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Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Cya later alligator.

Hooray for the Flu Shot! My cold in the nose didn't last long at all. Still a few coughs here and there and I gotta tell ya - Scrubbie feels like some big fella at the gym took my chest for a round or two with the boxing gloves on... but overall - not too bad at all. The wife - still in the throws of it all though. Poor thing.

The kid - in the engine room with Bing and Bong. Yep - another sleepover. I know what yer thinkin'... "does he ever NOT have a sleepover?"

I told ya about jonesin' for Banana Bread - I made some. Made 4 mini loaves actually. The kid and his punk pals polished off two of them already. I managed a slice in there though. So did the wife.

Well kiddies - 2008 is fast comin' to a close. Whoosh... that's all I gotta say about it. Helluva year though, eh? One of the highlights for me - the whole bloggin' thing. It's a whole lotta fun puttin' some of my happy-pill inspired thoughts to screen and lettin' ya'll in on it. Your response - it's been great gang. Thanks oodles. I 'preciate all the feedback. I think in 09 - I'll open up the mailbag and provide the Scrubbie answers to questions that I get about this and that. So - go ahead - ask me somethin. Opinions, thoughts, advice - sure - I'll take it all and put it here. hehehehe. Be warned though.

Expecting another half dozen inches of snow to fall tonight. Should make for a groovy morning tomorrow. hehehehe. I'll have to hit the local trading post and pick up a few supplies for the New Years Eve festivities here at the igloo tomorrow night. Apparently - the local city hall is opening it's doors to the public and havin' a showing of the movie Kung Fu Panda tomorrow. Think we might hit that. Depends on how wifey-poo is feelin' probably. 'Course, she might appreciate a bit of a quiet afternoon for nap-time. (Ain't nap time the best time! We call 'em "afternoon sheets". They are the BEST! Nothin' beats the feeling of "afternoon sheets".)

Hey - the bro-in-law and I were at the gym this aft - gettin' in the last gut busting for 2008. Guess who was there? Yep - naked guy. This time though - with clothes on. Thank Gawd. Well... there was one little catch. Naked guy was wearin those spandexish shorts that show off a guy's religion. Blech. As bro-in-law noted: "those should be illegal". Couldn't agree with ya more JR.

Anyway - time to wrap up what I do believe should be the last posting for the year for me and for you.

I, and the whole Scrubbie clan, wish ya'll a really wonderful and totally Scrubbie New Year.

Like the tree this year? Purty, ain't it.

Cheers ya'll.

Monday, December 29, 2008

The thing. The low-down. The scoop. The whole kit-n-kaboodle. COUGH COUGH

Oh goodness... I've got a code in da nose. Hmmmm? I said... I've got a code in da nose. sniffle sniffle. Please excuse me during this posting... cough, cough.

So - how was everybuddy's Christmas? Santa good to ya I hope. Sure was to me. It was a COUGH COUGH cooking Christmas for Scrubbie. Mini loaf pan, mini muffin pan, new fry pans, egg poacher, triple steamer - ahhhh - Scrubbie loves AH-CHOO cookin stuff. Now - I have got a hankerin' for some banana bread and a hot cuppa tea. COUGH COUGH.

'Course - just gotta drag my arse up to do it. The wife? Oh - no - she can't make that stuff either - she's got the cold too. COUGH COUGH. You think my hacking is bad - nothin' compared to the wife. Sounds like a seal farm at the igloo here.

Speakin' of igloo - the Great White came up with a warm spell the last couple 'a days. And, rain too. So - the great heaping mounds of fluffy white that was AHCOO lyin' around has melted down quite a bit. Bare roads even! The dog-sled is grinding on the pavement. There are a few communities 'round here that have been whalloped pretty good 'cause of all the rain and melting. Massive flooding. Some people have really really chilly indoor swimmin' holes in their basements.

But - we got more snow on the way - so it won't be too bare for much COUGH COUGH longer.

So - far as Christmas goes - it was great. The kid was up bright and early and came a'runnin' downstairs to check on the haul. The wife sauntered on down shortly thereafter. The deal was the kid couldn't officially "wake us up" until 7am. Last year - it was 4:30 or somethin' rediculous. Put a stop to that pretty quick. Anyway - I was up early and the kid came down shortly thereafter. 'Bout 6:30 - our 12 yr old son decided (miracously) to fire up the shower which, incidentally, is right beside the wife's and my rumpus room. (He asked if he could wake up mom - I said not till 7 - then he thought a shower would be a good idea. hehehe)

Then - the bathroom lights on and off while the pearly whites are gettin' their morning brushing. (No, no - he wasnt COUGH COUGH trying to wake up mom or anything. Goodness, no.)

Finally - the whole fam is up and the cinnamon rolls are toastin' up in the hotbox. Every Christmas - cinnamon buns drizzled with icing sugar and a cuppa tea. And, the unwrapping begins. COUGH COUGH. AHCHOO. Gotta run for more tissues - be right back.

K - I am back.

Scrubbie's fam was Christmas day. The whole looney bunch. The whacky auntie from Florida. The auntie from Brantford (who - by the way - is totally in tune with Scrubbie - if she gets a cut on her finger - mine hurts. I can often call her and ask what she has done to her knee cause mine is aching. Freaky, huh)

Then, it was the out-laws turn on Boxing Day. Scrubbie did a traditional Christmas feast of turkey and the fixins for the gang. Good times.

Hurricane Rona and her boys were a part of the mix too. Got together with them yesterday to have a little gift exchange and a meal. Took all the kids COUGH COUGH to go and see Mr. Jim Carrey in YES MAN. Apart from the fact that it was really packed in the movie house and Scrubbie had to sit way up front in the second row and has a creaky neck today... it was funny funny. AHCHOO.

I did a little photo thingy with Hurricane's boys as a Christmas gift for the 'ol girl. Wanna see?

There ya go. They're good kids.

COUGH COUGH.

Sorry 'bout that.

The wife hates Buckley's. Won't even consider taking it. Can you believe it? I know, I know - it tastes awful. But, it works. Hey - sounds like a tag line, doesn't it?

COUGH.

Oh - did I mention that the wife, the kid and I along with Hurricane and her boys are all doing a bit of volunteer work on New Years Day? Yep - we are serving a hot lunch to the homeless. Well - homeless, less fortunate... whatever. But - should be good. The kid - old enough to get in there and participate, so thought it was a good idea to get some voluteering up and runnin' for the fam. One of those "together" moments.

New Years Eve - Hurricane and the kids are comin' to Scrubbie's igloo for some festivities. We'll go and see the Christmas Light display at our local community park (Waterloo Park festival of lights - for all you googler's) COUGH COUGH. Then, back to the pad for some food and cocktails. Fancy drinks for the kids featuring swords and cherries. Sparkin' grape juice at midnight. Ya know how it is when you got little Scrubs runnin' around the place.

Tonight - the wife and I are in jammies. COUGH COUGH. Sharing a box of tissues. Hot tea in hand. TV. The kid - he and Bing (of Bing and Bong fame) are crashing out in the engine room here. Video games. Tunes. Popcorn. Whale Blubber popsicles. Ya know - real good Canadian treats.

And - there ya go. The whole low-down.

COUGH COUGH.

Alright kids - gotta run. COUGH. All this typing has really made Scrubbie's throat sore - cant type anymore. Catch ya'll later though.

AHCHOO.

Remember - Scrubbie loves ya. *grin.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Merry Christmas

No naked guy. No icky people. No complaints about other drivers. Not even commentary on the whackball family. Nope - not tonight.

Instead - Hopin' ya'll have a really Scrubbie Christmas! It is a special time of year at the Scrubbie pad and the whole Scrubbie fam wishes you and yours the very best.

Cheers - Scrub

PS - knowing that for the next 48 hours or so I will be neck deep in family both local and from afar - me and my valium will be reporting back soon on the events. Gotta make sure the 'ol Duracells are charged and ready for the camera. This is gonna be a doozie. Wish me luck.

PPS - thank Gawd for Happy Pills

PPPS - just realized I said I wasn't gonna do any family digs and I just did. Sheesh - cant stop myself.

PPPPS - for all you internationals who love Canadians... Merry Christmas, eh.

PPPPPS - all these P's are makin' me gotta go wee. Gotta go. Wee. Seriously. Gotta go.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

You won't believe me... but it's true.

I am a mean, horrible and terrible person.

Now, now - I know you can't believe that. You have come to know me as nothing short of a saint. But, you see, there is a dark side as well. Allow me to explain.

In my 42 years of life here on this planet - there have been many incidents that have lead me to the shocking statement just made. More on that in a moment...

First: Snow, snow, snow. No, I am not singing that famous song from the train scene from Irving Berlin's WHITE CHRISTMAS. I am referring to the plethora of fluffy white that is gracing our fair countryside here in the Great White. (In honour of my Bro-In-Law, JR - I am talking about the storms. He LOVES talking about storms.) We had a whollop of a storm the day before yesterday. 19 centimeters of the stuff floated down from heaven. Today, another one. And yet another on it's way for Christmas Eve. Kids - that is a lot of shovelling.

And - I gotta hitch up the dogs to the sled and make my way to the Big City - Toronto - today. Hurricane Rona's two youngsters are comin' in via the train today into Toronto and Scrubbie here is afraid for their lives should Hurricane try to make the trek herself. So, Scrub's gonna take Hurricane up there to retrieve the punks.

Second: Christmas shopping. Yep - we celebrate Christmas. Not "Holiday Seasons" - Christmas. Sheesh. The shopping - done. To all Scrubbie's family and friends - if it ain't bought now - you ain't gettin' it. Simple as that. Besides, most of the retail stores here in the Great White - including the ones in our fair community here - don't take buttons in exchange for items. They all want cash. Hmph.

Now - back to Mean, Horrible and Terrible.

As a youngster - I tore the wings off flies.

I have used a magnifying glass with the power of the sun to see what would happen to an ant.

I have fed beer to the dog.

I blamed broken lamps on my brother.

I was involved with an incident at home where 32 gallons of water and a whole tank full of fish came crashing down onto the living room floor. My poor mother.

I have lied.

Cheated.

Stolen.

Smoked silly stuff.

Drank underage.

Pre-marital carnal relations. Naturally.

Tried to teach my young child that the big red truck that goes whizzing by when there is a fire somewhere is called a Kitty-Kat - imagining how funny that would be when he hits kindergarten.

Yes - I have basically broken every rule there is. The ten commandments - more of a challenge, really.

And, since hitting the tender age of 40 - have decided that I don't really like people. They generally drive me nuts. (Let's face it - when you go out shopping and such - don't ya just look around and wonder how on earth some of those whack-balls survive on a daily basis? Some of them MUST need a reminder just to breathe.)

But - what really takes the cake... what is the cherry on top... what is the definitive reason that your beloved Scrubbie, whose fabulous pectoral muscles are the envy of all, is really and truly a most horrible, terrible and just plain 'ol nasty example of the human race
...













Fillings for Christmas.

Yep - Scrubbie took the kid to the dentist at Christmas time.

giggle, giggle.

Monday, December 15, 2008

Grab yer pencils and start jotting this down...

With just a few minutes to spare 'fore headin' out into the tundra to take the kid to Monday night Soccer - thought I throw a few letters up on the good 'ol Scrubbie board to say hey.

Nope - have not done the recipe pages yet - but here's something to get you started:

English Toffee

In a saucepan, combine 1 cup of butter - not margarine - BUTTER. Real, deelishush, fattening, creamy butter. Combine that with 3 and 1/3 cup of white sugar - not Splenda - real, deelishush... well, you get the idea. Medium to med/high heat should do 'er. Stir. Stir some more. Once all melted, drop in a tablespoon of corn syrup and 3 tablespoons of water. Stir like a witch on halloween night. Keep stirrin'. Get that puppy bubblin'. Watch it start to turn golden. Frothy. More golden. Feel your mouth start to water. Be sure to hum or sing somethin' happy while doing this or it wont turn out. Honest. Now - somewhere in that drawer filled with those weird utensils you hardly ever use but wouldnt throw out has to be a candy thermometer. Keep diggin' - it's in there. Good. Now - make sure you keep this batch of golden goodness goin' till it hits 300 degrees. Not 299. 300. Throw a sheet of parchment paper in a cookie tray. Then real careful like - pour out this sugary goodness onto that tray. Ya - that's it. Oh ya baby. Use a spatula to get out every last bit of ooze. (Note - you dont really NEED a spatula - but by using it - you get to have your first taste of the toffee cause it hardens and cools on the spatula REAL QUICK) Let 'er sit for a while. A good while. It needs to cool and harden. Then - crack that sheet of heaven up into delish shards. Go ahead. DO IT.

Now - if you not on the naughty list yet - melt some chocolate and just dip some of those shards into that chocolate. You know you want to.

I know - I know - this is too good to be true. But, have I ever lead you astray? No. Of course not.

Damn - just talkin about it... Scrubbie needs a cold shower.

Gotta run boys and girls. The kid's gotta be on the field in half an hour. Later gater.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Hey Kids - Sunday night - oh what a night!

Yesterday, Scrubbie was babysittin' at the wife's gal pal Judy's pad. Her two lads are just a riot and I don't mind hangin' with them anytime. Drivin' home was a bit of a challenge... when I left, there was a sheet of ice everywhere and on everything. So - Scrubbie took the go-kart up to a whopping 60 km/h all the way home.

Hey - tonight - Survivor's finale is on. WooHoo! Can't wait to see the fireworks. Nothin' better than a group of people gettin' their grump on and makin' fools of themselves. hehehehehe. Better them than me. *grin

Hey - I have been asked for some recipe cards for the yummy goodies that are slowly being consumed 'round the igloo here. Mostly the kid and his punk friends nibbling at chocolate while they are here. (Wanna know a secret? Just between us. I LOVE sendin the punks home to their caretakers all whoop-ass'd up on sugar. Snicker-snicker!) So - I'll see if I can get creative and put together the recipes into some kinda' digi-scrappin somethin-er-other. If not - I'll just throw them up. Ya know how it is - Christmas comin' up and all. Time is a precious commodity these days.

So - work wise - things are windin down now till January. Ahhhhh. But, come Jan - holy mackinaw - I gots me hands full.

Now - I gotta go and find the electric cattle prod that I keep lyin round the igloo here somewhere. What? Why do I need it? I have a 12 yr old son who has homework and a bedroom resembling a WWII diorama. That's why.

Saturday, December 13, 2008

The Day After

Ahhh - survived. Hurricane Rona and the wife. I survived.

Perhaps I have lead you astray somewhat though. You see - Scrubbie is a bit of a cook too. In fact, I sorta like the kitchen. Love cooking. Being an adult ADHD kinda guy - cooking is great 'cause I end up with a finished product immediately. And we scatter-brains get off on that sorta thing.

There is something disturbingly wrong with yesterday however. You see by the end of the night, Scrubbie's igloo was filled with scents and tastes that are just - well - fan-frackin'-awesome! Here's the rundown:

- chocolate/orange truffles dusted with cocoa and confectioners sugar with a hint of Grand Marnier oozing through each delectable morsel
- rum balls that'll make ya blow over if ya ever got stopped by the fuzz
- chocolate haystacks that are way more chocolate than they are haystacks
- "Stained Glass Windows" - weird name for a chocolate log that is chuck full of mini fruity marshmallows and peanuts and cut into slices to look like wee lil' stained glass windows
- turtle bars - caramel, chocolate, pecans and more chocolate - need I say more?
(Hurricane Rona is a chocoholic - can you tell?)
- real english toffee - a lovely concoction of a half pound of butter and 3.5 cups of white sugar - boiled up with a bit of corn syrup and poured out into a pan to harden and break apart into mouth watering shards of heavenly goodness

And, there are still ingredients left over for a couple 'a other tidbits that I am 'sposed to whip up today or tomorrow.

So - back to the disturbingly wrong portion of this rant posting. You see - I am diabetic.

You can see my dilemma.

Friday, December 12, 2008

The Wife, Hurricane Rona and an oven.

Dear Lord in Heaven,

It's me - Scrubbie here. Lord - I don't often come 'a callin'. You know that's true. And, when I do - ya pretty much know it's a doozie that I'm askin' for. Well - it's one of those days.

The wife and Hurricane Rona - you know the one... she's the one who blows things up. Lighting strikes her house - not once but twice. Planes crash in her yard. Unexploded dynamite lies under her driveway. Ya - that one. Anyway - she and the wife are making attempts to do come Christmas baking in the 'ol Scrubbie kitchen.

And, I am frightened.

Lord - watch over this igloo and all those in it. And, if it be your will that the curse of Hurricane Rona should fall upon us - make it a time when Scrubbie's out gettin' his lottery ticket tonight.

Thanks buddy. 'Preciate it.

Your faithful servant - Scrub.

Amen.

Monday, December 8, 2008

Brrrr. Jesus. Brrrr. Gooooooaaaaaal! Shoppin'. Snow. SUV's. Money. You got it all.

Let me tell ya about cold. Sheesh.

So - the Scrubbie fam all went to Bethany Missionary Church last night to see their presentation of the Living Nativity. 40 animals and 150 of the congregation putting on a 20 minute tah-dah of the story of the birth of the big J. It was awesome. Go ahead - google Bethany Missionary Church in Kitchener Ontario. They have a few pics there from a couple of years ago. None of this year - not yet anyway. But, through the glory of it all - Scrubbie's toes were damnd near frozen little stubs. Yikes. I got enough fat on me up top to keep me toasty warm, but the legs and the toes - ya, not so much. Came home and it took a good while to thaw out. Even dug into the good 'ol Scrubbie bar to have a nip or two to get the insides warm. Anyway - it was great. Nuff said.

Then, tonight - the kid was playin' soccer - as he always does on a Monday night. And, the lad managed to get his foot flyin to put a goal in and then came back for an assist. Well - it was smiles from ear to ear. Sadly - the wife wasn't there. Hurricane Rona gathered a few of the hens tonight and coerced the wife into bein there.

Funny though - anytime the wife does happen to miss a game... the kid scores. Then, when she is there, nothin. The kid has noticed this. Now, there is talk about tryin' to convice ma that games are going to be on Tuesday's so she misses the Monday games. Ya - that ain't happenin.

So - tomorrow I think Scrubbie's gonna try and hit a shop or two cause apparently our little region here is gonna get whacko'd with some additional fluffy stuff on Wednesday. Ya - the go-kart just doesn't like the fluffy stuff.

Think I'll go and buy a lottery ticket this week. I am pretty sure it's my turn for a win and I need the ability to go out and buy one of those vehicles that makes the tree-huggers cringe and then I need the ability to just willie-nillie buy go-go juice for it without even thinking twice about the price of gas. Yep - my turn.

Don't worry - I won't forget ya'll. I'll just use a more expensive font. That's all.

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Left, right, left and left again.

Ahhh yes. It's Saturday night. The snow is a'fallin', the kid is playing with Bing and Bong. The warm glow of the TV is flooding over the Wife and I and we are bopping to the sweet tunes of Christmas. It's a great night.

Lots happening to share with ya'll.

Yesterday, went to the wife's gal pal Judy's for a smack of dinner and a cocktail. I was ordered to geek-ify their computer and new TV. So, ear-suckler hubby of gal pal Judy and I hopped in the go-kart and went to our local Geek store and picked up a few tidbits. I was deeelighted to spend his money. Him... not so much. However, they are now online once again and revelling in the magic and beauty that is the interweb.

Thursday night, the kid and I packed up and drove off into the middle of buck-frack nowhere to our friend's place to pick up his brat pal Eddy Haskell. On the way home, we stop off at Timmie's (Canada's great watering hole) to pick up a cuppa joe. I ask the boy-o's what they want as we traverse the drive-thru. Fully expecting shouts of apple juice and hot chocolate, sweet chocolate doughnuts and cookies, imagine my horror when Eddy Haskell says "large Double-Double please Mr. Scrubbie". I know! "WHAT??!!" Sure nuff - Eddy Haskell wants coffee with double cream, double sugar. I question this and am told that as he is now 14, the parental units have agreed that the lad can have coffee. I concede and the boy has a large double-double. Sheesh.

First - Eddy Haskell is WIRED from the tip of his nose to the ends of his toes. Caffeine is pretty much the LAST thing this lad needs. Second - well - there really is no second. Suffice to say - humina-humina-humina. The boy PEAKS with his caff jolt. But - Scrubbie can handle it. He's a pro when it comes to these pre and young teens and their wild testosteronish ways. I simply crank up the tunes and encourage wild and crazy thoughts. My goal: burn'em out before getting home to the wife. She ain't all that keen on kids, as you might recall. Coming home with the wild bunch - that'd get me sleepin in the car fer shure.

So - I have just been advised that the wife and I are headin' out. Guys - you know what I'm talkin about here. We boys, for the most part, don't concern ourselves with lotsa planning and such. We fly by the seat of our pants. When it comes to the outings - we just go and fire up the automobiles and turn left and right as per instructions. We find out where we are going when we get there.

Oh - I love a mystery!

Monday, December 1, 2008

December 1

My goodness - Dec 1st - which means Christmas is just 'round the corner!

So - the kid is very upset. Not a snow day. Scrubbie's pretty upset too. Means I gotta go to work too. hehehehe.

Ah well - there ya go.

Have a good one ya'll.

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Did someone say Snow Day.

Yes, I'm a little older and a little wiser. My birthday? Oh heavens no - I just haven't blogged in a while. So - that makes me a little older. Wiser though? Ahhhh - probably not.

So, it's the eve before the Big Storm. Yep - our fair community is 'sposed to be hit with lotsa snow and rain and sleet and lord only knows what else. Woo HOO! LOVE storms! What did Scrubbie do to celebrate? BBQ'd. Yep - stood outside in my jammies pants and Q'd up some burgs for the wife and the kid. Plunked ourselves down in the warm glow of the TV and watched the tail end of Jingle All The Way. hehehehe. Scrubbie loves defying nature.

Catch any of the show The Amazing Race? Well - last week, dumb and dumber (the Frat Boys) made 'ol Scrubbie laff his arse off with their marching. And, when Dumber learned he had to do a little Russian dancin' this week - well, the wife and I fell of our chairs. I tell ya - those boys. Sheesh.

Hey - the kid hosted another sleepover this weekend. Nope, not Bing and Bong as usual. Instead, we had Eddy Haskell over. Who's that you ask? Remember the show Leave it to Beaver? Eddy Haskell was the really polite kid who would always extend absolutely ultimate courtesy to Mr. and Mrs. Cleaver. But, deep down, we all knew he was the reason Wally and the Beav would get into deep doo-doo. Well - we got ourselves one of those kids round here. 14 yrs old now - but even over the past years, since we knew him at the tender age of 9, he would always say "Hello Mr. Scrubbie. Hello Mrs. Scrubbie. How are you today? Mrs. Scrubbie - you look really nice today! I was wondering if The Kid could come out to play?" No kidding. He really talked like that. Anyway - we haven't seen him in a long while. His family - the Tattoo Gang, moved outa town a while back. And, for the past year, we haven't gotten together. Sure - we have had the odd email. Maybe a chit chat back and forth. But, you know how life just sorta gets goin' and sometimes you are really only along for the ride. Well - it's been like that. But, this weekend, we changed all that. Scotty (Mr. Tattoo) dropped Eddy Haskell off yesterday and the boys settled into the Engine room downstairs for a night of mayhem. Then, this morning, after a feast of pancakes, I packed up the brats and drove off into the afternoon sun to return Eddy home. The kid came along. The Tattoo gang live in the middle of nowhere. Thank GAWD for GPS.

Anyway - the storm started brewing, so the kid and I hopped into the Go Kart and made our way home. Tricky here and there. Had to avoid a few fellas who had skidded into the ditches. But made it home.

Speakin' of home... the halls have been decked at the Scrubbie Pad. The tree is up - dolled up in all it's retro/country/turn of the century-ish charm. Smelly stuff everywhere. Candles a'glowin. (Course, us havin' had our house burn down - always a little cautious with stuff like that. Wouldn't want a repeat. Once is plenty... Thank-you very much)

Scrubbie's gotta go and shovel the snow now. Gonna try to stay on top of it. (ha - not likely)

Hopin' we have a Snow Day tomorrow!!! Keep yer fingers crossed kids. The boy would be in his glory. (All you readers who don't have the joy of snow - awwwwww.... sorry to hear. You just don't know the thrill of waking in the morning and havin' the fam gather round the 'ol radio tucked in the corner of the igloo - eager and ready to hear the words SNOW DAY. )

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Mike Hoffman - Hockey Hockey and more Hockey.

So - our dear friend, Hurricane Rona, was over tonight. Her nephew Mike Hoffman is a young hockey hot shot and was playing tonight in St.John's for the QMJHL Team Canada against Russia in the CHL ADT Canada Russia Challenge. Garsh - I knew Mikey when he was just a little hellian runnin' amok. My oh my. The lad did well. Pulled off an assist tonight. He'll be NHL before you know it. Was down in Philly in the US this past fall for their training camp. Anyway - it was a hockey night at Scrubbie's.

And, on the topic of Hurricane Rona - her love affair with Jack Bauer will come bubblin' to the surface this Sunday once again when 24 hits the airwaves once again. She'll be over. Gawd help us.

Reminds me - gotta get nachos, wings and chicken fingers ready for the day.

I'm not fond of telling people they dont have a job anymore. Ya - that's part of what I do for a living. Did that yesterday. It was exhausting.

I gotta do some digiscrappin' real soon. Haven't fired up photoshop in a while now. Just seems like time has been tight for the past couple of weeks.

Happy pills are going well. Really well! hehehehe.

And, the snow is fallin' again. We're s'pose to be gettin' a good whack of it over the next 24 hours. Hurricane Rona hates the winter. HATES winter. LOL. She's in denial over the snow. Calls it sand. Says there is a sandstorm tonight. She's whacked.

Time to hit the sack. Night kids.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Another Front Door Foto

Yep - it's another of Scrubbie's Front Door Fotos. Lovely pics taken from the comfie cozie portal to the Scrubbie pad. And, as you can see, the Great White has it's namesake in abundance this morning.

And, of course, the kid doesn't have boots yet. LOL

So - the kid was in the Santa Clause parade on the weekend in the grand city of Hamilton Ontario. Good times. Really wet. But, good times. I do have some pics - I'll get them up.

The most important thing to share this morning is that we are less than 1 week away from the movie "24" featuring *gasp* Jack Bauer. Sun Nov 23 is the date kids. Mark that on your calendar.

Gotta run - the kid needs his lunch and I gots to shovel the drive.

Later Gater.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

A quickie. No - not that! You naughty monkeys.

Morning darlin's - so to honour the arrival of the fat man in the red suit (Santa - not me) to inspire Christmas shoppers everywhere at your local mega mall, and to mark today when the kid goes to ride on a float in the Santa parade in the big city, Scrubbie and the fam wanna give you a lil' somethin-somethin.

Click
HERE for a Scrubbie Surprise!

Friday, November 14, 2008

The name is Bee. Scrub-bee.

6.2
5.8
7.3

No - not the lottery numbers. Just glucose levels. Yes - I'm back to drawing blood everyday. Blah. But - on the positive side - looks like I don't have thick as honey blood flowin' through the old veins. Scrubbie's been a good boy! Still gotta go to the vampires at the lab next month though.

It's Friday. Nice, eh? Busy with work - but the weekend is officially creeping up. Tomorrow - off to Hamilton to take part in the Santa Parade. Gonna be good hookin' up with some folks we haven't seen in a while. There is this couple with a young lad who was born with congenital birth anomaly similar to the kid. We ended up meeting a few years ago when they put in a request to meet another family in similar circumstance. They are gonna be there too. Been a couple of years since we last saw them.

And - it is James Bond Weekend! WOOOOOOHOOOOOOO! Yep - the new Bond flick starts up this weekend. The Bro-In-Law, JR, is goin' to catch it this weekend. The wife and I are making plans. Not sure if we can make it happen this particular weekend, but, it'll happen. Oh yes - it'll happen.

So - that's it for now. Gotta hit the books.

Cheers

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Santa Clause is comin' to town. Well - not our town. Not yet anyway.

Ya - so I was talking about the kid and I havin' a lazy day the other day. It was so great. Still smilin' about it.

The kid and I are just wrapping up a movie right now - The Bourne Supremacy. I tell ya - those Jason Bourne flicks are just awesome.

It is getting colder around these parts. Sheesh. Took the lunatic dog out for a piddle a while ago. Even she was lookin at me as if it say "even though I gots fur, daddy, my u-hoo is FREEZIN! Get me inside!" hehehe. She's so cute.

Hey - ya'll know what day it is today, don't ya? KNIGHT RIDER day! *grin. But - since the Bourne flick is on the tube - Scrubbie's got to wait till tomorrow for his adrenaline rush. Lets face it though - the show is awful. I know, I know - why watch it then. snif, snif - I just cant stop!

Tomorrow - I have to go and get some more test strips for diabetes. Back to bein' the human pincushion again. Sigh. I think there's a digiscrappin' layout in there somewhere.

And, the final note for tonight - everybody find a TV on Saturday. The kid is gonna be in the Santa Clause Parade in Hamilton, Ontario. We're involved with War Amps (the kid is the one-handed wonder, remember) Anyway - each year, he is on the float in a parade - either the Oktoberfest Parade in Kitchener, Ontario or one of the Santa Clause Parades somewhere. This year - it's the Steel City. And - it's always a good time. Yep - I'll take pics.

Gotta run. Time to tear the kid away from the movie and hit the sack. Nighty Night.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

The Flu Shot

Hey there kiddie-winks. Whassup.

Scrubbie got his flu shot today. *groan

Scrubbie's a big ol' pansie-assed wimp when it comes to needles. But - Nurse Betty was awesome. Not like the vampires at the lab that I have to go see now and then to manage my good friend diabetes. Ya - Scrubbie's pancreas is on vacation. Stupid pancreas. The pancreas is a gland organ in the digestive and endocrine system of vertebrates. It is both an endocrine gland (producing several important hormones, including insulin, glucagon, and somatostatin), as well as an exocrine gland, secreting pancreatic juice containing digestive enzymes that pass to the small intestine. These enzymes help in the further breakdown of the carbohydrates, protein, and fat in the chyme. Just in case you didn't know.

Anyway - arm is a little sore. Kinda like the wife slugged me for playin a joke on her or somethin. But - apart from that - all is well.

Had Hot Dogs for dinner tonight. LOL! I know - Hot Dogs. November. Hot Dogs! I dunno - I just think it's funny. Went outside in the dark and cold tonight to fire up the Q and roasted a couple 'a weenies. It was fun.

Speakin of weenies - that is one of the words that I like. I like a lot actually. It's just fun to say. WEENIES. hehehehe - puts a smile on my face. Go ahead - say it - WEENIES.There - tell me you aren't just 'a grinnin' right now.

Have I told you the words I don't like? There are lots. Inlcuded in the list is the word 'belly'. Eeewwwww. Don't like that word. Just kinda creeps me out.

Another I don't like. Vagina. I mean - who came up with that? *shudder.

Reminds me. Excuse me for a Scrubbie Aside here:
Mom - dont EVER use that word again. Can't afford the therapy.
Scrubbie's back. Thanks for the aside.


November 11th. Rememberance Day

Monday, November 10, 2008

Happy Pills - here I come!

No pics - just words. How boring, eh?

SCRUBBIE'S COCKTAILIN' WITH THE WIFE! WOOO HOOOOOO! hehehehe
Ya - the wife and I are suckin' back a couple 'a cocktails and relaxin' in front of the tube. The kid played soccer again tonight - game - didn't win, but did well.

On the tube? We're just watchin' the Food Network - Restaurant Makeover. Couple 'a gay guys that have restaurant on Church in Toronto. But - comin' up - HEROES. Love that show.

Speakin' of shows - NOVEMBER 23 is the return of Jack in 24. OMG - It's been ages since we have seen that show. Hurricane Rona always comes over to watch Jack. She's in love.

Ya know - with new readers all the time, I'm gonna have to do a post just to catch up on the cast of characters in Scrubbie's life that get mentioned here.

Cast of characters - one more note: Geek Buddy - smooched a new gal the other night. I know 'ur readin' this buddy - wooooooooooooooo! You go brother!

So kids - Scrubbie's goin back on Happy Pills. Yes - glorious Happy Pills. Gonna go see Dr.Scott tomorrow and get my new slip of paper that says - "Give Scrubbie as much as he can take". Can't wait. Venoflaxine is my best friend. I'll give you the low down as soon as the first capsule makes that glorious slide down the gullet and all those happy neurons start 'a flowin. Oh happy days.

Oh - and the go-kart has new tires! It was delightful turning a corner today and actually staying in my lane. Weird. hehehe. Many dollars - but, with the snow comin' down - just can't risk flyin off the road anymore. Scrubbie's got a kid and wife to think about too. (Knight Rider doesn't have that problem)

So - the ice is meltin' in the glass and the Crown is diluting. Can't have that. Gotta run.

Oh - Happy Birthday to gal pal Judy and to Scrubbie Uncle John. Funny eh - Uncle John. Everybody seems to have an Uncle John. The make them in bulk. Cheaper that way.

Lazy Sunday afternoons

Ahhhh - it was a lazy Sunday afternoon 'round the Scrubbie pad.

The kid went to his overnight thingy with the Church group on Friday night. It was an all nighter - they left at 4pm, returned Saturday morning at 7am. NO SLEEP. Football, soccer, swimming - the whole kit'n'kaboodle. The kid came home bleary eyed but had a great time. Hit the sack promptly at 7:20am and slept till I rousted him at noon.

Saturday night - sleepover at Bing and Bong's of course. Then Sunday rolled 'round and there wasn't much activity at all.

Oh sure - I could have been industrious. But, I did put in my time on Friday and Saturday. Cleaned the bathrooms, did laundry, tidied up the main floor. Completely gutted and cleaned the kid's room. Blech.

This left Sunday.

We watched a couple 'a movies. Enjoyed some snacks.

It was perfect. Even the lunatic dog got in on the game and curled up in the corner of the loveseat to have herself a little nappy-poo.

I'm tellin' ya kids - if you haven't done yourself a lazy day in a while... it's time to do just that. Consider it a Scrubbie prescription.

Hey - anyone watch the Amazing Race last night? So glad those two diva's are gone. And, ex-hubbies of the diva's - CONGRATULATIONS! Looks like you are way better off. *grin

Finally - the wife came home after her weekend at one of Karen's Go Scrapping retreats. This time - Blue Moutain in Collingwood. Hey - wanna talk bleary eyed? Geez. The woman was toast when she got home! But - she and gal pal Judy and their In A Pinch Designs biz did very well. Yep - she was tired. Burst into tears when she pushed the wrong button on the TV remote. I know, I know....

And, now, Monday morning. Went to the Gym - got a little physical. It was good. SNOW on the ground again. Sheesh. One week ago - T-shirts and shorts. Welcome to Canada, eh.

(told ya we talk about weather.)

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Out with the old. In with the new.

Howdy kids.

So - the dreaded clean out and clean up has begun. It started with the outside - have to hunker down for the winter which will eventually come upon us. Ya know - packing stuff away; taking down the patio stuff; gettin' the Christmas lights up now so I dont have to do it in a blizzard. All that.

Then - because I needed space in the engine room to pack everything away - the clean out and clean up continued there. Argh.

But - whilst rummaging - I came across a few scrappy layouts that we had packed away. These are additional ones that are all trashed because of the fire. (New readers - the wife and I lost our house and everything in it to fire a while back. Everyone made it out alright - but surprisingly... it has taken pretty much this long to get 'round to really going through a few boxes of stuff that we managed to salvage out of it all. Weird, huh)

Anyway - the layouts. Right. That's what I was talkin' about. So - we have these layouts that are bent, mouldy, mucky - basically trash. But, there they are. So - I have been working on a few of them and making them into digital layouts. Kewl, huh. I'm scanning the photos - doing a little Photoshop magic to clean them up, then taking the look of the layout and redoing them digitally. Tons'o'fun - gotta tell ya.

So - that first pic up there is the scanned image. I didn't scan the whole 12x12 - suffice to say, black border, steelish grey paper, screw head stickers - yadda yadda yadda. But, you can see the watermarks on it, brads missing etc. In this case, I even took the original TOOL TIME cutout title and used the letters - cleaned them up, made a new border etc.

And - voila - the digital redo.

I have a bunch more of them that I am going to work on as well. Will preserve what I can and say CYA LATER to the rest.

Ahhhh - it's all kinda therapuetic in a way, isn't it?

One awesome last note - one of the pics was the wife's and my engagement picture. Thought that was a gonner.

Will keep ya'll posted.

Here's the comparison

Strippers, Pizza and Beer. Welcome to MY world.

A Yellow Finch - in November??!! Yes - it's true. Told ya it was beeeuteeeful 'round these parts, didn't I?

So, it's no secret that I have adult ADHD. My attention span is - well, non existent. If there's somethin' shiny - whoops... hey look at that! Know what I mean?

Every now and then, I think to myself - "I think I am done with this digital scrappin' thing. It was fun. But, time to move on." Then, yesterday, I went to the local cheap print place 'cause they have a great sale on printing 8x10's right now for 49 cents. Ya - .49! I went and had some of my fav digi layouts that I have done printed off in 8x8 so I'd have somethin pretty to look at when on the potty. Oh gawd - did I just say that out loud. Where's that delete key? Anyway - GEEZ - they are way kewl! It's awesome seein' them actually printed off. So - my interest level has gone way up again. LOL! It's not like I am short of supplies or anything - the 'ol external drive is just 'a burstin' at the electronic seams with shtuff. So - time to double click on that Photoshop thing and do a few more. Strike while the iron is hot, right?

Hey - speaking of this weekend (yesterday's post. c'mon, keep up) - Scrubbie's a bachelor. And, 'cause the kid's on his God overnight thing - I gots Friday night all to my lonesome! Woo-frackin'-hoo! LOL. What's a fella to do. Hmmmmm - strippers? Party? Wings, pizza and beer in my jockey shorts that I turned inside out to get an extra few days wear? Let's get real here kids - Scrubbie's gonna flop in front of the tube for a couple hours and go to be early. I'm over 40 and I'm a dad. It is what I do.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Heeee's Back

Evening boys & girls. Scrubbie's back. I know - it's only been a couple 'a days - and I know some of ya'll are goin' through withdrawl - but not to worry - I am still here! *grin

So - there is so much to say! Let's get right to it then.

1. To my neighbours south of the border - CONGRATS on your elections! Who am I? Ahhhh - basically a nobody, but I am glad you shouted out to have President Elect Obama as captain of the ship. Seems like a reasonable fella. And history was made. There have been so many outstanding quotes over the last 24 hours - but one that I particularly liked was in our national newspaper here in the Great White. It read "Rosa Parks sat so Martin Luther King could walk. Martin Luther King walked so Obama could run. Obama ran so our children could fly." (or something to that effect). Ya - I think that shouts volumes.

2. The pic there - it's the kid and Scrubbie's mommy. Ain't they just the pair?

3. Weather (it's what we Canucks talk about - get used to it). Holy geez - it's been 20 degrees here the last two days and we get another tomorrow! Not 100% sure what that is in fluff'n'height - but suffice to say it's T-shirt weather. Sunny and warm! WooHoo!

4. It's Wednesday and you know what that means! KNIGHT RIDER! Oh ya baby.

5. The kid is taking off on Friday for an overnight thingy with this youth group he hangs with. Wednesday nights he goes to a youth program and they are doing an all nighter even this weekend. It is a whole lot of games, some football, some swimming, pizza and bevvies, little bit of God thrown in here and there. Should be good. The problem is - Saturday morning when the little fart comes home - he's gonna be tired, cranky. Hopefully - the lad will sleep.

6. And finally - the news came out today that it appears that the body of a teen found earlier today is that of Brandon Crisp. You might recall a few entries ago - I did a small "Scrubbie Aside" hoping that this young fella might stumble across it. I was so hoping that the story would have a happy ending. It does appear that this is not the case. Words cannot express the sorrow that the wife and I feel for the Crisp family. Mr & Mrs Crisp - if you are reading: THIS IS NOT YOUR FAULT. Places traded, the wife and I would have done and would still do the EXACT SAME THING. We hope you find peace in the days, weeks, months and years to come.

I know readers - doesn't that just suck.

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Ahhh - another All Hallows Eve has come and gone. Great this year. They kid and a couple of his punk friends got together to head out. Hurricane Rona stopped by for a visit. Couple 'a cocktails were flowing. James Bond movie to wrap up the night. Ya - all in all - good times.

Oh - and my niece and nephew stopped by too. Whogun and Dancer - you remember them from previous posts, right? JR and Dutchie's brats? Yep - they were decked out to the nine's as well. Whoosh!

So, here's the deal: One parent came by dressed up, bag the size of a house in hand, and while escorting a couple of his malformed offspring (assumed) he also puts out his bag and says he is collecting for the little one in the stroller. IN THE STROLLER? Are you kidding me? There are so many things wrong with this on so many levels. 1. You don't feed candy to a baby. What are you doing here pal - starting a collection for later in life like some kinda candy trust fund or something? 2. Do you really think I believe you here? The truth is you are collecting additional sweeties for your own brats and for yourself. Sheesh. Get a life dude. (I am sure he's reading this - so I can't name names here. Dave from #287 up the street would be sooo embarassed if I did)

And, November is upon us! Geez - the calendar is just flyin' by.

The wife is out Scrapbookin' today at a crop and I am at home with the kid. The wife's gal pal Judy is entrusting her eldest to me for the day. Bwaa-haa-haa! Ya.... the kid is gonna know what's it is like to put in a full day's yard work by time I'm done with him.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Torres swings both ways!

Grey's Anatomy - dont'cha just love it.

The wife and I like to take in Survivor and then Grey's on a Thursday night. Did ya watch tonight? Pigs - sheesh. Blech. I tell ya - I much prefer working in HR than in medicine!

Like the pic? It's the Mother-In-Law when she was but a chick of 18. The wife wasn't even a glint in her mama's eye yet.

So - tomorrow is All Hallow's Eve. The kid was flippin' back and forth for a bit as to whether or not he was going to go out for it this year. But, when he heard that his punk friends are all headin' out as a group - he decided he was going to be in with the crowd. Dead Mime. Yes - you read that correctly - the kid fancies going out for Hallowe'en as a dead Mime. LOLOLOLOLOL. Oh - I don't know! I don't know where he got the idea from. But, there it is. So, the wife and I toodled out today to pick up some whiteface make up, pair of white gloves for a buck, couple of other doo-dads. Tomorrow - we have to put it all together.

Speakin of headin' out. The wife and I took a lunch break together today. We have a local farmer's market that goes on Thursday and Saturday every week. Lots of vendors peddling belts and socks, apples and mushroom, fresh veggies, meats and a whole lot more. So - off we went to enjoy a sausage on a bun and take in the sights. Chilly - but good times. Bumped into the kid's former after-school babysitter who was also there with her eldest son who WAS a young fella - not so much anymore. Sheesh.

Oh, hey... the Bro-In-Law and I went to the gym tonight to sweat off a couple 'a pounds. NO NAKED GUY tonight! WooooooHooooooo! *grin

So - that's about it for the moment. Catch ya'll tomorrow - hopefully with pics of a dead Mime to share.

Welcome to KIM! Kim just hopped on board as a follower today. Kim is a digi-designer from Philly in the good 'ol US of A.

Listen kids - if you are signing on as a follower - be sure to drop a note or leave a comment so I know who you are. As the 'ol list grows - dummy Scrubbie is gonna start to not know who's new anymore.

Nighty-Night!

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

16 down and 6855676510 to go


Ya know - there's just somethin' immensely satisfyin' about digging through some old pics. Kinda like digging for treasure or somethin. Found a pic today of the kid a few years ago when we did the punkin' patch thing. I remember the day - it was grand.

Now - a few years later - the kid is growin' up. Which brings us to today's noteworthy item - the after school dance. Yes boys & girls - the kid had his very first school dance. At the tender age of 12, the report when he came home started with "I did two slow-dances!" - said with that non-chalant "low voice" he puts on when he is REALLY keen on something but tries to stay very kewl about it. *grin

The wife and I dig in a little deeper.

"Oh - and how did you 'slow dance'?" we ask.

"Waist and shoulders." he says.

The wife is particularly alarmed. You see - as far as she is concerned, she only shot the kid outa the chute a couple 'a days ago so he's still a baby in her eyes.

I'm not that much different I guess. Although.... I dunno... maybe bein' a guy, I take it all a little more in stride. Or, maybe it's just 'cause we guys tend to root on other guys when it comes to this sorta thing. It's ingrained in us to do so. Whoop Whoop!

Mark this day on your calendars kids- the day that Scrubbie will be eating his words.
*******
Excuse me Scrubs - just for a second here...
HEY STEVE: Wed night bud - no Knight Rider up in the Great White! I think Barack took over the airwaves. Think I'll have to take my go-kart out for a toodle and take'r up to 250mph just to get my fix. Oh - wait... she starts to fly apart at 60. Never mind.
Ok kids - I'm back. Thanks.
*******
The wife and I really do enjoy watching "Big Bang Theory" on TV. That show just cracks us up. LOL.

Ya'll remember my Geek friend Jim? Ya, well.... we can relate.
*******
And, finally - a little welcome to "Rachel" and her brood for hopping on board the Scrubbie train. Good to have you here!

I know I have missed a few of the recent "followers" - but, Scrubbie's brain is kinda mushy. Why? Oh - c'mon - you read my blog! How could it NOT be mush!?

Suffice to say - I am thrilled to have you all on board. Thanks tons.

It's no secret that my plan is to take over the world. So - that is 16 down and only 6855676510 to go. Bwaa-ha-ha.

Check out this Scrubbie Surprise. Gee - that's a whole lotta 'gettin jiggy with it'.

7am



Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
7:00 am
Wednesday October 29, 2008

Snow.

Frack.

And, that's all I gots to say 'bout that.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Mean, Horrible and Proud.

Naked guy was there again. Hmph. This time though, the Bro-In-Law got to experience it too. Naked guy wasn't naked through. PHEW!

Howdy kids. So - what's new? Well - not a helluva lot actually. Monday and today have both been pretty heavy into work stuff.

Monday night was Soccer again. The kid tried his hand (buh-dump-bum) (some of you know he has only one hand which makes that phrase kinda funny) at bein' goalie again. Did ok. He's a field guy though, so in goal - he is tryin to use his feet all the time instead of doin' the dive to block shots and such. Oh well - between him and the coach - they'll figure it out. The wife wants to know though - "Who puts a one-handed kid in goal!? I mean - really?!?" hehehehe. Ain't that funny!

Scrubbie's pad has yet more electronics in it. The kid has been savin' his pennies for a while and with the birthday just passed, he has managed to put the coin together to go and do some spending - which he did. The word iPod is now heard every other sentence. Yep - the kid went out and got himself an iPod at the local electronic superstore. Bein' the frugal dad - tried to go the regular MP3 route - showed the kid an 8gig zip-pi-dee-doo-da thingy with larger screen and all the bells and whistles for bit more than half the cost of an iPod. But - the kid is 12. And, if it ain't an iPod, he might as well just hum the songs in his head. *groan.

At least, though, I now have huge leverage for gettin' some slave labour out of him. "Kid - do the dishes now or no iPod!"

Oh - I am a wicked and evil man. *grin

Sunday, October 26, 2008

The punks in action

So - as you have been reading - it's been the kid's birthday weekend celebrations and with the weekend wrap up - I wanted to share some pics of young Scrub and his punk pals having some fun.

It was an interesting event - the kid has learned about his "school friends" and his "home friends" and how they don't always 'mesh' together. This weekend was about the school pals.

The motley crew came over today at 11 and took over the engine room. Kewl thing here - the lads are old enough that all Scrubbie had to do was set up a couple of TV's with game systems on them, leave the puter running with a sign that said "no dirty web sites or else" and set up a buffet table with wings and pizza, a few drinks and assorted munchies and really - unless they had to surface upstairs to use the loo or something - didn't really see them much.

And of course when it came time for chocolate in the form of cake or cupcakes in this particular case - what is a pre-teen to do?






To hell with forks I say. Just tuck in face first!







After running amok at the Scrubbie pad - we all trucked off to the local indoor swimmin' pond to get a little wet. Nice thing about our local waterin' hole is that it is heavily chlorinated. Environmentally - well, I dunno. But, on the other hand, nothin' like a healthy dose of bleach to ensure a group of young fellers come out smellin half decent.


The wife and I were up in the viewing stands. This is where parents come to place bets on which of the little children may not survive. We also make trades there. "If you take that one in the blue shorts, I'll take two of the little ones in yellow" kinda thing. It the Canadian way.



Just to really stack the odds of coming home with one or two less than we arrived with, we throw our wee darlin's off tall tower platforms. Generally - they survive the drop. The belly flops are just 'a somethin' to behold.




The kid just LOVES takin' the plunge off the platform











And - survives. Ain't he 'da bomb.











I will say this - he is making some good buds. Believe it or not - there were hugs among them.

A really heartwarming display of affection.

Or - a concerted effort to squeeze the life out of each other in a young and ruthless 'survival of the fittest' moment where the lone survivor and alpha male gets the last cupcake and first player on the Wii.

Happy Birthday kiddo.


And that, as they say, is a wrap.

Yahoo!

Hey - party time was two Scrubbie thumbs up! Kid had a great time and so did all the punk friends.

Can't post pics just at the moment - we are enjoying some wind down time with Futurama. It's the "Nuclear Wessels" episode again! Bwaa-haa-haa!

Back at ya soon!

Pray for me

Hey kids -

So Scrubbie's got a housefull of punk 12 yr old boys at the moment. We had to postpone the party until today.

Just thought you should know that this COULD be my last entry ever.

If I survive - I'll hop on later with a report.

Cheers.

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Brandon Crisp, Barrie Ontario

Evenin' boys and girls.

Here's a little somethin' to make you go hmmmmm.

Down there on the right somewhere of the blog is the traffic tracker thingy-whatsit. And, on that lil' beastie, I can see where folks are comin' from. Get this into ya: the MOST popular google search phrase that people find Scrubbie's blog from is the phrase "why kids hate their parents" or variations of that same phrase. I ran a couple of layouts showing the horrible things we do to our kids like dressing them up in goofy outfits and such with the titles "Why kids grow up hating their parents" (or somethin' like that) and voila - the google engines flag the blog as a result.

And, the hits are coming from all around the world. Seriously.

Makes me wonder why are people searching that phrase so often?

So - if you are stoppin' by for a visit - drop me a note and let me know what prompted you to search that phrase. I am interested.

On a similar note - allow me to do a Scrubbie Aside for a moment.

BRANDON CRISP: Yes - you Brandon. I was hoping you might stumble across my blog when googling your name. Ya, I google mine quite often - just to see what comes up. Listen - I totally understand the whole X-Box thing. And, I totally understand gettin' pissed off with the parents for shutting you down. I have a 12 yr old kid here who goes ballistic when I tell him he's off messenger or whatever.

By now it's no secret that takin' off from home for such a long period of time has really spiralled out of control and your name is plastered all over the news everywhere. People are out in droves trying to find you bud. Personally - I'd be freakin' out with even the idea of headin' home again and having to face all that.


But
- and you knew the BUT was coming when you started reading this... But, despite yanking the X-Box and despite ANY fallout from taking off - you have parents and friends and family who no doubt love you to bits and only want to know that you are safe and not in the hands of some freak or worse.

You don't know me from a hole in the ground. And, maybe that might just be the right thing. I am offering to help you get home Brandon. Or at least to let people know that you are ok. I am just a regular slob living in suburbia Ontario but I do have a voice and I certainly don't mind using it to help you here.


The only important thing is that you end up safe and sound. I ran away once. Figured it was the best way to punish my parents. I didn't last as long as you.


Brandon - if you are reading this - send me an email to scrubbiescraps@gmail.com and tell me how to get in touch with you. Also - send me a code word. The code word will tell you that it is in fact me who is talking to you. We will figure it out from there.
OR - call the police department at (705) 725-7025. If that number is long distance from where you are now - call 911.

Believe me - people are going to be way happier to hear from you than will be angry.

It's time to go home.

Ok folks - thanks for that aside moment.

UPDATE: NOVEMBER 6-2008
Readers of my blog - as you know, yesterday the body of a teenage boy was discovered that is believed to be that of Brandon Crisp.

I am not deleting the post written above as this blog is meant to reflect who I am and what is going on with me. When writing the above entry - I was reaching out in the only way I knew I could at that time.

I am including this addendum, however, to express my deepest condolences to the Crisp family and to all those whose lives were touched by this young man. These are difficult days for the Crisp family and for all parents as we collectively look at our own children and ask ourselves - "What would we do?"


February 19, 2009

Evenin' all. Well - the saga continues I'm afraid.

Moments ago - I received an email notification of some comments left in response to a comment posting left by someone else. I have since removed all comments regarding this post.

The language used in the last post was too strong to leave here. For the poster - I apologize for removing your comment so abruptly. And, I understand your reaction to the anon comment left by someone. Perhaps it is more my fault for not paying attention to the comment and returning to it after Brandon's passing. For that - I am truly sorry.

For any other readers of this particular posting - I would ask that from this point forward, if you wish to leave a comment - please do so knowing that Brandon's parents, family and friends may well read your comments. Please be sensitive about what you say as the pain that these folks feel today is surely as strong as it has ever been.

I certainly wish to respect everybody's right to express their opinion and I am confident there are forums for you to do so. However, in this very tiny corner of the internet, I would rather only those words that provide comfort, solace and compassion to the Crisp family and their friends be the words that are seen.

Once again - to the most recent commentor - my apologies to you for neglecting to review the comments and remove anything that may have offensive. I am very sure that anyone who thought negatively of Brandon at the he left home felt the pain that we all did when it was learned what happened to him.

Thank-you all for visiting.

Friday, October 24, 2008

Urination Consternation

Dolls that pee.

Let me just say that again. Dolls that pee.

Yes, yes, yes - I am sure there is a whole psychology behind it and I am sure there are parents that will swear up and down that it helped teach their little ones that peein' in the pot is better than just letting it rip anwhere/anytime... but... Dolls that pee. C'mon. That is just... well, it's just.... EEEWWWWW.

Perhaps it's the testes talkin' here - but GI Joe... we all knew he would take a leak in the forest when necessary, but we don't need to see his willy sprayin' for us to know it's happenin'. Dolls that pee are simply wrong. R-O-N-G wrong.

So - Fri night. The wife and I have relocated her studio upstairs. She is no longer in the engine room. The good ol scrappin' puter though - still in the engine room. So, now Scrubbie's lonely when going forth to create. The wife and I did talk about putting a webcam up on her puter and one on my puter down here - that way we can still lookie lookie and chatty chatty. Until then, it's yelling through the ductwork for us.

HOW YOU DOIN' HUNNY?

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Happy Birthday Jayden

Happy Birthday to You!

Happy Birthday to You!

Happy Birthday dear punk wild child who drives me insane on a regular basis and is growing up way too fast and thinks that being told you have pretty eyes by the girls at school is a merit badge to wear on your chest and plays too many practical jokes on his dear parents making them age just way too quickly....

Happy Birthday to Youuuuuu!

Yep - it's the kid's 12th today.

At this very moment, 12 years ago - the kid was in the neo-natal ICU at McMaster Children's Hospital in Hamilton, Ontario on one side of the hospital and the wife was out cold, hooked up to lots of machines that go ping on the other side of the hospital. I had been awake for 2 and a half days and walking like a zombie from one side of the hospital to the other every hour wondering if both or either were going to make it through the day. Yep - good times all 'round. hehehe.

But, as you now know - everyone did and everyone is well. Makes you kinda thankful, don't it?

So - the kid wants a birthday brownie tonight rather than a cake. So be it. And, the kid loves Taco's and Nacho's. So... it's broccoli for dinner tonight. That'll make his eyes pop. *snicker

Well - I really should make a global statement here: Son... I couldn't be more proud of you and I love you with all my heart. Happy Birthday boy. Happy Birthday.

Dad.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Caught with my shorts down. Figuratively speaking, of course.

The kid's birthday party is on Saturday and rather than hit the local dollar store for a set of really lame looking invites or just running off some flyers on the ol' printer at home - I whipped up this 4x6 photo using some of the handy dandy techniques from digiscrappin' and voila - really awesome invites for the kid and his punk friends. And, with a trip to the local cheap print place, I ran off a whack of them for only a buck ninety eight! Cheap and really good lookin!!! (The invites - not me)

So - regular scrubs will notice that it is shorty after 8pm local time here in Ontario Canada and it is a Wednesday night. Huh? Why is that significant? Oh - c'mon now... think. Think. Ok Ok - Knight Rider is on right now. And, Scrubbie's in front of the puter baring and sharing with you rather than sitting in front of the tube and diggin' that way kewl car! Shocking, ain't it?

May I share somethin' with ya'll? It is frackin' cold outside! Brrrrrrr. Don't like it. No sir - don't like it at all. Got up early this morning and hit the gym at 5:30. Lordie Lordie - had to scrape the windows on the go-kart and everything! There's no gettin' round it kids - old man winter is bearin' down.

So - get this (he says as a local politics aside...): Today, there is a brew-ha-ha in the news about one group of locals saying that infrastructure - specifically water availability in our region - is sustainable with projected growth to 2035. And, this area is bustin at the seams already. BUT - and here's the big BUT - every summer, we are under police lockdown to not water lawns, wash cars or even sweat too much due to water shortages. The ban lasts from practially snow melt to snow fall. So - Scrubbie asks: if we have oodles of the wet stuff to ensure that everyone can have a bath and take a drink with our population bursting from the 200K now to the projected 500K in 2035 - why, if I spill a drop on a Tuesday when my watering day is Wednesday, do the rent-a-cops come round and give me a ticket? Hmmmmm? You can see my dilemma here. Sure - I'm a guy and it is all black and white to us - but c'mon, really...

Ok - you got me. Knight Rider - I'm taping it.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Hump Day tomorrow.

Hey there Scrubs - Whasssup?

No pics tonight. But didn't want you to think I'd forgotten about you entirely. Scrubbie's had his hands full the last couple 'a days. The kid had his first soccer practice last night. Was good. Bein' in the Great White North - of course the kid plays indoors through the winter. It was deeelightful let me tell ya. You see - the wife and I have this track record with the kid where when we go out for soccer nights... it ALWAYS rains or is freezing cold or some wild weather system is coming on. It was getting to be a great joke. And, even last night for soccer - it was cold, it was rainy - generally blech. BUT - we were INDOORS! Hooray! And, we were at the nice complex. There are two locally and for the last 5 years of indoor soccer, we played at one park but now we are at the newer one. It doesn't smell like feet! WOOHOOOOO!

Still have to deal with odd folk though. Very odd. It's a varitable blogging cast of characters! I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for ya and bring you the update on some of them.

Scrubbie is sore tonight. For the last couple 'a days, the wife and I have been relocating rooms in the house. She didn't like having to share space with the kid and his punk friends while she was scrappin'. Can't blame the ol' dear. So - we have been moving some rooms 'round so that she has her own space. It's been two days of travelling up and down stairs. Forget the gym and naked guy - this has been my workout. Scrubbie's gonna have Hulk legs by time this is done.

Enough. Time for a cuppa tea and to sack out for the night. Have to travel tomorrow for work. Not far - just a car trip. THANK GAWD for GPS. I get lost going to the bathroom.

Whoops - the wife just felt my forehead and says Scrubbie's warm. Dang.

By the way - outside at my place today - the first few fluffs of snow. Don't that just put a knot in your knickers.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Fish.

Fish.

I hate fish.

Hate the smell of 'em. Hate the look of 'em. Hate the feel of 'em.

Don't eat 'em. Don't like to be near 'em. Think they're just nasty in every which way and then some.

I really cannot describe the extent to which I detest fish. Loathing is far too subtle. Suffice to say - I hate fish. Icky I tell you... just plain icky.

You get the idea, right?

My bro-in-law, however, likes fish. He likes to go fishing. Odd boy. He went fishing on Saturday before hittin' my place for dinner with the fam. And this is a picture from the day. Looks like JR was havin' fun huh?

So - another weekend has wrapped up. The wife is still in Toronto through. Hmmmmm. I am hoping the late arrival home means that she was extraordinarly successful at the Creative Festival. She and gal pal/business partner, the Joodster, were there today with the official launch of the wholesale side of their biz - In A Pinch Designs. The wife tooted off this morning with all the media stuff in hand and ready to launch. Honey - if you are reading this remotely - I made Beef Stew and I made Lasagna - both are in the fridge ready to be nuked. Come home soon.

The kid has been draggin' more of his pre-pubescent punk friends around the house lately. This weekend, in particular, was like a drive-in 'round here. Scratchy sounding voices, facial features that they haven't grown into yet - you know what I mean. Anyway - Dan the Man and Bawbee, that Colton, Bing and Bong - they were all floatin' 'round at one point or another. Mostly another. The last of them left here about an hour ago. I managed to get the kid into the shower to wash off a weekend of filth. Shoved him off to bed to read for awhile. And, I gots the puter to myself once again. WooHoo!

Haven't digiscrapped in a bit - gotta git goin' on that. Scrappers love them freebies. Yikes. So, looks like I'll have to put a couple of things together and get them up here.

That's it for now - gotta go and get the Tea ready for the wife when she comes home to regail me with tales of Scrappers and Scrappin' in the big city. Then - it looks like Scrubbie's hittin' the 24 hour Wal-Mart to snag some shin pads for the kid before the first soccer game tomorrow. You ever go shopping at the WalMart when the night-crawlers come out. Let me tell ya kids - tiz a scary thing. Last time I went there - there were gals and fellas crawling around there in their jammies. Kinda creeps me out just a little bit.

Oh - hey... did I mention that I think fish are the devil's spawn? Ok - just wanted to make sure.

Ciao

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Continental Breakfast served from 7am-9am

Hello Pawpets - how are ya'll doin?

So - Scrubbie's relaxin again on a Saturday night. The out-laws were all here doing second round Thanksgiving. Dispensed with the traditional Turkey dinner though - opted for Roast Beef with all the fixin's. MMMMM - was pretty good. Although Scrubbie kinda failed on the roast beef portion. Was just a bit on the tough side. Oh well - c'est la vie.

The out-law bro - JR - went fishin' yesterday and caught himself what looks like a decent sized fish. He's sending a pic by email - so I'll have to share it once it is on here.

The wife is leavin' tomorrow for the day - headin' to the Creative Festival in Toronto. She and gal-pal and business partner Judy will be flogging their wares while there too. (NO - not THAT. sheesh - once again Scrubs - ya'll gots dirty minds. IN A PINCH DESIGNS stuff. That's what their flogging - IN A PINCH DESIGNS.) So - Scrubbie and the Kid will be on their own tomorrow. Actually - I gotta take the kid out to get shin pads for soccer which starts on Monday. So - little shoppin' and I think we might try and get in a Geocache or two. Have to make the most of it all now. Scrubbie's not really a winter geocacher. Nope - not at all really.

Think the kid and are goin' to hit a hockey game next Friday - that should be kewl.

Oh - and the kid turns 12 on Thursday. So the plans are underway for a bit of a house party to celebrate the occasion. The wife, as usual, will be disappearing for the event. She doesn't really like kids much. LOL. So for the past few years - she always hides during the kid's birthday parties. Prefers to hear about it later.

Oh - and I know you are wondering... and the answer is YES. Bing and Bong are sleeping over AGAIN tonight.

Hey - you have plans for a night out? No problem - as you can see - sleepovers at our place is NOT a big deal at all. Just drop 'em off and be sure to pick 'em up by 10 am the next morning. Breakfast is included. *grin

Cheers!

Friday, October 17, 2008

Dude, where's my pictures?

*snicker snicker.... Who is that good lookin' kid?!? Oh wait - it's Scrubbie!

Mornin' boys & girls! Howz everyone doin' today?

Yes - that's Scrubbie there at the tender age of 9. In one of my many "Sears catelogue" poses. Ya... geez, eh.

Oh - disappointment kids. Big disappointment. I did NOT get any snaps of little children freaking out, crying, passing out - generally dying yesterday during their immunization shots at school. I gave the camera to the kid yesterday to grab a few shots. But alas - the boy was freakin' out himself and did not accomplish his mission. Oh well....

Gonna take off here kids - I have to get ready for work. Anyone wanna call in sick for me?

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

X marks the spot.


Lets see:

Yesterday - I had about 40 bucks in the 'ol bank account.
Today - Yep - it's still there.

Yesterday - that dang pimple on the chin.
Today - yep - the wee bugger's still there.

Yesterday - lunatic dog.
Today - lunatic dog.

Yesterday - minority Conservative Government
Today - Yep - still the same.

Ahhh - I love a democracy! hehehe.

Hey boys & girls - Scrubbie here (in case you weren't sure). So - for all you non-Canucks takin' a boo at Scrubbie's blatherings - yesterday, we up here in the Great White went to the election polls to pick ourselves a new government. Sounds quite official doesn't it? Well - don't forget... us Canucks are pretty laid back most of the time and don't take ourselves too seriously. So with that in mind... the official NATIONAL ELECTION being spoken of was, for Scrubbie and the wife, a trip to the Baptist Church just down the road where we strolled through the fallen leaves into the gymnasium where we were greeted by a number of older ladies who were taking their job of making sure we were who we said we were pretty darn seriously. We got a little slip of paper with a bunch of candidate names on them. We marked an X in the little circle of the person we thought would do a pretty good job representing our community in the capital of the country - Ottawa, and then we came home and had tea. Put this way - pretty much just another day.

But - I do have to say a couple things here. First - Thank Goodness (or God, Gods, Higher Beings, Cheese - whatever applies to you) that we at least have the Opportunity to take part in a democratic election. To all you Grandfathers and Great Grandpappies that took to the oceans, beaches and shores to defend the right to do so - Thanks a whole Scrubbie-bunch!

Second - only 59% of the country's population got off their arses to go out and vote. 59%. Sheesh. I'll only say this once kids - that's pathetic. Accoring to the little blog tracker thingy I got down there somewhere - there are folks havin' a peek at Scrubbie here from places where you don't get to take a leisurly stroll through the fallen leaves to the local Baptist Church where you are greeted by old ladies and you get to put a little X in your choice of representative and then go home and have tea - all without the fear of being shot. Hey - just somethin' to think about.

So boys & girls - there ya go. My tirade for the day.

Excuse me Scrubs - just for a second. Mr. Stephen Harper is once again the Prime Minister of Canada and I am sure he's reading this. Gotta do an ASIDE moment:
Mr. Prime Minister: Congratulations on securing the role in Ottawa for another couple 'a years. Please, Please, Please - do a good job for us! Thank-you sir. If you have any questions that I can help you out with - just leave a comment here and I'd be happy to reply. Oh - don't forget to sign yourself up as a follower! Once again Mr. Prime Minister - Congratulations!
Ok Scrubs - I'm back. Thanks.

In spite of complaining; in spite of whining; in spite of everything - I am VERY, VERY, VERY... well - check out this SCRUBBIE SURPRISE. It pretty much says it all.

Later kids!