Really??? WTH RIM?

BlackBerry Outage - National Post Report

Ok ... it's all over Twitter and Facebook, There are outages From Canada to South America.

It's out of control, and it's the Second time in a week for Canadians.

Just saying. I would be really PISSED if I were a blackberry owner.

Jack Bauer Interrrogates Santa... :(

I might have spoken to soon in the previous post.

Just saying.

This is from Reuters: Man Marries DS video game character: Reuters Report

And is a reporter from Boing Boing:

Nerdiest Save the Date Evar!

Ok, it is the nerdiest thing I've seen in a while but not bad. Corny but not bad.

Wonder what the wedding is going to be like.

Wow.

Words to disceibe my past month:
Wow
Tired
On the go
Last minute
Family
Scans
Dr. McDreamy
Catching up
Falling behind
Sleepless
Vomit
Stress
Release
Leaving behind
Forgiveness

There's alot to discuss. There's not enough time.

Christine
~Sent from my iPhone~

I Heart Charlene Harris

So this is the one I'm on right now. I've listened to the audio books for a while now. They're so great for the escape from traffic, and all Toronto Drivers... Most times. :D

Seriously... Get the books or audio books. THEY ROCK.

In Sickness & In Health...

Saturday night the Bob and I had planned to celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary. I think we were going to do the quiet at home dinner just the 2 of us.
Instead we got to spend it in Toronto East Generals Emergency Department with a ton of strangers. Sigh.

Things have been a little tight around here, so I figured I won't put any pressure on Bobby to buy gifts or take me out for an expensive dinner (even if I'm STILL craving steak). It was going to be a perfect evening and maybe we'd get a drive in.

Unfortunately someone up there had some other divine design... Bob became so totally ill I had to rush him to the hospital.

I felt so bad for him. He was so incredibly sad and grumpy and a great big sick child.

Bobby has gout.
He had an attack that began a week ago.
He didn't have any meds for his attack until half way through the week.
The emergency anti-inflammatory gout meds started to make bobby feel more ill almost immediately.
It began with one bout of diarrhea, then it slowly began to affect him every time he took the emergency anti-inflammatory (every two hours). It was horrible. I took a trip to the pharmacy to see if there's something I could get for him and what I should be doing to help relieve his pain. When I explained the situation to the pharmasist and he told me straight out "take him to the hospital right away!"

So... Off to the emerg we go.
I felt so bad for him.
He hates needles.
They had to put in an iv and he looked at me like I was the most evil person on the face of the planet. he was looking up at me with these big puppy dog eyes, and he was so cute, I felt so bad for him.
It's always the big burly guys that are afraid of needles. :D
We were at the Hospital until 3am.
Got home at 3:30, and I couldn't fall asleep until 5am...
I was so worried about him.

Any how. He's better now, and I'm glad that the ordeal is over.

No... we didn't get to celebrate our anniversary in the traditional sense but, we spent time together as a couple...
Like we would in the future as we grow older, through sickness and health.

Happy Anniversary Bobby. I love you & I'm sorry you were ill.

So... It's Going To Be An Interesting Morning.

Bob's fathers Bone Marrow test is first thing in the morning.
Bob's sister & mother have decided to join us.
I'm sure it's going to be that kind of day.

I'll let you know when I get back home.

Stuff sucks.

I need to get shit off my chest.
STUFF SUCKS.
I am so tired of stuff. Mine, yours and everyone's.
I'll get to why this has come up in just a moment.

I know that life has funny ways of trying to bring people together but sometimes the end result is more drama than when they weren't speaking.
I HATE FAMILY POLITICS.
Just shoot me.

This is going to a long bumpy ride. Hold on.
So...
2 weeks ago My husbands father was more or less diagnosed (it was in a weird roundabout way & the Dr. used the "if it walks like a duck" theorem) with Lung Cancer.
Since the roundabout diagnosis I've been taking him to the hospital for all of his appointments (which comprise of tests... a lot of tests and scans and things that get jammed into his arm)

PREQUEL-
This past year my mother in law and sister in law have NOT been speaking to my father in law.
Infact there was a HUGE blow out not so long ago. During this blow out the MIL & SIL said some real nasty stuff to the FIL. They didn't regret it UNTIL NOW!

2Weeks ago(around the time of the roundabout diagnosis):
My MIL instructed me not to say anything to my SIL until we knew for sure. Well seeing as it walks like and duck and quacks like one too, it's fair to say that we know sorta for sure.
My MIL told my SIL, and guess what... She was mad at me for not telling her. WTF????
Like I want to be caught up in the middle of this stupid shit, but guess what here I am.

Fuck me.

Back to today.
A couple of days ago as a result of the news reaching the SIL, the SIL made up with the FIL ( or at least she thinks she did, he's still not acting as if he's happy to be around her)
Now suddenly the MIL and SIL decided that they want to join us for his respiratory testing this afternoon. I told each of them more than once that there won't be a doctor at the respiratory exam and there won't be any one there to speak to (other than the exam technician who can't divulge anything anyway) .
I know from experience that they won't have any results from this test for a while, just like the others and that they shouldn't expect anything to come out of this visit.
I should have known this would end in disaster.
SOOOOO....
My SIL doesn't drive. How is she going to get the appointment from her job at Markham and Progress to Toronto East General Hospital you ask? It's ok. I'll pick her up. I figure this is a nice gesture.
Then we pick up the MIL & FIL & and my husband and head to the hospital for his respiratory testing.
Every other test I've had to go to with my FIL, we joked and laughed and tried not to be to serious about the whole thing. I know it is serious, but I also know that he doesn't want to be around people with the doom and gloom attitude while we go through all this testing. I mean you have to understand that the testing is hard enough.
Worst of all I am sure they (the SIL & MIL) don't want to be there for the hard stuff, watching my FIL suffer through the endless pokes in the arm by technicians and nurses who can't find his veins, or when he's crying because he's in pain from the cardiac stress test, they just want to be there to talk to the doctors. It's ok that I get to see him suffer, because I'm just a peice of shit that they use so they don't have to go through all this stuff.

Did I mention that in the blow out my SIL, told my FIL that she would be happy to bury him?

Moving On.

So we get to the appointment and I'm translating for the technician, all of a sudden my SIL storms out of the exam room. Like seriously WTF???
At first I thought she was just upset that her Dad is going through all this trouble, and found it difficult to watch, but I found out later it was because I was doing all the translating for the technician, and my father in law.

Fuck me.
Seriously?
After all the appointments I've been to with the old man, and all the stress I go through to get him there, and never mind the cost of driving every one around she want's to cause drama?

I just want to say I QUIT.

/rant

Halloween Haunt @ Canada's Wonderland

A group of us went to Halloween Haunt last year and decided that we would make it an annual tradition. I really enjoyed it last year. they had decorations and creepy creatures hiding behind every corner. It was incredibly fun.
This year we made it to the haunt on Halloween as opposed to any other week end. I found I was disapointed. There weren't as many creepy creatures roaming around this year, and I found that didn't work as hard to scare us.
There was this awesome graveyard thing they did last year, I was looking for it. I was sad not to see it.
Here's a list of the Mazes (Haunted Houses) we made it to:
Club Blood.
I found it entertaining and well planned from the entrance to the dancefloor and Go-Go dancer in her cage. This one of the Haunted Houses I hope stays around for a while.
Blood Shed.
Get it? Blood Shed you see what they did there? Blood Shed. My friend Nelson must have said that like 20 times last night.
Asylum.
Obviously about a loony bin. It was enjoyable nothing out of the ordinary.
Mother Noose.
This was one of 2 3D mazes that Canada's Wonderland has to offer. The glasses sell for $1.00 a piece and you're told they will enhance your experience. I might just be getting old but I found the 3D glassed did nothing but blur your vision and enhance your headache. The Maze was fun as they always are but I think next year I'll just skip the glasses.
Clowns at Midnight.
This maze had an incredible entrance, I love it! In fact this maze had some of the most interesting creatures and I really enjoyed the time we spent there. I would easily say this was my favorite one out of the bunch.
The rides awesomeness as always:
Behemoth
Backlot Stuntcoaster
Dragon's Fire
The Fly
(those were just the ones we got to ride. next year Vortex here we come.)
The funnel Cakes and footlong hot dogs were AWESOME, and I can't picture a trip to Canada's Wonderland with out these orgasmic goodies.

Shows:
Fangs.
Ok so we decided to catch this show seeing as I had heard from alot of people that it was wicked and funny.
Honestly I didn't thing it was THAT funny. It was short so the script sucked. The music was good and what the hell was with the dancer that kept screwing up? Any how the show was an overall MEH!

Oh Canada's Wonderland how I love Halloween haunt.. but next year can you bring some more enthusiastic creepy creatures and bring back the graveyard.
kthxbai.

Check out their website for further information
Canada's Wonderland Halloween Haunt

My New Blog... It's Work Related.

Hey guys. I thought you might want to know that I've started my new blog.
It's Insurance related. I will be posting insurance tips and information at least once a week so take a look and feel free to follow. :D
InsuranceVixen.com

I will only be planning events for friends from now on, but i'll still be posting on The Crash Diaries, as it's my personal blog.
Love you guys.
Ciao for now.

Making Παστιτσιο (Pastitsio)

I got my mom to come over this week end and I wanted to try my hand at something that I haven't made in eons, and I wanted to make it healthier than usual. So I attempted to make a lower fat version of the Greek Traditional dinner called Pastitsio.

It's also important for the reader to know that when working from a Greek moms recipe there aren't any real measurements so I will try to add them as we go.

First things first.

You'll need to start boiling water in in your favorite Pasta Pot, and you'll also need to preheat your oven to 350 F. I don't know what size casserole dish you'll need but a medium sized one is what I used. You'll need to grease the casserole dish before you add your pasta and meat to it.

Olive oil in a large pot. Chop 2 whole onions and 2 garlic cloves and saute them together. I usually use high heat for this. (I love this smell.)

Once the onions and garlic look translucent then add one pound of extra lean ground beef.

Not every one likes to add vegetables to this dish but I love mushrooms, so in they go. :D I try to add them when the beef is browned so they don't break up too much and are barely noticeable in the dish later.

After you've added the mushrooms you can turn the heat down to about half the temp. You will need to add 2 heaping tablespoons of tomato paste.

Mix in the tomato paste and add 1 1/2 cups water. At this point turn the heat down low and let the pot simmer for a while. I'm sure that the water for the pasta has come to a boil by now. You'll need to add 1 package of whole wheat spaghetti to the water. I know it's not the traditional big fat white spaghetti but these are our options.

You'll need a small bowl, and 4 eggs. Crack the eggs and add them to the bowl (whites & yolks) and beat them together. You'll need them for the pasta.

Once the Pasta has boiled, and been strained add two tablespoons of grated Romano or Parmesan Cheese and two tablespoons of butter or margarine.

Mix the pasta butter and cheese together.

Add the beaten eggs and mix into the pasta.

add half your pasta to the casserole dish, and spread it evenly through out. Once you've spread out the pasta add all your ground beef and spread it evenly through out the dish.

The next step is adding the remainder of your pasta to the casserole dish. Again spread it evenly on top of the ground beef mixture.

Now to make the cream topping. For this you'll need 3 cups of milk. I used 1% a small mixing bowl and a small sauce pan. Add 2 cups of the milk to the sauce pan and place on high heat you'll need to bring the milk almost to its boiling point.

In the small mixing bowl add 4 heaping tablespoons of Yiotis cream powder mix, and one cup of milk. Whisk the two together, when the milk in the sauce pan is close to boiling add the mixture to it while whisking the milk in the pan. once the two are combined take it off the heat and slowly stir until it's thinkened.

This is now going to to constitute your last layer of the pastitsio. Pour it ontop of the last layer of pasta and spread it out evenly with a spoon.

Sprinkle some Grated Romano or Parmesan on top.

Now to bake. You'll need to place it in the oven for 1 hour, if the top hasn't browned then leave it just a little longer.

A nice side dish for this is a typical, light & easy greek salad ... sans Feta and Olives.
Sliced Tomato, Cucumber, and onion. Olive Oil, Salt, Basil, and Oregano. Simple and tasty. Some might add a touch of Balsamic vinegar. (the seasoning is to taste add ass you like.)

TADA the finished Product.

Next week I am going to attempt Mousaka.

This post is as much for me as it is for any one else. As you all know I have problems remembering things so I will be able to refer to this in the future when I decide to make it again.

If you don't want to do the low fat version, then use the big fat white noodles that are typical in pasticho and go for the thick layer of cream on top and add as much cheese as you like to pasta and eggs and butter. Some people even add the cream to the past too. :D

So here are the updates.

I've been looking for work for a while now.
I've landed a job as a producer for an insurance brokerage.
I'm enjoying the work but I can't start selling until they pass on my business cards and get me ready to present my self to people as a member of the brokerage. It's hard to approach people with out something verifying who I am & who I work for.

I look like a real ass right?

Moving on:
Personal Front:
Things are good Bobby and I are moving toward our 2nd anniversary. November 4th. :D I can't wait. I'm thinking keeping it small. Just a nice dinner, and some alone time.

My parents went on vacation for almost 2 months. I missed them like crazy. I'm so glad they're back home now.

Bob's parents are fighting like crazy. Bob's is ill and I'm responsible for taking him to all his hospital appointments so we can figure out whats wrong.

That's the update.

The Invites/give aways/ centerpieces/ games/ I complteted for Liz's Bridal Shoer.

Invitations, giftbags, centerpieces, games, give aways.

Some Recent Event Planning Stuff

So before I fall into insurance full time I had some event stuff to
finish off.
Nade & Bruno's engagement invites and Liz & Justin's Wedding.
:)

I almost forgot....

If you live in Toronto & are looking for an insurance quote I will be
more than happy to provide one for you.
Home/Auto/Motorcycle/commercial.
Let me know!
�

Christine
~Sent from my iPhone~

I forgot to tell you guys ....

I passed my RIBO exam on my first try! I scored 85%!
I'm really excited.
Currently I'm awaiting my new email address from the brokerage that's
taken me on as a producer.
I'm gonna give this the best shot I can.
I have started a Twitter account for my insurance clientele &
prospectives. My username is: @InsuranceVixen and I will be posting
insurance tips and news for all of my Toronto tweeps.
Feel free to follow me. :)

Christine
~Sent from my iPhone~

The Black Eyed Peas HD Video on Oprah's Show in Chicago

Check out this video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVQorfIX84w&feature=youtube_gdata

Christine
~Sent from my iPhone~

So tired of looking at books.

I can not begin to express my complete lack of desire to continue
reading/ take notes/ or attempt another practice test!
Thankfully I'm not quite at the point where I'm ready to give up. Not
going to quit!
I think in posting this I am utilizing my blog as a motivational tool.
Gonna take a small break & hit the books again.
Check you guys later.

iPhone upgrade 3.0?

I know it's super cool.
I know it has all the fun stuff we've been waiting for, BUT.
It doesn't have themes, and all the fun stuff that I've been getting from cydia.
I'm afraid to upgrade. I'm going to loose all the great stuff I've got right now.

I've been reading and finding that there are still some issues.

Some have lost album art.
It's deleted text history and contacts. Some people can't send or receive pictures videos and
audio files.

I'm not sure that I'm ready to go through all those head aches.

Right now I'm happy to have cydia and all the apps I can use ESPECIALLY THEMES.

I'm going to hold on for a while yet and see what other stupid things are going wrong with 3.o.

PS. Doesn't this sound almost like every microsoft windows release? More problems than good?
Just checking.

New invites.

I put these together for Liz's Shower.
I think they're pretty, and thanfully so does she.
I'm not quite done the inside yet I'll post it up when I've completed
the addy for the venue.

This is the actual truck he drove.

Crazy huh?

Well Bobby Said He Was Going To Get A New Truck...

I love this photo. I wish i could have been there but I had class. He
actually got to drive it.
It turns out that the air horn is located on the floor so when he
first got in he accidentally stepped on it.
He scared the crap out of everyone around him. Including himself.
I have to say I can't get over it... I think he would have made a good
firefighter ... That's just me.

Bycicles on the DVP

It was pretty neat to look out the window and see bikes on the DVP.
There wasn't a single vehicle out there!
These cyclists were participating in the Heart & Stroke Foundations
Ride for Heart. I wonder how awesome it must have felt to ride a bike
in such a big strech of road like that with out any cars around?
On a side note I couldn't believe the difference in noise levels.
I guess I just got used to the sound of cars out there, after a while
it was almost ambient.
Strange no?
I hope they raised alot of money and had a good time out there.

Been a While No?

I feel slightly guilty that I've neglected my blog. Things have been
pretty busy to say the least.
I don't remember if I mentioned that I got laid off. So ... This is me
mentioning it.
I will be posting some photos today just to get you guys up to date.
See you soon.

Christine
~Sent from my iPhone~

Beautiful Flowers.

I don't know what kind of flower this is, but it's beauty caught my
eye. I had to take a photo. This is me stopping to smell the ...
Flowers. :)

9 toolbox from Appstore.

Thanks to lise I downloaded 9toolbox from the Appstore. It's free for
a limited time.
I think I love it.

There's a currency calculator, tip calculator and even menstrual
calendar.
I say everyone should give this App a shot Especially because it's free.

Perfect Storm Theme Review.

I was getting bored of the theme that I was running until today.
I remember when I dl'd iHeroes that I saw a Blackberry Storm theme that I found interesting.
The theme is called PerfectStorm and is available for download from Cydia.

I find that there are plenty of icons that were made over in the Blackberry theme, but if you're the type that needs all their icons to be in the style of the theme you're running, you may be disappointed.
I thought that most of the stock iPhone icons would have been made over, but I found that this theme was lacking in that way.

PerfectStorm includes a dialer and Querty looking key board.
The keyboard clicks like the Blackberry and is easy to use.

You may want to dl iBlank. This application allows you to create blank application icons so that you can manipulate the look of your screen.

I found that iBlank was extraordinarily easy to use, and I was pleased with the outcome.

You may also want to dl iBlank if you are considering the Windows Vista style themes.

If you'd like to further the theme the Blackberry Click App is also available from Cydia. This App mimics the clicking sound of the Blackberry when clicking on menu items.

I have to say... i like it. It's neat and fun.
If the icons are an issue for you I am sure you can contact the developer and see it he would be willing to design further icons. Some Developers will do that and might request a donation.

Flyer Guys....grrr

I just want to take the time to tell all of you how much I hate these
peeps.
First let me say that 90% of the people who find flyers on their car
will not recycle the paper or throw it into a garbage can but will
rather throw the paper(s) onto the ground.
Secondly, the people (men & women) who do this job don't care about
the vehicles they are flyering. They have to reach on some, and their
jackets and zippers scratch the vehicles!
That makes me mad! Assholes!

Christine
~Sent from my iPhone~

Spanakopita

Spinach & Feta Cheese in a filo Pastery... Soooo goood. Ate it
straight out of the oven.

Whaaa??

Yesterday morning, this was what I saw!
Not impressed Mother Nature.
Eeeww.

Dinner

Veal, green beans, zuccini, potato in a tomato stew.

A Traditional Greek Dinner

Green beans, with zuccini, veal, & potato!
I slaved over a hot stove to take a picture for you! :)

More food shots!

Sweet veal w/ sauce cheese mushroom & sweet roasted red peppers.
Dead baby cow on a bun mmmm. Still one of my favorite sandwiches!

Funny Pic