Do try this at home

Here is a roundup of a few things you may want to try at home...or not. Some of them I've tried and others are on my bucket list. They range from crafts to recipes to sports and everything in between. If you have an interesting activity you would like posted send me a link.

Garlic Herb Bread Sticks at seven spoons
Recycled magazine holders at How About Orange
How to make a folded paper CD case at curbly
Make ahead fruit pie filling at sunset
Download, print and hang up vintage posters from Agence Eureka
Vintage deck of cards decor at just something I made


Do NOT try this at home...but it is sooo on my bucket list.

Extreme Base Jumping in Wingsuits

A little Calvin and Hobbes snow fun!

One of my favorite cartoon strip, apart from The Far Side, would have to be Calvin and Hobbes. Here is a little snow fun from the little guy and his tiger. Enjoy.



You may like these links:

Calvin and Hobbes UK: a fan site.
Calvin and Hobbes comic strip: get your daily dose.

Yes or No

1. You can ONLY answer Yes or No.

2. You are NOT ALLOWED to explain ANYTHING unless someone messages or comments you and asks -- and believe me, the temptation to explain some of these will be overwhelming nothing is exactly as it seems.

Now, here's what you're supposed to do...copy and paste this into your notes, delete my answers, type in your answers and tag as many of your friends as you'd like to.

------- ------- ------- ------- ------- -------
Kissed any one of your Facebook friends? --- Yes
Been arrested? --- No
Kissed someone you didn't like? ---Yes
Slept in until 5 PM? --- Yes
Fallen asleep at work/school? --- Yes
Held a snake? --- Yes
Ran a red light? --- Yes
Been suspended from school? --- No
Experienced love at first sight? --- No
Totaled your car in an accident? --- No
Been fired from a job? --- No
Fired somebody? --- Yes
Sang karaoke? --- No
Pointed a gun at someone? --- No
Done something you told yourself you wouldn't? --- Yes
Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? --- Yes
Caught a snowflake on your tongue? --- Yes
Kissed in the rain? --- No
Had a close brush with death (your own)? --- No
Seen someone die? --- Yes
Played spin-the-bottle? --- Yes
Sang in the shower? --- Yes
Smoked a cigar? --- No
Sat on a rooftop? --- Yes
Taken pictures of yourself naked? --- No
Smuggled something into another country? --- No
Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes? --- No
Broken a bone? --- Yes
Eaten a bug? --- Yes
Sleepwalked? --- Yes
Rode a motorcycle? --- Yes
Dumped someone? --- Yes
Forgotten your anniversary? --- No
Lied to avoid a ticket? --- Yes
Ridden in a helicopter? --- No
Shaved your head? --- No
Played a prank on someone? --- Yes
Hit a home run? --- No
Felt like killing someone? --- Yes
Cross-dressed? --- No
Made your girlfriend/boyfriend cry? --- No
Eaten snake? --- No
Marched/Protested? --- No
Had Mexican jumping beans for pets? --- Yes
Puked on amusement ride? --- No
Seriously & intentionally boycotted something? --- Yes
Been in a band? --- No
Knitted? --- Yes
Been on TV? --- Yes
Shot a gun? --- No
Skinny-dipped? --- No
Gave someone stitches? --- Yes
Eaten a whole habenero pepper? --- No
Ridden a surfboard? --- No
Drank straight from a liquor bottle? --- Yes
Had surgery? --- Yes
Streaked? --- No
Taken by ambulance to hospital? --- Yes
Passed out when not drinking? --- Yes
Peed on a bush? --- No
Donated Blood? --- Yes
Grabbed electric fence? --- No
Eaten alligator meat? --- Yes
Eaten cheesecake? --- Yes
Eaten your kids' Halloween candy? --- No
Killed an animal when not hunting? --- Yes
Peed your pants in public? --- No
Sneaked into a movie without paying? --- Yes
Written graffiti? ---Yes
Still love someone you shouldn't? --- Yes
Think about the future? --- Yes
Been in handcuffs? --- Yes
Believe in love? --- Yes

How to prevent stressful situations

We can all benefit from less stress in our lives. Here are some tips to reduce or to maintain low stress levels.

• Get up 15 minutes earlier in the morning.
• Prepare for the morning the evening before.
• Don't rely on your memory - keep a notebook.
• Laugh - often!
• Make duplicate of keys.
• Practice preventative maintenance.
• Do one thing at a time. It is a myth that a person can multitask well.
• Plan ahead.
• Don't put up with something that doesn't work. Also works with relationships..think about it.
• Give yourself time.
• Always set up contingency plans...cause you never know what will happen.
• Relax your standards.
• Ask questions.
• Learn to say NO.
• Unplug your phone. I've lived without a phone for about 2 yrs now and it was great. I've used email for my main mode of communication instead, replied at my leisure, never felt pressured. I now have a phone for business purposes, I rarely use it for personal reasons. I don't mean to permanently unplug your phone but turn it off when you really don't need it.
• Don't procrastinate.
• Simplify, simplify, simplify.
• Count your blessings.
• Walk 1 km daily in the fresh air and natural light. Exercise such as walking helps you cope with stress and depression. Have a happy frame of mind while you do your walk. Build a happy place in your mind while walking but make sure you avoid stepping in doo-doo.
• Go for a relaxation massage once a month. You will feel like a million dollars.
• Take a bath using a cupful of Epsom salts or bath crystals 2-3 times weekly. This will remove toxins and acidity from your body. Good for arthritis and sore muscles.
• Rub your whole body with olive oil 1 hour after the salt bath. The oil feeds your muscles and tissues.
• Rest recharges your batteries. During the sleep state, your body and mind rebuild and heal.
• Wear and live in the colours of the spectrum. Good colours build your health.
• Wear natural fibres rather than synthetic ones, especially next to your skin. Natural fibres allow your skin to breathe.
• Use positive thoughts! If you are positive, you attract the positive. Use love, praise, and kindness in your thoughts, especially about yourself as healthy. Talk about your health, not about your sickness. The more often you build the health thought, the more likely that it will become a reality. If you have a hard time with forming positive thoughts...fake it until you make it.
• Sunshine is healing. Be out in the sun before 11am, after 3pm for the healing rays. Use suntan lotion of course.
• Sounds also affect your health. Listen to music that makes you feel good. It will build your energy. Remove unpleasant sounds.
• Breathe deeply using your diaphragm...you have 2 huge lungs...use them all.
• Drink water in small amounts at a time, often during the day. Remember, your body is mostly water.
• Learn to listen to your body, it holds incredible wisdom, and no one knows it better than you.
• Define your own stresses. Move towards understanding the role of stress for you.

Don't mind the fringe...

When my friend called to ask if I wanted to go to a fringe festival. I immediately thought Fringe... as in hair bangs? Why would anyone go to a festival of bangs? *gasp* what if it were some kind of freakish mullet festival where people get to show off their do? Needless to say I was excited and intrigued, I'd never been to a hair festival before. Definitely a camera-worthy event.

Turned out I couldn't have been more wrong. A fringe festival involves the performing arts. These festivals allow emerging artists to present their work to a wider audience at affordable prices.

The word fringe in this context really means outskirts. It originated in 1947 when theatre groups, who were not allowed to perform in the prestigious Edinburgh Theatre Festival, decided to set up their own festival of sorts. They held their performances on the outskirts of Edinburgh, hence the birth of the term fringe festival.

Current fringe festivals operate on four principles:

1. No Artistic Direction. Artists are selected by ‘first come, first served’.
2. No Censorship. Artists have complete freedom to present their work.
3. Accessibility to artists. Anyone can apply to the Fringe.
4. Accessibility to audience. Ticket prices are kept low and 100% of the ticket price is returned to the artists you see on stage.

The venue was located in downtown Hamilton at the Hamilton Theatre, a small building with an equally small stage, all very cozy. My friend and I, along with 6 other people were the audience that night. That meant we had the best seats in the house.

The play was Crazy Gary's Mobile Disco; set in Wales with 3 guys, 3 different stories, the subtle and not so subtle connections between them. One thinks he is the Karaoke King, the other a die hard Disco fan, while the third one is a wimp. Throw in the perfect girl, a dead cat, a pub and you have yourself an interesting mélange. The play comes with a rating of mature audience (14 or over) with a warning of coarse language, violence and insert chuckle here smoking. Yes they warn you that there is smoking as part of the play but they are only herbal cigarettes :-) Check out the pic above if you don't believe me.

It took me about 15 minutes to really get into the story. What initially threw me off was the accent of one of the actors, he seemed to switch from Irish to Australian to Jamaican accents. Otherwise, I rather enjoyed it. It was certainly different from other plays I had attended, but that's the whole purpose of the festival isn't it? The play lasted around 1hr and the total cost was $11. Certainly worth it for the audience. I'm not so sure it was profitable for the actors that night with only 8 people in attendance. Hopefully it will pick up for them once the festival gets in full swing.

Soooo if you are interested in just doing something different one night, I recommend you check the dates for fringe festivals in your area. This particular play will be on until July 21 in Hamilton and continue until July 25 in Windsor. Go.see.it. Just pretend you don't hear the accents.

Piqued your curiosity? Then you may also want to check out:

Crazy Gary's Mobile Disco: the play's official website.
Hamilton Fringe Festival: Where the craziness begins.
International Windsor Fringe Festival: find out more about fringe festivals.
CAFF: Canadian Association of Fringe Festivals.

Happy Canada Day!

Smart versus Mini Cooper

A friend and I were discussing the cars we would like to get for our travelling massage therapy businesses. She is in love with the Mini Coopers and I love Smart Cars. Problem: the size of them would make it difficult to shove folded massage tables and other equipment in them. We both agreed that when we would be going shopping, we would bring a table in with us. We would tell the salesmen that if they can find a way to fit the massage table in the cars without damaging car or table then they would have a done deal.

Have you ever seen the size of a Smart Car? The Mini is a heck of alot bigger. Well here I was wondering if someone would be able to build me a rigid carry case for massage table to fit onto the back of the Smart Car like a bike rack when I came across different styles of limousines. Yes limousines. You see they make limos from all kinds of cars now. So I went in search of the Smart Car, Mini Cooper limousines. This is what I found:



The Smart Car looks like a can! I don't think I'll go with the Smart Car then...maybe it'll be better if I just strap the massage table to my back as I ride my motorcycle!

Some interesting links you may enjoy:
Oddee.com: 15 of the World's Strangest Limousines.
www.smart.com: home of the Smart Car.
MINI.com: home of the Mini.

Ambulance services introduces trained dogs.

You have the K-9 police dogs, therapy dogs, guide dogs, service dogs, rescue dogs, now introducing the new Paramedic K-9 dogs. These dogs are trained in a variety of life-saving techniques such as rescue breathing (artificial respiration in some circles). These highly trained dogs accompany their handlers, other trained paramedics, who coincidently also drive the ambulances as none of the dogs have yet to pass their driver's exams.

This controversial program is in the beta testing in some areas. The chief medical officer, overseeing the program so far, has been impressed by the four-legged medics. "Our new recruits seem to instinctively know when someone is in distress, enjoy working with people, are eager to expand their skills set, and most importantly will work for well...table scraps." The CMO continued to explain how the areas testing the program have been successful in cutting costs, "especially in our troubling economy we all have to find more efficient ways of doing our jobs."

To the right is a picture of one of the new recuits in training. Paramedic Gage is seen here performing rescue breaths on his partner/handler.

You may be interested in seeing real working dogs listed below:

St. John Ambulance Saint-Jean Therapy Dog Program: I'm a little biased as I volunteer for the organization.
Guide dogs for the blind: in both the US and Canada.
Metropolitain Police Service - Dog Support Unit: these dogs and their handlers make London safer.
Sparky: Can't forget Sparky he'll be jealous.
NSARDA: National Search and Rescue Dog Association located in the UK.

Stand by me

I was feeling a little blue from all of my studying when I came across a video link in my Twitter stream. I checked it out and immediately began dancing in my seat. You will too. Enjoy

Playing For Change | Song Around The World "Stand By Me" from Concord Music Group on Vimeo.