I had vague ambitions of being an actress when I was younger (who didn't?). Alas, it was not to be, mostly due to my brutal stage fright.

I did all kinds of things to get over it. I joined the school choir, public theatre groups, sold sex toys at home parties. Try being shy when you have to describe the function of a Kegel exerciser to a room of giggling couples. I dare you. Even so, I had too many nerves and not enough talent.

But apparently, I could have just done Daytime TV soaps. This quick acting lesson is courtesy of my favourite Edmontonian in LA, Nathan Fillion of ABC's Castle, but more importantly Malcolm Reynolds of Joss Whedon's Firefly.

Link Love: Goodnews.com

As someone who surfs the internet a lot, I see a lot of discount offers. There are tons of programs that offer to send you local deals. All you have to do is submit some personal information.

This is my favourite of these offerings. Goodnews.com donates a portion of their proceeds to a local charity.


First, they are partnering with Edmonton Food Bank, who will receive 5% of all sales generated from January 25 to February 27, 2011.

Send your friends to the website, because the discounts only happen if enough people apply for them.

Philly Opera rules the flash mob

Standing among the the crowd at the Reading Terminal Market on 24 April 2010, members of the Philadelphia Opera Company treated the crowd to "Flash Brindisi".

The company piped Verdi's "La traviata" over the loudspeakers, and broke into song within the amazed crowd. Cell phones frantically captured the performance on video, as young and old alike were enchanted by what seemed at first to be impromptu karaoke. The crowd quickly realized what was happening, and stopped their busy shopping to enjoy the performance. The performers engaged some of the more willing viewers in mini-serenades.

What a great way to celebrate opera, and advertise for the opera company. These days it's easy to dismiss opera as elitist or out of touch, but this performance reminded everyone in the marketplace that opera can be just as lighthearted as any modern form of music. It truly brought the opera to the average person.

This was an innovative twist on the flash mob. Edmonton Opera, are you listening?

Weather Is Crazy Here!

Well, hot damn! The last two months have been crazy. School has been crazy with a group project, and we're renovating two bathrooms. To prep for our recent vacation, both Sweetie and I were working a lot of extra hours at work.


On the bright side, I just got back from a wonderful wedding vacation in Punta Cana and went to work today when the weather was 15 degrees. In November!

The lawns were dying when we left, and now the leaves have finally fallen off the trees. This was a problem that could weaken the trees over the winter.

How amazing is the weather in Edmonton? You never know what the weather will bring!

Hero of the Day: Kitwana Jones

Hats off to my hero of the day... Kitwana Jones!


The Edmonton Eskimo defensive end/linebacker apprehended a mugger in the most awesome way possible yesterday morning.

He was driving to the Capital Ex pancake breakfast when he heard a woman shouting down the street. He saw a man running away with a woman's purse, so he jumped out, chased the mugger down, tackled him and held him down until the police arrived.

Naturally, city police are stating that they don't advise citizens to take the law into their own hands. However, they are also praising K.J. for acting so bravely. The mugger only received a scraped knee, which means he fared better than most guys who K.J. tackles!

Our professional athletes in Edmonton are called upon to be civic leaders and are viewed as role models. They use their celebrity to expose the public to local charities and organizations. Sometimes, they are heroes in their own right. In 2002, five Edmonton Eskimos rescued a woman by catching her when she leapt from the fourth floor of a burning apartment building.