Guess what folks …

… we’re not in Kansas anymore.  We’ve had a series of wake-up calls recently in Canada, but the same is true pretty much everywhere.  This may come as a nasty, unwelcome surprise to a lot of people out there, but crime, drug and alcohol addiction and bad and even deviant behaviour is not the exclusive territory of the underprivileged and uneducated among us.

Easy and convenient as it’s always been to point fingers at them, while denying, ignoring and doing nothing about what’s going on behind closed doors right in our own backyards.  Yes, my dears, on university campuses, in corporate boardrooms nice, middle class neighbourhoods and luxurious penthouse apartments and sprawling estates.

Just look at our soon to be former mayor, Rob Ford.  There are videos of him drunk, consorting with criminals, buying crack, making offensive racial slurs and comments about women and even threatening to kill people.  He’s got three siblings — two brothers and a sister and each and every one of them has had involvement with drugs.

His brother, Doug, sold hash in the ’80s.  His brother, Randy, not only sold drugs, he was once charged in relation to a drug-related kidnapping.  His sister, Kathy, is an addict, among other things, and Rob Ford was caught yet again on video, while at her house, in her basement, smoking crack with her.  It was after that he finally ended up in rehab; and she’s been

Never put off ’til tomorrow …

Don’t get excited. This is not a post about sadists or sex. Or Fifty Shades of Grey. We are so over that, aren’t we??

Just saying …

Anyway. Talk about timing. If ever there was an absolutely perfect time for me to be responding to a WordPress Daily Prompt, it’s today: “Tell us your tried and true techniques for focusing when that deadline looms and you need to get work done. In other words, how do you avoid wasted days and wasted nights?”

Simple. I’ve got a one-word answer for you:

DISCIPLINE.

No procrastinating.

You’ve gotta crack that whip — on yourself.

Case in point: If you’re a regular reader here, you know I was off last week. I got a new project, from a new client. It’s a pretty big job, with three different parts

Day 158. Great Expectations

I had no internet service Wednesday night. Not sure exactly when it went out. I started trying at 7:30. It was after midnight when it came back. It’s annoying and frustrating to be sure. But it happens and probably can’t be helped (I can just feel my nose growing. We all know I’m not this nice). What pissed me off beyond the beyond, though, was the unforgivably bad customer service.

Tried calling. Could I get through?

Can pigs fly? For the first couple of hours I didn’t even hear that ‘connecting’ sound. Right after I dialled the number I got a recording: “The circuits are busy. Try again.”

Why I even bothered, I cannot say.

Bullheadedness, I guess. Obviously I’m a glutton for punishment. And clearly I’m the type of person who might press on a bruise, because I’m enough of a sicko to think it feels good. If this is true, I’ll bet I’d have a lot more fun with Christian Grey than I have dealing with Rogers.

Anyway, about three hours in I was finally connected to their IVR system. Oh, how I love those. Even on a good day.

Well, this won’t surprise you. It was screwed up. Wouldn’t recognize my telephone number (which had to be programmed in

Day 100. Interpreting Dreams

Ever curious, I found myself trolling through the Internet very early this morning. How I ended up at a website that explains what’s in your dreams, I’m not exactly sure.

But I did. And the next thing I knew, I was looking to see what it means when you see the letter “N” in your dreams. I was shocked to find as many “N”-words that mean something, as I did.

Here are just a few. If you’re curious, like I am, just click on the

Day 53. More Grey

Well, you’re partly right. I did spend some time last night in Seattle. Figuratively speaking, that is. Now you really don’t know what I’m talking about, do you? Or do you?

Come on, ‘fess up. You’re not alone. There’s more than forty million of us.

Grey is no longer just a colour. Probably never will be again. Not since those books took the world by storm. And I don’t mean, just the women folk, either. There may not be a lot of men reading them, but trust me, a whole lot of them are the beneficiaries of their wives and girlfriends reading them. That’s all I’m saying. You figure it out.

So back to last night. My Thursday evening may have taken me to Seattle, but Christian Grey was nowhere in sight. I am not talking about the Fifty Shades of Grey books. Gotcha!

Last night was the season premiere of Grey’s Anatomy.

It is definitely one of my weaknesses. I should probably be embarrassed to admit this, but I have been known to refuse invitations to go out on Thursday nights, because Grey’s is on. Please try to not hold it against me. We all need to relax and give our brains a rest, from

Day 1. Fifty Shades

Trust me when I tell you that I’ve not led a sheltered life.  Far from it.  But never, in my wildest imagination, would I have ever thought that we’d be discussing BDSM as openly and casually as we are.  And if you don’t know what I’m talking about you’ve got to be living under a rock.

Okay, for the three of you who have been in a cave for the past year or so, BDSM is a sexual practice that involves bondage, dominance and submission, to give you a few examples.  And the reason it’s on everyone’s lips is because of a trilogy of erotic novels (Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker, Fifty Shades Freed respectively) written by a former UK television executive, E.L. James.

According to Wikipedia, as of this month the series has sold 40 million copies worldwide, with book rights having been sold in 37 countries; and it’s set the record as the fastest-selling paperback of all time, surpassing the Harry Potter series.  It’s being read by young women.  Middle aged women.  White haired ladies.  Sophisticated women.  Wealthy women.  Executives.  Professionals.  Stay-at-home moms.  Grandmothers.  University students.  City dwellers.  Suburban housewives.

Husbands are buying the books for their wives.  It’s on book club reading lists.  It’s being discussed on Facebook and Twitter and in mainstream media like The New