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Posts tagged ‘humour’

Aug 19

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The Good, The Bad and The Funny of Canadian Politics: Rick Mercer

This Friday I bring you another great, sadly unread, Canadian book.

Well, its not really a book. It’s a paper version of what you could watch every Tuesday night on the CBC at 8 pm. Well, every Tuesday between October and April, that is.

“No one on TV has done more to teach Canadians about their own country than Mercer,” says the Toronto Star.

And, despite the Toronto Star’s recent gaffe claiming Canucks GM Mike Gillis called Rick Rypien ‘crazy,’ (the writer quoted a vandalized Wikipedia article rather than the actual interview with Gillis), I think they got this one right.

There’s a good reason my niece’s Social Studies teacher used clips from The Rick Mercer Report in her Friday classes.

Rick is one of our national educators. And frankly, we could use one. Read more

Aug 12

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British Columbia: ‘We Don’t Think That’s Funny’ (And Other Inspirations from “How to Be a Canadian”)

On Wednesday I wrote about a sadly unknown feisty woman in history.

Today, I write about a sadly unread great Canadian book. It’s not the great Canadian novel. Though, it may make you want to write the great Canadian novel.

No, this is your manual on How to Be A Canadian. As evidenced  by, ehrm, the title.

I bought this book ten years ago for my American husband. He wasn’t quite my husband yet. The prospect of moving to Canada from the greatest country in the world made his patriotic heart quiver with nervousness (as it should). But the Ferguson brothers description of what defines us (hint: Canadians are always defined by negation, as in, I am NOT American), unites us (see below), and makes us awesome (the ability to poke fun at every inch of our land, people and government), made David laugh and say, ‘ok, I might like it here.’ Read more

Aug 7

Morons, Stupidity, and Us

I prepare you now: I have had a week of stupid. A miserable, bash-your-head-on-your-desk, you’ve-got-to-be-kidding-me, did-someone-suck-these-people’s-brains-out? week of moronic encounters. So this post may be a bit, uh, more honest than you’re used to.

A few of you just ran away in fear. After all, I’m not known for being – what shall we call it? – hard to crack.

But for those of you with the courage – or perhaps morbid fascination, for who doesn’t love a good trainwreck? – to stay, let’s just agree up front to be honest.

Sometimes life is filled with stupidity. Sometimes you feel like you’re the only reasonable person in a sea of idiots. And then you painfully wonder if you’re the idiot and everyone else is sane.

And, it all unravels from there. Read more

Jul 19

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Bad Advice My Grandma Gave Me, and What I Learned From Her Anyways

Okay, so those of you who know me well are asking yourselves two questions: 1) Is this Monday? Cause you were supposed to blog on Monday? and 2) I thought you loved your grandma? In a ‘world-hasn’t-been-the-same-since-she-died’ kind of way? Confession: you are right on both counts. 1) This is not a strictly ‘Monday’s Mama’s Musings’ post today, and heaven knows those may not come very often, because me and inspirational parenting? Yeah, I’m not the model for that! I love my kids but I am grateful that they have lots of grace for me, and 2) My Grannie was one of the best and brightest people this world has ever seen. And yes, we do tend to endow loved ones to sainthood after they die, but in Grannie’s case, its really true. She was one of the best.

But think about it for a moment: can’t you remember one of the best people you ever knew, telling you to do something really, really, er… on the side of not wise?

Ten years ago, my ‘i’m-so-old-look-at-me-i’m-going-to-get-married’ self Read more

Jul 15

Friday Reads for the Non-Compulsive Reader: Why Harry Potter Was So Successful

Okay, so I’ve never really been a Harry Potter person, but, as Kristen Lamb pointed out in We Are Not Alone, one of the reasons those books took the world by storm was really because they drew in the non-compulsive readers, those people who, Read more

Jul 6

Thursday’s Thoughts – “Small Islands of… hope?”

Each week, on Thursdays, I hope to bring you two of my favorite quotes for the week, one serious, and one funny, or even silly. In today’s case, the first one is very serious (but hopeful), and the second is very silly. In case you wondered, yes, I’m a bit of an eclectic? individual. If you want serious, read the first; if you want silly, skip to the end. Read more

Jun 28

What Lies Around the Bend, for ‘What Lies Around the Bend;’ Aka. The Renovation of This Blog

Some of you will have noticed that “What Lies Around the Bend,” is not what it used to be, which was, an attempt to communicate concisely with our close-but-physically-far-away-friends about my health situation, to inform them how things were going and how they could support/think good thoughts/pray for us. We still need that support/good thoughts/prayers, very much, but it seems that the past 2 1/2 years have brought so much growth to myself and our family that we’d like also to be able to share the wealth of that freedom, and hope, with you. And by you, I mean Read more

Apr 22

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What Cancer Has Taught Me, Part 356: Embrace your Inner Dork

Hey, you, over there, keep the L up in the air
Hey, you, over there, keep the L up, cause I don’t care
You can throw your sticks and
You can throw your stones
Like a rock and just watch me go, yeah
L-O-S-E-R, I can only be who I are

I know, you’re thinking, what? She’s excited to be a loser? And where’s the first 355 parts of what cancer has taught her? Let’s just say those 355 things are not really written down, because they don’t need to be. Those are the givens, all the cliches Read more

Feb 9

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The post I never thought I’d write

Most of you reading this will know I have very, very good news to share. Unbelievable news, actually. Its not shocking, or overtly miraculous, like those people that go in for scans and the doctors tell them things like there is no trace of them ever having HAD cancer, nothing like that. But for me, a miracle all the same, and the best news I have heard in over two years. Read more