When was the last time that you received a real letter in the mail? Perhaps members of the youngest generation will never experience this archaic phenomenon. I still feel a special excitement when I see a neat stack of letters or cards addressed to me. I love to open the envelope and reveal the words that were handwritten just for me by a friend or family member. However, I find all too often that the birthday cards are merely signed with the person’s name and that letters are all too often just bills. Has the art of the written word died with the invention of email and social networking sites? I am appalled by the over use of acronyms and non-words like “u r” and “4 u” is it so hard to type the word “you”? And why does regular mail have such a bad rap? Is faster really better? Or is it just faster? Is it the cost of 50 cent stamps that has us deterred from mailing letters? Yet we’re willing to shell out around $50 per month to internet providers… that’s a hundred letters worth of stamps! So I argue that the thrill from receiving handwritten letters, notes or cards is far superior to the smile that comes when you see that familiar notice that “you’ve got mail.” So send a letter to someone you love, or like, or even someone you don’t like. Let’s give the postal workers something to strike about. I feel a resurgence of the romantic times when letter writing was the “thing” to do. Yet, I can’t help but wonder… was it because letter writing was the only thing to do?

Today I consider the magic of pets and they way that they contribute to the overall beauty and joy in your life. I want to share some beautiful mini schnauzer pictures (click for credits) and some ponderings...

Is it their attitude of curiosity towards all things or their genuine zest for life that makes them so enchanting? Although the work required having a dog can be tiring at times, so it is with any great friendship. The benefit of course far outweighs the cost. I often wonder if it is their love for us that we reflect back to them, and yet, whether the reflection is diminished somehow in its amount of light. Do we love our dogs as much when they pee on the carpet, chomp on the garbage or gnaw on our favourite shoes? I offer "yes" but with a pause. And so it is that dogs can teach us an enormous amount about how to live our lives and treat our friends... play often, forgive freely, love everyone and enjoy every belly rub that comes along. And we teach them, sit, down, stay, heel. It hardly seems like and equal friendship. I read something that really stuck with me about this fact, and it was something like this: "Treat me kindly, my beloved friend, for no heart in the entire world is more grateful for your kindness than mine. Don’t be angry with me for long and don’t lock me up as punishment. After all, you have your friends, your job, and your entertainment. All I have is you." I can’t help but wonder… are dogs called “man’s best-friend” because they are better friends for us than we are to each other, and to them?

I’ve recently had an experience with a “friend” that has startled my concept of friendship. We’ve all had some tough times in our lives, I know I have, and I can relate to how difficult ordinary things may seem under these circumstances. My question is regarding why your “friends” may think that it is okay to make you the target of their misery when you have no involvement or even knowledge of the situation. Not only was my experience one of a friend lashing out at me for reasons which at the time were completely unknown to me, it happened it a work setting, which resulted in some extraordinarily unprofessional behaviour and a great stress and frustration for me at work. The later explanation of this behaviour managed to shine some light as to the motivations of the inappropriateness, but the apology was too weak to erase the lasting scars. It also implied that some sort of apology on my end was required. Although I gladly apologize and sympathize with the issues at hand, my words were not heard and my former friend has not spoken to me since. While I realize that this in fact illuminates the fact that we were never really friends, and merely acquaintances, I can’t help but wonder… how can you know which “friends” are your friends?

As a soon to be married woman, I have a unique insight into this transition from single woman to wife. This weekend I will recite my vows and marry my best friend. Not to get too sappy, but to be honest, I can’t wait! As this week flies by I ponder my last few days as a single gal and realize that this week, I will do many things for the “last” time. Since my sentimental side takes over in situations like this, I wonder if other girls in my same position also think about the period in their life that is ending before the new one begins. Or do they run, arms outstretched, towards their future without so much as a backwards glance? This is a week of reflection for me, the significance of Saturday is not lost on me, I’m not in any sort of princess fantasy delusion. The prospect of us being together for the rest of my life makes me feel happy. Happy in a content, satisfied, safe, and wonderful way that makes me feel like my future happiness is almost guaranteed. He’s not a stranger to me, I know his flaws, and he knows mine. We just work together; we compliment each other in a way where we just fit. I can’t help but wonder… should a be more happy or nostalgic that this is my last week as a single girl?

Lately I've been feeling like a lot of what we do is hippocritical. This weekend with Easter here already it has really got me thinking. From work we get only Friday off and not Monday (unless we work for a bank or school). What about Easter Monday? Why do we celebrate the day that Jesus died, shouldn't we be celebrating the day he rose from the dead?

The bridal shower is an honoured tradition that most people (including myself) know very little about. This US custom is said to have evolved from the practice of giving a dowry. When a family could not afford a dowry, or when the parents of a bride did not approve of the match and refused to provide her with a dowry, friends of the bride would gather bearing gifts that would compose a makeshift dowry and allow her to marry the man of her choice. This beautiful tradition of celebrating love has devolved into a shameless grab for more gifts and money. I was recently introduced to the concept of a “Presentation Shower.” Since Google revealed little insight into the meaning of this concept I was forced to do my own research. Here are the two possible meanings: 1. Money Shower (in disguise) where everyone brings money and a large gift is then “presented” to the bride at the shower 2. Unwrapped gifts are expected and displayed on a table to avoid the lengthy gift opening portion of the shower Neither one of these options is appealing to me as a bride. I much prefer gifts over money and opening gifts is half the fun of receiving them. Since according to my research gift-giving is almost the entire purpose of having a bridal shower, there is no use in arguing this point. The money shower, however, is an ugly interpretation of the original intention and is widely viewed as both tacky and greedy. Is there really any polite way to ask for money? I think not. I can’t help but wonder… can we still call them “gifts” if they are required to be given?

In keeping with the wedding theme of this week my post today will be in regards to wedding invitations. As a proper lady (or at least I like to think of myself as classy) I did endless research on the etiquette behind the wedding invitation. Since this is the first glimpse into the wedding that guests will receive, I wanted to make sure it was done right. In my brief experience I have encountered some strange and unusual feedback on the subject which I will share with you. A few days after mailing the invitations I received a few emails and calls from excited guests complimenting the beauty of the invitation itself and expressing their excitement to attend. Mission accomplished! Thanks so my bridesmaids and mother (as well as my fiancé who had to tie the last remaining ribbons after the girls left because mine were appallingly bad). Then comes the strange part… I received comments of, “You didn’t need to send me an invitation.” And “[Groomsman] doesn’t need an invitation.” Now I ask you… Obviously the groomsmen are going to attend the wedding, but do they not deserve/need to be invited? Also, is it presumptuous to assume that the parents of the couple don’t need to be invited? Where do we draw the line? Would it get to the point where family would be insulted to receive an invitation because it means that they are not close enough to you that it was assumed that they would attend? I can’t help but wonder… why do we invite guests if they don’t want to be invited?

Weddings are a billion dollar business. This is no surprise. It seems that people can sell anything to a girl for her “special day” and brides are the most profitable market for retailers in the world. Yet in my experience there is one piece of this business that I find appalling: the wedding cake. In our quest for cakes we stumbled upon some of the worst scams imaginable. One store in particular handed me a menu of all the cake and filling flavours available, a long list. On the second page of the pamphlet it listed prices for cakes by size ranging from $20-$50 per cake. On display were tiered wedding cakes consisting of various sizes stacked on top of each other. A 12-inch cake topped by a 10-inch and an 8-inch looked just right to me. I added the numbers (my specialty): $40 + $30 +$20 = $90. Plus I assumed some decorating and delivery charges on top of this amount. I looked at the price tag on the display cake and gaped: $550 not including decoration or delivery. How could there be a $460 price difference? Was it just that the word “wedding” was included before the word “cake,” or was there more to it than that? Not one to shy away from conflict, and to give the shop the benefit of the doubt, I politely asked, “could you please explain why there is such a difference in price from your cake menu to the wedding cakes displayed?” I was then told with (I kid you not) annoyance that, “there is a lot more thought and planning that go into a wedding cake” and that I wouldn’t want a simple birthday cake that was just “slapped together.” Needless to say I was appalled by this and left the shop without purchasing anything. I can’t help but wonder… did our quest for cakes uncover something illegal or just unsavory?

I admit that I am a hopeless romantic. Even when reality proves me wrong, I hold on tightly to those images of flowers brought home for no reason, poems and songs written about me, and bended-knee declarations. So I am probably partly to blame for the events that unfolded following my truly romantic engagement. Still on a flowery, rosy high from the event, I plotted my first acts as a newly engaged woman. Of course, this involved the making of lists and the performing of research (okay so my methodical side is not very romantic). When I arrived at last at my most desired destination on the list: dress shopping, I faced nothing but disappointment. Let me first mention that I committed an apparent bridal faux-pas by wanting a gown that was (gasp) not strapless. Strapless gowns are not flattering on most people and I have seen too many wedding pictures with brides in beautiful dresses that are not suited to their body shape at all. Not wanting to be a beautiful girl in a beautiful dress where the combination was just average, I persisted. One store had only one dress for me to try on that was not strapless! Most other stores had rows and rows of dresses, hundreds in all, but only five to ten non-strapless ones for me to try. Finally I managed to find my dream dress in a magazine and have it special ordered by a family friend who owns a small bridal shop in a nearby town, where I could try it on before committing to buy. I still had my moment where my sister gasped and my mother cried and we knew that this was THE dress. But with all the drama leading up to that instant, it was a little less shiny than I had imagined. In the real world, the perfect strapless body shape is a minority and yet the dress selection does not reflect this. Why not? I can’t help but wonder… are the people who stock the stores with rows of “dream” dresses dreaming?

So today on Sunday, the day of rest, I want to share some more restful and inspiring photographs with you. As winter vanishes into the sunshine... I think of smoke and how it vanishes into the air. These photos (from flickr) show such talent with capturing the smoke... enjoy! Taken by: Alberich Mathews Taken by: Corica Taken by: Hughes Léglise-Bataille Taken by: Frances Dre

As an avid hockey fan, I am prone to my fair share of yelling at the referee when he makes a bad call. Okay, so admittedly I am that loud woman yelling at the referee after every bad call. So in fact, I am prone to a few people’s fair share of yelling. At this point in the game however, I have come to a revelation: the referee is just a man (usually), trying to do his job. Yet the thought still nags me… if I was to make so many mistakes in my job, would I still have one? A startling idea occurs to me: the referee is a bad-guy, just like in a fairy-tale. He gets away with doing all of his bad-guy things: missing an obvious tripping call, call an outrageous penalty, letting a fight go on too long when one player is seriously hurt, etc. BUT he never gets caught. No consequences. Now I realize that this seems entirely unfair and that, my friends, I’m afraid is the point. The bad guy is supposed to get away with things, you are supposed to hate him, and yet in the end, he always gets what he deserves. I’m heading to cheer on my Ice Dogs (OHL) tonight as they enter game 2 of the second round of the play-offs. For the referees of tonight’s game I have only one thing to say, “We all know how it ends for the bad guy, and it’s not happily ever after.” Who knows? Maybe tonight they’ll do a good, fair job and keep all the players (relatively) unharmed and safe. Still, I can’t help but wonder… who is refereeing the referees?

We all know them. We’ve all been there for the flashes. Perhaps we’ve even been a member of one. You know what I’m talking about: the infamous on-again-off-again relationship… I like to call them light bulbs. As a soon to be happily married female, I’m not afraid to admit that I have experienced this phenomenon first hand in the past. My current relationship, however, has been lights on all the time… no power outages, not even short ones. My light bulbs never lasted, and it seems to me that in hind sight, I always knew that once the light was extinguished, it would never burn as brightly as before. So I ponder the question of what advice should be given to the friend whose relationship is always breaking up and then getting back together. Isn’t it best to help them to break the cycle, cut their losses, and move on to a healthier happier future sooner rather than later? Or is it always best to stay on the sidelines and cheer them on with hope, even if we suspect that they are headed for a relationship Ground Hog Day. How many repeats does it take to get it right, or are they just trying to force something that has always been wrong. I don’t know of any light bulbs that have managed to overcome their yo-yo ways and make it work after all. I can’t help but wonder… do light bulb relationships always burn out?

Is the old adage of “in like a lion out like a lamb” always applicable to the month of March? I’ve always thought that old sayings like this hang around because there is truth in them, and maybe even wisdom. Now as March comes to a close, I ponder this saying and how it applies to March… and to life. “Things always seem to get worse before they get better” is another oldie, but goodie. And the message presented is really the same. Weather-wise this year it was quite true, the first week of March held wild temperature fluctuations from -16.7 to +16.4 in the Garden City (Celsius because I’m Canadian), along with snow. The last week of March was much milder and, aside from yesterday’s brief flutter of tiny flakes that never even made it to the ground, no snow. Is weather really the main event here? I like to think that there is more to it than that. For me, the winter brings along a brand of sadness, maybe not depression, but a general feeling of low energy and loneliness. In like a lion. The beginning of spring brings a renewed sense of hope and optimism along with the return of the sun. Out like a lamb. I think if you look into your own life you’ll find numerous ways to apply the metaphor of March. Perhaps it is really just about life’s ebbs and flows, ups and downs, highs and lows. I can’t help but wonder… would we appreciate the lambs without the lion’s roar?

Now that the secret is out about my upcoming wedding, I thought I would post some details regarding my whirlwind wedding experience so far. First up: becoming engaged. I must admit that I didn’t know much about this process except for the fairy-tale stories passed down to me through books, movies and other romantic exaggerations. In truth, becoming engaged is like joining a very exclusive club. At first, you can’t wait to be a member; you want to slip on that giant sparkler and yell, “Yes! Yes!” at the top of your lungs. Then… you have some reservations about membership… you ask yourself all the questions that shiny diamonds had initially banished from your mind: What will happen to your friendships with those fab girls who have not yet been invited to join? Are you ready for a lifetime commitment to membership? Are you ready to give up your strong, single, independent ways? What other sacrifices will you have to make to earn your place in the club: Frightening in-laws? Feuding families? Closet space? In truth, the transition is much more of an emotional one than society allows us to discuss, and much less of a Cinderella fairytale. Planning a wedding is a lot of work, and not always fun, shiny and beautiful. People will tell you this in a very superficial way, but let me explain it as plainly as I can: this experience will be a true test of your relationship. When things get tough, what will you do? When you disagree on the guest list or food choices, how will you resolve it? When you get stressed and overwhelmed, how will you react? Will planning “the most important day of your life” ruin it? That, my friends, is up to you. I’m just here to warn you that the wedding planning process will test you as a couple, and if you can make it to the wedding day and still want to take that walk down the aisle then you’ve passed. Be kind to each other, try to fight fair, kiss and make up, and most importantly remember that you’re in it together, for better or for worse. I can’t help but wonder… why aren’t there any classes for life’s most important tests?

Happy Monday! Today, in honour of Earth Hour's passing (despite my protests) I have chosen to display some incredible photography taken by Rune Guneriussen. I think the beautiful lights in the darkness of nature is quite poetic. Enjoy!

Today I take a small break from ranting and leave it to the professionals. Christopher Hume of the Toronto Star wrote a very poignant article about Earth Hour 2008 in Toronto that I would like to share with you. http://www.thestar.com/article/407471 I realize that although I protest (in a previous post) that Earth Hour seems to be a waste of time and resources, I still believe in the message: Save the Earth. I still plan to turn out my lights; no television, no laptop, no cheating. For me, I take this statement to heart, and my concern is that I may be alone in this, or at least in a very small minority. This small action does not seem to incite the desired awareness, change, or have any impact on the population at large. I want to see results, not just feeble attempts, and it seems that the only way to turn out those lights is by force, like in the Blackout. Despite all of this, I have a small, but burning hope that we will see a darkened skyline tonight at 8:30. I can’t help but wonder… will hope burn out if the lights stay on?

Hey Canadian government! Remember me? I was born here! I have numerous forms of identification to prove it, not to mention an entire extended family that also lives here and countless friends who can vouch for me also. I should have prefaced this rant with the facts. First, I am getting married this summer. Second, in order to make the marriage legal we need to obtain a marriage license (sounds simple, right?). Third, in order to escape for some romantic relaxation on our honeymoon, I need to renew my passport. Following so far? I hope so. Apparently I have lost our government in this process, and they have forgotten that I exist. For those who have not made the right of passage into married bliss, let me explain. In order to obtain a marriage license you require a birth certificate, passport (or driver’s license) and for one of you to apply in person. Oh, and you also need to fill out an application form containing all of this information as well. Somehow between my passport application (which also requires birth certificate, driver’s license, witnesses and a guarantor) and my marriage license application the government has gotten confused. The result of this is that I have to produce all of this information repeatedly over and over again. I feel like a monkey dancing for the pleasure of a sadistic tormenter. Let me ask you, the intelligent public, a simple question… I have a passport, obtained using the above mentioned identification and hoop jumping, can I please have a marriage license if I show you my passport? Logical response: “Yes, of course! Congratulations on your impending nuptials, we wish you all the best. Go Canada!” The Government of Canada’s response: “NO! You must be some sort of illegal immigrant! You must have stolen that passport, and we don’t care if you have a wallet full of matching identification and have lived in Canada for your whole life. We need to see all your information AGAIN. We need to see your original birth certificate, AND your passport, AND we need you to fill out this form with all of your passport information and birth certificate information, AND you need to show up here in person so we can question you and ask you all of this information AGAIN. Only then, will we be able to verify that it is in fact you (insert slap in the face here).” I can’t help but wonder… what’s the point of having identification if it can’t be used to identify us?

First let me start by saying that I’ve been a fan of Britney Spears for ages… since the very beginning. She’s beautiful and more importantly smart. She’s managed to use the talent that she possesses to establish a career, which has sent her straight to the top of the charts and into the hearts of millions. I have to admit that for a little while I lost my faith. How can such a strong woman with all the resources in the world fall apart so completely? But then I realized that we all fall down, and as our parents tell us, the important thing is to get back up again. That is what Britney is doing, and the public and media could not be less supportive. After seeing Britney in concert last week, my love and admiration for the pop-star has once again been renewed. She looked amazing, sounded amazing (although pre-recorded) and put on a fantastic show. Taking into account her tumultuous personal life I am even more impressed with her than I have been in the past. It takes a lot of work to rise to the top, but much more to rise from the ashes. As a strong woman myself, who has experienced her fair share of crazy moments, I can relate to Britney’s trouble, although admittedly not to the same extent. However I didn’t have to get through it all with the entire world watching me. For Pete sakes people, have a little compassion! In the entertainment world, the media can go hot or cold in an instant and will pounce on any hint of human pain and suffering that it can exploit. I can’t help but wonder… will the media finally back off when Brit hits (#1 on the charts) baby one more time?

Earth Hour is approaching; On Saturday night we're going to shut off the lights between 8:30 and 9:30 PM. This will signal our vote for action against climate change. Now I must first mention that I would consider myself to be an environmentalist. However, I see this one hour as more like a statement than an actual call for change. How many people will continue to shut off all the power in their homes every night at 8:30? How many will install programmable thermostats and buy energy efficient light bulbs? Would it not make more sense to have a statement that will result in lasting change? Like Energy Efficient Bulb Day where you must turn off all the lights in your home that do not use energy efficient light bulbs. Then the lights on would make a statement. When this day is over, most will go back to their old energy wasting ways, and realistically, why shouldn't they? A normal family cannot live in the dark everyday, so what does a one hour power outage really tell us about our energy use? People need to have their eyes opened to how small changes that they make in their everyday choices can impact the planet. Encouraging them to make a change that will make a difference seems like a much more valuable use of time and resources that asking them to make a statement that will not yield tangible results. I can't help but wonder... how many of us will continue to live in the dark once the lights are turned back on?

After a marathon of blog name checking, I have finally arrived. I am now a fully inducted member of the blogosphere. My first issue is along these lines... why are all the good blog names taken by people who have only ever posted one comment, if that? Talk about commitment problems. People, please give up your blogs if you are no longer using them! Eventually we will run out of names all together, and in the meantime your blog could be used by someone who actually wishes to make a contribution to society and the internet at large. I'm sure many other bloggers have experienced this problem when trying to start their own blogs. With the environment and sustainability in the forefront of everyone's mind these days, should we not apply these concepts to technology as well? I can't help but wonder... should there be a time limit on how long you can hold onto a blog name before it is recycled?