Plausible

"He says it was pilot suicide, probably the first officer."  This was the opinion of a pilot who flies the same type of plane all over the world.  The brother of a gal I swim with, he said there was no way it would have been mechanical failure because that plane has so many backups and double backups. 

"He probably waited 'til the pilot had to go to the bathroom, then locked him out of the cockpit and shut everything down," he explained.  Then he would have dropped the oxygen masks, putting people into a state of euphoria before he turned off the oxygen.  They would have been dead within a few minutes, but painlessly, which explains why no one grabbed a cell phone, for instance.

That's about the most plausible theory I've heard yet -- especially from a seasoned pilot who flies the 777. 

To what lengths will we go to find it?  Apparently great.  But with all due respect, why?  The plane is gone, the passengers lost so if it's simply a matter of looking for the flight recorder to solve the mysteries, that should be up to the airline -- not the entire search and rescue forces of five or six governments.  But public money seems to be no object when it comes to retrieving the fallen.  Except for climbers who perish on Mount Everest, where approximately 200 dead bodies litter the route to the top.  Why doesn't human compassion compel families to bring down these loved ones?  Because corpse evacuations start at $30,000 and go up from there.  But if it's not your money, the sky's the limit (no pun intended). 

A few years ago, a woman of faith, a good friend of mine, lost contact with her daughter, who was travelling alone in Europe.  Believing the worst, she resolved not to go over and search, deciding instead to let God take over.  Were she dead, her soul would have been set free.  Thankfully, after more than a week, she heard from the daughter and all was well.  But the point is what is the point? 

With that in mind, I believe a watery grave is a fitting resting place all the same.    

Back to the future....again........

For the past two years we have suffered through yet another theatre performance of truth and reconciliation hearings by "first nations" people still banging on about residential schools.  Thank G-d it's finally over!  Please.  One grandmother said she could not parent her children properly because of abuse.  "They didn't know how to be good parents to their own kids because of what I went through and my grandchildren don't know how to react because they never went through it." 

Yeah, that's right.  They haven't gone through it so why ask them to re-live your mess?  Can't anyone move on, or is the residential school experience just an excuse to live and parent badly?  Many of us have been raped or sexually assaulted, but we don't dump it on our children.  One can choose to be a lifelong victim, or one can pull oneself up by one's boot straps and become "normal".   

A scientist and math wizard who lived in his own world, my late father always said, "If you act normal, you'll be normal." 

Exactly.  My great-grandmother was a Mohawk from Tyendinaga, but I am still so sick of it.

A little fashion yaking..........

"Accessories are key.  If you don't mind showing off your waist (I don't much anymore), a slim or wide belt will help change the look of your dress dramatically."  This some of the advice from Jeanne Becker, fashion consultant for a ton of media in Canada.

I have always sworn by accessories.  They are the cheapest and most effective way to make a statement.  "Bracelets are fun, from a set of bangles to a large, dynamic cuff (one of my absolute favourite accessories).  Go for silver one time, gold the next and pearls after that," advises Becker.  Shoes have the power to transform your outfit."  This last piece of advice I completely swear by, which is why I have, and still wear, 75 pairs -- pretty much all high heels and many 30 years old.  Buy a good, classic shoe and it will continue to bloom in spite of undergoing repairs many times. 

This morning I snapped a few pictures out of both The Herald and The Globe and Mail of what I do and don't like. (Apologies for the quality of the photos.)

These I consider absolutely gorgeous.  But I would not pay $990 for them 'cause you can always find a similar pair much cheaper. 

These are just ugly. 

So are these.  The heel is too bulky and there is no toe cleavage.*  Completely un-sexy.

These are very cute, but why models have to stand pigeon-toed I have no idea!  Classless. 

Nothing need be said about these revolting efforts.

This authentic "David Yurman" bracelet can be had for $1,800.

My knock-off I bought in Bermuda for $200.  Everyone thinks it's a Yurman. 

Now, this is just completely ridiculous.  Do you think she could possibly cram anything more into the outfit!?  You don't know where to look!  Puts me in mind of some of Michelle Obama's monstrosities.  

And if you're this scrawny, please don't wear a dress like this.  Scary!  And where did her gorgeous mane of brunette hair go?  Now she's channeling Goldie Hawn -- but without the boobs.  Sad.

These are Andie McDowell's daughters, wearing Oscar de la Renta -- who else?!  Talk about perfectly gorgeously stunning.

p.s.  I have been wearing Oscar de la Renta perfume for 35 years.  So far, not one person has ever objected to it because it is made from the real thing.  It is cheap perfume that makes people sick.  You have to pay big to get it right.  

________________________________________________________

 

* A word about "toe cleavage".  In the early 1900s it was considered scandalous to see toe cleavage.  Reminded one of breast cleavage at a time when everyone was done up tighter than a trussed turkey to the top of the neck.  Personally, I love toe cleavage and most of my high heels have it.     

 

She's got it

"I just put a little dark blush under my jaw line to give better definition to where my face stops and my neck begins, " I said to the gorgeous Russian girl I see most days at the Y locker room.  "Really?  It just looks like a shadow," she replied.  This morning was one of the few where I arrive at the pool wearing the day-before's makeup.  She noticed and so I told her a great secret she will one day need.

Right now she is so beautiful who cares?  She also wears the best shoes (think I blogged her a while ago about her footwear). 

Contrast her to the picture of the broad featured in The Herald today in an article entitled, "How to Dress for Success"?  Really?  If this is "success" we're in trouble.  But here in Calgary, most women have no clue about clothes.  I snapped this picture from the paper itself, so here you go for a depressing look at the average Calgarian woman's attire..................

A) She's fat.  B) Her hair is hideous.  C) Her shoes are ridiculous.  D) Her jacket is jeans. And  E) She's fat.  So, there you have it folks.  No wonder I am ALWAYS overdressed in this town.   



 

Homes and houses

Elizabeth Renzetti, Globe and Mail columnist and someone I could write the ass off ('cept she gets paid and I don't), wrote a pretty good piece about houses.  We are our homes and houses.  When I think about where I have lived since birth, I re-live my experiences from each abode.  Here they are:

Lindenlea

I was born into a modest house in Lindenlea, the first "designed" neighbourhood in Canada.  Idyllic, it was a quaint series of streets, lanes and commons, all of which led to a big playground.  The playground turned into a skating rink in the winter.  Carnivals were the norm.  I loved the place.

When I was 13, we moved down the street to a bigger house.  My parents paid $18,000 for it, worth about $500,000 now.  When I went into high school, all the "rich" kids from Rockcliffe became my classmates, many still my friends to this day. 

Toronto

Got married there, worked for big companies such as IBM, DuPont and Maclean-Hunter.  Mad Men?  That was my life.  Everyone smoked and drank all the time all day long.  Crazy!!  Everyone also had affairs with everyone else.  It was so much fun.  Our house was in "The Annex", where you could not today buy anything under a million.  We paid $45,000 for our house back in '70.  I wept when I drove by it last summer, the memories were so poignant. 

Ottawa

Ended up back in Ottawa, divorce being the reason.  Moved with two toddlers back into Lindenlea -- where else?  My kids played in the same playground I did.  With my parents down the street, it was perfect.  Then I met my current husband.

Bruyere

He was fighting for custody of his two kids (which he subsequently won)  and I had my two.  So I raised four kids.  What a great place Bruyere was.  Bunk beds.  Dinner parties.  Neighbourhood kids.  Fun.  That's what I remember.

Crichton 

We moved to Crichton Street because B wanted to make it easier for his kids to visit their mother down the same street.  I hated it because we were too close, but we had a lovely home and a huge backyard.  That's where I fell in love with my clothes line. 

Ahearn

We moved to the west end of Ottawa into a big house, suited to our family of six.  Then we got a dog.  Charlie was the best dog ever.  A Bouvier-cross, he was gorgeous.  We decked in the entire backyard, leaving a hole for a huge maple tree, and I loved it.  We had a pond with a gurgling frog fountain, tons of potted flowers and of course, my clothes line.  We lived there for 16 years. 

Poulin 

We sold Ahearn and moved into a high-rise condo.  I thought I was ready to be a senior in a condo.  How wrong I was!  The elevator would open and I would face a bunch of old, fat bags in walkers.  F-ck!  Me, in this place with the walking dead??!!   But we had lovely dinner parties and I loved the big pool in which I swam every day.  The rest of it?  Not so much.

Calgary

So here we are.  I love Calgary!  The average age of a Calgarian is 37.  Can you believe that!?  We live in a perfect townhouse and have our grandson over all the time.  I adore my daughter's husband, her many in-laws and their families.  They have been so generous to us.  Our backyard is a huge field, in which coyotes and rabbits try to out-smart each other.  I swim every day with a great bunch of "girls", all much younger than I, but not better swimmers. 

So, with each phase of my life I have been fortunate to have lived in great places.  Great memories stick with me for each home and house.  Soon we will welcome Hillary, a granddaughter.  Can't wait to meet her!     





  
 

 

$1,261,000

That's what Redford's imperious personal inner staff were paid.  And still she couldn't get it right.  Here's how it breaks down:

Chief of staff:                              $357,000
Communications director              231,000
Principal secretary                         200,000
Director of operations                    208,000
Ass. Director of operations            130,000
Press secretary                                135,000

The most scandalous of a reprehensible lot has got to be the communications director.  This guy was paid a fortune to "advise" her on how to handle her PR mess.  Better throw in the press secretary on that one, another obvious incompetent.  As a career communications, journalist and PR professional, I know of what I speak.  Was she listening to no one?  That may be.  Many presidents and senior politicians who paid me to advise them didn't listen, often with dire consequences.  They didn't get the primary premise that "perception is reality".  "Reality" is neither what they'd like to think, nor what they tell themselves.  "Reality" in the public thoroughfare is what "George and Martha" are thinking -- usually represented by the media.  (Note to Stephen Harper:  Are you listening?)  That's what Klein got perfectly.   

As a communications and PR advisor, you have to think like the general public -- something politicians such as Redford are incapable of.  Why did Redford need both a director of operations and an assistant director?  Was it that hard to keep her office clean and vacuumed?  Was it that hard to get the planes ready?  Why did she need both a communications director and press secretary, both with basically the same jobs?

To put it into perspective, in an earlier era, when my Uncle Elgin Armstrong was Federal Deputy Minister of National Defence, he and three of his senior colleagues at the top-ranked DM 3 level weren't paid among them what the communications director alone was paid.  Not even close.  They might have made $45,000 each.  Bob Bryce, deputy minister of Finance; Gordon Robertson, clerk of the Privy Council Office, and Uncle Elgin all drove themselves around and worked in tiny offices with rickety furniture best suited for firewood.  They had one secretary each, no entourage and literally ran the country.  Uncle Elgin also drove us to high school before he himself went to work.  Just ordinary "Joe's" working as ordinary and dedicated public servants. 

"The PC party has a hell of a lot of good people in it, but I am profoundly disappointed by how Redford has been treated.  Elements in this party and caucus decided their interests were more important than the people's," said Stephan Baranski, genius and infamous director of communications.

Well, duh!  Of course the party's interests come before little Alison's feelings.  There's a guy who had no idea who "George and Martha" were, in spite of being paid a king's ransom.  Oh, and the guy who is replacing Queen Alison until a new leader is chosen?  Another one who doesn't get it.  Amid the hullabaloo about the $1 million severance payout the above-clowns will receive, the perceptive and savvy Dave Hancock added, "There are obviously changes when there is a transition.  Now when we have change, people want to complain about the cost of people leaving."  Stunning. 

Toodle loo.   

Finally

As the crook was emerging from the wings of the vaudeville stage on which Alison Redford has badly sung and danced for the past two years, as it was inches from her neck, Redford finally resigned.

Finally.

And it wasn't the expense scandals that did her in -- G-d knows (and it's a matter of record) Ralph Klein spent 10 times more on personal and questionable jaunts and boondoggles -- it was the little things.  Herald columnist Don Braid, for whom I have immense time, put it best.  "She neglected the everyday things -- the connection with regular people, the concern for frugality, the building of friendships in her party and caucus, the small gestures of respect and the kind attention to people...".  These are the behaviours King Ralph mastered and these are the behaviours that did her in.

During her speech, she still refused to shoulder any blame, which is typical of her.  She still refused to apologize for her travelling scams.  Albertans don't like entitled and arrogant and she was both in spades.  "Let them eat cake," was her motto.

Poor Danielle Smith.  The Wildrose was counting on creaming Redford in the next election.  Now that remains a mystery.  After 43 years in power, the backroom boys have been very skillful in dumping leaders to hang onto power.  In the past eight years, they have dumped three.  You'd have thought Redford would have seen it coming before they erected the scaffolding, but such is her arrogance, she did not. 

In spite of a booming economy here, in spite of tabling a balanced budget, Redford was summarily dumped.  No one liked her.    

Well, well

"Younger Americans are inching closer to their Canadian counterparts in their values, but on the whole Canadians are more idealistic, autonomous and self-confident as individuals than Americans," says Michael Adams, president of the Environics Institute.

His research shows that Canadians and Americans are starkly different, with Canadians having more of a sense of community, coupled with a greater sense of individual freedom than Americans. 

Well, of course.  We have at least five political parties.  Americans have two.  "Canadians seem to have a nice balance between a freedom to do what you want to do, a freedom from the fear of poverty or violence and the freedom to be me," finds the pollster.  "In Canada we have a multicultural diversity, sexual orientation diversity, the abled and disabled, we have a very inclusive attitude that everybody is in the family and we've got to help everybody." (With apologies for Mr. Adams' atrocious grammar.)

Yep, that's about it.  In America the view of the world is that the rich are worthy and the poor are not.

Sad.

Open season on toddlers

So now they want to marry nine-year-old female children.  That's what a new law being passed in Iraq is about.  Sex with toddlers.  Sick.  The law also requires wives to submit to sex at "the whim of their husbands". 

Perfect.

This enlightened draft legislation is based on the principles of a Shite school of religious law.  It's sick.  Stupid ex-premier Dalton McGinty was actually pondering Sharia law at one point!  Iraqis pushing this legislation claim the age of puberty is nine, so that's the age you can start having sex with children.  That's what the hijab and the burka are all about.  Sex.  Apparently, if a man sees any part of the female body he has to have sex with it.  Head to toe, doesn't matter which body part, all have to be covered or some male will be aroused. 

This new law also prohibits women from leaving the house without their husband's permission and restricts mothers from custody in cases of divorce.  It also makes it easier for men to take multiple wives.  I guess men don't want their wives to leave the house because someone might rape them.  Makes sense in that sick world.

   

Where does this happen?

Chatting regularly with a young man (very) in one of the provisioners I frequent, I learned he is an accomplished musician.  (OK, OK, he worked at the Crowfoot liquor store.)  Charming and adorable, he was in the process of producing his first CD.  "Let me know when it's out 'cause I definitely want a copy," I said the last time I saw him.  "Give me your email address," he replied.  I did. 

Shortly thereafter he disappeared.  Months later he "friended" me on facebook and invited me to his CD launch party.  Unfortunately, we could not go, but I wanted to congratulate him so took him to lunch yesterday.  Amazingly, he was keen to go??!!  The kid is 24 and I am......well.......older.  A lot older.  Entering the restaurant, I introduced him to the waiter as "my grandson".  Travis cracked up.  But boy, did I have a great time re-discovering the world of my 20s through his eyes.  Upon reflection, there is no way this would have been perceived as "normal" had I been a man.   

I told him about my era -- boring -- but not to him.  The late sixties and early seventies were the vanguard of..........everything.  Women's Lib, sex, drugs and rock and roll.........you name it, we did it.  When I told him I had seen The Doors, Led Zepelin, Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon, The Band and The Moody Blues live for $5 a concert, he was blown away.  Let's face it, rock bands were way more accessible back then.

Sometimes you connect with someone regardless of age and just have a great time.  I now have an autographed copy of his CD which I will proudly trot out when he is famous.  As lunch went on, I forgot he was 24 and I 66.  He is what they call an "Old Soul".
     

This'll kill ya...........

I am cutting-and-pasting a column by Licia Corbella, Calgary Herald:
___________________________________________

Time to Change Tune on Official Multiculturalism
by Licia Corbella, Calgary Herald

About one dozen families who recently immigrated to Canada are
demanding that the Louis Riel School Division in Winnipeg excuse their
children from music and co-ed physical education programs for religious
reasons. The families believe music is un-Islamic ~ just like the
Taliban believe and then imposed on the entire population of
Afghanistan and that physical education classes should be segregated
by gender even in the elementary years.

The school division is facing the music in a typically Canadian way -
that is, bending itself into a trombone to try to accommodate these
demands, even though in Manitoba, and indeed the rest of the country,
music and phys-ed are compulsory parts of the curriculum. Officials
say they may try to have the Muslim children do a writing project on
music to satisfy the curriculum's requirements.

The school officials have apparently consulted the Manitoba Human Rights Commission, and
they have also spoken to a member of the Islamic community suggested
by those very same Muslim parents. In any event, the school district
is trying to find a way to adapt the curriculum to fit the wishes of
these families, rather than these families adapting to fit into the school
and Canadian culture.

Mahfooz Kanwar, a member of the Muslim Canadian Congress, says he has

a better idea. "I'd tell them, this is Canada, and in Canada, we teach
music and physical education in our schools. If you don't like it,
leave. If you want to live under sharia law, go back to the hellhole
country you came from or go to another hellhole country that lives
under sharia law," said Kanwar, who is a professor emeritus of
sociology at Mount Royal University in Calgary.

That might be putting things a little more forcefully than most of us
would be comfortable with, but Kanwar says he is tired of hearing
about such out-of-tune demands from newcomers to our country.
"Immigrants to Canada should adjust to Canada, not the other way
around," he argues. If they did not like these things in Canada, why
did they not go somewhere else? If they want Canada to be like their
homeland why don't they go home?

Kanwar, who immigrated to Canada from Pakistan via England and then
the United States in 1966, says he used to buy into the "mosaic,
official multiculturalism" (nonsense). He makes it clear, that like
most Canadians, he is pleased and enjoys that Canada has citizens
literally from every country and corner in the world, as it has
enriched this country immensely. But it's official multiculturalism -
the state policy "that entrenches the lie" that all cultures and
beliefs are of equal value and of equal validity in Canada that he objects
to.

"The fact is, Canada has an enviable culture based on Judeo-Christian
values - not Muslim values - with British and French rule of law and
traditions and that's why it's better than all of the other places in
the world. We are heading down a dangerous path if we allow the idea
of sharia law a place in Canada. It does not. It is completely
incompatible with the idea and reality of Canada," says Kanwar, who in
the 1970s was the founder and president of the Pakistan-Canada
Association and a big fan of official multiculturalism.

Kanwar says his views changed when he started listening to the people
who joined his group. They badmouthed Canada, weren't interested in
knowing Canadians or even in learning one of our official languages.
They created cultural ghettos and the Canadian government even helped fund
it.

"One day it dawned on me that the reason all of us wanted to move here
was going to disappear if we didn't start defending Canada and its
fundamental values." That's when Kanwar started speaking out against
the dangers of official multiculturalism. He has been doing so for
decades. So, it's no surprise that Kanwar is delighted with the recent
speech British Prime Minister David Cameron delivered to the 47th
Munich Security Conference on Feb. 5.

"Under the doctrine of state multiculturalism," said Cameron, "we
have failed to provide a vision of society to which they feel they want to
belong. We have even tolerated these segregated communities behaving
in ways that run counter to our values. So when a white person holds
objectionable views - racism, for example - we rightly condemn them.
But when equally unacceptable views or practices have come from
someone who isn't white, we've been too cautious, frankly even
fearful, to stand up to them.

This hands-off tolerance," said Cameron, "has only served to

reinforce the sense that not enough is shared. All this leaves some
young Muslims feeling rootless and ... can lead them to this
extremist ideology."

Kanwar actually credits German Chancellor Angela Merkel for being
among the first of the world's democratic leaders to take the
courageous step in October to say that official multiculturalism had
"failed totally.." It appears leaders are getting bolder.

During an interview with TFI channel on Feb. 10, French President Nicolas
Sarkozy declared: "We have been too concerned about the identity of
the person who was arriving and not enough about the identity of the
country that was receiving him." Cameron ended his speech by saying: "At
stake are not just lives, it's our way of life. That's why this is a
challenge we cannot avoid - and one we must meet."

That democratically elected leaders are at long last starting to sing

a different tune on official multiculturalism is sweet music to Kanwar.

Here's hoping those poor kids in Winnipeg will get to hear some of it.

______________________________________
So, put that in your pipe and smoke it. 

 

Joy and pain

Cousin "D" sent me a CD of photos compiled for his father's funeral.  My late Uncle Rollie, one of the greatest men you could ever have met.  The last of my parents' generation, he died in January and I went to Ottawa for the funeral.  Always in the moment, always positive, always supportive.  I adored him.  These pictures give me great joy and great pain.  I was blessed to have been a member of a great, great family.  Princes and princesses all.  The kindest and most loving people you could ever have met. 

Aunt Pat (my mother's youngest sister) and Uncle Rollie in their youth.  How gorgeous can you get?!

A typical Lindenlea Saturday night party.  Lots of high balls, lots of cigarettes and lots of laughs! 

Left to right, Aunt Betty, my Mother Lily, my Father Tommy, Uncle Rollie, Aunt Pat, Aunt Ruby, Uncle Charlie, cousin Carolyn, cousin Margo and Uncle Elgin.  My Grandmother Stapledon in the centre, of course.   

Bass fishing at St. Pierre de Wakefield.  He filleted the fish with a bottle cap!

 

My beautiful cousin Betty-Anne, dead of ovarian cancer at 56.  So tragic. 

Handsome, handsome, handsome..........

It was hard uploading these photos, crying as I did the whole way through.  May they all rest in beautiful peace.  

 

 

 

 
 

Thanks

Thanks to Muslims, we have to be treated like criminals at every airport.  There I was, shoe-less and subjected to one of those plexiglass screening things.   I absolutely refuse to remove my jewellery, so I have to stand in one of them.  I am so pissed off with Muslims.  Can you imagine a Lutheran or a Methodist or a Jew or a Catholic or a Presbyterian hijacking a plane??!!  No, it's just the Muslims. 

Don't tell me that most Muslims are ordinary and regular.  They are not.  Were they, their women would not have to cover themselves as if they were criminals or "less than"?!  It's appalling.

Thank God I am back home in Calgary.  What a great country is Canada.  I am so grateful to be a Canadian girl.

I looked sadly on a group of five gay men the other night at a restaurant.  I was doing the demographics and realized that the Muslims, with their average families of 100 kids, will do us all in.  There they were, five perfectly healthy white males who have billions and billions of sperm, but will not produce one single white child.  Sad.  What a waste.    

 

Don't have one

That's what the chef said last evening when I asked if his mother missed him.  "I was raised in a lot of foster homes because I was taken away from my mother for abuse and neglect," he told me.  "Then I joined the US Rangers and it changed my life."  The Rangers are serious dudes.

I was enjoying the best gnocchi I have ever tasted and I asked to talk to the chef so I could compliment him and get his recipe.  When I make gnocchi they are usually quite firm.  Allan's were so soft and moist I could not believe it.  Apparently the trick is that he uses one egg yolk per potato and after boiling them, fries them in butter.  Oh yeah, that'll do it.  Butter.

As we parted I asked him if he had a family.  "I have a daughter and I see her two or three times a week.  I want to be the best father I can be."  I almost cried as we shook hands and parted.  You don't have to have a perfect childhood to be a great father.   

Pink Eyes

One of the scientists who invented Yukon Gold potatoes is an acquaintance of mine.  Sitting beside him at dinner one evening, I asked him how you tell?  "They have a pink eye," he explained.  "Without that they are just yellow potatoes." 

Reading the menu last evening, I saw "Yukon gold potatoes".  "Are you sure they are really 'Yukon gold'," I asked the waitress.  "They're supposed to be," she replied.  With that she called out the chef, who then trotted out one of these potatoes.  Guess what, they were not Yukon Gold, just yellow.  "They are our most expensive," he said.  When I told him that I knew the guy who developed them, he was flabbergasted.  He is going to call his supplier.

John, the inventor, told me that he always talks to the produce manager when he spots Yukon Gold that are not "Yukon Gold".  Apparently there are lots of imitations out there.

By the way, sitting beside us was the owner of another restaurant we have been to twice.  "I guess you can count on this being a good restaurant if you're here," I laughed.

Very hot in Palm Springs.  Going to visit Frank Sinatra's house today.   

Done

Well, went to Indian Wells and that's that.  Won't go tomorrow.  WAY too hot and it's only women's play.  Sorry to be such a male chauvinist, but I don't really enjoy watching the women pound it from the baseline -- their only game -- until someone hits it out or into the net.  Nothing but unforced errors.  Boring.

Lots of very rich people here -- ourselves excluded.  Lots of X-Ray thin women here too -- a ton of money and they eat salad.  Boring.  And ugly.  You know girls, you can be too old to be too thin.  We all need a little weight on us, minus the cellulite....yuck.

Sitting on a bench out of the sun, met a man who is doing a book on Canadian/American relationships.  "Why would any American give a sh-t about Canada?" I asked.  He didn't really have an answer, but proceeded to interview me because of my many Canadian/American connections.  Both my biological and adoptive fathers were Americans, my step-daughter is married to an American/Texan and B's grandchildren are both American.  "Do they not have dual citizenship?" he admonished.  They should have, but I have no control over that fiasco.  If you have the option of giving your kids Canadian citizenship, why would you not??  And step-daughter trots out the Canadian flag and T-shirts on all occasions.  No clue why her kids are not half Canadian?

Another tale for another day...or not.        

Sometimes I'm dumb

"Oh, you don't have to tip them, you have paid enough here," said the desk clerk when B asked about the protocol for dealing with the jitney drivers who circulate this sprawling resort.  It's about a mile from end-to-end, so one has to rely on these vehicles to get around. 



The other morning I ordered one at 7 to take me to the largest pool at the other end of our complex.  "Please pick me up 40 minutes later," I said to the driver.  "No problem," he replied.  Except that I never saw the guy again.  Started walking and about half way back another jitney drove by, which I successfully flagged down.  I have learned to tip the drivers, they are much more cooperative.  Duh! 



We are off to Indian Wells, hope to see some top players.....maybe? 

Seven

I had heard that Palm Springs was a huge gay mecca, but hadn't noticed it.  Until last night.  A party of seven gay men were seated next to us at dinner last evening.  I started to wonder about being "gay"?  I know one is born that way, but it must be a mixup of hormones -- you know a few too much of this and not enough of that.  What do you think? 



Not that I care, got several gay friends and my own brother was gay.  Sadly, he commited suicide in 1982 when his long-time lover decided to get married.  Too much family money for the guy to abandon, so he went underground.  Three kids now. 



Tomorrow it's India Wells for the tennis.  Doing my laps every morning, finally found a pool I can swim in without winding my way around the kidney-shaped variety.  Met a kindred swimmer yesterday and felt good because I am a much faster swimmer than she.  Isn't that awful!?  Feeling good because I can beat someone else hands down. 



God'll get me for that vanity.     

A Nice Surprise

I am a big catalogue shopper of  "Coldwater Creek", they have no outlets in Canada.  Strolling down El Paseo -- the 'Rodeo Drive' of Palm Springs -- I was happy to see one of their stores.  Went in and bought a gorgeous pair of white hip-hugger pants, a fabulous flower-print linen jacket and a black shrug for those "cellulite" moments we must all avoid.



We lunched at a local restaurant and were regaled with past Indian Wells tales by the bar tender.  "Andre Agassi was a real jerk," said our waiter.  Really?  I always thought he was very cool.  "No, he was rude and impolite to his fans," he added.  "Pete Sampras was lovely."  A recent poll revealed that the most admired man in the world was Nelson Mandela.  Next?  Roger Federer.  Yes indeed.  As I have blogged, B and I saw Roger win his first Wimbledon when he prevailed over Andy Roddick in 2004 (?), can't remember the year.  It might have been 2006??



Watched the Oscars last evening, against my better judgement.  All the women are starving themselves, seriously.  Glad McConahey (sp?) won for best actor, but he actually won for losing 40 pounds.  Jared Leto's makeup artist should have won, not Leto himself.  Cross dress and you'll win.  It's all so dumb, but I watched! 



Weather has turned warm again here in Palm Springs.     

Dogs?

Everywhere I turn there's a dog. This is a vacation spot and people bring their dogs?! Give me a break. A number of years ago I was in Brussels on business and yappy dogs were everywhere...and so was their....you know what. Disgusting. Same thing here. They bring them into restaurants!

We had a dog for years, but I would never have dreamt of bringing him on vacation. By the way, it's freezing here. Annoying. But I am enjoying the level of service we are afforded here. Some people I know well have the unmitigated gall to call them "wetbacks". How disgusting. The Mexicans who do all the work are the most friendly, hard-working people I have ever seen. What they put up with is an embarassment. We are not the most considerate of patrons.

Swimming today I dedicated every lap to my friend "D", who has been given a devasting diagnosis. She was the first person to befriend me at the Y pool when we moved to Calgary. Ever since we have had many laughs and many lunches. When I get back we will share more.

Whoa!

It was described as a "bistro" in the hotel guide book, but when we went for lunch yesterday I realized the book had been very out-of-date! This was a classy French restaurant and Friday's are the fashion show days. The place was packed with very rich and "not fat" women. I was very glad I had "dressed" for the occasion, but poor "B", always dressed to the back teeth, was in jeans! The owner, a very gracious/gorgeous broad, ushered us in and we enjoyed some of the best food and service I can remember. The models were lovely, but the outfits....well, not so much. One dress was $4,500! I wouldn't have worn it. And the shoes didn't quite match the hats...not an anchored outfit. It's raining here, a side effect of the floods in Los Angeles. But at least it's not snow! Yesterday my phone rang. "It's D, I have inoperable brain cancer," said one of my good friends with whom I swim every day. I was devastated. "When you get back, come over so we can cry and drink," she added. I knew something was wrong when her arm suddenly became paralyzed a couple of weeks ago. Physio was doing nothing so it was odd. I thought it might have been a stroke, but when the other shoe dropped it was crushing. Live every day, don't put anything off. That's why we decided to come to Palm Springs. Why not?