Jul 31, 2011

Guest Artist
Lynn McIntee-Rodgers
Returns to Scribbles after 3 Decades Absense

We used to get drawings, poems and more from our super talented Toronto friend Lynn McIntee-Rodgers back in the day we were a handdrawn magazine in digest-format. Lynn was always a favourite amongst our readers, especially my sister Jane who always got to read the newest edition before everyone else.

Here's a classic drawing by Lynn entitled,
"Jane and the Smelly Sweatshirt"

Out of the blue today I received an email from Lynn. She included a poem that really made my day, I'd been having a so-so day, feeling some side effects from last week still, so her cute poem really hit the spot.

Here's Lynn's Poem...

O-Oh
It's a jolly holiday with Kenny!
Kenny makes your heart feel light!
When the day is gray and ordinary,
Kenny makes the sun shine bright!

00000h
It's a jolly holiday with Kenny!
No wonder that it's Kenny that we love!!!



Ken Replies: Lynn what can I say. Thanks for the positive affirmation, it was a great surprise and it was awesome that I was posting "Guest Artist Lynn McIntee-Rodgers returns" after an absense of almost 3 decades...WOW!!

Room With a View

Jane Storie poses on the balcony of the hotel room she and boyfriend Ken had, while enjoying a weekend in  Niagara Falls in July. Great view of the Falls Jane, I'm sure you had an awesome time.



Happy Birthday Diane

May your birthday be
as bewitching as you are




"Look Ma, No Hands!"

Alina Denis has adapted nicely to her bottle, after recently saying goodbye to breast feeding. And talk about a multi-tasker!  Above, Alina not only enjoys her bottle, but gets in a little yoga at the same time.



When Change Isn’t Always Good

It’s said that in life the only thing that’s constant is change. Indeed one way or another, everything does change, but what happens when change goes wrong?

Remember the outrage when Coca Cola Ltd. unveiled “New Coke?” It wasn’t long before “Classic Coke” returned to store shelves. And is there a hockey fan in Canada that still doesn’t disagree with CBC’s decision not to cough up funds for the infamous “Hockey Night in Canada” theme song? Although TSN was quick to grab the music for its hockey broadcasts, somehow CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada just isn’t the same without that familiar jingle.

Sometimes change just doesn’t work and here’s a few recent examples...

Redefining “Vinyl”

When Vinyl 95.3 hit the airwaves about a year and a half ago, it offered Southern Ontario listeners an FM station devoted to the greatest hits of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. From Abba to Aerosmith, the Beatles to Blondie, the King of Rock to the King of Pop, if it was popular back in the day, it was likely part of Vinyl’s playlist.

Sadly, late this Spring, Elvis and others appear to have left the building, replaced with “hits” from the 90’s and current day. Although songs from the 60’s to 80’s are still featured, there’s something odd and out of place when artists like Kelly Clarkson, Michael Buble, Daughtry and Nelly Furtado are included amongst the true classics. To still refer to the station as “Vinyl” is somewhat ironic, considering many of the selections they now play were never released in that format.

A quick look at Vinyl 95.3’s facebook page reveals that I’m not the only one who isn’t impressed by this change.

Alternatively, WHTT 104.1 FM, broadcasting out of Buffalo, NY remains true to the classics with hits of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s.... although the ads, news, weather and traffic reports are geared primarily to their Western New York listeners.


“Wave” Goodbye

Listeners of Smooth Jazz 94.7 Wave FM had a rude awakening on August 1st, when the station suddenly became KX Country. In correspondence with the Hamilton-based station, I was advised the change was not a welcomed one amongst those at Wave FM. It came down to dollars and cents, or a sad lack thereof and the station just couldn’t remain on the air.

It’s not all bad news for those of you missing those smooth grooves. Wave is now available exclusively online, complete with the DJ’s and music you’ve grown to love, as they seek out another possible spot on FM radio.


“Eight” Was Enough

We stray from the radio to the internet with this one. Internet Explorer recently introduced a revised version of its popular browser. Internet Explorer 9 promises to be faster and easier than previous versions. Unfortunately they neglect to tell you the entire “look” has also changed. The time you would have saved with this “faster” version of Explorer, will probably be spent trying to find basic functions like where your favourites are hiding and how to navigate the page.

Luckily, if you decide to uninstall Explorer 9, your OS should then return to the previous version you had installed, where everything is nicely laid out for your browsing pleasure.

The lessons here? If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, because sometimes the best change is simply no change at all.

posted Aug. 7/11






Ken Caught Sleeping
with Tim McGraw
AND Faith Hill!
LOL....Yes I do sleep with the Country super couple,
 but only because they're featured on my night shirt.
Sweet Dreams!



 'Lucy' look-alikes honour Ball's birthday
by Neale Gulley, Reuters

JAMESTOWN, New York – More than 900 red-lipsticked, redheaded women -- and men -- gathered near a "Vitameatavegamin" sign in the hometown of "I Love Lucy" star Lucille Ball to mark her 100th birthday on Saturday with a world record for most Lucy look-alikes.

Sporting upswept hairdos and blue and white polka dot dresses, the crowd of 915 Lucy Ricardos set to establish the first Guinness world record in her honor. It was all part of the annual Lucy Fest in Jamestown, which drew fans from as far away as Australia to the normally sleepy town of 30,000 people in upstate New York.

Some revelers ...sang "Happy Birthday" in honor of what would have been Ball's 100th birthday on August 6.

Amid the hoopla, a man proposed to his girlfriend, both wearing nightshirts imprinted with the image of a polka-dot dress and holding cardboard cutouts of Lucy up to their faces in accordance to Guinness' qualifying guidelines. She said yes and the crowd roared.

Floating among the waves of Lucys were some people dressed as Ricky, played on the show by Ball's real life husband Desi Arnaz, and their TV neighbors Fred and Ethel Mertz, who often baby-sat for Little Ricky Ricardo.

"I Love Lucy" ran for 179 episodes from 1951 to 1957 and has been seen in reruns for decades since.

A fact sheet distributed by the festival sponsor, the Lucy-Desi Center, says 40 million people tuned in to watch the birth of Little Ricky in 1953. That's compared with the relatively modest 29 million who watched the inauguration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower the following day.

The five day festival, which wrapped up on Sunday, included performances by comedians including Joan Rivers and Paula Poundstone and cake with a cast of professional actors who impersonated Lucy, Ricky, Fred and Ethel in a re-creation of Ricky's Cuban-themed TV nightclub "The Tropicana."

Ball died in 1989 and was buried in California. Her daughter Lucie Arnaz had her moved to Jamestown's Lakeview Cemetery, fulfilling her wish to be buried next to her mother, said Lucy-Desi Center Head of Tour guides Susan Ewing.




Rob and I met Matthew Glasgow and his partner Stephen during Toronto Pride in 2007. It was Rob and I's first Pride as a couple and the year we wore our cowboy hats that many seemed to adore.  Stephen and Matthew live in Ireland and we exchanged email info and have remained in touch over the years. 

The boys also occasionally get a chance to enjoy scribbles and Matthew was thrilled to let us know that they are now married. 

What makes their nuptials even more entertaining, is the date they wed. Who knew two lads in Ireland tying the knot, would be cause for a Civic holiday?

Matthew sent us a full account of their big event in words and photos and we are thrilled to have the exclusive on this great tale.


Our Royal Wedding
by Matthew Glasgow

My sister was married last year (on my dad's birthday - 21 September) and [my partner] Stephen proposed to me that evening. It took us a few weeks to settle on a date but eventually we picked Friday 29 April 2011... you can imagine how I felt when 6 weeks later...when the date of the Royal Wedding had just been announced as the same day as ours.

Panic then set in as it was announced that it would be a public holiday here on that date - we were getting married in the city council's Civic Centre. We had to phone them to see if they would still honour the date (people had already booked flights from Scotland and we had already booked our venue for the evening reception). Luckily enough they agreed to honour it and we only paid the normal rate (it is usually trebled for a public holiday wedding!).

Everything was fine until the end of January when we decided to drive out to the venue for our evening reception to discuss some details with them - the place was "boarded up". They had closed the business down after Christmas 2010 but hadn't contacted us!! We only lost our deposit but this meant we had to find another venue for the evening reception with less than 3 months to the big day and that day being the same day as the Royal Wedding and a public holiday as well!

We were lucky to find a hotel about 5 miles outside Lisburn which could accommodate us - looking back on it now it was the best thing to happen to us as it was a far better venue than the one we had originally booked.

The day itself was brilliant - we had 70 people at our ceremony in the Civic Centre, including both sets of parents (this was the first time they had met each other!) We both had "best men" - Stephen had his friend Michael and I had James, my best friend of 30 years. The whole day seemed to fly by - before I knew it the evening reception was starting - there was another 50 or so people came along to that. I had family & friends who came over from Glasgow and all of Stephen's family from Omagh were there. We both also had loads of workmates there.

Stephen & I are now together 4½ years – bought the house together 2 years ago and married for 3 months. Not bad for 2 guys who met each other on Gaydar!!

 [KEN COMMENTS: Brilliant indeed Matthew... and by that I not only mean your amazing "Royal" wedding but also the great job you did of sharing your story with scribbles. Much appreciated and belated Congratulations. Pride 2012 you say?  We must put that plan in motion. :) ]



Nap Time

This classic scribbles drawing was drawn back when I had my dog Poppy and kitten Emerson. The pets have changed to timmi and J.R. since I created this, but the feeling's still the same. There's nothing like a nap with my furry friends, especially during my recovery periods.





My Date with the Count


"One. One zapped nerve. Two. Two zapped nerves. Three. Three zapped nerves, Bahh haa haa"

Well, I have survived my first nerve-burning treatment and have the marks to prove it. When I arrived at the Rothbart Centre Aug. 4th, my blood pressure was high. After all this was the "biggie" we had been building up to after several months of injections, which had provided limited relief, so I was pretty nervous.

Today they would actually be burning some of those nasty nerves that have caused me so much pain, for so long. We had tested the procedure a few weeks ago and were ready to get down to business. I asked if we could start with my right shoulder blade, as this area has always been the most painful. Even though the pain I felt was in my shoulder, the nerve we were about to zap is actually located in my neck. Who knew??

I was laying on my back for this procedure. Jeff, the kind gentleman assisting Dr. James, first cleaned my neck with something and commented that it was good I wore a black shirt as there would be no staining. (?) Next he pulled up my pant leg and pulled down my sock, wrapping something around my leg to "ground" me, he also clipped something near my groin (I'll let you insert your own jokes here).

The doctor had a wand-type device using it to touch certain areas on my neck before asking Jeff to "shoot". They'd then see an image on a monitor. If it wasn't the right spot, he'd move the "wand" and ask Jeff to shoot again. Once they found what they were looking for, he froze the area with a needle. Next he inserted a long needle-shaped device and moved it around a bit.

"Do you feel anything there?" the doctor asked, "A pulsation or slight thump?"

"No" was my answer. So he'd move it again and again until I actually felt a slight pulsing where this thing was now located. At that time he'd ask Jeff to increase "something" and they'd countdown for about 30 seconds before Dr. James would then pull this thing out. I'm pretty certain this was the actual "burning" part of the procedure. As I was frozen, I felt very little.. well, most of the time.

He did the same procedure in various spots and it took about 25 minutes. Although I was a bit light-headed afterwards, I felt well enough to sit rather than lay down in the recovery room. After all, I was still frozen and couldn't feel much on my right side, so if I was hurting, I was unaware at the time. My blood pressure was also much better.

Once again my personal chauffeur Bob Miller took me to and from Toronto for today's treatment and since we both enjoy the gift of gab, the drive passed by quickly. The freezing left my body a few hours later and the spots he had poked me were red and sore, but my right shoulder wasn't hurting.

Dr. James said I might feel a bit rough for a few days and I believe him. I return on the 18th for what could be my last visit. Afterwards, I could feel 50% better, 100% better, might need to return in 6 months to do it all again - or may never need to come back at all!! (You can all guess which of those options I'm hoping for.)

I'm still sore at this time, but more because of what they did rather than the usual pains. After all it's not every day I have nerves burned away, so my body is in a bit of a shock. We'll see what a few days rest and relaxation bring.

 MINI VIDEO CLIP...
The VAMPIRE DIARY
I made a little video clip of my neck and hammed it up with some graphics and sound effects. 
 Hey, this is ME we're talking about, Mr. Scribbles, I woludn't have it any other way.

posted Aug. 6/11


 
Dog Gone Delightful!

I just love to snoop around on facebook in pursuit of pix to use on scribbles and when I find photos as amusing as those above, I guess can be excused for being a bit a voyeur.

The cute canines seen here belong to Peter Buffa and his husband Kevin Lowe of Niagara Falls. The dog tucked in the baseball mitt is Maxwell Smart, a mini schnauzer, who is now 4 years old (meaning he can't fit into that mitt anymore.) The little chocolate lab getting some lovin' from her daddies and enjoying a refreshing beverage is Stella Mae, who was born on April 30th. Gee, even in doggie years, I think that makes her a bit young to be hitting the bottle.

Peter tells us Maxwell and Stella are nuts about each other and after seeing these amusing photos, so are we!! Thanks for letting me share photos of your happy family Peter and Kevin, can't wait to meet the "kids" in person, once I'm a bit more mobile.

posted Aug. 1/11


You know it's extremely hot when...



Classic Comics
We dug deep into scribbles archives and found a bounty of original comics.
These were featured in our magazines and annual calendars and
were created by yours truly : )

Check out today's home page for several classic funnies, like this one...





 
We Will Never Forget You

Aug 1st marks 11 years that my step-father Don Storie passed away. It certainly doesn't seem that long. Don was a soft-spoken gentleman and although he had 4 children from his first marriage to support, still took the time to raise my sisters and I.

Known as "Pokey" by his pals at work, because of his laid-back attitude, we remember "Dad" today.


posted Aug. 1/11


 

Meet our Contestants, Top row (left to right): Kim Papple, Mikol
Zarhochak, Nancy Erskine, Julia Eckert. Bottom row: Dale Betts,
Ginger Miller-Blythin, Tricia Zonneveld-Dickie, Kevin Spiece.

Eight scribbles pals took time away from enjoying their Summer to enter our latest Will and Grace Contest. To enter we asked you to send in your best response to this statement: "Reading scribbles is more fun than..." Each contestant could submit up to three responses and then it was up to our readers to pick which answer they liked the best.

In Third Place:
Reading scribbles is more fun than......
Rhinestones on Sale
submitted by Kevin Spiece


Second Place:
Reading scribbles in more fun than.......
Prepping for a colonoscopy
on your 21st wedding anniversary

submitted by Kim Papple


Reading scribbles is more fun than...
Reading the side effects of Karen Walker's
prescriptions from "Mexican Pharmacist"
submitted by Ginger Miller-Blythin

Congratulations Ginger you are the winner of
our Will and Grace Prize Package pictured below:


A big thank you to everyone who entered and/or voted.
Watch for our next contest coming in Sept.

posted Aug 1/11

 The following article is rated 16 yr+

My Mini Meltdown

There's one thing no one could argue when it comes to me...I've chosen to make my life an "open book". Let's face it, not everyone would be candid enough to tell their family and friends about their bouts with clinical depression and chronic pain, let alone write about it online for all the world to see. But that's me, Mr. Tell-All.

There's actually a few reasons I spill my guts in this rather provocative manner.

The primary reason is because my brutal honesty is very beneficial and therapeutic for me. By expressing the way I feel, taking it from within my head to the internet, makes me feel better inside. Once it's out there, it really is "out there". There's no erase or delete button. I've expressed what I am feeling and there's no taking it back once I've hit the "publish post" button. I have no choice but to face the music. My friends are aware of what was swimming around inside me and I can attempt to move beyond it, knowing there's now lots of room in my head to fill with better thoughts and dreams. It's ok to call me crazy, I do it all the time -LOL!

The other reason for my frankness is far less selfish. When I have opened up about my depression and chronic pain, offering insight and methods I've tried to live with them, I usually receive messages from others who also suffer from one or both of these conditions. People tell me how much they could identify with what I revealed or how the info and resources I provided have somehow helped them. That really means a lot. If my rantings and ravings can somehow make the road to recovery a bit smoother for even one person, then it was worth virtually cutting myself open and saying take a look inside.

As many of you are aware, I have been on sick leave for over 2 months, due to my chronic neck and back pain. I have been receiving epidermal injections at the Rothbart Centre for Pain in Toronto and will soon undergo two evasive "nerve burning" treatments. Although the injections I have received have provided some relief, it is the nerve burning sessions that hold the most promise. If successful, I could be practically pain-free for up to 6 months -something I can't even imagine, having suffered for so very, very, VERY long.

A few days ago I had a setback. The pain in my back was unbearable, despite all the methods I tried to make it go away. As a result, I was once again unable to participate in events I had hoped to attend and this made me very depressed. They don't call chronic pain plus depression the terrible twosome for nothing. One fuels the other and once that flame is ignited, it can be pretty tricky to extinguish.

To help me through this trying episode, I did what I do best....blab to everyone about what I was feeling. I posted numerous status updates on facebook and sent out emails to many friends, "colourfully" expressing exactly how I was feeling. Within minutes I was inundated with facebook and text messages, emails and phone calls. It was your turn to help me and you came through in record numbers. Following a very good cry and lengthy nap, I awoke feeling less stressed and less pain.

Truly I am very fortunate to have so many loving and caring people in my life and there are no words to express how much that means to me. Somehow "thank you" just doesn't seem like enough.


posted Aug. 1/11




Doctors That Make House Calls

Both my mom and my good pal Pat Fenerty suggested this website to me and I'm glad they did. WebMD is a reputable source for all your medical questions. Written by a team of physicians you'll find everything from diet tips to facts about depression (Yes, THAT'S why I went there initially). There's a newsletter you can subscribe to (at no charge) and they even have a Pet Health section.

WebMD is available online and as a Smartphone or tablet App. You really can take the doctor with you wherever you go.

Click here to visit WebMD





click on pix to enjoy a larger version

One Last Visit

As we mentioned here before, I was housesitting for our pal Becky Lee while she enjoyed her holidays at her family's cottage. Joining me to water the plants and feed the fish in Becky's koi pond have been my nephew Graham, my dog Timmi and last but certainly not least, my partner Rob.

How quickly those two weeks passed by. Becky is now back, meaning my feeding and watering duties are over. In the photo above we see Graham and Timmi admiring the "fishies" one last time before Ms. Lee's return.

Hope you had a very relaxing vacation Becky. I might just have to bring these guys back to your place from time to time because - like me- they just LOVE your place.

posted Aug 1/11


Sept. 1st is a Special Day for Scribbles

Our website has been around for several years now, but scribbles didn't start there. As most of you are aware, scribbles started off as a hand drawn digest, followed by an actual magazine with a maximum distribution of 60 copies.

Labour Day weekend 1979 was when the very first scribbles was created, meaning this Sept. 1st will be our 32nd Anniversary. Holy Crap!! That's a long time to be scribbling and although our format has changed along the way, our primary goal has not.....entertaining and informing family and friends in a very unique way.

We have lots of surprises planned for this year's anniversary which will come your way on Sept. 1st -of course!!  Stay tuned scribbles fans!






Rummage Sale a Huge Success

Niagara Falls pals Rhonda King and her partner Sharon Janzen played host to a Huge Rummage Sale on Sat. July 30th. Proceeds from the big event went to the Canadian Breast Cancer Society and Niagara's Gay/Straight Alliance.

Rhonda sent us a note the following day about the Rummage Sale. Here's what she had to say:

"It was a day when true friends came by just to help. I was very humbled by both the donations and help. Also I was pleasantly surprised by our neighbours. We had delivered flyers notifying them of the sale and a couple of neighbours popped by to drop of monetary donations and a couple dropped off items to be sold.

Today is a day of recuperating for both [Sharon and I] LOL"

Sounds like it was a wonderful fundraiser Rhonda and Sharon. Sorry I was unable to make it because of my physical and mental state that particular day.

posted Aug. 1/11


 SUPER SHORT VIDEO CLIP
Heigh Ho Merry

So here's what happened....Rob showed me a one second video clip of his mom Merry. I thought it would be cute to have some fun with it and email it to her. Problem was, Merry couldn't open the file. So what's a guy to do? Post the clip to scribbles so she can see it. It's only a few seconds long and not a LMAO clip, just a little chuckle for my "mother-in-law" :)

posted Aug. 1/11