The days roll on

Still in Montréal, still a lot of work to do. I can tell things are getting a little tense among friends here. The situation, while improving every day, is starting to get to us.

There was a slight car accident the other day which kinda banged up the our means of getting around, so that’s just one more headache for everyone to deal with. But I kept a level head and figured that sooner or later, everything will be better. After all, it’s better to swallow 200 bucks a week on a rental car, than have to pay over 3000 bucks on repairs. Thank God for insurance.

And if you’re like me and pay attention to all kinds of things, then you might get a kick out of Belinda Stronach. She’s the 37-year old single mom and business woman who wants to be the leader of the Conservatives Party and become Prime Minister of Canada. I for one, will probably never endorse one party publicly, do find Belinda to be interesting, if for no other reason than she owns leather pants and a black satin blouse. (I’m sure she’s good with politics too)

Now, isn’t it about time Canada had a Prime Minister who dressed like that?

Best movie scene ever

What a wonderful world we live in! As if 2004 couldn’t get any better, it turns out that Ben Affleck and Jennifer Whorepez finally broke up! I know last time I got all excited about this news it turned out to be a hoax, and with Jersey Girl coming out in a month’s time, it could be another joke this time too, but it’s still the best news of the day!

I figure if it is a joke, then it’s so that people who found the “worst celebrity couple of all time” sickening and stayed away from their movies, will actually go see Jersey Girl now – then of course somehow they’ll end up back together again. (God, we can only hope not!)

And the best thing is – and I can spoil it now since sooner or later everyone will find out about it (and it’s one of the many reasons I will be lined up on opening day) JENNIFER WHOREPEZ DIES IN THE FIRST 12 MINUTES OF THE MOVIE! In the words of Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons: “Best…movie… ever!” Hmmmmm… that’s two Simpsons quotes in the past few days… I wonder if our lives really are influenced by that little cartoon show?

JUNK FOOD TALLY THUS FAR (but not all in one day): Pizza, Chili dogs (called Michigans), French fires – the latter two were taken care of last night! Now, where did I leave my treadmill?

I won’t stop believing

Today was more of the same; a visit to Starbucks, the hospital to see my friend’s mom and a little shopping. For some strange reason, I feel the need to buy a new skirt so maybe tomorrow I will. I have no idea why I didn’t get one today… maybe I just wasn’t in the mood at the time.

After hearing it playing at a restaurant when I was eating, I finally found out who sings one of my favorite songs from when I was younger called “Don’t Stop Believing“. Turns out, it’s Journey. So now there are two cheesy Journey songs I actually admit to liking; that one, and “Anyway You Want It.” Yahhhhh… rock on. (And I can’t believe that I’m probably the only person on the planet who didn’t know who sang that song. Some child of the 80’s I was.)

And a big HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR. Today is the first day in “the year of the monkey”, which I found out is actually the year 4701 on the Chinese calendar.

The operation was a success!

One of the main reasons that I came to Montreal was to lend my support to a friend who had a family member undergoing surgery. Hip replacement surgery, to be exact.

I didn’t say much about it before because I wanted to wait to see how it turned out, but now that all’s well, so on with the celebrations! I can tell you this much; I wasn’t there to watch the actual operation being done and I probably wouldn’t have had the balls to go through it myself based on the stories I heard. The patient was very brave and made everyone proud! In the words of Bart Simpson to Homer when he had his bypass operation, “You rule intensive care!”

On the subject of things that rule, my growling tummy got the best of me on Monday so I went to check out a pizza joint in town called “Pizzeria Zoé”. Can you believe it? This so is a great way to start 2004! Okay, the owners don’t spell it the same way as my name and they put a funky little French accent over the e, but when they answer the phone they say “Zoey, bonjour” so all is cool.

Olivia sent the pics of the party around and let me tell you, there are some funny ones. I’m not sure which ones she wants shown and which ones are subjects best left unsaid. Either way, it was cool to see.

Back in Montreal

I’m back once again in Montreal and already I had some junky fast food, but hey, that’s what’s so fun about being on vacation! The way I look at it, I spent the better part of last year trying to stay in shape so I can afford to eat what I want. My hit list while I’m here includes poutine (French fries with gravy and melted curd cheese), chili dogs a good old fashion “Mr. Steer” hamburger and maybe some other things. Three weeks being back in Montréal… should be fun.

I’m still waiting for Olivia to finish her pictures of last week’s birthday bash so I can share a few shots with you all. (Hint, hint Olivia…hehehe)

Oh, and just a thought… Freddy vs. Jason is just as good on DVD as it was when I went to see it in the summer. Watch for Freddy vs. Jason II which I heard is supposed to be coming in summer 2005!

New cars and the need for salt

Holy crapballs!! Quick, run to your windows and see if Four Horsemen are galloping over the horizon. It might just well be the end of the world! My mom BOUGHT A NEW CAR!! That’s right, her beloved 1991 Ford Escort has been sent off to its final resting place and she’s now the proud owner of a brand new 2004 Saturn Ion.

It’s a shock because my mom loved her old car so much and it really did a lot of her… she swore she would never get another one. But time took its toll on the ol’ Ford and she traded her Blue Oval Blood (car terminology, folks) for dent resistant doors and side panels. Yah for her!

Speaking of things without front wheel drive, a friend had quite a fall today outside work. Turns out the assclowns that own the building where the office is didn’t see the need to put down any salt, so now my friend is lying on his back hoping he’ll get better fast.

I can’t stand it when people are lazy and don’t do their jobs. (I’m talking about the building managers by the way! hehehe) We all hope she gets better soon.

Late night with Zoey

So after lying in bed not being able to sleep, the logical thing to do was to get up, get dressed and go shopping for food. After all, what’s better than walking the aisles of the local supermarket at three in the morning looking for a fresh lettuce? Let me tell you, there are some strange people up at that time – and for once I was the lesser of all evils. Of course, another great way to kill of insomnia is to drive around to a remote supermarket rather than just find one close by, but then again, it’s not like I had something better to do.

At least now I have one thing off my ‘To Do’ list for the rest of the day, and lucky me, I was able to get an early copy of the newspaper. Now I can unpack my groceries, have another cappuccino and read about everything that’s wrong with this world. I did however get some really nice lettuce.

Also, mark your calendar kiddies, Zoey’s heading back to Montreal! Yup, while I’m still playing with the idea of going to Vancouver next month, I’m now going to be spending three weeks in Quebec! (As if the two I just spent there wasn’t already enough) I’m heading back and enjoying my time off.

And… If you’re a movie nerd like myself, you’ll be happy to learn that “Jersey Girl” Kevin Smith’s new film is coming out March 19. Yeah, I know that Jennifer Whorepez is in it, and when I go see the film it will be the first Whorepez movie I actually sit through… but that’s the kicker… it’s NOT actually one of her movies! (I don’t wanna spoil it for you, so I won’t give away the little bit of joy I know about this film!)

Anyway, from what I’ve seen it looks good. Also, if you’re an even bigger movie nerd (also like me) then rejoice because Star Trek VI is coming out on special edition DVD January 27. You’d be amazed at the crap you can find on line in the middle of the night.

Reading blogs and stuff

I always love to read other people’s “blogs” and see what they’ve been up to and things they have to say… I guess it comes from being a writer and wanting to know about other people’s lives. Since walking into some stranger’s home and sitting down on their couch and waiting for them to tell me how their day was might seem strange, I think reading someone else’s website is probably the best idea. So if you have one, or know of any, please feel free to pass them along. Mention them on the Message Board or just email me if you feel like it.

I’m not really sure when it started snowing here, but it’s been going all day. Driving is crazy and people are all over the place. It took Olivia almost forever to get home when she took the Don Valley Parkway… I heard something like 10 km/h or something… too damn slow for me.

Despite best advice, I’m heading out into the cold and snow tomorrow. I have some shopping to do for not only food (which thankfully I can do anytime at a 24hr store) but also for some clothes and other things. I’ve been meaning to go max out the credit cards at IKEA and I feel a home renovation idea coming (thanks, and YES I do watch HGTV as someone asked on the Message Board) Hmmm… what a shameless way to plug this site’s new feature AND talk about what I’m doing tomorrow.

Baby… it’s cold outside

Did I mention how cold it is outside? To hell with the the “wind chill factor”… it’s just damn cold! I made the mistake of going to get take out from a nearby sub-shop… and I just about froze my butt off! At least the sub was good.

Speaking of things are that good; my friend Christine (a.k.a. “Diva”) back home in New Jersey is an expecting mother-to-be! This is great news for her and I wish her all the best. I’ve known Diva for about three years now and and in that time we’ve had some pretty meaningful conversations. She’s a sweet, kind person who deserves this and will make an excellent mom!

Vancouver bound

Ever had one of those days when no matter how early you get up, you still feel as if you don’t have enough time to get everything done? Be that as it may, so far this week seems to be flying by. Friday was fun with Olivia as we all celebrated her birthday with beer and chicken wings (a true journalist/columnist, as you can tell!) and then on Sunday took her out for breakfast at the Marriott buffet. I’ll see about getting some pictures on line as soon as possible.

I’ve been toying with the idea of going out west to Vancouver next month. I’ve never been there before and frankly, I don’t see myself going back or getting the chance to go any time soon afterwards. Then again, that’s how I felt about Toronto seven years ago. (Can you believe seven years?)

Anyway, the Vancouver trip is still up in the air… speaking of which, air travel never sat well with me to begin with. In the words of Garfield, “I’d feel a lot safer if I could keep one paw on the ground at all times.” If anyone has any good tips on places to eat out west or fun things to do, please email me and let me know! Maybe I’ll speak with Charley seeing as that’s where she’s from.

Other than that, so far 2004 is pretty good. Can’t really complain except about the amount of crappy reality shows on TV – but then again, I don’t watch so I don’t care.

How’s your year been so far?

Reality

So I hear Donald Trump has a reality show… that makes just about everyone on the planet now. I wonder if they’ll show how he killed that thing he wears on his head and passes off as his hair? Hey, you know what would make a great reality show? Me, going around and telling people to GET A LIFE!

I decided to bring back the guest book on this site, so if any of you have any nice wishes or ideas for making chicken wings taste even better, pass them along. Speaking of chicken wings, some of us are heading out tomorrow night for Olivia’s birthday. Should be fun, maybe I’ll post some pictures.

My resolutions should be…

Okay, first resolution of the year should be to be more on time with getting resolutions up and on line. Updating my site more often would be good too. I can’t really think of any others right now.

Kind of sad how the first major news stories of the year are the Mars rover sending back images of the red planet, yet all we can talk about is how Britney “I wear hoop earrings so I have a place to rest my ankles during sex” Spears got married and then called it off. What some poor losers will do for attention.

My Discman for some reason stopped working today. I have no idea why and it pisses me off so much – not because now I have to buy a new one, but because it broke in the first place. 2004 was going great until now. Maybe this is just a minor set back. I guess I’ll check out Wal-Mart or Best Buy tonight and see what I can find.

Also, it’s cold as all hell here in Toronto. There’s a little bit of snow, but the wind and the fact that’s freezing doesn’t help. I certainly hope that warmer weather is on its way.