Henry's sister turns the big 50!

Happy Birthday, Mary!


On Saturday, we travelled through blizzard conditions to attend a wonderful dinner that Henry's sister hosted in honor of her 50th birthday (yes, if Mary cooks...we all will come!) It is a shame that Mary had to cook for her own celebration...but it got all the siblings (seven of them) together with the spouses for a nice sit down meal.

We all had the chance to catch up with each other which is something that we don't normally have time to do (hockey tends to take over the family social plans)

Brains vs Boobs...

Three years at Western...three years at Mohawk to obtain a degree and diploma for me.

It seems that my husband is obviously smarter than me. Unbeknownst to me, he studied very hard(for one lunch) to obtain University standing last week (thank you, Bill, for mentoring him!)

On his birthday, he was awarded a University honorarium!

Congratulations, Henry, on finally achieving recognition for something that I've known all along.

Who knew that his favorite 'subject' would enable him to receieve this honor?

I put his 'smarts' to use tonight...here he is helping Jenny with her math homework...

Only in Canada, eh...

I like this photo, so I thought that I would share my chuckle of the morning with you all...

(By the way, I also take my coffee this way)

Normally, when I take Bailey through the Tim Horton's drive-thru with me, they always give her a Tim-Bit.

I wonder if Brigadier and Spencer (the horses shown here) prefer donuts, sugar cubes, or apples...hmmm

my 'other' home

This is my new home...

You know you must be in the right job when you can't believe you're getting paid to do something you love!



Henry surprised us by returning home for Valentine's Day.


It seems that he will be home for the rest of the week...what's up with that, Bill?

Just because I am working now, does not mean that my husband can sit around the house all day eating MY valentine candy!

Early retirement is not an option for Henry as he seems to think it is.

Time to pull out his 'honey do' list (especially now that I am not home to supervise him!)

What can I say...it will feel so WEIRD, me getting up before him and heading off to work...do, do, do, do....

pools of water

It might take me a little while...but I learn fast.

A little girl from junior kindergarten wanted to take out a Franklin book this morning. Unfortunately, she had not returned last week's school library book.

When I told her this...without a word of a lie...her eyes filled with pools of tears. She just stood there looking at me as if I had just told her that her pet had died!

I quickly told her that I would save the book for her return to the library on Wednesday.

Her lower lips were quivering too much to tell me her name, so the note paperclipped to the book just mentions the little JK girl that reminded me of Puss N' Boots from Shrek...




Phew...life is really rough at this age (i.e. hers AND mine!)

Role model for our Jenny...

When I was small, the Olympics were a big deal in our household (even though my Dad did not particularly enjoy viewing any sport). I find that nowadays, the Olympics doesn't have the usual 'buzz' that it did in times past.

Even though I am guilty by not watching the events on television, I always check the newspaper to see how Canadian athletes are doing. I was so proud to read that Jennifer Heil has won a gold! Although, I must admit that I am one of those people who also want to know who came in twentieth and lower. Gold is nice, but it still takes an amazing amount of dedication to get to the Olympics...period.

It is bad enough that Americans seem to hog the spotlight at the Games, but I was disheartened to hear that at the podium, the announcer introduced her as "The gold medallist . . . from the United States of America . . . "

That kinda puts a damper on things, I would think.

However, she looked on the positive side (i.e. did not bitch and complain) "Hopefully they will raise the Canadian flag instead of the American one," the Albertan said of tonight's medal presentations in Turin.

Can you believe that she missed the last Olympics by 1/100th of a second?

This girl has had this Olympic dream since she was six years old. Talk about dedication...
With all the publicized, money-making team sports out there, these individual athletes somehow deserve more.

With our Jenny starting to zip down the hills on her new snowboard, I'm glad she will have role models such as this!

What an inspiration...

how you choose a godmother...

Michael's godmother is, well...a lot of fun compared to dear old Mom (remember, I'm classified as the 'serious' one).


Whenever 'Aunt' Shelley is around, everyone just knows that either she will do something 'memorable', or she will somehow 'make' you do something ridiculous (my opinion, of course!)






Although the label, 'serious' one, bugs me sometimes, I must admit that I would not be caught dead doing this...

So in order for our son to become a well-rounded person, we thought we should pick a godmother with qualities that I lacked.

I am proud to say...we did a good job.

what can I say?

Last week was a flurry of activity:

Thursday: found out that my interview was successful. So much so that I start work (full-time) in one week! Yikes! After being at home for about thirteen years, there will be some changes happening in our household (some, maybe not so pleasant!) I will probably be a bear (what else is new?) with trying to do my courses and working full-time, while attempting single-parent-hood as Henry is working out of town each week.

Friday: PA Day (time spent in snow, Henry returned home from Windsor)

Weekend: Hockey, hockey, and more hockey (Henry is playing again after his 'delicate' injury)!

Monday: Mortgage appointments at upteen banks (oh yes, another snow day for Michael and Jenny...therefore, road hockey, snowboarding, making cinnamon buns etc)

Tuesday: homework, homework, and more homework for me! Looks as if the Chiefs will be playing Sun County in the second round. What does this mean, you ask? It means the weather (i.e. roads) better be good, as we have at least two trips to make to Windsor over the next couple of weeks!

Who are you going to believe?

Happy Groundhog Day!

Canadian Groundhogs are smart and fashion conscious!

This guy looks a little more interested in food than shadows...

Cute little creatures…I particularly like this story from CBC News: Indepth about Groundhog Day, and our closest Groundhog, Wiarton Willie, whom we, in this part of Canada, turn to for weather advice:

“It's always been a pack of lies, of course, but it's fun, and we need fun if we are to survive another Canadian February. Groundhog Day was inspired by an old Scottish couplet:"If Candlemas Day is bright and clear/ There'll be two winters in the year."How groundhogs got a reputation for predicting weather patterns is a mystery, because they are not the least bit interested in their shadows or the number of winter weeks remaining. The only reason they come out of hibernation is for food and sex.The original Wiarton Willie, an albino groundhog said to be 22 years old, died during hibernation during the winter of 1998-99. The good burghers of Wiarton discovered this to their horror just before Groundhog Day 1999. Willie's death made headlines around the world.On Groundhog Day, they put Wiarton Willie face-up in a small pine casket, bright pennies over his eyes, paws clutching a raw carrot. But it was a fake! Turns out the real Wiarton Willie was so disgustingly decomposed he couldn't be put on display, so they found a stuffed facsimile and laid it in the casket."We didn't try to hide the fact that he was stuffed," said Tom Ashman of Wiarton Willie's publicity team. "If the media had been doing their job they would have seen the stitches on the belly."But, why fake it?"People needed closure," Ashman explained.Groundhogs are woodchucks, members of the squirrel family, marmots, sometimes called "whistle-pigs." They are not the sharpest knives in the drawer. When nervous, they emit a high-pitched squeal, which might as well be an embossed dinner invitation to predators who follow the squeal until they find and eat the groundhog.So how did they gain a reputation for predicting weather? Fact is, they aren't very good at it. The people of Wiarton insist their Willie was accurate 90 per cent of the time, but what do you expect them to say when the Groundhog Festival attracts 20,000 free-spending tourists to the town every February? Scientific studies show groundhogs are accurate only 37 per cent of the time, which means you'd do better flipping one of the pennies that covered ol' Wiarton Willie's eyes.Loyalists insist that Wiarton Willie possessed an uncanny ability to predict because he was born exactly on the 45th parallel, midway between the Equator and the North Pole. Wiarton is a pretty town of 2,300 on the Bruce Peninsula between Lake Huron and Georgian Bay.The legend of Willie Wiarton began in 1956, with many groundhogs taking their star turn as Willie. Other jurisdictions have their favourite winter-predicting groundhogs, the second most famous - after Wiarton Willie - being Punxsutawney Phil of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. There is a Brandon Bob in Manitoba, a Staten Island Chuck in New York, a Balzac Billy in Alberta, and a Gary the Groundhog in Kleinburg, Ontario.Wiarton Willie's successor is Wee Willie, another albino groundhog. Actually there are two Wee Willies - Wee Willie and Wee Willie-2 - just to be safe. An Ottawa man captured them after Wiarton Willie died. He sent them to Wiarton for the big show.And a big show it is, with hockey tournaments, curling bonspiels, dances, parades, pancake breakfasts, a Monte Carlo Night, a dart tournament, snooker tournament, horse-drawn sleigh rides, a mammoth fish fry and a circus.Enough to make a groundhog squeal. Oops.”

By the way, both Ontario’s Wiarton Willie, and Nova Scotia’s Shubenacadie Sam groundhogs saw their shadows today: meaning Spring is on its way. Gee, I just had to go outside to figure that one out! As usual, the United States groundhog has to be different, and see his shadow. It’s too bad that the States is going to be snowed in while we will be pulling out and wearing our summer wardrobe!

learning...

I am currently trying to provide my favorite songs/video in my blog sidebar (similar to fellow blogger, Carrie).

I have added the link and the Windows media player seems to appear and run the video for me (with some normal buffering 'time-outs' at the beginning of the video). I just need input from those that read the blog (yes, even those of you that normally don't comment ~ here's your chance)

Carrie, I may need some help here. How do you post a picture (i.e. album cover) to the sidebar?
How do you get the music and video to start immediately...and where do you get your clips from? If you don't have my email, Megan will set you up!

Please comment, everyone, to let me know if the video works for you or not (my brother's computer at work prevented it from opening due to filters)

You know me...always wanting to try new things (especially when it comes to music)!

Thanks, everyone!

Clean-up flury is underway...

Bailey is moping around the house, wondering where the source of all her treats has gone.

It seems that Henry is coming home too soon for Jenny and Michael. When I mentioned last night that Dad might be home Thursday night, they both looked at each other in horror. Apparently, Henry told them that the first floor of the house had to be cleaned by the time he got home!

With Michael out at hockey and homework keeping them busy this week, they haven't had time to do much around the house. They will be flying around the house tonight, I'll bet!

It has now been over a week since Henry cleaned out his truck and deposited items from this 'cleanup' on the kitchen floor. This is the photo of the day...

Compared to photo taken January 23...

Can you see a difference? I believe he did one load of laundry from this pile...remember, he was off work the whole week. I am a very patient person, and will quietly (well, maybe not very quietly) wait for him to do 'something' about this pile in the kitchen.

What's that? You think he meant for me to do something with this stuff?

The good news is that Henry is coming home soon (this above mentioned pile will still be there waiting for him), and there might be some work for him next week in Windsor.

The bad news is that I only have one more night with the bed to myself...

Lucky day?

I did not post to the blog this morning because, well, I didn't want to jinx what might turn out to be my lucky day.

It seems the second time is the charm for sending in my resume to the organization that I want to work for when I am done my schooling.

I sent my resume in last week. They received it yesterday, called, and left me a message on my answering machine yesterday afternoon.

Before I could return their call this morning, they called before 9 a.m to "expedite" things and request my presence for an interview THIS AFTERNOON!

I calmly said, "Yes, I can be there."

After hanging up the phone, I just about sank to my knees. Wait a minute...I did sink to my knees. I phoned Henry (and everyone else I could get ahold of) to tell him the good news and spent the next three hours showering, making the all-important 'what do I wear' decision, fixing my hair and makeup 'just so', and researching online all the information about the organization I could possibly retain and pull out at the interview.

You would think raising two children, and having a miriad of other jobs over the years would prepare me for an honest to goodness "work" interview. I tried to portray a vision of calmness. I clasped my sweaty hands on my lap and focused quite well considering. If I read between the lines properly...I think the interview went very well. However, emotions run pretty high, and I tend to look through rose colored glasses to begin with! Hopefully, I will obtain my dream job out of this interview. The only 'glitch' to this, is that it may come along sooner than later. I may have a job and my intense schooling overlap for the next three months. Oh well...this is what I want, and I'm quite willing to push the proverbial envelope to achieve it!

I was shaking then...and I'm still shaking now.

what shall we do?

I thought that I would dig into the archives for some photos today. When I first met Henry, he did not like to have his picture taken.

This is the first picture taken of Henry from my side of the family when introducing him to my brother Mike, and sister-in-law, Jane.

I soon learned that after he'd had a few...well, he didn't seem to care about the camera!

He soon learned that he wouldn't be able to hide forever from my side of the family and our itchy camera fingers.


We will miss his infectious smile this week, as he is out of town working...

Of course, I'll be able to get more done at my computer now, read in bed, stay up late, be in charge of the TV remote control, make pancakes and grilled cheese for supper everynight, sleep in the middle of the bed on my back (and if I snore, I won't receive any jabs in the ribs ~ I never believe him when he does this anyway ~ women don't snore, they just moan loudly!), I'll be Bailey's favorite for a whole week, and I won't have to save him any hot water for a shower.

In spite of the upsides mentioned above, I will miss him.

This is Henry with sister-in-law, Jane.

You realize that the wide smile and dark hair were BC (before children)!

Now that I think about it, we certainly don't go out to parties with tuxes and limos anymore either! What's up with that?

It's only been two hours (and he even phoned home to talk to Michael and Jenny before they left for school ~ and to remind me to pick up his blocker at the sporting goods store where it was being repaired!)

but, sigh, I miss him already...really, I DO!

our new daughter

Last week, Michael and I went shopping at Old Navy (a big thing in our house as we don't get to go shopping for clothes very often ~ sports equipment is another story). I digress for a moment, but to set the scene, you must know the complete story. When Michael and Henry went to Port Huron for Silver Stick hockey a couple of weeks ago, Michael was supposed to dress up a little. The thing is, his cargo/khaki pants were a little on the tight side. I told Henry that the minute they were across the border, to go buy Michael some pants at Target or some other store.

I ask you...how difficult was this request?

After three days they return home with a new goalie stick, and a new goalie mask for Michael (it is really nice).

Me: Let's see your new pants, Michael.
(Michael and Henry look at each other ~ not with horror or anything though)
Henry: We didn't have time to look for pants.

So that is why Michael and I went shopping at Old Navy, to buy him pants (which we did).

On our way out of the store, we passed the girls clearance rack and happened to see a beautiful pair of jeans in Jenny's size. I did hesitate a moment or two, but with Michael's declaration of, "Jenny will really like those, Mom", I put them in the checkout pile with the mountain of other things.

When we got home and showed Jenny her new shirts and jeans, she did not put forth the exuberant display of emotion that I was looking for. I am not shopping for her again.

It turns out that my tomboy is perhaps turning a fashion corner and becoming a diva. Apparently, she is only wearing DARK DENIM and not the light stonewash color of jean. This coming from our daughter (notice the 'our') that wears thin capri's all winter long! I repeat...I am not shopping for her any more.

Now, sweet Emily from across the street stepped up and berated Jenny so that I did not have to say a word!

Emily: Jenny, what are you...nuts? those jeans are awesome! I would love those jeans! (think Joanna would notice if I switched Jenny for Emily ~ after all, they are the same size)

Yesterday, after talking to Joanna, I had Emily over and she tried on the jeans and happily took them home. What a nice (appreciative) girl.

Did I mention that I am not shopping for Jenny anymore?

Mortgages and Games

There are two parts to the blog today: Request for Mortgage Advice, and Tag You’re It!

Request for Mortgage Advice

Our mortgage is up for renewal in the next couple of months. Each time Henry and I choose an institution, we seem to always have a higher interest rate than our friends.

I’ll set the scene for you all:

We are no where near paying off our home (our mortgage is six digits)
Our last closed five year stint at Bank of Nova Scotia cost us 6.625%.
Our mortgage before that was held at Canada Trust.

The Bank of Nova Scotia wants us to renew now for 5 years at 5.3%.

Any advice out there? Anyone deal with another institution that they respect? Should we lock in for 5? Is a floating or variable mortgage better? Does this interest rate sound good?

It seems the more Henry and I research something, the worst off we are. So we figured we would put it out there for all of you to offer up your pearls of wisdom for those of us that are not ‘mortgage savvy’. After all, your opinions, tips, and advice means more to us than some mortgage ‘specialist’ that is just trying to sell us their product!

We can’t wait to hear what y’all have to say!

Tag You’re It!

It seems that while Michael was playing hockey in Toronto over the Christmas holidays, I neglected to read Carrie’s blog and find out that she had ‘tagged’ me in a blogger’s game of ‘get to know you’ tag.

Five things about me…hmm, let me see.

1. I certainly live up to my horoscope sign of a Gemini. I like games, music, maps, globes, traveling and am curious about anything for about five minutes (or however long it takes for me to either ‘perfect it’ or buy one in each color). My clothes and other ‘stuff’ take up at least ¾ of every closet in our house. I also have a very understanding and supportive husband who indulges my ‘whims’ and latest hobbies most of the time. I really don’t believe I am at fault for most of his hair turning prematurely gray before age 40.
2. I truly believe (and Henry, my father, and my family would support this) that I could possibly outtalk anyone. I am flirtatious and expressive ~ in other words, a ‘touchy-feely’ person.
3. I like languages (who knew you needed French to obtain an English degree?) and like to write, teach, sell and promote (multitasking at its’ best) anything I believe in. Look out if you cross me though! Principles are important to me ~ especially when it comes to customer service issues, and I am like a dog with a bone when it comes to defending something (take the grocery store in town…the owner was really rude to me in the checkout line when I was buying groceries for a local children’s camp…I told him to stop… he didn’t. I have not set foot in his store since, and I have made certain that everyone in town knows my side of the story. Since this incident, a beautiful new store has been built…I will not set foot in the store until there is a new owner. For certain products, I have to drive about fifteen minutes out of my way, but hey…I’ve done it so far for four years!)
4. Music ~ MP3's, the radio, CD's and going to concerts are the highlight of my life. Surprise, surprise...I love social outings (only those that I want to go to, mind you!) I do like my prime-time television shows and going to the movie theatre. I like technical stuff (as long as I have the time to figure it out and 'perfect it') The blog is the perfect example here. I am a perfectionist and control freak (Henry is vigorously nodding his head up and down at this one).
5. I love magazines and books (Newsflash ~ I like the library, but really prefer to buy these things) I love finding out tidbits of information and pulling it out later in games like Trivial Pursuit or in social situations (probably why I want to become a librarian?). I love learning (hence going back to school and wanting to work in a school environment). I would take smart pills if they were available!

As Megan and Carrie are the only other bloggers that I know of, and Carrie has already been tagged…consider yourself tagged by me, Megan! Check out “Megan’s blog” in the left sidebar.

By the way…Joanna, Shelley, Mike and Colin…you all (and us) did not win anything in the Chiefs Raffle. Boooooo….Maybe next year!

Movie night

Last night, our family took advantage of ‘cheaper Tuesday’ and went out on a family date to the movies. Michael wanted to see Narnia, so Jenny went with him to see it again. Henry and I went in to see Fun With Dick and Jane. We all know Narnia is possibly the best movie of the year, so I’ll tell you a little about Dick and Jane. Jim Carrey and Tea Leoni star in this movie (along with Alec Baldwin)

When the company Dick works for becomes involved in an Enron-like scandal and he is confronted with the prospect of losing everything, Dick and Jane are forced to beg, borrow and steal to get it all back.
Some video clip outtakes:

Dick thinks that his wife should have a lawn (the landscapers took it all away to get their money back), so he steals a tiny piece from everyone in the neighborhood, including the golf course, and stuffs it into their tiny new rustbucket of a car:

http://movies.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=movies&zu=http%3A%2F%2Fsonypictures.com%2Fmovies%2Ffunwithdickandjane%2Fvideo%2Fclips%2Fdickandjane_clip3_lo.asx


At the beginning of the movie, Dick gets promoted (the bosses set him up for the big fall). When Dick is in the elevator going to the ‘Top Floor’ to see the executives, he bursts into song:

“I believe I can fly” video clip
http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/XJ&sdn=movies&zu=http%3A%2F%2Fsonypictures.com%2Fmovies%2Ffunwithdickandjane%2Fvideo%2Fclips%2Fdickandjane_clip1_hi.asx

Dick and Jane resort to “borrowing” from those that have treated them badly (namely the executives that have got off scott free). They hilariously disguise themselves and create scenes that are Jim Carrey worthy:

Home invasion:

http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/XJ&sdn=movies&zu=http%3A%2F%2Fsonypictures.com%2Fmovies%2Ffunwithdickandjane%2Fvideo%2Fdickandjane_homeinvasion_hi.asx

Jim Carrey is at his physical comedy best (although I can only take his humour in small doses). Here he is racing against an unemployed friend to get to the interview first.

Advice: Go see Narnia on a big screen.
It was funny, but wait to see Dick and Jane until it comes out on DVD.

bone (bracelet) of contention...

Every child pushes boundaries...whether it be with food, clothes, tantrums, or 'going for the Oscar'.

My friend and fellow blogger, Megan, is going through this with her daughter and her desire to wear only yoga style pants to school. Megan is boldly pushing her way through this issue and standing firm.

I, too, am dealing with a bone of contention with our daughter Jenny. It is actually a bracelet that Jenny purchased at some fru fru store. She absolutely loves it and can not believe that I will not let her wear it to school. She claims that I have no sense of humor. Well, so be it...she still isn't going out the door with it on. (I have 'mother eyes in the back of my head' caught her a few times trying to sneak out the door with it).

This is for all mothers out there...you really are not alone, even though you might feel as if you are!

At the moment, Michael is the only one in my house that is talking to me. Lack of work is keeping Henry at home this week (it better be JUST this week, Bill). Henry thinks nothing of my routine and constantly wants to chase me around the house (which I know is a good thing), but really...I have other things to do!

Bill, you have to find this man some work...AND SOON! (I heard he's going to Windsor on Wednesday...that's a good start!)

miles and miles...

I drove for miles and miles this weekend…but it was fun!

On Saturday, my brother Colin, his wife Sue and the boys came down. The adults left for Toronto and the children were in heaven being left to their own devices (playstation, playstation, and oh yes, more playstation) for the whole day, while we went to the RV show.

There were hundreds of tent trailers, travel trailers, fifth wheels, and of course, the big motor homes (some with ‘appointment only’ viewing ~ no sticky kiddie handprints in these ones!)

We are not in the market for upgrading or anything, but Colin (not Sue) is considering down-sizing from their fifth wheel.

Colin seems to have found what he is looking for…

Henry is trying to sell Colin his truck so that he can justify buying a crew cab! Colin did not fall for this ploy (although Henry talked the ear off a salesperson selling three-quarter ton trucks at the RV show)

Trailer designs have come a long way in the last couple of years. It was fun (and warm) being able to view all the different models in the comfort of the Convention Centre.

On Sunday, Jenny played hockey early in the morning. Her team lost again by a pretty huge margin this time. Half the goals that slipped by Jenny were from her own team mates ‘trying to defend the net and help her out’. Poor girl is becoming a little deflated. So much so that Henry decided to stay home with her instead of making the trek to Windsor for Michael’s afternoon hockey game.

Of course, while the mouse is away, the rest of us go shopping (Old Navy here we come),

and go visiting (hello Megan, Cory and girls!).

Michael wishes we lived closer so that he could babysit Evelyn and Audrey...he played Polly with Audrey, but refused to put on her angel wing costume (he is not dumb...he knew Megan would take a picture and want to put it on her blog and the Chiefs' team blog ~ I think that was the biggest threat) Megan, I'm going to have to find a Starbucks to buy that Green Tea you thoughtfully served (along with cookies, I might add). Michael asked me on the way home why we hadn't been to your house sooner, as you had invited us countless times to come for a swim. I somehow think you'll be seeing us this summer!

Michael and I return home to a chorus of “look at the truck…we cleaned it inside and out! Isn’t it wonderful?”

Yeah, great.

Personally, I think they just moved everything from inside his truck into the kitchen, but I'll let you decide…

Bill, you have to find this man some work…he is going to drive me around the bend this week!

breakfast conversation...

I would like to think that Henry and I are raising socially conscious children that make informed decisions.

I am a little doubtful after the conversation this morning.

Michael was showing Henry the front page of the London Free Press.

Michael: So these are the guys running for Prime Minister?
Henry: (looking at the paper) Yep.
Michael: (Pointing to Stephen Harper ~ mispronounces his name) This guy has creepy looking eyes. Is he blind?
Henry: Not that I know of.

Survivor...Roefs style!

Outwit, outlast, outplay, and stay out of the way (of his sister, that is). That will be the key to Michael surviving the next 40 odd days to his thirteenth birthday.

Jenny seems to have had the mischief devil (you know, the one in red that sits on your shoulder, with the angel of reason on the other side) take over the last month. She seems to know the EXACT buttons to press to send Michael into a steaming fury. She never lets up (obviously, the angel on her shoulder isn’t even there, but has been knocked to the floor by the guy in red with the horns). Among other things, she keeps sneaking into his room and trying on his shoes (she really likes shoes ~ sound familiar?) Michael keeps a pair of his sneakers just to wear to the dances that they are allowed to go to now (how cool is that?)

Michael’s temperament is that of the appeaser (very much like Henry) and does not like confrontation of any kind. I’m pretty sure he is holding his own outside of my listening range, although I do come around the corner and hear muttering and grumbling and see the occassional wrestling move.

I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, Toto...

Now, Dorothy, she had nice shoes...