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Back away from your Daddy's nipple, Ben. The son of the oh so famous ex-leader who implemented such memorable things as the 7% tax, has emerged as one of Canada's biggest embarrassment. Who thought it was a good idea to give this guy a mic on the red carpet?Of course, like I do each year, my mom and I plunk ourselves down on the sofa and watch the Academy Awards start to finish. It starts with some random fashion twirls, some 20 second interviews with celebrities who look anxious to not be talking to an interviewer and the screaming fans who are so excited to see their fave celebs. And then there is the interviewer. CTV gave the role to Ben Mulroney this year to interview the stars as they paraded into the Kodak Theatre. Don't you think another Canadian might have been better suited for the job? He stood there looking like a prize idiot while telling people how much the people of Canada loved him. He even so bold to ask actor Jake Gyllenhaal when he was coming back to Calgary as we obviously missed him. I didn't even know he was here the first time. What bothers me more than anything is the fact that this kid can use his last name as a cachet to get his foot in places. Sure, being the son of an ex-PM probably has its ups and down's, but when your daddy has a hold on a lot of big name companies, wouldn't it just be easier to tag along for the ride? I think once you get a certain age, it's time to let go of your Daddys nipple and begin feeding on your own. But I don't see Ben as taking rein on any sort of independence any time soon. For the love of God Ben, go find a cure for cancer or become a police officer or a tribe leader- stay off our tv's. Your fake tan and sly smile is way too much for me to take. Posted by Bella at 10:18 AM# 25 days... not that I'm counting or anything. It is almost a daily ritual now since I booked my ticket to Milan. I check the Weather Network website and check the weather. I'm trying to get myself psyched- not that it's that hard when I all I have to do is look at my bedroom wall and see the collage of Italian maps and post it notes with Italian sayings on them like, "Mi chiamo Megan. Parla inglese?" It's just so surreal that I am about to embark on this little adventure.Aaron had to smack some sense into me and let me know that I am only there for two and a half weeks- I won't get to see as much as I would like to. We have decided to do the northern bit of Italy I think... from Rome and up. I was really hoping to go dip my feet into the waters off of Sicily, but alas, looks like that will have to be another time. Whatever. Milan, Venice, Florence and Rome should be nice this time of the year judging by the good ol' Weather Network. I'm going to see the sights, walk the cobblestone streets, taste the food, play in the fountains, ride the trains, take a cab, hear the street music, smell the bakeries, splash in the ocean, and in every other way embrace Europe and let it hug me back too. Posted by Bella at 3:09 PM# Oh Brad. Poor poor Brad. Feedback is fantastic. Heck, I thrive on it. I can handle the not-so-nice feedback. I can also handle the super nice feedback. But this poor excuse for anything pissed me off last night. So Brad, this one is for you:Hey, I love feedback, why else would I be in the writing business right? But here's the thing. I like valuable, thought-out feedback, not knee-jerk flame posts full of misquotes, fabrications, and out & out lies. That's why it was very frustrating to see Brad Linn's bizarre 'rebuttal' to my post about my experience with a Catholic Priest. Brad took issue with how I said things that I didn't say, and criticized how I did things that I didn't do. Honestly, I wasn't sure who this doppleganger Megan was that Brad was so angry with or why the Herald chose to run his feedback to her. I was going to run a point by point response to Brad's complaints, but that would only validate his strange reinterpretation of my story. This all reminds me of the gay marriage 'war' going on right now. The gays want to reinterpret the traditionalists rhetoric as fierce calls for the ban of gayness and the murder of gay men in the town square. The traditionalists want to reinterpret the gays as calling for the ban of Christianity and the murder of churchmen in the town square. People are picking sexy but non-existent fights while totally failing to address any real issues that might have been there. I'm going to call it Linn's Syndrome from here on. By the way, I did a post on that not long ago. Give it a read. There's a dumb old Monty Python skit where a man walks into an office and says, "I'd like to buy an argument". No sale Brad. Learn to read, then try again. Posted by Bella at 10:44 AM# Take that evil bullies. Also found on the Calgary Herald Q website.I went to my locker in grade 8 totally unsuspecting of the plot that had been set against me. There he was, one of the coolest guys in my class (and someone I had a stupid crush on) standing at my locker. I couldn't figure out why there were so many people in my grade standing around my locker- and then realized what had happened from the whispers. He was bet $25 to kiss me. I slammed my locker door and ran away. He ended up not getting paid because he didn't do it- but that was something that stuck with me all the way through school. At the time I was crushed that my peers would plot something like that against me... but also not surprised. Kids are mean. Kids are brutal. Especially to unsuspecting kids like me. I was never considered cool or popular or hip or trendy. I definitely beat to my own drum and didn't follow anyone else's. I didn't wear the Doc Martens (primarily because I couldn't afford them), I didn't wear the cool Guess clothing, and I didn't have the look apparently. Such is life. Not everyone could have been as unique and original as I was. Obviously these incidents put a bit of a damper on my grade school experience. The only time it got better was when I finally graduated from High School and vowed never to see those people again. Now, as I live my day to day life- I see some of these people on a regular basis. Some of them pump my gas, some serve me dinner. Some even ask me if I "want fries with that?" It breaks my heart to see and hear the stories of kids in school being beat up by their peers. Who appointed them to the high seat? Not me and not many of the people I know. Schools claim to have safe environments but are these places really that safe? I had a couple of teachers who didn't even blink an eye when things were going on in their classes. This whole bully thing seems to be a bit of an epidemic. I would put it right up there with all the other epidemics in the world. Who needs to be called fat or stupid or be pushed at school? Kids have been killed from being bullied. What needs to happen to these kids who act as the bullies? I originally thought to blow them away with the Ghostbusters gun but that might not be looked upon as too favourable. What would happen if we stopped trying to stop bullying with rules, abut instead looked at ways to arm kids against bullies with so much confidence in themselves that even the best bully couldn't undermine it. Pep talks and feel-good crap? Nope. Something bigger. I don't know what yet, but I see it in some kids. Posted by Bella at 10:24 AM# Note to you smokers- cigarette smoke is gross. Rank. Raunchy. Dirty. Smelly. And I could go on... Not sure why you do it, but something about it must make you feel great. But for me, I feel like I have been hanging out in a chimney for the past couple hours.If you can give me a fantastic reason as to why everyone around you should have to smell like an ashtray- I could love the explanation. Because quite frankly, I don't get it. Posted by Bella at 1:21 AM# Boy do I ever feel like the prize idiot. One of the other Calgary Herald bloggers posted this on the Herald website about my Catholic church visit.Posted by Bella at 11:10 AM# Have you had your bowl of stupid for breakfast? Good ol' Froot Loops screams stupid.33 days and I am off to Italy for about two and a half weeks. People- I am so stoked. It's the first trip I have done on my own really and holy moly I can't wait. I booked my ticket with this super pleasant nice good looking guy by the name of Adam at the Flight Centre in Southcentre Mall. I made a comment to my dad the other day about how it's hard finding good customer service anymore and kapow- Adam Iwanicki lands in my lap and plans my wicked trip for me. So I leave Cowtown on March 22 at noon and then fly to Seattle where I kick it Seattle style for a couple of hours and then hop back on some HUGE plane that will take me to Copenhagen where I get to kick it Copenhagenese style for a couple more hours. THEN- I will take a little Fokker to Milan, get off the plane, kiss the ground and begin my adventure. You go, go buy Italian leather purses and shoes and pants and stuff. Or not. Go find a hostel and pretend like I have backpacked before and know what I'm doing. So then I rawk out in Italy til April 5 and hop back on the plane in Milan and go back to Copenhagen, then over to Seattle where I will stay for a little over a day. No idea what the hell I am going to do but I am sure something will happen. Something exciting or boring- who knows. And then, (whew- tired just thinking about it) get back on the plane at 8.30 on April 7 and get home at 11.30 p.m. that night. So. Anyone been to Italy? Anything you recommend seeing? Doing? Eating? Buying? All suggestions are totally welcome, the Lonely Planet book will only help me so much. Posted by Bella at 9:36 AM# Don't make me come down there. - God. Also found on the Calgary Herald website.Give. Me. Strength. For the love of God, literally. On Monday, my mom and I trekked out to Revelstoke, BC for the funeral of a close friend. She lived a long, hearty life- it was too bad the Priest performing the service didn't know that. I have never been to a Catholic Church before. Maybe my head has been too far in the clouds to notice a huge difference between the various denominations and sects in the church (or more properly, in Christendom since they all claim to be the only "church"). What I do know is that when I went to the Anglican church, it sure seemed a lot more friendly than the Catholic church in Revelstoke. The time came in the service where communion was served. I went to Confirmation class; I studied the reasons why we take the bread and the wine. I understand what's going on. So, I followed my grandma and my mom up the line to receive the sacrificial bread. I took it, and walked back to my seat unknowingly that the Priest was watching me. The Priest walked up to me, opened my hand and said, "we take this very seriously" and took back the bread. My row of people sat there in awe of what just happened. While we were leaving from the church, the Priest pulled me aside and says, "We take giving the bread out very seriously. I don't think you understood what you were doing". I looked at him, said thank you and left. Welcome to God's house. Oh, but you don't seem worthy enough so I am just going to take this back. Later at the reception, the Priest came up to me, after taking sandwiches from each table, and says, "I believe that you were going to sacrifice the bread to the dark side". I couldn't believe it. I felt like laughing in his face. I said, "just to let you know, I wasn't going to. But thanks". A friend of mine, Steve has this to say: "You can call it a sacrament or communion or anything you choose to but the reality of the 'taking of bread and wine' is that it's a memorial service - thankfully remembering that Jesus paid our bill so that we could be God's kids. Period. End of story. In light of that, chasing anyone away in a spirit of unforgiveness or judgementalism is in fact to deny what Jesus has accomplished in them and for them. It is the most profane desecration of what that bread & juice/wine symbolizes. I'll be blunt so you see how strongly I feel about it. I'd rather you wipe your ass with the communion bread than tell a believer she can't share in it." In the place where you should feel most accepted, I felt most out of place. I grew up in the Church. I don't practice my religion much anymore, but enough that I shouldn't feel shunned in a different Church and especially by a Priest. Posted by Bella at 10:54 PM# Happy Singles Awareness Day! Posted by Bella at 2:14 AM# Strada CD Release Party. Alright so if you haven't read about this guys on my site, get your head out of your ass and read about them. After quite a while of waiting, their cd has finally come out and there is going to be a partay! Take a peek at the details:The name of the album is "You have nothing to fear", and will be available for purchase first at our CD release party on Feb 19. Some details about the CD release this coming Saturday (Feb 19)... Location: The HIFI club (formerly "The Venue"), 219 10th Ave SW. (just down the street from The Whiskey and Mother Tuckers) Tickets: Available at the door for $10, or in advance for $7 at Sloth Records (1304 4th st SW), Giant 45 (1403 11th st SW), A&B sound in shawnessy (south), and SAIT (the gateway). The doors open @ 9pm, show's @ 10pm. Starting with a special acoustic set from Tupelo Honey, then we play all the songs from the CD plus a couple of extras. I'll be there. Would love to see you there too. Posted by Bella at 5:59 PM# New comments yo. Well, not recently, but now anyone can post comments and tell me what the fark is going on and what you really think.So, even if you're not a registered blogger (which is ok... really), you can still post comments. Hopefully this will encourage more of you to do this. Nothing better than getting a comment or three from someone ranting about my work. Rawk on guys. Keep commenting. Posted by Bella at 5:54 PM# For those of you who have been keeping up to tabs wit the FTM bands... FTM finally published/posted my interview with the band, The Fray. You can check it out here.Posted by Bella at 10:22 AM# In my theory- those who complain are jealous. I too fall into that area sometimes... Also found on the Calgary Herald website.Another holiday Hallmark, Peoples Jewelers, and Bernard Callebaut has made famous is fastly approaching. While there is nothing wrong with this day, when you're single, there is nothing good about this day... to some people. In theory, the idea of being someone's Valentine is dreamy. A whole day devoted to romance. How often does this happen during the year? Well- it ideally should happen every day, but alas, February 14 is the day in which Cupid's doings come to light. Now that I have reached the early stages of adult age, I have been able to sit back and reminisce about those days when I was in elementary school partaking in this fantastic day. We each had to make little pockets and tape them to the front of our desks. Then, our teacher would give us a little bit of time to wander around the classroom and place those cheap Valentines into our classmates pouches. Some pouches received more than others, and at the end of everything, there were always those people who didn't receive anything. And at the end of the day, I was one of those kids who received way less than everyone else. Not that it's scarred me for life or anything, but it is something that will always remain somewhere in the infinite abyss of my mind. A friend of mine recently sent me an email saying: "I want to see a show of hands. Who is alone this Valentines day? If you are what are you going to do? Lets all get together and spend this annoying day together!" I almost like the idea of being excited for those people who have had the luck of Cupid striking them in the ass. My girlfriend always has stories to tell me allowing me to live vicariously through her. And look, Leprechaun Day is just around the corner. I can get my April Fools Day card shopping done ahead of time. Posted by Bella at 8:53 AM# Ooooh someone has an opinion in regards to my opinion. Mr. Ben Li wrote a little rebuttal to my piece, "Stranger than a herd of drunken mimes" for the Calgary Herald. And then I wrote something back.Fun. Posted by Bella at 9:30 PM# I know they get paid to be talented, but so do other people. Why should these guys be any different? Also on the Calgary Herald website.That's right. You heard me. Fire them all. Especially that Bettman guy. He gets on my nerves and he seems to be one of the problems in this whole mess. Outspoken Philly Flyer player, Jeremy Roenick said "I really feel that maybe we can survive with a cap? I really feel like if there was a bone thrown to us, one that was acceptable, one that the players could gnaw on a bit, a cap might feasible". Welcome to the real world Jeremy. The world where salary caps exist in the regular workforce for regular companies. Not many people in this working world have a choice as to what they want their pay to be at. You and all your other long haired, sweaty team-mates have been living in a fantasy world for the past number of years. There seems to be a couple token nicely paid managers (ex. Bettman and Goodenow) who seem to be bickering for the sake of bickering. Do they want the season this year? Obviously not. I don't hear of them making any real effort to end this silly drought. Here is a novel concept which I am sure has been thrown around once or twice before: Take a show of hands. Get all the players, the managers, the coaches, assistants, concession workers, dogs, cats and drivers together in the same room. Ask a simple question- without that damn Bettman and Goodenow involved- "Who wouldn't mind a salary cap at x amount?" Those in favor of it raise their hand and mosey them to one side of the room (or football field or even farmers field). Those not in favor of it, move them to the other side of the field, push the big red button and open the door to the secret hole in the ground and send them down. Bye. Might get rid of those guys who are never going to agree if their life depends on it. What this lock-out has shown is the complete and utter greed amongst some of the wealthiest players in the world. I believe it's time to weed out those who are in it just for the money, and those who are there for the love of the game. Oh wait, I suppose we already did that by having an NHL and an league with the Hitmen and Wheat Kings in it. Posted by Bella at 1:07 PM# Part One - Find the right place. Also on the Calgary Herald website.The search is on and here come the Realtors in the backstretch. I checked out the first condo site on Saturday and found myself feeling like a kid in a candy store. Backsplash upgrades, underground parking, cement walls (so you don't have to hear your potentially loud neighbours), a courtyard pond, entertainment room, and floor to ceiling windows. Who wouldn't want that? Um. Me. While the new condos definitely offer something new and appealing to the eye, the ones I saw didn't have the "move into me now and feel at home" feel to them. Granted, they are designed to be a show home and show homes already have that "don't touch me" look about them, but it's exactly that non-charm which makes me want to buy an older place. Although some may think of me as rather high maintenance (no idea where they got that idea from), my tastes are actually very low maintenance, which is why I would prefer an older, more lived-in place - not a new place that still has that new place smell. Just try to find a new place with some character. It almost seems as though some of the brand spankin' new properties on the market are built for those who want it handed to them in Ikea shrink wrap plastic with faux new car smell. Heck, I think I prefer a house. A place where I can shovel my own walk, have a fenced yard for my plethora of pets, older hardwood flooring, and character. Lots of character. Unfortunately, those places are getting harder to find. The prices of single family homes are skyrocketing to the point where I am going to be lucky to afford a place of my own without having to marry some uber rich guy... or a decent medium-income guy. Who would have thunk that single family homes have an average price of $258,000. Definitely not me. Time to save more than just pennies I think. Posted by Bella at 4:12 PM# In the words of Catherine Ford. "... We have perfectly reasonable people taking leave of their senses to buy lottery tickets - the ultimate mathematical stupidity. Sure, someone wins, but then, people get hit by lightening too.Lotteries are a triumph of greed over mathematics, designed to wean fools and simpletons from their money." If you can't read between the lines, I didn't win the lottery this past weekend. Something stupid like $24 million. I contributed $10 to some other winner though. Posted by Bella at 10:34 PM# Because my last piece went over so famously... I sound like such a bad person eh?Bertuzzi just got off with probation too after knocking out Moore. Bertuzzi has changed Moore's life forever- he got nothing. Another slap on the wrist. Devon Heil was charged with manslaughter when he sucker-punched Devin Venables back in 2001. Devon will not be serving very much time either - three years minus 6 months. Devon killed Devin and was given a minor sentence. Although Bertuzzi has only damaged Moore's body, he was only handed probabation. No criminal record- just a little community service. Come. On. Sounds like a double tier justice system to me. Posted by Bella at 4:35 PM# Heatley wins. Snyder loses, again. Another slap on the wrist for someone who has found celebrity status through playing a game and killing his friend.Dany Heatley pleaded guilty to four of six charges in his vehicular homicide case and was sentenced to a three year probation today and was told he must relay 150 speeches about the dangers of speeding while driving. Oh, and he can't drive unless he is going to get medical help, going to the grocery store, work and attending his speeches. Well. That sounds about the right sort of discipline to give someone who just killed his team mate. Doesn't it? Hardly freakin' likely. What Heatley did was inexcusable. He took someone's life, intentional or not, played the "I'm so sorry" card and got off with nothing but a slap on the wrist. Heatley, even though this traffic-related incident was not intentional, and his long friendship with Snyder- this guy seems to have gotten off pretty damn easy. Snyders family didn't want Heatley to go to jail- but should the family have any say in it? Why do we have a justice system if that system doesn't seem to be working? What Heatley did, in my opinion, was inexcusable- why were his actions pretty much excused? He's still playing hockey, still receiving trophies, still able to drive and be a relatively free man. Here is a question for you: is the knowledge that you killed your friend punishment enough? Posted by Bella at 11:06 PM# I apologize to you vegan tree huggers ahead of time. While driving home from work tonite, I noticed a truck full of cows off to the burger-making factory, (aka "The Chop House"). I worked at a butcher store for a couple of years, cow blood and the knowledge that cows and pigs and chickens and all those other furry barn yard animals are slaughtered for our eating pleasure- does not make me even wince anymore, (sorry if it makes you).Anyways- I had a random thought. Completely random. So random that it even made me wonder what I was sniffing before I drove home. Now, this cow truck is driving down the Deerfoot, during rush-hour, past tons of other vehicles. When these trucks drive by an insane animal activist tree hugging pachoolie oil sniffing human- do they freak? I am sure it would be somewhat disturbing for some people to see. Like I said, no idea where this random Meganism came from so I apologize for it's oddness. Actually no, I don't apologize. Posted by Bella at 10:09 PM# I'm here all week, try the wings. It's official. As of February 1, I am a permanent employee of the Board.Fun. Weird. But way fun. Posted by Bella at 9:37 AM# You know you want your minutes of fame- you know you do. I am still looking for some people to do a car review. Answer these questions, send me a picture of yourself or your car or both, and we'll be rockin'!Posted by Bella at 1:24 PM# Stranger than a herd of drunken mimes. Also found on the Calgary Herald Q website.I have a question for you: When should people take their medical matters into their own hands? 79 year old Marcel Tremblay did just that by taking his own medical file into his own hands and ended his life. Did he make a point? Of course he did. His name was in the paper and his story on the 6 o'clock news. And hey, I'm writing about him. He made his point known loud and clear. But really, in the grand scheme of things- will anyone actually do anything about it? Our Liberal government is something else. I'd love to think that maybe our government would be concerned about matters that are actually important to its citizens. You know- the people who vote them into power. When we vote for the MP's, are we electing them so they can do their job with their own goals in mind, or so they can do the job which has been assigned to them which is representing us? Gay marriage is the top priority for whatever reason. For the love of God. Just let people do their thing. And then legalization of marijuana is next. After that? Maybe something important that can actually save lives. At least stick the endangered animals on the list if we're making those other issues a priority. Maybe in a time far far away, our government will be able to look to those citizens who are actually suffering in their own country. Sure, tsunami aid was important, for a bit and I'm sure another outrageous act of mother nature will strike. But when there are people in our country who are ending their lives to make a medical/political point, thinking that someone in Ottawa has their priorities crossed. Not sure where in the Liberals, even Conservatives agenda is the topic of legalizing assisted suicide. It might end up being one of those topics that receives a black cloud over it along with abortion. My five cent answer for you: take matters into your own hands until the government does. Posted by Bella at 10:55 PM# And how do you feel about this one? Good to know my Volkswagen will withstand this.And also to let you know, it's a hoax. Posted by Bella at 4:27 PM# Guess who is published on the Editorial page of the Calgary Herald today? Yiah- me! Cute little picture, my piece of course.So go out and buy a copy and I will be more than happy to sign it for you. And yes, my head will be able to fit through the door today... ;) Posted by Bella at 8:58 AM# |
