Schools out, summer is here!

Ridley is done school and will be going into grade 3 in September.
In the meantime, summer is here. Well, sort of. The weather has been cool recently. We've also had hail 4 times in the past couple of weeks!

I'm quickly discovering the downsides to having a pool. One example being the 12 year old boy from Ridley's school who has decided he wants to hang out here all summer. I like most kids, but this kid was rude and disrespectful to everyone here. I finally asked him to leave (I was polite yet firm) and he outright refused! He told me I wasn't going to get rid of him that easily. He also told me all about his grand plans to spend his summer here swimming and playing pokemon. Nuh uh, not in my lifetime, not on my watch.. you get the point. He did finally leave (3 hours later) when I told him I was calling his dad. He hasn't been back.

A friend got a new bike and gave me her old one. (whoohoo!) I haven't had a bike in years..and I'd forgotten how much fun it is.
I think I'm going to get a skateboard helmet because bike helmets make people look like this guy....

Drivers test

I finally did it.. I booked my road test for august 1st..first thing in the morning. If I pass, I get my G2 license which means I can drive anywhere, anytime by myself!

Now where can I rent a Mini to do my test in? ;)

Happy Fathers Day!

Camera phone - flikr

I just added a set to my flickr account for camera phone pics. You can see them here.

Back here for now

I'm back at blogger for now. I let my domain name lapse..I'm going to think on it a couple of days on whether I'll go back to it or not.

Things have been busy lately! Scott got into an accident and totaled our 3 month old car! Thankfully he was ok. (minor whiplash and back pain) We finally got a replacement car and its the same as before, only black. (sharp) Now I can get back into driving. Our car is a Kia Rondo and I really like driving it. It drives like a little car..not like a tank. The minivan we had was my worst nightmare.

Ridley's school put on a production called "Bugz" complete with songs, dance and a riveting storyline. :) Ridley practiced her lines diligently but refused to sing the song "Be a Lady" (think "Shes a Lady") or show me any of the dance moves because she wanted it to be a surprise. The play involved all od the kids from kindergarten up to grade 3 and you could tell how hard they worked!

Bravo Ridley! I sure am proud of my little bug. :) Of course I had my camcorder with me and I'll post snippets as soon as I can find my firewire card.

Toby also popped by for a visit while she was in town. It was amazing to see her! I'm hoping it won't be too long before we see her again. She blogged about it here.

My blog is moving

Please change your bookmarks to www.ridzma.com
I have most things switched over but its still a work in progress. (please be kind)

Canadian Citizenship!

Ridley is officially a Canadian Citizen!
(yes, finally!)

Dr. Laura...huh?

According to Snopes.com, this letter has been circulating through email since 2004.
Dr. Laura claims homosexuality is an abomination because it says so in the bible. Below is a letter a listener apparently sent to her...
(Maybe reading this out loud makes it funnier? It was a struggle to read this out loud because I was laughing so hard.)

Dear Dr. Laura,

Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I have learned a great deal from your show, and I try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind him that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination. End of debate.

I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some of the specific laws and how to best follow them.

a) When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord (Lev 1:9). The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?

b) I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?

c) I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness (Lev 15:19-24). The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.

d) Lev. 25:44 states that I may indeed possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?

e) I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself?

f) A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an Abomination (Lev 11:10), it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this?

g) Lev 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here?

h) Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev 19:27. How should they die?

i) I know from Lev 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?

j) My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev 19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? (Lev 24:10-16) Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)

I know you have studied these things extensively, so I am confident you can help.
Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging.
Your devoted disciple and adoring fan.

Early signs of political leanings??

This article in the Toronto Star caught my eye. Click here
to read it. A couple of excerpts...

"Remember the whiny, insecure kid in nursery school, the one who always thought everyone was out to get him, and was always running to the teacher with complaints? Chances are he grew up to be a conservative."
The study also claims "The confident, resilient, self-reliant kids mostly grew up to be liberals."

Interesting to read but I think studies like this are potentially dangerous when you consider how much some parents micromanage their kids. Micromanaging and pigeonholing kids is going to spawn a whole new crop of studies (and a whole new crop of kids in therapy). Just watch.

Creative Vision: M aka Ipod Killer

I talked myself right out of my new ipod video. It goes back to the store tommorow due to the dismal battery life. (about an hour and 15 mins video) The Creative Vision: M comes out monday and I'll be picking it up instead. It has a nicer screen than the ipod video and 4 hrs of video playback. It supports divx and xvid, has an fm tuner, voice recorder and the video out is better.

The Ipod video is very nice but Apple would be wise to add a brightness control to the next firmware update. I think it would make a difference in the battery life. My old Ipod 3g suffered from lackluster battery performance so I promised myself I would run at the first sign of battery troubles.
Oh well, maybe next time Apple!

Margaret Atwood - The LongPen?

I really like Margaret Atwood but this struck me as unusual.
I'm not the type to stand in line to shake hands/exchange a few words/get an autograph but this seems impersonal yet at the same time not so impersonal. Weird.

The LongPen

Mystery solved! Yippee!

Remember all that sinus stuff I keep whining about? Well, mystery solved. I went to the ENT yesterday and found out I have a deviated septum and will have to have surgery to correct it. The waiting list is about a year long but I'm just happy to have a resolution. To say I am thrilled would be the understatement of the year. :)

A deviated septum can cause...
Blockage of one or both nostrils
Nasal congestion, sometimes one-sided
Frequent nosebleeds
Frequent sinus infections
At times, facial pain, headaches, postnasal drip
Noisy breathing during sleep (in infants and young children)

The Muppet Show - Manamana

Here you go Ridley! Just click the play button.

March 12th - The Sopranos season 6!

2 more weeks!

Huff is coming back for another season too!
(yeah, I know..so what..but these are shows I never forget to watch!)

Place sticker on forehead. Smile. OK!

First guitar lesson

The gesture? Shes 7, has a baby Les Paul and is COOL dontcha know???

U.S. EPA announces initiative to eliminate use of Teflon chemical

Its about time!
Harmful Teflon Chemical To Be Eliminated by 2015
U.S. EPA announces initiative to eliminate use of Teflon chemical

This is frightening...
Study Finds Teflon Chemical In Newborns' Umbilical Cords

L.L. Bean emailed me back about the snowpants. (makes me wonder if PFOA is used in their other waterproof/stain coatings) Heres a snippet...

L.L.Bean has been closely monitoring the issue including the EPA's
scientific review of PFOA, and its work with DuPont and the other manufacturers. We applaud the EPA's new guidelines calling for marked reductions and a timeline for the elimination of emissions and discharges of PFOA during the manufacturing process.

To date, the EPA has indicated that PFOA is not a concern for consumer products. Nevertheless, L.L.Bean will continue to monitor the debate and the EPA's and public interest groups' further study of PFOA. L.L.Bean is committed to responsible product and environmental stewardship. We fully support the EPA in its ongoing efforts to gather the most complete and accurate science on this matter.

Regarding your question about our use of fabric treatments and not labeling them as Teflon(r): DuPont is not the only producer of fabric treatments. However, Teflon(r) is a recognizable brand name to most consumers. Therefore when our apparel products are treated for water and stain resistance with a Teflon/DuPont product, we label it as such. The catalog statement you quote may be for a similar treatment made by a different company. This fabric protection is designed not to wear off.

Nintendo DS Lite

Finally, a sleeker, cooler looking DS. Its smaller and lighter than the original at 133 x 73.9 x 21.55mm (the original is 148 x 85 x 28mm) It weighs 218g (the orginal is 275g) It also has 4 different brightness levels.
I've never been a fan of the DS's bulky, retro styling.
For the DS lite, it looks like someone consulted with Apples design people. Its coming out in March in Japan. No idea when we'll see it over here.

Election day - Oh Canada!

S
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V
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Come on people! (thank goodness they're a minority government)

The Treasures of Simple Living

The Treasures of Simple Living
"A Family's Search for a Simpler and
More Meaningful Life in the Middle of a Forest"

They have the whole book online that chronicles their journey to..well the middle of a forest. :)

What they've done is something I'd love to do. (though temporarily) It would be nice to have a place like that as a retreat.