|
|
<$BlogRSDURL$> Archives
|
Off on a bit of a trip. I will return to you lovely ducklings on Wednesday of next week. Holy moly can you believe it? I am off to Victoria and Vancouver for a little bit of a trip- a breather trip you might say.I'll send postcards. Posted by Bella at 1:24 PM# Just a thought... The past couple days I have been watching the news and reading the paper intrigued with what happened in Asia. No one deserves to have to deal with the devastation of a natural disaster, it has surprised me what I have learned about these countries.What has boggled my mind the most is that there was no communication to these countries about what was coming to them. No warning system, nothing. Although, what I found most sad is that it takes a disaster like this to have the international community come to the aid of countries that already are in need of aid, regardless of whether or not there is this sudden crisis. The USA pledged an initial $15 million in aid; they had this money sitting in some account, why couldn't they give this sooner? It's the same with Canada and the $4 million they contributed. If these countries had contributed money earlier, communication systems might have been in place and therefore lives could have been saved. What I do know is that I am blessed each day for the fact that I live in a city where we can't get tsunami's, earthquakes or hurricanes. Just nipple-stiffening cold weather. Posted by Bella at 3:54 PM# A bittersweet goodbye. After a rather long couple of days (and don't take that in a bad way- the longer the days are the better), it has officially come to me that I have a hard time saying good bye and divorcing people in my life who really don't have a place in it anymore. I had my 'ahha' moment sitting in Boxing Day traffic on Macleod Trail. Great place to do it actually.As I was looking around in traffic, I was curious as to whether the people who were sitting in their cars with their other halves or their friends, were actually happy with them. Or, were they with them until the next best thing came around? Were they afraid of being single? Were they afraid of being without that certain person because of the occasional fond memory that runs through their head? A thought to think about in this next year. I think I might be a few friends shorter. Posted by Bella at 11:52 PM# 364 Days to Christmas. Pfeuf. Santa treated me well this year. There wasn't a lot I asked for as really, when I want something bad enough I will buy it myself. But. I did get a couple things that blew me away.New Stereo. Holy moly you should hear this rad system. Super stoked. Horray for Megan having a cool new up-to-date sound system. Lulu Lemon Yoga Pants. Ok, so I got a gift certificate, but nonetheless, I now own a pair of ass pants. Josh Groban DVD Live At The Greek. Um, did I mention sometime in this past year that I met him back in September? Anyone ever wants to have a Josh party- you know where to find me. A wicked sweet ass flat tire. Ok so it wasn't on my list... but it was still great. (Thanks again to my Knight in Shining Armor). And a plethora of other goodness. Hope Santa was as good to you as he was to me. Posted by Bella at 3:25 PM# Ho Ho Ho. Merry Christmas you crazy kids.Posted by Bella at 3:57 AM# Bets anyone? For those of you who have been following my posts, you will remember that I had a fish once. Actually I had a plethora of fish. Their names escape me now, but that's irrelevant now.Anyways, a couple months ago I received a fish at work. A little fishy in a little bowl with a cute little plant and bright little rocks. His name: Beta. He has lived on my desk for sometime now. I feed him 3 times a day, change his water once I can start smelling it (p-u) and talk to him like he can hear me. This weekend, because of it being the Christmas break and having 4 days off, I couldn't just leave little ol' Beta to fend for himself for those days- so I brought him home. My fear is that he won't return to work with me. Between now and Wednesday, I fear for his life. Tanu is acting rather inquisitive around it so I figure he will either die by my dog, or die because he won't like the new water I just graced him with. Either way, I gave it my best. Maybe I should just not be able to take care of fish. Posted by Bella at 2:35 PM# Nipple stiffening cold outdoors. My house is like an igloo sometimes. I usually crawl into bed way early some nights to make sure I am warm and cozy. Tonite, because I am really too cool and too smart for my own good, I busted out of the house in only a hoodie (and pants of course) and drove to the Shell station for my weekly fill up. Well, I was standing outside filling my car freezing to death. I couldn't have worn a jacket or gloves or a freakin snowsuit now could I?Um. Smart? Not me. Song of the night: Winter by Pilotdrift Posted by Bella at 9:55 PM# Santa's coming... Santa's coming... This Christmas, I have heard from numerous people that they just don't know what to get for their friends and family, and even that certain someone.Well have no fret- Megan is here to the rescue with some top notch ideas. Why buy this when you can get this? Who needs this when they could really use this? And who needs another one of these when this will get much more use? Oh and Santa, I have been a good girl this year. I would love this. Posted by Bella at 8:18 PM# Today will never happen again. Song for todayAmerican Star by Strada Food for today salted crackers, Turtles, Purdy's chocolate bells Bevvie for today a little fruit and veggie mixture Phone call for today "Are you Megan Pratt?", "I hope so. That would be way too weird if you were Megan Pratt too" Website for today more random stuff than you'll know what to do with Email for today "I was going to send you something funny this morning...but I didn't think it appropriate as I don't know you all that well...it was a little racy." The racier the better! Most random thought for today I wonder if she saw that. Most exciting thought for today I am driving onto a ferry in T minus 9 days Most famous person/people in my book today anyone who knows who Catherine Ford and John Gilchrist are Posted by Bella at 1:40 PM# A catchy, rude, informative holiday greeting. Those Brits have a way of putting it oh so nicely.Posted by Bella at 4:46 PM# Merry Christmas. Happy Hanukkah. Feliz Navidad. Because I can't send everyone a holiday (to be politically correct) card, here is one for those of you who patiently and lovingly read my site.Achbullshitoo. Posted by Bella at 3:49 PM# Here's to 2005. Each year I make ridiculous New Years resolutions. The kind that are so outrageous, no one I know ever looks at me seriously. The resolutions like: get in shape, save a little money, etc. For whatever reasons, those ones are never taken seriously. Hmph. I'll show them.In the past year, however, I have experienced so many crazy things and each one of them I have embraced with open arms. 2004 brought me some memories: - My job at the Board was extended leaving my contract open until January 31, 2005 - I met the one, the only Josh Groban - Catherine Ford called me on my birthday to wish me the best (and warned me about cooking naked) - I am a writer for the Calgary Herald, (something I have wanted to call myself for many moons) - My car loan is OH so close to being paid off - I met Peter C. Newman and had him sign my book, Here Be Dragons - Managed to survive snowboarding at Sunshine with my ultimate partner in crime - Broke my wrist at work and was gibbled for a while - Interviewed some fun people - www.meganpratt.com went live - Chronic headaches I am sure there are things I am missing, but yah well what can ya do? Fill me in if you can think of anything. Cheers to 2005! Posted by Bella at 9:17 PM# Mother nature is a bitch. Saturday was a bright, sunny chinooky day. It was the day to wash Alistair inside and out. Spent $11 on a super power wash from Shell, vacuumed the crap out of the inside, washed the dashboard and windows. He looked snazzy.This morning my brother alerted me to the happenings overnight which just had to take place on my car. A flock of birds, obviously who ate something that just did not agree with them, crapped all over my car. All. Over. My. Car. Bastard birds. Murphy's Law, eh? Posted by Bella at 1:41 PM# Q. The Calgary Herald editorial page highlighted moi today. A cute little snapshot and a teaser as to why people should read my blog. Horray.Posted by Bella at 11:42 AM# So stunned I don't even know what to call this. What. The. Fuck.Posted by Bella at 10:54 PM# Strada and Tupelo Honey. Friday night at the Gate at SAIT at around 9.30ish, come on out and support Strada in front of 3 major record labels looking to sign them. For only $5 at the door, you can come check these guys out.I'll be there kickin' it with the guys from the bands and I fully want all of you to come and see them! These guys have wicked awesome talent! Hope to see you rockin' out in the crowd! Posted by Bella at 1:43 PM# FTM. This is just a little pusher piece to get ya'll to check out Fresh Tracks Music.How to: Sign in, become a freebie registered member, listen to some free music and then realize that you want to support these dudes who run it so for only roughly $5us, you can download all the music you could ever imagine! Now, these bands aren't mainstream and that is what is great about them. Horray for bands such as The Low Life, Megan Slankard, Zox, etc. And plus- I was recruited by FTM to do some interviews/reviews of some up and coming Canadian bands. If you have any bands which you know about who are just getting out there and are trying to get recognized, let me know and I will see what I can do about profiling them on this site. Enjoy. Posted by Bella at 10:20 PM# Just wanted to brag a little here... Done Christmas shopping. Wrapped. Sent. Delivered.I should teach a class on how to shop in one hour, wrap in one night, and deliver in one day. Well, that is if you are only shopping for a limited number of people. Like, 4. Posted by Bella at 10:08 PM# Miss the season? Seems like the lockout will never end. Meh.Look what we can read about instead. Perfect. Posted by Bella at 1:42 PM# It is a good excuse. This piece is also found on the Calgary Herald website.When a police car drives down the street, lights and sirens on, the automatic response is to move out of their way. When I see them walking around whether it be down a street or patrolling a concert, my response is to stay out of their way. It's a matter of respect. The recent verdict on the RCMP officer who shot and killed an inmate was not at all surprising to me. Although some may consider it a slap on the wrist, others may think of it as due justice. Think about it. A cop has much more authority over the regular Joe. You bust out a punch? They bring out their batons. You bust out a knife? The cops bust out their guns. If an officer shoots and kills a person, I won't question their reasoning for a minute. If their life is in danger, why not use the force available to them at the time? This isn't a radical new trend, we've armed city guards since the dawn of time. The understanding has always been that you risk your life the minute you become a violent criminal. Every kid who's ever read a comic book could tell you that. Contrary to the Calgary Herald's position that this was a case of "an officer who lost control and deliberately made a decision to shoot and kill", I think otherwise. From what I read about it, it was a matter of self defence. A 19 year veteran of the RCMP would know what he is doing. I don't doubt that there are some corrupt cops who do in fact use force and their authority to their advantage, but Constable Mike Ferguson's record is Mr. Clean tidy, so I am hesitant to question the verdict. Actually the sentence of two years under house arrest seems a little silly to me. For another example, look to the case of Deng Kuol who was shot and killed in the front of an apartment building by police. Mr. Kuol attacked Constable Ira Maccumber by stabbing him in the arm. What did Maccumber do after Kuol stabbed him in the arm? He shot and killed the armed and dangerous stabber in self defence. Think about it and imagine the alternative. A dead or incapacitated cop, plus a violent Deng Kuol now armed with a police firearm and at best, a hostage standoff. Officers are trained to use different degrees of force to defend themselves. This includes including deadly force. The decision to use any type of force, I am sure, is not questioned. Neighbours said Kuol was a good man, but that's what the neighbours always say. Jeff Dalmer was a nice neighbour. So was that Bundy character, and every nut job who's ever been busted by the police. Our police are here to serve and protect. I have the utmost respect for them and get really irritated when our society picks on them for doing the hardest part of their job. Posted by Bella at 1:01 AM# The most wonderful time of the year. It's Office Christmas Party season again, it's time to let your hair down, run the boss' bar tab up, drown your inhibitions in expensive cocktails and generally do a bad job of walking the line between wild party animal and someone who's still employed tomorrow.What's the point of going to the office party? The next-day stories. And the key to a good next-day story is to perfectly walk that fine line between, "Star of the Party" and, "guy/gal who got canned the day after". So how do you guarantee your party stardom and be sure to avoid a pink slip? The foundation of it all is to maintain most of your composure at these events. Stay fairly sober, avoid being too rowdy and generally be pleasant. Once you have that in place, you can try any or all of these power play moves and start working building your status as Office Christmas Party Star: Only show as much skin as you're absolutely certain the boss wants to see. Don't bare your cleavage or wear suggestive clothing unless your boss has previously shown a sexual interest in you AND you have a typed statement authorizing a 15% raise in salary for yourself which you can get him to sign after he's had a little more to drink. Have a drink, but don't get drunk. It's enough to be seen carrying a drink. The boss feels like you're appreciating the free bar. Every now and then put your drink down and get another one. No more than three very different looking (and undrunken) drinks. If you really do get thirsty, grab a water. Meanwhile, bring everyone else a drink. Preferably doubles. Don't start up the gossip, but do point it out. If Bob from accounting is totally smashed and ragging on his supervisors, send as many people over to hear Bob as possible. You'll score points for finding the action, and Bob can go down in flames for the action. It's all good. Keep your ever-present unsipped drink in your left hand, but keep your right hand free for handshakes and the lukewarm half-hug. That drink is coming in handy isn't it? Nothing wards off amorous Roy from I.T. like the half-hug given by someone trying to make sure then don't spill their drink. Stand! The more people you can tower over with your statuesque beauty and regal poise (you did work out right?) the better they'll remember you. Besides, you're getting everyone else drunk on doubles and this is a game of last man/woman standing. If the bar is holding out on giving you drinks to bring around to friends, then be sure to bring plenty of rum or vodka to surreptitiously spike the eggnog bowl. Do conceal a tiny spy camera on your person to capture everyone's hilarious drunken antics for inclusion on the traditional "year in review" video shown to stockholders at the annual meeting. Posted by Bella at 6:02 PM# Champion of Cheddar Cheese. For as long as I can remember, everytime Dad and I would go to the grocery store cheese was, and still is, always on the shopping list.It was always a race to see who could find the most expensive chunk of cheese. There was a sticker on the outside of the package that says, "Special offer only $9.19 this package". The trick is to find the package which weighed the most and therefore was priced the most- and then manage to purchase it for only $9.19. I think the most my dad and I ever found was upwards of $13.00. So, if you see me in the cheese isle going through all the cheese blocks- you now know why. Posted by Bella at 5:31 PM# And yah, so it's all about me. My good friend Steve is kind enough to take some snapshots of me for this site. Today, we got a couple more.Just wanted to show off you to you my kooky-cute-dorky-side. Look for one of these snaps on the front page of Vogue. Posted by Bella at 2:36 AM# Who would have thought Canadians were so damn funny. If you are in the mood for a freakin' hilarious mockumentary made by a bunch of scheming documentary directors, "The Delicate Art of Parking" is the one you want.Not sure how to describe it. Maybe just the fact that I am telling you to watch it will be enough. Posted by Bella at 7:25 PM# LOL = Lame-o. My office mate uses the term "LOL" on a regular basis. Now, when he types this into his msn, I am sitting right next to him. I don't see him laugh-out-loud.When I receive an email by someone and they have this lame-ass term in it, it stops me and makes me wonder if what they are saying is actually funny. Are they actually laughing out loud? Are they laughing at their own joke? Nothing wrong with that- I can be the funniest person I know at times and yes, I will then laugh at myself. Ha. Posted by Bella at 4:07 PM# Queen Procrastinataire. So, if this random one sentence post ends up being posted on my good ol' site, it means that I am still procrastinating.See, I have this uber huge school project due... mm... Friday at 4:30 and it is just not getting done. I would love to have it done. I have been trying to work at it for the past months but something is blocking me. I don't know if it's writers block per say, but it's somewhere along the lines. Ahh- it's that bastard "life". Stupid godamn life. Too many things end up running through my head at the same time as I attempt at focusing on a super important thing. Goddamn life gets in the way just when it shouldn't. What's on Megan's mind tonite: - Christmas presents and how much it sucks when I am trying to find the one. - How Alistair's windshield wiper fluid nozzely thing on the right hand side of his hood is busted. $$$... - Why my school project is so hard to do when it should be a piece of cake because I WANT TO DO IT. - Why he has to leave. - If the top I am wearing to the Christmas Luncheon tomorrow is too diaphanous. - Why my body still aches from falling on the ski hill on Saturday. - Why my dog only attends to me when I have food out and not so willing to share with her. - Why I am not doing my project. Come to think of it, I could use some Smarties. Posted by Bella at 8:47 PM# Has anyone used the phrase, "deke out of a meeting"? Me either. Apparently that's Canadian talk for, "avoiding a meeting". Rrrright.Too bad everyone wants to be like a Canadian. It's because we are so gosh-darn nice, eh? Americans are hiding behind the Canadian flag when they go on trips because they don't want to be questioned about their own politics in their real country. Makes perfect sense to me. Ashamed of your country are you? Posted by Bella at 1:56 PM# Interesting earth facts. Only some of these numbes are disturbing.Posted by Bella at 11:48 AM# I can't say what I might believe. If God made you, he's in love with me.If God kept you in my life, the he is definitely thinking I am wicked cool. Posted by Bella at 11:54 PM# Some tuneage you have to groove to. Snow Patrol - How to be Dead.Endochine - Secret. Howie Day - Collide. Death Cab for Cutie - Lack of Colour. Modest Mouse - The World at Large. Welbilt - All I've ever Tasted. Megan Slankard - Dirty Wings. Joshua Radin - Winter. The Low Life - Paddle Out. Posted by Bella at 8:46 PM# When is the word "fuck" acceptable? I love the word. I use it all the time.But, there are only eleven times in history where the "F" word has been considered acceptable for use. They are as follows: 11. "What the fuck do you mean, we are sinking?" -- Capt. E.J. Smith of RMS Titanic, 1912 10. "What the fuck was that?" -- Mayor Of Hiroshima, 1945 9. "Where did all those fucking Indians come from?" -- Custer, 1877 8. "Any fucking idiot could understand that." -- Einstein, 1938 7. "It does so fucking look like her!" -- Picasso, 1926 6. "How the fuck did you work that out?" -- Pythagoras, 126 BC 5. "You want what on the fucking ceiling?" -- Michelangelo, 1566 4. "Where the fuck are we?" -- Amelia Earhart, 1937 3. "Scattered fucking showers, my ass!" -- Noah, 4314 BC 2. "Aw c'mon. Who the fuck is going to find out?" -- Bill Clinton, 1998 1. "Geez, I didn't think they'd get this fucking mad." -- Saddam Hussein, 2003 Posted by Bella at 5:00 AM# In the event I die a snowy death this weekend. Friends and family, foes and everyone else,This weekend while snowboarding down a mountain covered in snow, I want you to know what I will be thinking as I head down a run at an ungodly speed: Fuck. Please know that in those few nanoseconds before I tumble into a snowball and crash into a tree, I will be thinking of what else I could have done in my life to make it better. And quite frankly, I think I have done pretty darn well for myself. Lots of friends (I have put a cheque in the mail for each of you paying you for your services over the years), family, foes (yes, even you) and everyone else- couldn't have made my life much better. My parents: You can have my car. Secretly I know Alistair would love to stay in the family. Word of caution though, he isn't big on running on empty- make sure the gas tank is always full. Oh, and wash him. He loves that. And since I have life insurance on my car, you don't have to pay a penny for the rest of the payments. Sweetness eh? Ben and Ian: Uh. You don't really like my music, my clothes don't fit you and my bedroom carpet is pink. Other than that, not sure what you would like so go hogwild in my room. Take what you would like. Oh, except my framed autographed lifesize poster of Josh Groban. I want to be buried with him. Friends: I know I am the envy of all my friends (acbullshithoo) with my mounds of music, books, pictures from times past, clothes, etc. So. Have a rummage sale- all the money will be put into a fund that goes to... adopting lab macaque monkeys from Thailand. These little buggers are so cute. As for what to do with my icy carcass, either leave it in the snow for the moose and wild chipmunks to eat, or bring it home and donate the organs to someone who just might need them. The chances of everything being intact is good seeing how I will most likely be buried in a pile of snow therefore freezing everything inside of me, preserving it. And hey, if I don't die this weekend, well... most excellent. I have a lot of work to do in the coming weeks and Christmas is just around the corner. Can't miss mom's haystack cookies or Santa's visit. I heard I have been a good girl this year. Posted by Bella at 11:04 PM# Because I read them. Thought that you should too:Aaron: He's kooky crazy smart. Calgary Herald Q: Because I am on it. Kindness Crew Journal: These guys are wicked nice. Zach Braff: He's cute. James: Crazy obsession with his cat "Boo". Steve: Loves his iPod. Jeff: Wants you to talk to him properly. Mike: Ran for mayor. Some chick: Doesn't like being called "babe". Posted by Bella at 9:47 AM# |
