Because it has pictures of your xmas gift.

Every year for well over 10 years i have been making my mom the same gift. The first year i did it, she opened it, gasped and told me i would never again be stuck for something to get her. Also in that first year, i did every single bit of it by hand. Now, done on CorelDraw (i swear, 2008 will be Open Source!!).

You would think a calendar would be boring. Or, that it would be easy to describe to people. Some might also wonder why it takes me so much time, even though nothing but my signature on the back of it and my instructions to Kinkos are done by hand anymore.

Here are pics of my Mom's 3 Month On A Page Calendar, 2007.

Front Page



January



February (those dots are hearts)



March



April



May



June



July and a close up to see the cute lil maple leafs




August



September



October



November



December with another closeup

Yesterday, we headed into Canada. Our main purpose was to return a birthday gift my parents got (e:Uncutsaniflush) and since they still had the reciept, we had to go all the way into Hamilton, not just to the nearest Future Shop. There's a lesson in that for us...

After the dastardly deed of returning said gift, getting a gift card for the value of it and purchasing something more appropriate was acheived, we decided to head downtown to the worst neighbourhood in town.

The corner of Barton Street East and Sherman Avenue North used to be that 'hood that i would ignore when apartment hunting, no matter how cheap the rents were.

It is also the Polish neighbourhood. And we were in search of a Polish treat i haven't had in a long time. (And yeah, folks, if i could spell it, i would; the fact that i can pronounce it is a feat in and of itself! Maybe (e:Uncutsaniflush) will be kind enough to tell us in the comments)

We went to a deli that (e:Uncutsaniflush) vaguely remembered when he and my dad walked by after they parked on a side street to go eat dinner at a Polish restaurant before going to Ivor Wynne to see the Ti-Cats play... probably over a year ago.

Didn't get the treat i wanted, but we got lots of other yummy sweets, even by the same company, E.Wedel, including a beautiful tin wiht very very good chocolates inside!

We had fun wandering the two short blocks.

We went out to dinner with my parents.

And, we found out the cedar chest i have always loved did fit into the back seats of our lil Toyota Prius! My mom offered it to us once she got a small chest of drawers to put her stuff into. She found one at Ikea, put it together and emptied the chest out. The customs officer looked slightly perplexed and wanted to look inside... which of course we had made sure was possible.

I am thrilled to have it. It's my late maternal grandmother's. Someone i was very close with. It was her hope chest when she got married. She gave it to my mom. And now, finally, my mom gave it to me.

I admit it. I love going to the mailbox and finding a letter or a card. I like paper, stationery, fancy pens and cards.

I know i am a dying breed... no one cares much for anything as slow as snailmail anymore. But i do. I just finished my holiday cards.

I mailed off the ones that need to go overseas to England and Australia yesterday. Hope they won't be late.

The Canadian and US ones are mostly ready, save 2 of my cousins that moved last year. Rob, from Michigan to Texas for a better accounting job. Mike and his wife, Nicole moved away from Toronto to get a house in Oakville, i think (shocked the hell out of me; both are total Toronto snobs). Waiting for emails to tell me their addresses. Interesting twist there...

I also updated my user sound, since i was getting all holidayish. Kate Bush's Decemember Will Be Magic Again. Not her best, but hey, it's very holiday-y sounding...

Not that it is his fault my filling cracked and crumbled in my mouth today. It's actually the fault of a previous dentist, i am sure; he knew i was totally broke and only patched up my teeth, instead of giving me a more expensive crown. Looks like i have to call my dentist in the morning. (e:Mike) , you should get a finders fee from them... they are making a few bucks off me and you recommended them!

What actually happens to socks that get lost in the laundry process? I used to loose socks in the dryer. I thought those coin op ones had it in for me and my manly black socks. Then, one here and there would disappear in the washer. Today, it disappeared before getting to either -- in the sorting process. Is this a sign i am supposed to be a barefoot hippie?!?

(e:Uncutsaniflush) and i decided to eat lunch off our usual beaten path today. Since it was a nice day, we thought eating on the strip and a stroll would be a good thing.

My only request was anywhere but Globe Market, since the few times i was there, they couldn't get their heads out of their asses. And i think my only 2 choices there are cheese related....

We thought about Solid Grouds, but the menu online had me aghast -- 7 bucks for a peanut butter sandwich? No thanks.

We ended up at Off The Wall, having had a decent dinner there many moons ago and we vaguely recalled something about lunch specials.

I reckon we should have run when the server told us what they had run out of. I think, too, the cook (no way i would call him a chef) ran out of something as well, but i am way to polite to say. Suffice it to say that any cook that can't make french fries that are cooked all the way through and actually warm (forget about hot), perhaps needs a refresher in cookery. Even i know that warming up a plate really helps keep food warm to bring out to customers. Sheesh.

My veg burger was moderately good, if barely warm. The salad dressing (my second choice, they ran out of the one i asked for) was very good, though. Best thing i can say about the meal. 'Cause i can bitch about the price... not worth it, peeps, not worth it.

On a sweeter note...

I changed my user sound. Title track to the album Car Wheels On a Gravel Road by Lucinda Williams.

Is it cheating if we saw (e:lilho) at Weggies instead of (e:Mrmike) ?

I'm way too lazy to look up the many times i have complained here that i have been having issues with my stomach and digestion. The lovely doctor of the house, (e:jenks) has confabed with me via email about it a few times and offered suggestions.

I tried a few things here and there, the symptoms went away for a little bit, but they always came back. I was chatting with some friends and they recommended enzymes. Then, i saw a commerical and thought i would get me arse online and look into a few things. The Beano website was eyeopening. Particularly the section on Complex Carbohydrate Intolerance.

Now, it's been 3 whole days and my gut feels better than it has in, well, years. Nothing is perfect and not all the symptoms are gone completely, but it feels liberating to not have cramps 24/7. I feel human...

Hope this doesn't jinx this. It feels so precarious.

On another note, i think the lil grey mousey i saw dash out from under our stove is hiding out in our sofa now. Poor thing nearly scared the piss outta me about an hour ago when it scurried its fuzzy behind up over the top of the sofa and behind some pillows.

Yesterday was the 2 year anniversary of (e:Uncutsaniflush) and i moving to Buffalo. Time flies... yet it feels like we have been here forever (in a good way, not in a 'gee, this feels like a prison sentence' kinda way).

Right now, (e:Uncutsaniflush) is voting. I've never been overly political, but i have always tried to stay somewhat informed and voted. Well, until i moved here. Can't vote here. Not a citizen. I'm just a resident.

I fed ducks yesterday. They insisted. We left them and went to get them some healthy food (wild bird seed). They ate right outta my hand...

One thing i know for sure, is that the word shit sometimes sneaks by on radios. Would that happen here, i asked (e:Uncutsaniflush) ? He said no.

I remember we watching a CityTV film when he was visiting Canada and the word "Mother" was bleeped out, but "Fucker" wasn't.

Sex isn't taboo in Canada. It's not something to be hidden from children. It's something to be learned about, to be taught responsiblity about...

But i still giggled like a school girl when i saw this...





Yeah, ok, i know, the name has got to be Salon Swank. Maybe i should have purchased that tshirt with the finger pointing to someone beside me that said "wanker" on it in the Brit shop down the road?