complete with undue drama and concern. And I suppose Big J deserves some credit, although... seriously... we all know who did all the work. :) May she bring happiness to you both!

I Know, I Know... Enough With The Change Thing.

Here we go again...

So far, my foray into the workaday world has been rather splashy and, frankly, ridiculous. I am a person who enjoys change, but I am finding that this is one area that I'd rather remain a constant.

Regardless of what I would wish or like, it was becoming clear that my Front Desk Gig was not going to work with my other Makes Me No Money At the Moment (But Nevertheless Could Really Pay Off Sometime Soon) Gig.

*aside: it's really silly to use the word "gig" isn't it? Kinda reminds me of the old Archie comics for some reason.* Carry on.

The end result being that conflicting hours (and not enough of them, for that matter) and a shady manager was enough to lay the ax to that tree. Bye, bye, front desk and ever-vacillating-double-talking-crappy-scheduling boss.

I handed in my notice the same day that I was hired at my other job. Which was totally a fluke as I certainly didn't expect to get hired the moment I passed my resume across the desk. But, thankfully things seem to have worked out. I am now occupying my position as *ahem* Front Lead (thank you very much...) at a spiffy car detailing joint here in Fluttercity.

Which means that I spend a lot of time outside greeting customers as they pull up, schmooze them and arrange their cleaning packages, and kind of oversee the front bay stations. I already have a head start on a tan thanks to the warm sun today (OK, so it's just a bit of pink on my cheeks and nose, but... after an endlessly long winter? I'm exercising my right to call it a head start!) and am really enjoying the people I work with. The owners are a very tight family and the place has a great feel to it, it's nice to spend the day laughing with people and endearing yourself to elderly customers and generally making people feel glad to be spending horrendous amounts of money to not have to clean their own car.

I lied -- Our packages are actually very reasonable and your car will pretty much roll over; panting and doing that involuntary dog-leg thing while it's being worked over. Cause that is some sweet, sweet car lovin' that goes on in there. Rocket got a complimentary exterior job this morning and my heart may have skipped a beat or two when I saw him, all dressed out with the tire and rim shine, freshly waxed and glistening in the morning sun.

And that put a smile on his face cause I think he may have been a bit worried. See, I also get to drive each and every car that comes through the shop. I slide behind the wheel of most of them without even a sliver of temptation... but there are some, I tell you, that have made me a little bit weak in the knees after hearing their high-performance engines growl throaty, nasty things in my ear. And the occasional over-the-top beefy monster Hummer or Escalade has been known to rev my motor a little bit in appreciation. Especially when said monster slicky folds down a sweet rivetted steel running board for my dainty sneaker-clad foot upon opening the driver's door and automatically adjusts the driver's seat. That, my friends, is treating a lady like a lady. It is also a bit freakishly futuristic and I would be lying if I didn't say I was about to freak the crap OUT if the vehicle started to talk to me (a la KITT) next.

I've also driven some cars that ought not to be set foot in by any person with even half an intact nasal passage. And I've found that people are a bit weird about their icky spilly stuff. It's not enough to just acknowledge it. To say that, Yes, I Smell That, Too. No, they want you to get your nose right in there... right THERE where it's the worst so that you can be familiar with the Source of the Stench. Some even want you to touch it and then smell your fingers -- I presume to establish the fact that there is Residual Grossness. Ohhh, people, please do not do this to your smiley, happy Front Lead. She is more than willing to just take your word for it and would rather her fingers not smell like rancid Butter for the rest of the afternoon.

But the number one truth that I will now, with authority and vehemency, proclaim as the greatest crime against your vehicle and the lovely Front Lead who will regrettably have to pilot it through the shop.... is chewing tobacco. Particularly the watery, spitty, stinky bits that mindless, heartless degenerates actually spit into the floor carpets of their vehicles and then expect you to clean that STANK ARSE CRAP out for a paltry price. Some things are beyond my understanding.

But it's enough to send me running over to my squeaky clean and lovely smelling Rocket with a smile on my face.

No Way.

There are things that never cease to amaze me about the internet.

One of them is getting the occasional email from someone regarding my blog from phishers when content on my blog matches their search criteria. It's a short list, really. My little blog doesn't make that big of a dent in the blogosphere. (Oh, little blog, I had such high hopes for you...)

Some of the more memorable phishes:

- An organization that petitions against circuses (circi??) and their poor treatment of animals following my post saying that I was not attending the local Shriner's deal for the same reason.

- A couple emails requesting product reviews after I posted about a similar product.

- The Lukas Rossi fan club which put out an open call on their forum to comment on a post on my blog. Which made no sense cause my post about him was really positive. I have no idea why they were harassing me about it. I was, like, "He's great, I totally am crushing hard." And they were, like, "You must crush harder. This is offensive." This one? I could see how phishing can go horribly wrong... I think I shut down comments for a bit after that.

But my latest phish takes the cake. Just cause I Never. Saw. That. Coming.

I mean, you would reasonably expect that an animal rights organization or marketing board or celebrity fan club exists.

But, when I got an email from a member (#1 championship contender, no less...) of the...

...wait for it...

Pillow Fight League

I was all, "No Way."

But, being the curious cat that I am, I checked out the link and yes... it does exist. And it actually looks kinda cool. I can see why derby has adopted it as a past-time. Their girls look pretty kick-ass, too.

I'm still kinda all, "No Way." about it. But thought I would post the link here all the same, just cause she complimented my blog. Which I know is the blog equivalent of putting out on the first date, but still. ("You have beautiful eyes, baby." "OK, you can touch me.")

Seriously, that conversation NEVER actually happened. I'm totally pulling that out of the air. Totally.

So, here's a shout out to the girls of the Pillow Fight League. I might have to go watch some of those crazy bouts to get a leg up on my competition at the next derby after-party.