Hope you’re all enjoying the holiday season and kudos to those of you who braved the Boxing Day crowds and the malls. With 2006 just around the corner, I would like to take the opportunity to wish the bloggers (and our dear readers) good health, peace, and prosperity in the coming year.

Just about everyone and their 9-year old has a cell phone these days. Add a new contact labelled ICE and enter the contact number(s) you would want called first. Of course, it would help to let those people know that they are your ICE contact. The advice is that those contacts should be aware of any health conditions, medications, and pertinent personal information. Sure, we have most of the important people programmed into our directories already, but who would necessarily want a medic or hospital personnel scrolling through your directory and choosing random numbers, like your new client or mancurist.

Very practical advice so don’t forget to ICE phones!

My girlfriend and her cousin were walking the short distance home after getting off at their bus stop. They decided to cut through the park in the quiet Steeles & Dufferin subdivision. After hearing a rustling of leaves and sensing that someone was behind them on the dimly lit path, my friend found herself having to fend off a man who was trying to grab her purse. With a surge of adrenalin and in a fit of anger, she decided that “no man was going to leave her with the nightmare of having to replace credit cards, ID, cash and a cellphone” and she fought him off, screaming at him and then kicking him “where it counts”. When he quickly discovered that she wasn’t going to let this go without a fight, he gave up and ran off. My friend escaped that mugging, clearly shaken but unharmed (and she still had her purse).

When the police arrived to take her statement, they gave some tips of advice that are very important, especially for women. We’ve heard these tips before, but it never hurts to be reminded especially when something like this happens to someone you know.

1) Never walk through a dimly lit park (even if you’re familiar with the area).
2) Always walk in pairs.
3) Scream like all hell if someone attacks you.

So to the sick bastard out there who probably can’t walk today, THAT is what happens when you try to get in between a girl and her purse! Think about that before you try to pull that on the next unsuspecting girl that walks by!

Well who would have ever thought that the game could have earnings potential. I’m sure even the Toronto guy who won the world title for Rock Paper Scissors and $7,000 is a little surprised himself. But grinning from ear to ear and $7,000 richer nonetheless. Unbelievable! The burning question of the day is how do I get in on that action?

I haven’t had a library card since…they were paper. Guess that probably means that it’s been a very long time indeed. I must agree with Shy that we certainly have a wonderful library system in this city. Our local library has a great section for children - kiddy computers with educational games, a well-stocked book section with comfy armchairs just perfect for curling up with a good book. I love If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. *I’ve been a stay-at-home mom for too long*. My daughter was thrilled to take 5 books home yesterday. They also have a nice selection of kid’s DVDs that we’ll be browsing through more thoroughly next visit.

It was decadent to sit down with an armful of the latest issues of Martha Stewart Living, Home, Harper’s Bazaar and Flare (for Canadian content). I’ll be saving a nice chunk of cash by reading them there. And I won’t have old magazines sitting around gathering dust. Thank goodness.

This nerd even went online last night to request holds be placed on a few books I’ve been meaning to read for a very long time. Is that sexy or what! Ha! It’s a whole new rediscovery this business of being at the library. And it’s all high-tech now. Remember when books had pockets with card inserts that the librarian stamped the due date onto? I’ve said too much - now I’m dating myself.

On that note, I’ll be doing a lot less rambling and a lot more reading…for free!

Tragic news like this strikes at the very core of every parent’s worst nightmare because everyday we strive to teach our children to be alert, to be aware, to stay safe. What is happening to our city, to our neighbourhoods! Are we no longer safe even in our own homes? Can we trust our neighbours? What do we need to do to protect our children and each other? It is indeed a sad world we live in.

All around our city, a parent, a sibling, a friend, a co-worker is grieving the senseless loss of human life. Toronto is quickly becoming a killing field and what are we going to do about it!

Today is National School Run Day. Students and teachers across the country will be walking or running to raise money towards the same dream - a cure for cancer. My daughter has been looking forward to this day all week and today she’ll be doing it. It’s far more than I can say for this 30-something body who’s been dreaming about training for the 10K Terry Fox Run for years.

Cancer hits home on a very personal level. A friend is currently being treated for acute leukemia, another friend passed away on August 27, a week after being diagnosed with lung cancer (he didn’t smoke a day in his life), while a relative will be undergoing radiation treatments.

Terry Fox had a dream and 25 years later the Terry Fox Foundation is commemorating the anniversary of the Marathon of Hope with what could be the largest event in Canadian history.

On Sunday, September 18, thousands will do the Terry Fox Run. Thank you to all of you who keep the legacy alive. Let’s wipe cancer out. We’ll be waiting for you at the finish line!

Where was I going with this? Oh yes - now that school is back in full force, please watch out for the kids as you drive through our Toronto neighbourhoods . And in case you haven’t already heard, effective September 1, new Ontario law legislates that it is now mandatory for anyone transporting children to make sure children are properly secured in either an infant seat, child seat, or booster seat. This applies to all caregivers, from babysitters to grandparents.

Be safe!

Where did all that rain come from? We certainly don’t live in lakefront property but suddenly it was like our street was one snarling river. People were abandoning their cars through the windows. The kids across the street paddled their inflatable raft down the street. It was unbelievable! Everyone was outside with their digital cameras under their big golf umbrellas documenting quite a sight to behold. This is what our street looked like that day.

Unfortunately, we got some water seepage in our basement. I’m still waiting for the insurance adjuster to return my call to schedule a visit. I’m sure most people are still waiting because of the heavy call volume the insurance companies are experiencing.

It was nice to see the neighbourhood pull together and open their homes to stranded motorists.

Now all we have to do is clean up! Hope you all stayed safe and relatively dry that day!

Wakeboarding, boarding, skating, motorcrossing and bikinis - it’s an entire culture of its own. We can be cool. We can be extreme.

And if you don’t believe me, they have a blog to prove it. Dude!