I hate, hate, hate Windows Live Messenger! 

A friend of mine provided a URL as part of his personal message (just following his name on my list), but although I am able to highlight it, copying and pasting it is out of the question.  Right-clicking is deactivated, as is Alt+C.

 I noticed a similar thing the other day when I wanted to copy and paste something from the history of a Messenger conversation.  Impossible!

 Am I missing something here?  Or is time for me to dump WLM/MSN and go the non-Microsoft route?

I find myself alone in the house - a very rare occurence - thanks to my husband.  He took the kids out for a walk, leaving me to get on with hanging the laundry in peace.

The first thing I did was turn off Treehouse TV.  It was pure bliss to hit the button and have it followed by silence.  Then I hung the laundry out on the washing line, with the weather slightly improved from yesterday.  Coming back into the living room, I wondered what to do with this precious alone time.  And then it struck me…

Adult viewing.  And by that, I do not mean porn!  I mean that I was going to watch a movie on DVD meant for grown-ups like me.  Sex, violence, coarse language!  All of it!  There was only one answer:  Pulp Fiction.

Wow, what a great movie.  The soundtrack is awesome, as with every Tarantino movie.  The guy has an uncanny knack of finding all these classic tunes that fit so well into the scenes.  The cast list is unbelieveable.  I can only imagine that Tarantino has a lot of friends in Hollywood.  Either that, or he’s got endless money!

Having the movie on prompted me to write this post and sing it’s praises.  I must admit though that I’m watching the movie more than I’m typing, so I might as well give up one or the other, right?

Bye.  :)

Ever since I was 16 and my boyfriend at the time showed me the video tape of Howie Mandel’s Watusi Tour, I’ve considered myself a big fan of Mr Mandel’s.  I thought that particular stand-up routine to be hilarious and, although I’ve not seen the complete show again, I’ve watched lots of clips on YouTube.  It brings back memories for me and I can still laugh at it now.

Years later, I saw Howie Mandel hosting Deal or No Deal (which, I believe, he still does) and I remember thinking that he was still charming and funny (and kind of cute with the shaved head), but I could easily take him or leave him.

And now, tonight, for the very first time, I’ve watched the car crash known as Howie Do It.  It’s a half-hour TV show on NBC, hosted by Howie, where he gets dressed up and plays practical jokes on unsuspecting people through hidden cameras.  Not only is this a theme that has been revisited way too many times, but the jokes aren’t even funny.  They are uncomfortable to watch (one guy thinks he’s auditioning for a job on TV and then finds out that it was joke and that he ultimately still does not have a paycheck coming in) and they are completely unoriginal.

The Global TV website calls it a “ground-breaking new prank show”.  I agree with the prank part, but ground-breaking?

I realize that I’ve only seen one episode and maybe I’ll keep my eye out for another one to get a fuller picture, but my initial reaction is definitely one of disappointment.

As I look back at the clips of the Watusi Tour, I’m struck by how exhausting hanging out with Howie Mandel must be.  But still, the Howie of 1986 rocks:

And once again further to my post about grocery shopping in the US, I purchased Campbell’s Supper Bakes: Traditional Roast Chicken with Stuffing.  We had that for supper tonite and, oh my, was that yummy.  Then again, I love just about anything alongside stuffing!

The box includes the stuffing, seasoning, a tin of gravy/sauce and a pack of seasoned breadcrumbs.  I just needed to supply my own boneless chicken breasts.

All you need to do to make this fabulous meal is to:

- Mix the stuffing with the seasoning a bit of hot water
- Spread the mixture around the chicken in your baking dish
- Pour some sauce over the chicken and then sprinkle on the breadcrumbs
- And finally, bake until the chicken is cooked

Very, very yummy.  I will be getting it again when I next visit the US.  And I see from the Campbell’s site (link above) that there are several flavours to choose from.  Herb Chicken with Rice sounds nice!

Further to my post about shopping for groceries in the USA, I need to mention that I went across the border to shop because I knew that they have a much bigger variety of brands there than we do here in Canada. 

I was able to buy Apple Jacks cereal!  That’s pretty exciting to me.  Not because I love Apple Jacks cereal.  No.  In fact, I’ve never even tried Apple Jacks before!  Us Canadians are so deprived.

Guess what I’m having for breakfast in the morning.

My two-year old daughter loves Barbie DVDs.  She has others to choose from (Dora, Max & Ruby, Little Einsteins, etc) but ultimately opts for Barbie every time.  A real girly-girl, my daughter.

We started our Barbie DVD collection with The Magic of Pegasus and The Island Princess, and then added Mermaidia and Fairytopia.  Our fifth and most recent addition is The Diamond Castle.  This DVD, my friend, is by far the worst of the lot.  It features two friends, Liana and Alexa, and they love, love, love to sing the most annoying songs in the world.  High-pitched and screeching, they trawl through song after song, repeating a select few over and over again.  Just to frustrate me, I’m sure.

Sweetheart, I say soothingly to my little girl, wouldn’t you like to watch a different DVD now?  You’ve seen that one at least 6 or 7 times today alone!

No, she says. 

This one is the newest one and must be watched until the DVD wears itself thin.  Just my luck, that doesn’t happen with DVDs, does it.

For all you parents out there with little Barbie-loving daughters, steer clear of The Diamond Castle… or get yourself some quality ear plugs.

I did a post here a little while back about free stuff for Canadians.  We are usually such a forgotten bunch, living right alongside the USA.  Contests and free stuff is always geered towards those guys and we Cannucks (especially those poor Quebecers) end up feeling left out.

But not anymore!  Canada, get your free stuff from the links below!  And I know that all this stuff will actually arrived because I’ve received it all myself:

I received 2 free nappies/diapers from Costco. When you click on the link, it asks for your Costco member number. I left that blank and still received the package:

https://secure.startsampling.com/sm/100512/captureAddress.iphtml?item=100512&source

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OB are sending out free sample packs and I received mine today. It includes 3 tampons and a cute little carrying case. Limit of 1 per person and 3 per household. So I applied for myself (first name), for Jane (my middle name, so cheeky) and for my stepdaughter (I’ll let her keep hers).I never considered using OB and have found them to be pretty good, so ‘well done’ to OB for offering the free trial.

Go here: http://obtampons.ca/en/ and click free sample on the left.

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Motrin. Get your free trial pack here: http://www.motrin.ca/eng/home.html

I received mine a few days ago.

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I also received a free sample of Underjams. That’s like a sleep diaper for kids who tend to wet the bed.

http://www.underjams.com/bedwetting-children/free_sample.php

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http://www.save.ca/ has free coupons for a variety of household items. The list changes frequently and new items are added so check back often. I order new coupons from them quite often - mostly for hair dye ($2-$3 off) and fruit juice. They print them and send them off the next business day.

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 The most impressive free thing I’ve received recently was from Proctor & Gamble. I received a box with a razor, shampoo and conditionner samples, facial creams, body wash for men, floss and more. The link is here:

http://www.pgbrandsampler.ca/

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I received my sample of Nestle Carnation’s Breakfast Anytime powdered drink. Yummm… Link here:

https://www.nestle.ca/en/products/brands/NBA/promo.htm?NRMODE=Published&NRNODEGUID=%7b79442EDD-D1FD-480F-8F7A-5CB1DAE8D0D5%7d&NRORIGINALURL=%2fen%2fproducts%2fbrands%2fNBA%2fpromo.htm&NRCACHEHINT=Guest

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And I received my free potty training DVD from Huggies pull-ups:

http://www.pull-ups.com/na/potty_training_DVD.aspx

If you have received any free stuff, please leave your ideas here so that I can get more free stuff! :)

Something’s been bothering me.  It’s not anything that’s life-changing or life-or-death, but it’s a daily question mark for me and I’m now seeking an answer.  Can anybody help me?  Can anybody put this niggling question to rest?

Is it Mr Noodle or Mr Nuno?

(From 4 minutes)

I hate Elmo’s voice.

Why don’t they put ketchup on a Big Mac?  Every other burger gets it.

Poor Big Mac.

(The picture makes you a bit hungry, doesn’t it?)

The other day, I mentioned wanting a Test Tube Alien for my birthday.  Although the packaging states that it is for ages 7 and up, I figured that my 35th was the perfect time to get this new toy. 

I asked for it, and I got it!

The alien I was given is called Yagoni and ‘he’ is, according to the website, the protector of the good aliens and is an intelligent and respected leader.  Great!  At least I got one of the good guys!

The alien arrives in a cocoon within the test tube.  The instructions say to fill the test tube with water to ‘hatch’ your alien.  After you add the water, it starts to fizz and overflow.  Hold it over the sink and watch closely as you start to see a flashing green light.  Within a few minutes, you can make out a face too!  It’s a little bit creepy as you wonder what is emerging through the fizzy liquid.

When the fizz slows, you can empty the water out and rinse it a few times.  This is the first time you get a real glimpse of your alien.  Mine, Yagoni, has a large, transparent head.  He has a red body with yellow feet.  He also has big, dark eyes and two antennae.  You can see the ‘computer’ inside his head that obviously makes this whole thing work.

Following the instructions, I combined the sloog (included) with more water and fed my alien.  Sloog is apparently a “nutrient rich food from their planet”.  I don’t know what sloog really is but if I find out, you’ll be the first to know.

Before you add the sloog water, your alien’s heart (located in its forehead, by the way) will flash orange, indicating that it is starving.  Add the sloog water and the heart will flash red.  Your alien is happy and healthy.  A green flashing heart indicates drowning, meaning that you alien has too much water.

How does your alien know if there is enough or too much water?  It has tiny sensors at the base of its antennae and at the tips too.

Two more packages of sloog are provided but I only ended up feeding it two altogether.  One packet is still sitting on my desk.  Yagoni does not seem to have suffered.

Now, a week or so after Yagoni hatched, he is about twice the size that he was.  His body expands outwards as well as upwards.  He only has another inch and a bit to go before he’ll reach the top of the test tube.  I assume that he’ll stop growing at that point.

So, to recap, as long as you keep the water at the appropriate level – which is in between the two sets of sensors, your alien will stay alive and well.

What do I do with it now?  Not much, really.  I check its water level, like I would a houseplant, and that’s about it.

So, Test Tube Aliens:  cool toy or waste of money?  You decide.