Some days you're a windshield. Some days you're a bug.

The city I live in is experiencing a huge boom. Housing prices are huge. There's a "lack of affordable housing" as we hear over and over and over on the news.

I thought we were safe. I thought we had a fixed term lease agreement.

I thought wrong.

We have a periodic lease agreement which basically means the landlord can raise rates as much as he wants whenever he wants (with 90 days notice of course).

So he did.

Between having a husband not legally entitled to work in Canada and me being on maternity leave... this leaves us with about $300 left over after paying rent each month.

So we have decisions to make. We were going to move in with my mother, but after a discussion I just had with her husband, I'm not liking that idea at all. Not even a little bit.

We have until December 1 to decide what we are doing, I thought for a while that moving in with my mother would solve some problems, but it doesn't. It opens the door for all new ones.

"There are many ways to measure success; not the least of which is the way your child describes you when talking to a friend."

I wish I knew who said that. 

Shelley had a great MeMe up the other day.

TECH-OLOGY:

Number of contacts in your cell phone? 788 (it's a BlackBerry)

Number of contacts in your email address book? 788 (see, it matches the BlackBerry)

What is the wallpaper on your computer? A picture of my son and daughter.

What is your screensaver on your computer? A very boring Windows XP logo

Are there naked pictures saved on your computer? No

How many landline phones do you have in your home? Three

How many televisions are in your home? Three

What kitchen appliance do you use the least? Toaster Oven

What is the format of the radio station you listen to most? Country

BI-OLOGY:

What do you consider to be your best physical attribute? Hair

Are you right handed or left handed? Right Handed

Have you had anything removed from your body? No... I did deliver two babies though. Oh, I had a lump in my leg removed a couple of years ago.

Would you like to? Maybe a couple of pounds... but I'm on the 'breastfeeding diet' so that's not very difficult!

Which of your five senses do you think is keenest? Hearing.

When was the last time you had a cavity? Five years ago

What is the heaviest item you lift regularly? My son.

MISC-OLOGY:

If it were possible, would you like to know the day you're going to die? No

If you could change your first name, what would you change it to? Grace

How do you express your artistic side? I write and I draw really bad pastel drawings.

What color do you think you look best in? Blue

How long do you think you could last in a medium security prison? Less than a week.

Have you ever swallowed a non-food item by mistake? No. Ok, maybe a bug or two...

If we weren't bound by society's conventions, do you have a relative you would make a pass at? Ack, NO!!

How often do you go to church? Not enough. I'm church shopping...

Have you ever saved someone's life? Not directly, but I was a first responder once.

Has someone ever saved yours? No.

DARE-OLOGY:
For this last section, if you would do it for less or more money, indicate how much.

Would you walk naked for a half mile down a public street for $100,000? Yes.

Would you kiss a member of the same sex for $100? Yes.

Would you allow one of your little fingers to be cut off for $200,000? No.

Would you never blog again for $50,000? Yes.

Would you pose naked in a magazine for $250,000? No.

Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000? No.

Would you, without fear of punishment, take a human life for $1,000,000? No.

Would you shave your head and get your entire body waxed for $5,000? No.

Would you give up watching television for a year for $25,000? Yes.

I've posted the birth story of Emily Grace over at The Writing Mother.

According to FoxNews, "An exhibition of more than 200 cartoons about the Holocaust opened Monday as Iran's response to last year's Muslim outrage over a caricature of the Prophet Muhammad in a Danish newspaper."

And there were no riots? No beheadings? No calls for killing of infidels?

Shocking!

I love to hear the rhetoric from the left leaners ... why are we fighting in Afghanistan. We're supposed to be Peacekeepers, standing solidly between the combatants...

Oh, I dunno... maybe it's hard to stand solidly between the combatants when they AMBUSH YOU.

Click that link to take you to video footage (from an American, Scott Kesterson) of Canadian soldiers from Alpha Company, 2nd Platoon, "Red Devils" from Edmonton, AB being ambushed as they assessed battle damage in Sangin, Helmand Province, southern Afghanistan on July 15th.

Sometimes peacekeeping becomes peacemaking.

Lester Pearson, in his Nobel Prize acceptance speech, spoke of the vital role of peacekeepers during the Suez crisis. He said:

“We made at least a beginning then. If, on that foundation, we do not build something more permanent and stronger, we will once again have ignored realities, rejected opportunities, and betrayed our trust. Will we never learn?”

I can't seem to post photos on either of my blogs. It's rather annoying... anyone else having a similar problem?

And another story in which the book must be firmly thrown.

A man from Maine thought it would be funny to roll a pig's head into a Mosque. After talking to some old buddy who happened to be a police officer, he thought he'd maybe only get charged with 'littering' or 'improperly disposing of animal parts'. What he got was 'desecrating a house of worship'.

Excuse my French, but no shit, Sherlock.

This man must be the stupidest redneck on the planet.

"Matthews' attorney, James Howaniec, sought to show that his client did not know that the victims were Muslims. The mosque was located in a storefront that had no markings indicating that it's used as a place of worship; furthermore, Matthews did not know pork products are offensive to Muslims, the lawyer said."

Yeah, right... the guy just wanted to leave a gross and rotting piece of meat in some random doorway. And just because he has something against the other white meat, he chooses a pig.

People. We are civilized. We do not need to be desecrating the worship houses of other religions. If you want to disagree with someone, please use your words. Even my five year old understands that.

According to a Fox News story, 11 Egyptian foreign exchange students have gone 'missing' when they failed to show up for classes at Montana State University.

"The men, who range in age from 18 to 22, were scheduled to attend a month-long program in U.S. history and culture, plus English language instruction, at Montana State University along with six other students. The group flew from Cairo and arrived in the U.S. on July 29. All entered the U.S. legally, but officials said the no-shows violated the terms of their visas and that the government would likely send them home once they turn up."

The politically correct crowd is quick to point out that the FBI states the men are not suspected of any illicit activity.

However:

"The government tightened the student visa process after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks when it learned that four of the hijackers had entered the country on foreign student visas."

If they are not involved in any "illicit activity" then they should simply be deported. It's that easy. ANYONE who violates the terms of their Visa in a foreign country should be deported.

Currently, Major Man is here in Canada and we're applying for his Permanent Residence status. He lives under certain restrictions and we abide by them strictly. Do you think it's been easy for us to have him basically unemployed for a YEAR while we wait for the paperwork to be processed? Not in this booming city it's not. Not when gas prices are $1.15 per litre. Not when I'm on Maternity leave.

But we follow the rules. So if these gentlemen simply cannot follow the rules then they need to be found and sent home PDQ.

As a writer you'd think I was ALL ABOUT freedom of expression. And to an extent, I am.

For example, I don't think that Lolita should be banned from libraries.

But, I think that THIS CRAP should be a punishable offence. It is beyond nauseating. The basic premise is this: a sexy dance contest for children aged 2 - 12. How in the WORLD can this be on television? I've been to Japan and I'm well aware that they have a bizarre fascination with game shows. I've seen spanking and random waxings... all involving consenting adults. But these are children. Some of them are the age of my SON.

(Hat Tip to ye olde ex-boyfriend, Carl.)

1. Ignore rumors. Get the facts first-hand from the sources. Don't seize them by the throat too tightly. Keep the shaking brisk but light.
   
2. Treat others as you expect to be treated. If I said something that stupid, I'd expect you to knock me through a wall.
   
3. When debate doesn't work, agree to disagree and walk away. It takes some time to think up five hundred synonyms for Pinhead.
   
4. Ignore people who trash you for your opinion. Remember where they live.
   
5. Respect is not a given. You have to earn it constantly. Especially seeing as they're not making a dime in this business.

Read the rest over at The Paperback Writer!

Do you like? Do ya? Do ya?

As you can see, Good Apple has been made all PRETTY!

I LOVE the new design. Thank you to Susie at Bluebird Blogs for her wonderful work!

I thought that the 300th post would be a FAB time to roll out the new wardrobe... I hope you like it!