Regrets

Huh? 2010? Whaaaaat?!?!?!

Howdy kids - tiz your old pal Scrubbie here. Happy New Year.

Havent blogged in a while. I know. I really havent had much to say. Oh sure - I could spin a yarn about the nasty dogsled accident that left me in a coma. And how through it all, I could hear the Wife talkin to me while I lay in sterile hospital room - sayin things like "where the hell did you put the scissors?" Then, just a few days ago - popped my eyes open thinking it had only been a couple of hours while to my shock and horror - finding out the year had turned, the kid got married, the lunatic dog had pups (even though she had her u-hoo taped shut) and I had grown a third eye.

Sure - that'd be fun. Interesting, even. Funny, in a dark and tragic sorta way.

But it aint true. And ya'll already know that if it goes up on the blog - there's gotta be truth to it.

No... Scrub just hasn't had much to say.

Today, however... I do.

Ahem.... (clearing throat)

Trek.

Star Trek.

Love Trek.

All kindsa Trek. New and Old.

Know lots about it.

Lots.

But....

This, my friends, is simply wrong.

I don't know who these people are.

Don't really need to.

All I know is... they need help.

And, one day, they'll regret this photo.

And that boys and girls - is all I gotta say.

It Ends Up Balanced

Give a little. Take a little. Win some. Lose some. Sometimes you get it. Sometimes it gets you.

Howdy boys & girls. Yer ol pal Scrubbie here on a wintery, snowy and really frackin' cold afternoon. How are ya?

Balance. Everything seems to end up balanced.

Here - take this for example:

Scrub was giddy. Scrub was jumpin' with excitement. Scrub's tastebuds were tickled pink. Let me explain.

Just t'other day, Scrub dragged out the flour and sugar, eggs and vanilla and a bowl or two. A measure of this. A dash of that. Scrub stoked up the fire and before ya knew it... there, in front of me - biscotti. Ya know - those crunchy, delish cookie thingies that just are swell with a cuppa coffee. Timmies coffee. (whoops - there's that Timmies reference again. HI Kristine!)

Anyway - biscotti. Glorious to behold. Even more-so to taste. Cranberry Pistachio biscotti to be exact. Flavoured with vanilla and almond extract. With just a hint of the olive oil used in the preparation. Oh kids... magnificent!

Then, Scrub went ahead with a second batch. Just cause I had more dried cranberries and nuts left over. This time however - DRIZZLED IN WHITE CHOCOLATE they were! The ONLY thing better than this culinary treat is cuddles with the wife or dreams involving pudding.

Heaven. Simply heaven.

So - inspired, Scrub, last night, drugged out more flour and sugar and other baking goodies. The igloo was positively filled with the smells of Christmas! Chocolate-Orange Biscotti! Banana-Walnut mini loaves! Coconut Macaroons! Lord... Take me now! My mouth was positively dripping with anticipation!

The Biscotti - dutch cocoa and the zest of the quintessential Christmas treat 'round here... Clementines. Oh... they were all chocolately-dark with that signature crackly crust on the top of the cookies!

The smell of the banana loaves were enough to attract the attention of the Kid's punk pals from miles around. They all came wanderin' over through the cold night air just to have a sniff and ask "Scrubbie - what is that wonderful smell?"

And the macaroons. Let me ask you - is there anything more perfect... is there anything that speaks to the soul more than little golden mounds of sugary goodness that just nukes your tastebuds with the taste of coconut than a macaroon? 48 of the little buggers came outa the hot box last night!

Now - here is where the whole Yin-Yang of it all comes in.

The Cranberry-Nut Biscotti - a gift from the gods. The chocolate-orange Biscotti - bitter horrid little shards that could be perfectly good tent-peg substitutes. My delectable banana-walnut mini loaves - gawddamnd bricks. And the macaroons - i don't even know how to describe the disaster.

So, you see... over the course of 24 hours, Scrubbie went from bein' all high and mighty over his screamin' success in the kitchen of the igloo, to being completely and utterly put back in my place by it.

Ah well.

It's off to the trading post where I'll simply swap a few skins and furs for a collection of sweeties that I will simply pass off as my own. Huh? Oh, ya, right... like you've never done that before.

A Rare Moment of Niceness.

Howdy kids. Yer ol pal Scrubbie here.

I'm stuffed. Full. Well sated.

Tonight, the Wife and me went for dinner. Out for dinner. At a restaurant! Seriously.

Went to this place called Oliver and Bonacelli. It was dee-lightful! Dee Lish! Nice staff. Great service. All around - it was a grand occasion.

So many times, at restaurants, food tends to be all bland and nasty. Ya know - gotta appeal to the masses. So, flavours are just not there that POP and shout.

But, not at this place.

Again, I say, it was delicious.

BUT....

Tonight wasn't about the food.

Tonight wasn't about the exceptionally kewl decor.

Tonight wasn't about the Aussie accented waiter.

Nope.

We could'a been eatin' cat food outa tin cans in the back of an alley in the winter cold and it would have been just as fantastic.

It's the company we had.

See - tonight, me and the Wife went out to celebrate, for just a moment, with our good pals - the Joodster and her ear suckling hubby.

Now, I'm not one to go blathering on - gettin' all gushy 'round the gills. Well, not often anyway. But, I don't mind tellin' ya - the Joodster and her ear suckling hubby - there just damnd decent people. Both have hearts the size of a house. Both have love in their voices. And, the Wife and me - are, frankly, privileged to have them in our lives.

Everyone should have folks like them around.

Enough said.

Run baby, Run!

Whallop!

Morning boys & girls. Yer ol pal Scrub here. How are ya?

Lord love a duck - we got snow. Yep - the fluffy white came down last night and this morning, it really is beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Now... all you visiting from afar - I know you're out there... Scrub's gotta remind you of something. That is... that we Canucks talk about only a few things. Tim Hortons coffee. Hockey. And, the weather. Dull? No, No. Not really. Think about it more as an opportunity to visit us here in the Great White without the worry about n

ot fitting in. Just come on by. Throw a smile on your face and talk about coffee. You'll find nothin' but Canuck pals if you do.

In fact, here's a little public service for ya'll. How to say coffee in many languages:

Arabic Countries- Qahwa / Kahwa

Armenian- Sourj

China- (Mandarin)- Kafei

Czechlovakia- Kava

Denmark -Kaffe

Egypt- Masbout

Ethopia...(where it may have started) -Buna

Finland- Kahvi

France -Cafe

Germany -Kaffee

Greek- Kafes

Hawaii-Kope

Holland- Koffie

Hungary- Kave

Indonesia/Malaysia -Kopi

Iran- Gehve

Iraq- Qahwa

Israel- Kave

Italy -Coffea

Japan-Koohii

Kenya -Kalawa

Laos- Kafe

Lebanon- Qahwa

Norway- Kaffee

Philippines -Kape

Poland- Kawa

Spain- Kafe

Thailand -Gafae

Back to the Weather. Yes - it's one of our topics. As Scrubbie strolls through the village or visits the local trading post... I often hear people complaining about the weather. Too hot. Too cold. Too much. Not enough. Whatever.

But - there is one little fart here at the igloo that is quite ok with it all.

An award? Me?

You like me! You really like me!

Hey kidlings - it's yer ol pal Scrub here. How are ya?

Okay - so it's happened before, but I kinda ignored it before. The truth is I just didn't really know what the hell to do with it.

It's this whole blog award thingy.

See, it's not that I was ungrateful or nothin. No, not at all. It's just that it confuses me. Remember - Scrubbie ain't all that bright. Few sticks short of a branch or whatever that saying is.

Accept the award, post it, nominate other blogs - it's all too much for me. The stress of even getting the letter "A" posted on my own blog - enough to drive a fella to drink.

But - this time... a little different.

One of them thar people that visit now and then is my good pal Kristine. She's a Canuck as well. If ever there is a reference to a Timmies coffee here on my blog - good 'ol Kristine is right there. Typical for a Canuck though - if there is a Timmies coffee anywhere - we'll find it.

Then there's that sense of humour of my good pal Kristine - there are times when I'm readin' over her blog or comments from her on my blog that make me dribble in my drawers just a little bit.

Wanna visit? Just click here to be taken away to a magical land.

So, when my good pal Kristine told me about this little award thingy - I just couldn't resist. Thanks darlin'!

Ok, Ok... so here's the deal. I get to post this freaky lookin' lady in an apron on my blog (who looks like that? C'mon!) and I am to answer a few questions (very personal questions, I might add) and then I have to tell ya'll about another blog or two that I think are pretty darn'd kewl.

So - the questions are below. You'll get there eventually. Just keep readin' here.

Alrighty - one blog that is awful fun to peruse is by Kristi. Why? Well - it's family life and if there is one thing that always elicits a grin from this ol boy - it's tales of family life. Plain, simple, uncensored.

Another blog that I particularly enjoy is the Wife's gal-pal, the Joodster. While most of ya don't know the Joodster, her ear-suckling hubby and her two punks personally, the Jood's blog perfectly gives a peek into who this ultimate home-nester is.

So - there ya go kids. Places to visit. Things to read. What more do ya want? Blood?

On to the questions. Have a nice day.

Your cell phone? No - they don't let us have phones in our cells. But, there's a payphone just down the hall. A rather large and burley fella who likes to be called Angela guards it.
Your hair? receding like the snows of mt. Kilimanjaro
Your mother? Once scored higher than the Wife playing one of those "how naughty are you" at one of them lingerie hen-parties. That incident cost me close to 20,000 dollars in psych appointments.
Your father? Obviously pleased about Scrubbie Mamma's "how naughty are you" test results
Favorite food? Oh Gosh - the list, m'darlin's..., is sooooo long. There is just no way to narrow this one down. Lets go with.. Gummi Bears.
Your dream last night? involved pudding.
Your favorite drink? no hesitation here - nectar of the gods, sweet honey of life, golden delishishnuss - it's rye. Wonderful, thank the Lord above, make Scrubbie happy, Rye.
Your dream/goal? My dream goal? All the Bud Light girls winning a shootout against the Ottawa Senators. Hmmm? Whaddya mean "dream goal" then?
What room are you in? In the Kitchen. With a knife. Call me Professor Plum.
Your hobby? Finding new and fun ways to keep those nostril hairs at bay. Blech.
Your fear? Those nostril hairs getting out of control - growing wildly and culminating in taking on a life of their own, wrapping themselves around my head and neck - slowly choking the very breath of life out of me while I sleep. *shudder
Where do you want to be in 6 years? I dunno. Honestly - i'm pretty content being an average schmuck in the Great White North here. But, if you really push me for an answer, I'd have to say in 6 years I'd like to be a neurosurgeon practicing my craft on a tropical island with lots of those naked-booby people roaming around. You asked.
Where were you last night? Right here. With the Wife. And the Kid. And the lunatic dog. Watching Christmas movies on the tube. With popcorn. And tea. It was perfection.
Something you aren’t? A fisherman. Haven't we established that clearly by now?
Muffins? We're talking about baked goods, right?? There's a whole list of naughty euphemisms for muffins which I assume is not the intention of the question. Well - in either case.... Yes please.
Wish list item? Muffins
Where did you grow up? Pretty much everywhere. Arms, legs, torso, wibbly-wobblies - all pretty much proportioned. Geez - that's a weird question.
Last thing you did? Thought about what the last thing I did was. This is a loaded question and can never be answered. See, if I say the last thing I did was type the letter R, whoops - see - the last thing I did there was type a comma. Now a period! It just never ends!
What are you wearing? The official uniform of all residents in the Great White. Jeans and a really big sweatshirt to make sure I keep warm.
Your TV? Thankfully, not an issue. I have been vaccinated. Oh - Tee Vee - not TB.
Your pets? wildly odd.
Friends? I don't really have any. I am generally not well liked. And, frankly, I generally don't like people. I like things simple.
Your mood? Frantic. Yes - even medicated... still frantic.
Missing someone? Yes. But, hopefully now that I have a new laser-sight... I'll finally get the little bastard.
Vehicle? Dog Sled.
Something you’re not wearing? A wig.
Your favorite store? A. I'm a guy. B. I'm Canadian. The answer, my friends, is blowing in the wind and should be painfully obvious. CANADIAN TIRE. WooooooHooooooo!
Your favorite color? Beige. lovely, neutral, clean - beige.
When was the last time you laughed? I never laugh. Unless the dog farts. That is pretty darn'd funny.
Last time you cried? Tears of joy when Star Trek came out on DVD.
Your best friend? The Wife. She da bomb.
One place that you go to over and over? Canadian Tire. Duh.
Facebook? Ya. What about it? Oh - I invited every person on facebook that has the same name as me to be my friend. They're all accepting those friend requests. It's hysterical. It's also confusing 'cause I keep seeing that I am doing all these weird things in status updates. Then, I have to pause and think - "No, wait... it's not ME that is climbing mount everest tomorrow. It must the the other guy."
Favorite Place to Eat? It's a toss up between right here at the igloo, surrounded by the Wife, the Kid and family and friends - who are all enjoying a full out meal that I have envisioned and created. We dine via candlelight (especially when the electric goes out), imbibe with regional wine, have a few laughs and drink in the friendship and love that fills the room. It's that or ...an Oktoberfest sausage on a bun with sauerkraut and mustard from the street-meat vendor outside Canadian Tire. I can't decide which.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

'Ello m'darlin's - it's yer old pal Scrub here. How are ya'll doin'?

Oh - it's been a nut-house around the igloo these days. The kid - sick as a dog - hacking up a lung. The Wife - frantic with her higher learnin' stuff. Lunatic dog - well - c'mon... it's the lunatic dog. How hard can it be?

So - yes, the igloo is bein' all tarted up to celebrate Christmas. We do that here. The bedlam shall begin soon. Scrub's fam. The Wife's fam. Hurricane and her punks. Yes - it's all comin'. Oh sure - I love it. We all do. Not complainin'. But, ya know how it is... crazy days.

Next year, we're changing things up a bit 'round here though. Next year and every year thereafter... Scrub and the fam are hangin out here at the igloo on Christmas day. Front door is gonna get unlocked at 2pm and anyone and everyone is welcome to stop in, drop by, hang out and visit for as long or as short as they like. No formal dinners. Nothin' crazy. Just casual, good times. The formal stuff - all gonna happen the day before and the day after.

But, back to this year.

Now... ya'll might recall a post or two ago, Scrub was mentioning about headin' out to the local trading post to swap skins and furs for some twinkle lights to adorn the abode.

And, ya'll might recall in that post, Scrub mentioned that unless somethin was on sale - ya know... a bargain... that Scrub was gonna - ummm - kinda - ummm - NOT buy stuff this year.

Wellllll - there wasn't anything on sale. No bargains to be found.

Nope - not nothin'.

However - Ladies and Gents - lemme introduce you to The Wife.

This darlin' - apart from being simply smokin' hot and just the kewlest chick on the face of the earth... is also the Grand Mamma of artsy-fartsy creative!

So - this past weekend, the Wife and me went a strollin' outside the comfie-coziness of our domicile to the wooded tundra and did a little foraging.

Came back. Put on a pot of hot coffee. And the 'lil darlin' went to work. Snip snip. Cut cut. Arrange arrange. And... Voila!

I mean... LOOK AT THAT!

Ain't that purty!

Here's the second one.

All stuff found right in our yard!

Lord lov'er - aint she great?

So - there ya go kids.

Even faced with the cheapness that is Scrubbie - the Wife still manages to pull a rabbit outa the hat and before you know it - whoosh, bang....

Regional Decorating.

I love my wife.

Click here please.

A video game survey? Huh?

Evening boys & girls - tiz I - yer old pal Scrub here! Howdy!

OK - so Scrub's way overdue to post. I know. I will.

But, first - here's the scoop. The Kid... he's doing this project, see. For his learnin' institution. A Science Fair project. Nope - it's not a volcano. Not my kid. He's all techno-junkie.

The Kid is doin this project about male vs female. Oh. Ummmm.... wonder where he gets these ideas from?

And, his project is about a topic near and dear to his widdle heart. Video Games.

So - part of his project is some research. And, bein' all techno-junkie and all, he's doing his research in the form of an online poll. Seriously.

Here's the deal... anyone can do this survey. BUT - if you got Scrublings kickin' around your place - have them do the survey. Ideally, the Kid is targeting ages 10-30ish. And, for heaven's sake - pass out these links to absolutely everyone you know. He's gonna run for 2 weeks collecting results, then he's gonna graph himself to death. I'll keep ya posted.

Alrighty - if you are a SCRUB - go to: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PMP8KD8

If you are a SCRUBETTE - go to: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PXQHGBZ

Got it? Scrub. Scrubette. Different links. Got it? Kewl.

Ok kids - go git 'em.

Kid needs a good mark. He's gotta get into higher learnin'. Get good grades. Get a good job. Make lotsa money. Take care of his old man.

Ya - it's all about retirement planning on this end.