Strange things happen

when my mom isn't home...

...We take you now to....

A zebra moving from room to room as he looks for her. A cat performing magic to keep himself occupied while his mommy wasn't around. A confused dog visiting Nana's "house", but there's no Nana???

These are just some of the eerie things that were experienced at my mom's home when she was visiting her sister in Renfrew.

We submit to you, a glimpse into

"the Nana Zone"...

VIDEO CLIP ONE:

"where are u"

starring Smudge the Zebra

This one featuring Smudge the zebra is my fave of the "series"
This clip took a while to put together
 and features an extensive look at my mother's amazing zebra collection.
 MUSIC: "Air that I Breathe" by the Hollies

VIDEO CLIP TWO:

"the cat did play"

starring Sensi the Magical Cat

My mom's cat Sensi seemed pretty lonely so I brought him a toy

which as we see, he becomes enchanted with.

 MUSIC: "Abra Cadabra" by the Defranco Family featuring Tony Defranco.

VIDEO CLIP THREE:

"nana returns"

starring Smudge, Sensi and Timmi

The whole gang's featured on this finale clip -my SECOND fave of the three.

The music is the theme song from the Mary Tyler Moore Show

and if you were a fan, you should get the significance of J.R.'s appearance at the end of the clip.

I watched the 3 videos you did of your mom's zebra i loved them... lol

Merry Proulx -Welland, ON


Another awesome zebra clip ["Nana Returns"] and yes, I did get the significance of J.R meowing at the end ... How cute!

Jane Storie - St Catharines, ON

 

Another Masterpiece!

Pat Fenerty -Welland, ON

What a great movie on the Zebras. ‘Wait till your Mother gets home!!!!’“ Boy, will you get it!!!” Good job Ken, I loved it. Cheers,

Bob Miller -St Catharines, ON


OMG…talk about laughing my ass off !!! I love that video of Smudge ["where are u?"] How long did that take you to do?  I loved this video!!!

Jane Storie -St Catharines, ON


Love it Ken! lolol, he looks so lonesome....Mom you have to take him with you next tiiiiiime!

Sarah Toner -Renfrew, ON


I was soooo impressed by that Smudge Video. You did an awesome job!! Must have taken forever. It was cute, funny and so touching. Your Mom must have loved it.

Jeanne Prince - Renfrew, ON

The Making of "Where Are U?" Video Clip

Many times I have a plan to create a video clip. Someone's birthday is coming up, there's a holiday or an event we will be at, it's a pretty safe bet I'll probably be thinking about how I'm going to capture it on video.

And then there's "Where Are U?" starring Smudge the lonesome zebra. My mom is visiting relatives in Renfrew and I am one of the people stopping by her place to check on Sensi the cat and make sure all is good on the home front.

Thursday night at mom's, while Timmi enjoyed playtime with Sensi, I couldn't help but take notice of all my mother's zebra collectibles. I decided to go around from room to room and snap some pix of them. When I noticed Smudge (the large adorable plush zebra) sitting with his head drooped, the light bulb went off. Make it a video about Smudge missing mom and show her zebras off at the same time. Brilliant!!

Although I tossed around Patsy Cline's song "Crazy" as possible theme music, "The Air That I Breathe" by The Hollies seemed a more amusing choice as I listened to the lyrics. As long as Smudge's agents had no objections, we could begin filming immediately.

We spared no cost in the special effects department. Note my running shoe as the camera zooms out on Smudge, laying sadly on the floor beside a photo of my mom. See the sneaker again as we circle around Smudge for the dream sequence....LMAO!

And what exactly is that twirling zebra pattern and how is it spinning around? It's a close-up of a zebra saucer (as in "cup and...", not "flying...") spinning precariously on mom's turntable.

As for all the zebras....no special effects there. Mom really does have all those collectibles and they just keep magically multiplying. Smudge might be missing my mom, but the other zebras seem to have found something else to keep them busy.

"OK, you can wash me in here,

just don't put me in the dryer when we're done"

Becky Lee's little Frenchie Preston looks so adorable as he gets a bath. Maybe his mommy was making him all clean and fresh in time to celebrate his 2nd birthday Aug. 19th.

Happy Birthday Preston!!

"Hehe !! Made ya SMILE !!!!!"

Angela Whiteley

 Digby, NS

.

Burn Baby Burn

Want to see how it's done?

I had my second "nerve burning" treatment on Thursday. Same process as before, only this time on the left side of my neck and shoulder. I Googled and found out more about the procedure. First of all, it's called Radio Frequency Lesioning or Radio Frequency Ablation and it is used to carefully burn the nerves that cause chronic pain.

I found several video clips on You Tube. I've included a link below. It's not me and it's not my doctor but the process is pretty much the same except I was laying on my back, not my stomach like the woman in the clip and instead of putting all four probes in my neck at once, my specialist does them one at a time.

I usually try to stare away towards the ceiling when Dr James is poking me with one injection or another. This time I glanced over at the "needle" and it was quite long. Thank "god" for the freezing!

Like before, there's been some tenderness at the injection points and periodic burning sensations. I go back on Sept. 23rd for a follow-up appointment, but for now we begin the wait and see period. They've zapped both sides, will it be effective? Time will tell.

[SHOUT OUT TO SISTER JANE...LOL on "Time will tell"]

 VIDEO CLIP LINK:

"Nerve-Burning" Process:

RADIO FREQUENCY ABLATION

My doctor doesn't call me "sweetie" like the one in this clip,

 but otherwise it is pretty similar to what I had done...

 CLICK HERE

 If you get a message stating your computer cannot open the video clip,

click where it says "open in a new window"

VIEWER DISCRETION:

If needles give you the creeps, you might not want to watch this clip.

Break on Through

My sister Jane Storie recently wrote on facebook that she has started drinking all natural beverages which she concocted herself.. and then she posted this photo. Thankfully she labeled the pix "Experimenting with Photoshop".

WHEW! That's a relief, we thought maybe her ghostly appearance was because of all those super beverages she's been enjoying...LOL!.

Bow Wow 

Aug 17th was Timmi's 7th Birthday. Since his nana is away and his daddy hasn't been feeling all that great at times, Timmi decided not to have a party this year.

Happy Birthday Furry Little Buddy!

Love,

Little Daddy, Big Daddy and J.R.

Be a Gem for Jen
As featured on "Be a Gem for Jen" website:

Jennifer Anne Jones was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer June 23rd, 2011. August 4th she was refused life saving surgery and chemotherapy treatment in Toronto.

Because her application for Canadian Citizenship has been delayed by the Canadian Consulate in Buffalo New York, Jen has in turn been delayed in her application process to secure OHIP. Without medical care Jen will not survive, with medical care and treatment she has a fighting chance.

So Please, be a Gem for Jen and make a donation now. Help us help Jen in the fight of her life- for her life!

VISIT OFFICIAL SITE WHERE YOU CAN DONATE AND SEND MESSAGES TO JEN

Rasmus looking out the window for Jen

VISIT OFFICIAL SITE WHERE YOU CAN DONATE AND SEND MESSAGES TO JEN

You Haven't Changed a Bit!

Happy Birthday to my cousin Jeanne Prince, who's big day was Aug 16th. As you know, Jeanne lives in my home town of Renfrew. I love all my relatives in the Ottawa Valley, but Jeanne and I have just always had a special bond.  It grew even greater for the many years she lived in St Catharines, got married and became a mommy. When the big picture changed and it was just Jeanne and "little" Megan, I spent plenty of time with them both. We were so close.

It was bittersweet when Jeanne and Megan returned to Renfrew. We weren't neighbours anymore and I would miss what we had and sometimes I still do.

But it was the best move for Jeanne, who made a new life and became a new wife,  marrying a true Prince...Peter Prince to be precise. Life is great for my Crazy Cousin Jeanne and Crazy Cousin Ken thinks that's just grand!

Happy Birthday Jeanne

I Love You

Business is "boom-ing"

for DJ Michelle Cruise

 

Visit boom 99.7 click here

Her name may sound familiar, but it's probably Michelle Cruise's infectious voice and laughter that you might remember most.

For many years, Michelle was heard on EZ Rock 105.7 in St. Catharines. Cruise wore many hats at the station. Entertainment News, "live on location", fill-in DJ when someone needed time off. There was a whole lot of Michelle Cruise on EZ Rock 105.7 and we liked it that way.

Last year Cruise left Niagara for fellow Astral Media station, EZ Rock 99.7- broadcasting from our nation's capital. Our loss has been Ottawa's gain, not to mention Cruise herself.

The station recently became boom 99.7 which play's hits from the 70's, 80's and 90's. Although the new format has not impressed every former EZ Rock listener, the revamped boom comes with a new morning show.

Click here to visit boom 99.7

It's the boom breakfast with Joe and Michelle and YES, that's "our" Michelle as co-host. How awesome is that?

Michelle has shown her creative side on the station's blog page with various video postings, but our favourite has to be Ms. Cruise exercising her vocal chords with "a little diddy about Joe and Michelle" -sung to the tune of John Cougar's "Jack and Diane" -VERY CUTE!

To hear Michelle sing "Joe and Michelle" please click here

When I First Met Michelle Cruise

As part of Astral Media's nationwide campaign, EZ Rock 105.7, NewsTalk 610 and Htz FM 97.7 participate annually in a day set aside for raising funds and awareness for the Niagara Children's Centre. My employer, Talk Wireless Inc. is involved with the event, including having staff on hand to man (or woman) the phones as donations and memberships roll in. 

For two consecutive years, I was part of the Talk Wireless staff on hand to take those important calls for the next few hours. We got to sit in the green room while we waited and our phone station was on stage behind the tables the three local stations were broadcasting from live.  It was pretty exciting to see the faces behind all those familiar voices and Michelle was one of the most memorable!

That amazing smile and her enthusiasm, well to me, she lit up the room. We chatted on that brief moment she was "off air" for a few minutes. Later I emailed Michelle and others at the station to let them know I had featured my adventure at the Radiothon on our site, so she is familair with scribbles.

Ken's personal note to Michelle:

You Go Girl!
I'm so happy to "hear" you are co-hosting the boom breakfast show and that life in Ottawa has been very very good to you.

Wow, Ken! Great write-up. Thanks so much. Glad to hear you're loving boom... we are too

Michelle Cruise -Ottawa, ON

Oh Brother!

Twist Brings Bad Boy Brendon

 Back to "So-Called" Reality Show

When it comes to "Reality TV", history has proven that one should always expect the unexpected. Such is the case with Big Brother which started its 13th season earlier this Summer by bringing back house guests from past years. Those "veterans" included sweethearts Jeff and Jordan, "Evil" Dick and his devious daughter Danielle and last season's obnoxious "showmance" stars Rachel and Brendon.

It soon became a battle between the newbies and the veterans, with the balance of power usually in the veterans favour, thanks to absurd challenges. It looked as if the newbies didn't stand much of a chance, as week by week one of them was sent packing.

The scales tipped in recent weeks, with bad boy Brendon getting evicted on week 4. With her soulmate gone, Rachel became an emotional mess and was put up for eviction. Could our prayers be answered? Would both Rachel AND Brendon be out of the Big Brother House?  Could one of the new guests finally get a kick at the can and a chance at winning it all?

Think again! A twist in the game plan revealed that the next guest to get evicted could be returning to the house. After Jordan won Power of Veto and removed himself from the chopping block with Rachel, flamboyant newcomer Lawon (left) made himself the sacrificial lamb, asking to be put up for eviction. He was determined he would come back to the house with some type of "Super Power". He was dead wrong. Instead Lawon would compete against one of the other evicted guests, with the winner returning to the house to compete once again.

And just how would it be determined which of the first 4 evicted houseguests would return to compete against Lawon? America voted by text and online...or so they would lead you to believe. Shockingly, the most-loathed evicted guest Brendon was voted back. He won the silly competition, was reunited with Rachel and the others, while Lawon's only Super Power was the ability to instantly vanish from Big Brother.

"Reality" my ass! There's no conceivable way Brendon should have been brought back. Viewers were thrilled to see him leave, so why or how could they bring him back to do more damage? It's just a "theory", but I think it was all planned. Bringing back Brendon makes for great ratings and after all, that's the true "reality" of this type of program.

"Julie [Chen], I vote to evict the "unscripted" Rachel and Brendon Show out of the Big Brother house...forever! No more surprises! Those two are twisted enough!

Make the Best of Everyday

starring Kiera Blythin

Always a Bridesmaid....

...No Wedding for 'Sesame Street's' Ernie and Bert

LOS ANGELES – Bert and Ernie may be best friends, but that doesn’t mean the “Sesame Street” pals are gay. And whatever the puppets may or may not be, one thing is certain, they won’t be getting married, producers of the long-running kids TV show made clear Thursday.

The educational workshop behind the 40 year-old TV series dismissed the idea of a made-for-TV, same-sex puppet wedding in response to an online campaign and petition to have the two “Sesame Street” characters get married as a way to beat homophobia and encourage tolerance of gay people.

In recent days, almost 9,000 people have signed a petition encouraging the wedding at http://www.change.org/ and/or become friends of a special “Bert and Ernie Get Married” Facebook page, sparking a lively debate on Twitter and other social media.

Bert, who is fascinated by pigeons and gets easily upset, and oval-headed, free spirit Ernie, have lived together at 123 Sesame Street since 1969. They share a bedroom, but sleep in single beds. Sesame Workshop noted Thursday that as puppets, Bert and Ernie don’t have sexual preferences.

“Bert and Ernie are best friends. They were created to teach preschoolers that people can be good friends with those who are very different from themselves.

“Even though they are identified as male characters and possess many human traits and characteristics, they remain puppets, and do not have a sexual orientation,” Sesame Workshop said in a statement posted on its official Facebook page.

The change.org petition had argued that their marriage would help to put an end to bullying and suicides of gay, lesbian, transgender and bisexual young people.

“We are not asking that ‘Sesame Street’ do anything crude or disrespectful by allowing Bert and Ernie to marry. It can be done in a tasteful way,” the petition read.