Cori's Rants

3 Concerts and one Getaway!!

2010-05-18T15:19:00.003-06:00

Well I'm going to talk about just my plans for this summer .. I m putting behind alot of what happened before in the past where it belongs !! On to better things :)

Tonight i go see the group Celtic Woman Perform in Calgary, they're a favorite of myself and my husbands!! In August I go with my son Mike to see Michael Bouble .. they're birthday gifts from my older son Shawn .. so excited about that one too!!

The best is for the last !! In July i fly down to LA to meet up with my good friend Kitty Armstrong to see our favourite band Level 42 play. They are on their 30th Anniversary Tour and it kicks off in the United States in New York and goes from East to West Coast one of which I will be seeing them play at the Club Nokia on July 31st. You can check out the Level 42 Official Website for details !!!

So this has me stoked for the next few months !! Roll on tonight, July and August !! :)

TTFN Cori :)

Thank Goodness for Small Blessings :)

2009-12-06T23:21:00.003-07:00

Well it's been a really good but very tiring week for us !!!

We found out that my husband's disability benefits were approved .. so that was step one .. ! We also got qualified for a rental subsidy which will help us out until i find work again .. :) .

And this weekend went so fast .. my youngest boy turned 15 on Saturday .. took him to see New Moon .. I even enjoyed it .. ! We have a nice neighbor to clip my doggies nails for us without her biting the poor woman ... we had put up our freezer for sale and thats how we met her .. she bought it from us !! Turns out shes done Pet Grooming for 10 yrs ... so thank you Lord for small blessings!! One more happy bit of news my oldest son got his High School Diploma in the mail on Friday .. Somehow we got him thru it I have no idea .. but he made it whohoooo ... in many ways that boy has been my greatest challenge in this life but he s growing into a fine young man and im so proud of him !!! :D

So far things that I have been praying so hard are starting to come true ... I m glad I have kept my faith and hung in there .. but it's never been easy. I am also happy to say that the stronger meds my doc put me on for anxiety attacks are finally doing its job !!

My blues are finally gone .. either that or i m just finally dealing with everything .. its been alot to handle lately .. i miss my mum and dad still very much but i know they are both out of pain now and for that I am grateful .. And also they both had come to accept the Lord into their lives ... and that also gives my heart peace of mind :) . It's so great to blog with a joyful heart .. and i am finally going to put up my Christmas decorations .. am finally getting into the Spirit of it all :) ... !! Happy Holidays my dear friends ... and thanks for reading through my dribble .. i know its not been very positive or fun lately .. but i always keep it real .. God bless you my friends .. xxx

Please keep my family in your thoughts & Prayers

2009-11-17T11:23:00.005-07:00

I wonder if God is testing me right now .. because i cannot think of any other reason why all this is happening at once to my family.

These past 6 months .. (particulary the past 7 weeks alone) have been heart wrenching for my family .. I have already talked about most or some of these with others here .. and thanks so much to you all who have shown your love and support though this time .

In late April of this year my beautiful mother passed away .. after fighting lung cancer for the past 8 years . Its such a sad irony when something like this brings one closer to their Mother .. but in this case it did .. A year ago i went to spend a week with her in Ottawa and we laughed, cried and just enjoyed being together for that time . I am both sad but yet relieved that she is out of her pain finally .. she was tired and finally asked God to take her home .
'Miss you Mom"

Six weeks ago, near the end of September i got a phone call from my half sister ... My father had also passed on ... his cancer was both in the liver and his colon .. it was very fast one in his case .. .drs said in the beginning he would be gone in 2 months .. he made it to 18 bless him !!! He was always smiling and so strong most of his life ... He was a truck driver for many years .. away for weeks at a time when he drove all through Canada & USA. But eveyrone that met him remembered him .. he lit up a room when he entered it .. some thought him too loud and brash ... but that was how my Dad was ... he cared deeply for his family and worked hard all his life . This one has been much harder for me to deal with .. it just progessed so quickly in his case. Again i am glad he is out of his pain .. but i shall miss my wonderful Dad who always made me laugh .. 'you had the best hugs dad .. i miss you so very much'

A week before that i was fired from my job and my oldest son moved out ... and for those of you who have been thru this its not easy to let go when your child moves out !!!

Meanwhile my husbands health has been getting worse this year too .. this summer he finally went to drs to find out why his left hand was shaking so badly ... it has now progressed to the entire arm ... After doing some tests and seeing 3 different drs .. they all conclude he s in the early stages of Parkinson's Disease.

Now im not even sure if im going to make my planned trip to the UK now to see my fav band play .. and whats hurting me even more is this may be their last tour ever :(

I've been going thru alot of bad depression in these past weeks including anxiety attacks. I m not trying for sympathy .. but i do think i need prayer to help me cope with everything thats been happening to me and my family this past year ... i also think its sapped most of my strength out of me to be honest .. If i had no faith i would be totally lost here ... I cant do this alone anymore ..

Oh my !!

2009-09-17T22:36:00.002-06:00

Been way way wayyyy too long since my last post ... things have really not changed since sadly .. we re still in a bit of a financial bind .. but its slowly turning round ... i pray it stays that way ... My hubbys health has not been the best and that worries me to no end too ... I have to let my faith bring me thru this i think ....

Sorry not too much on blogging tonight but i ll post a fuller update this weekend ....

Ciao for now .....

I've finally come to a realization ...

2009-02-06T19:57:00.003-07:00

Well it was NEVER a permanent job with McDonalds ... but these past two weeks have pretty much made up my mind here ...!!!

Well i ve decided i need to get a new job soon . Cannot do the heavy lifting anymore .. its going to cripple me with this bloody knee !! :p But its a good realization ... something needs to be done and soon !!
The said knee was injured last year ... i fell on the ice ... and then it got infected for over a month!!!

Since then it has been on and off with aching ... some days much better then others . Well its been a long time since i ve had serious probs with it but last couple weeks have been bad !!! Then two days ago i lifted heavy boxes at work and i felt sick to my stomach as well as my knee was KILLING me !! Dr told me I cannot heavy lift or pull or push anymore ... Pretty much eliminates half of my job there !!!!

So i m going to be considering my options here .. watch this space !!!

Trying to stay more postive!!!

2009-02-02T22:10:00.003-07:00

I've been fighting a horrible case of the 'blues' lately ... And this stupid knee I hurt a year ago isn't helping .. Ya this time last year I could BARELY walk because my knee was infected ... and it ended up me not working for 0ver a month !!!

Well a few lovely friends on Facebook and Myspace reminded me over the past week that I am loved ... to try to keep smiling .. !! And I am .. but it's still a bit of a battle .. the sad feeling is overwealming for me at times so I'm taking it day by day !!

I also think its my worry over my husband with his shoulder after he's had it operated on a month ago.

Spending time with my family .. and putting on some of my fav music has helped at least temporarily .. I just have to get through this ... and only time will help with that !!

Well everyone who knows me .. my fav band is Level 42 ... I am planning a trip out to the UK for late next year to see them play live .. with today's lineup quite a bit different then what it started out with .. I am still in love with the music today .. I think it's planning this out and looking forward to it that's carrying me on through this hard time right now . Ok I know I'm nuts but whatever works lol!!!

You will notice when you open this blog that you will hear some music being played on a music player .. all Level 42 hits :) ... !!

This is a piece of the music that keeps me sane right now :( if all goes as planned that will be me at one of these gigs !! This vid is from the Oct 2008 tour ...and my fav alltime Level 42 song being played - just turn off player at right before you listen lol!!)

Happy Freaking New Year ...NOT .....

2009-01-02T18:40:00.004-07:00

...except for the employer it seems !!!!!

Well I knew my hours were being cut a small bit at work 'till Mid Feb .. but to the amount of almost two shifts a week ???? They cut one hour off each shift plus one day a week ... alot more then what we can bloody well afford right now !!!!

What diety is trying to test me now ??? it must have a strange sense of humor because I AM NOT laughing ... and neither is my Hubby .. he absolultely FREAKED OUT on me when he found out ... I told him LOOK THIS IS NOT MY FAULT ... don't you yell at me !!! I don't take crap from anyone anymore ... old age sinking in I guess .... But I am going back to work asking for some of my time restored here .. or this lady will be seriously be thinking of looking elsewhere for work!!!!!

CIAO 2008 ... ROLL ON 2009 !!!

2008-12-31T20:45:00.001-07:00

Lets hope this year is a better one for all !!!

heres my fav band in their 1994 hit Forever Now !!!

Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-12-24T22:01:00.001-07:00

Our Sunday Adventure in shopping HELL ... :p

2008-12-22T18:46:00.006-07:00

well we first went to see the movie Twilight ... thats the one with the teenage girl and her Vampire boyfriend .. you know what ... its a GREAT MOVIE ... i was shocked !!! It really turned out to be a better film then what the ads are showing it ... it almost looked like a chick flick .. 'gag' but my youngest wanted to see it so much so we gave in !! I am glad I did .. even the 'old man' enjoyed it .... wonders never cease!!!!

were in the shopping mall after that .. ( the one we went to was a two level one .. over 100 shops/fast food/two department stores and lots of specialty shops ... !!) We were trying to find ONE with antivirus software .. you think we could find ONE !!! well ONE but all they sell was McAffee and I'll not put that crap on my PC !!!!! wasted 45 mins on that expidition !!! :p ... i hated it.. was so crowded and in the middle of it was 'santa's palace' where parents lined up with their kiddies ...oh i remember those days ... 1 hour in line just to get my kids to sit still on Santas knee without breaking out in sobs ... do i miss it !! NOT ONE BLOODY BIT lol!!!!! I told Ray ... get me the '&(&*' out of here ... I CANT STAND crowded places ... its different if its a party of people you know ... or a concert .. because your enjoying it ... hopefully with a freind or more ... but this is just sheer torture .. esp this time of the year !!!

Later the three of us ( oldest is out of town visiting friends till the 24th!) ... went out for dinner !!! Ray and I had steaks and salad ... really good food and good service .. it sure made up for things a bit !!! Then we found an electronics store for the antivirus ... hey half price .. not bad !!!

But then I go home to install it ... ughhhh another nightmare !!! I ve been using AVG free trial until we could buy some .. i had to download an uninstaller from the website to get rid of it ... !! And because Dell PCS come with MCAfee i had to delete any remnants from the PC of that too .. again had to find uninstaller ... took me over 2 hours to fig this out .. i almost pulled my hair out haha but i didnt give up !!! Now i finally have my newly installed Kaspersky Antivirus set up on the PC!!!!! whew .. that made me tired again just typing this all out .. hahaha !!! ... Today was just another day in MCD Land where i work ... and now i m about to sip on hot coffee !!!! time to relax ... ahhhhh!!! ;)

2008-12-20T23:32:00.005-07:00

Well well well .. let's see ... this week was really one of those that every day i had to litterally drag the ole gluteus maximus out of bed everyday ... I think its in direct correlation to the FREEZING arctic weather that's hit most of Canada ... its just BRUTAL ... bad windchill, and SO MANY IDIOTS sharing the roads with the rest of us ... i swear people become retarded in bad weather when driving .. :p!!

The weekend has been a bit better !!!

Ray and I took my son and our houseguest to the mall so they can do some Crimbo shopping ( love this very 'English' word for it hahaha!!! ) Ray and I had been discussing purchasing a deep fryer as a gift for each other this year ... he went out with Shawn ( oldest son ) and they went and picked one up !!!!! He then set it up and cooked a small batch of french fries ... they tasted awsome ... so McD quality fries at home, fried chicken .. i need fryer recipes anyone ??? lol ...

I also spent a couple hours chatting with my dear friend in Ontario ... the one I will be travelling ot the UK with in two years ... we are happily planning this trip .. both of us are die hard fans of Level 42 ( british britfunk/pop band formed in 1980 ) and its versitile Frontman Mark King!!!!

heres a taste of Mr King with todays Level 42 performing at a festival in Europe ... i think its about 2005 ish?? But its awsome !!!

Feeling better now and happy news !!!

2008-12-08T21:41:00.003-07:00

After weeks of feeling crappy i have finally BEAT this bloody cold ... !! So now i can finally start decorating for Christmas .. ( I ve just felt too run down to do anything .. and well my Ray is Scrooge incarnate .. he will NOT even put up the Christmas tree on his own :p ) !!!!

I am so glad I have my energy back ... after work tomorrow I m bringing the xmas tree up and get this place rockin !! I dont go overboard with it though ... i ll put up the tree ... put up some lights on the windows maybe and garlands on the windows but that ll be about it this year ... !! Now my neighbors behind me ... they do those inflatable things .... i m sure those will be going up soon ... Last year they had a huge inflatable Frosty the Snowman and something that looked like a revovling carosel ... plus lights all over the place on the tree on the fecnce on the building ... God knows what was INSIDE !!!!!! I just find that kind of thing quite takky .. i d rather put up a Nativity Scene if I was going to do something outside ... something with a bit of class !!!

Well i have Happy news too ..!!

On Dec 2nd on her birthday .. my Mom came home from the Hospice !! they told her she was too healthy to stay there ... yeahhhh!!!!! I had been so worried for her these past couple months ..I called her and she sounded so good ... better then i did at the time with my awful cold !!!

DION Out .. IGNATIEFF IN !!!!

2008-12-08T21:36:00.003-07:00

Oh thank GOD our Gov. General has a few more brain cells then the politicians !!! She suspended parliament till January ... on the PMs advice ... !! And now the official opposition leader has been forced to quit by the Liberal Party ... nice try Mr Dion ... your little coalition FELL APART .. you failed !!! And so Michael Ignatieff will prob lead the Liberals into the next Election .. which is bound to happen .. so once again we shall all be going to the polls in yet ANOTHER election ... until we all get it right and elect a Majourity Gov't .. ( i hope to GOD its NOT Liberal though ) until this happens the opposition will keep pulling this crap!!! Who said Canadian Polotics was boring ?? it sure as Hell isnt anymore HAHAHA!!!!

THE ROYAL CANADIAN POLITICAL FARCE!!!

2008-12-02T20:16:00.003-07:00

...or maybe i should say 'THE THREE STOOGES' their names are Stephan Dion, Jack Layton and Gilles Guiseppe !!! Otherwise known as the 'honerable' ( HA ) leaders of the opposion in our glorious Canadian Parliament !!! SIX WEEKS after Canadians elected Stephen Harper PM in a minority Govt .. these Clowns decide they want to grab for it !!! Dion was all but FINISHED .. his finish was DISMAL .. but oh no .. instead of bowing out gracefully he decides to make a final power grab !!!!

CANADA.COM= "To save his job and his government, Prime Minister Stephen Harper is expected to suspend Parliament this week while his party blitzes the country with a public-relations campaign aimed at discrediting the notion of a Liberal-led coalition government propped up by the separatist Bloc Quebecois." With Governer General Michaelle Jean rushing home from Europe to deal with this crisis ... there is little doubt of this course of action ... Give Canadians a 'cooling off' time and come back in January ... hopefully this will all die down by then !!

I really hope so .. otherwise we're into round two of the 'political GONG SHOW' this has become !!!!

Ughh been very tardy here !!!

2008-12-01T20:02:00.004-07:00

i m still getting the hang of this Blogging idea ... but here goes for my catchup ....

I finally got over my bout with Larengitis .. to my hubby s regret ... :p!!!

We went to see 'Quantum of Solace' the new Bond Movie with Daniel Craig ... you know theres alot of action for sure ... if that's what you love ... the 'shoot em up .. blow em up .. ww3 type then this is your show ' .. I however appreciate something with a PLOT and well .. this has almost NONE !!! Its no bloody wonder the man got hurt making this film ...let's just hope there is a huge improvement soon or there will be a hunt for a new Bond very soon !!! he has very big shoes to fill before he can come up to even close par to the Sean Connerys and Roger Moores .. and yes even Pierce Brosnan gave the role more class then this !!!

I am still getting used to my new work schedule .. its only an extra hour .. but now i m working later ... till 5:30 pm I'm going home in the dark litarally !!! I am very tired and wiped out by the end of every day .. ( and please remind me why i am doing this ?? Oh ya .. to see one very special Bassplayer perform live again ... i guess after 21 yrs i can wait another two .. but stangely these days I grow more impatient !!! )

This Friday is my son Michael's 13th Birthday ... my boys are growing up!!! And then three weeks later its Crimbo time as my UK buddies like to call it lol!!!

Enough of this for now ... more to follow soon I'm sure !!!

Larengitis ...

2008-11-11T17:48:00.011-07:00

So it's a holiday .. Remembrance Day .. I have enjoyed a 'paid' day off !! But tomorrow I will have another day off ... due to me losing my voice ... grrr!!!! I don't mind not having to work .. but now I have to sit here and not get paid ... :p !!!

But my job depends on my voice so what can a gal do ??? I can't take orders at the restaurant and be coughing like crazy at the same time ... not exactly sanitary lol !!

But starting next schedule I've changed my hours a bit .. starting a half hour later and also working an extra hour ... that will be better for me in the long run ..(esp with Christmas looming !!) and also I need to start saving now for my trip to the UK in two years !!!

Level 42 Forever Now - 1994

In Flanders Fields

2008-11-10T19:07:00.002-07:00

In Flanders Fields" is one of the most famous poems written during the First World War, and has been called "the most popular poem" produced during that period. It is written in the form of a French rondeau. Canadian and Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae wrote it on May 3, 1915, after he witnessed the death of his friend, Lieutenant Alexis Helmer, the day before.

The poem has achieved near-mythic status in contemporary Canada and is one of the nation's most prominent symbols. Most Remembrance Day ( November 11th) ceremonies will feature a reading of the poem in some form.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

— Lt.-Col. John McCrae

nothing but worry lately ...

2008-11-09T20:37:00.008-07:00

just a normal weekend here .. only i decided not to go out at all ... i just relaxed ..

worried about my poor Ray though .. he's been off work for two months with this bad shoulder of his .. its really taking it's toll on his self confidence ... Hope the physio therapy he s doing will help him a bit .. but i dont know if he will have his job too long after he does go back .. they didnt like that he claimed workers compensation for his shoulder .. I just hope he doesn't end up reinjuring it when he does go back to work .. but one thing at a time I suppose ..

This also puts my trip to Europe on hold .. theres no way i can do this now that he s like this ... !! And i couldnt very well leave him in this condition anyways .. So I guess I just need to content myself with listening to Level 42s music .. seeing the odd video that comes on Youtube .. nothing much else I can do then ... and no use crying anymore over something I cannot change ...

I may not be online for awhile after next Friday as i m taking the PC In for cleaning and to have it all 'debugged' etc. So it could be up to a week away from it ... prob a good thing too hehe ..

Too Much Drama Already!!!

2008-11-05T21:13:00.006-07:00

I'm getting to the point where i really don't know who to trust online anymore ... A year and a half ago I was forced to leave an msn group i was a part of for many years .. all because I brought in a lady that fell out of touch with the rest of them .. !! Well how was I supposed to know this person and another one there had a huge falling out ???

Well i was banned for my trouble .... I really don't know anymore ... someone s banned me recently at Myspace for no good reason .. I mean I'm not perfect ... I had to made a tough choice myself earlier this year ... Sometimes I wonder if it was the right thing to do .. But you make these choices and have to live with them ... Maybe its because its hard to trust anyone in the Cyber world anymore ??? I guess I'm getting a cranky cynical auld bugger eh ???

The Little Goul's Were out tonight ;) !!!

2008-10-31T21:45:00.003-06:00

We had tons of kids here .. our candy was ALL GONE in an hour :p .. but it was so much fun handing it out to the little ones :) !!! I tripped at work this morning and banged up my bad knee .. was hurting like crazy all day ... I had to take one of Rays Ty3s that the Doc gave him for his shoulder for it ... it just was too sore.

My Cousin Garry that I grew up with ( myself, he and his sister Kelly were all raised by our Parental Grandparents ..) He walked his first steps to me when he was a baby .. so I know him too well .. ROFL!!!

Well .. .

2008-10-27T19:34:00.003-06:00

Nothing too exciting today ... went to work.. came home ... relaxing with a lovely cup of tea .. and listening to some of my fav music !!! Mike Lindup of Level 42 fame is one extremely talented indivdual ... beautiful Falcetto voice but also a genious at the keyboard ... one of my favourite Level 42 songs is Star Child Featuring Mike on both vocals and Keys ... :) !!
So I leave you with this video from the Retroglide Tour of 2006 .. one of the best live performances of this track Played :) !!

Vaccuming Faux pas ...my bad !!!

2008-10-25T17:46:00.005-06:00

Well today was fun ... i thought i d get some housework done today .. I vaccumed the carpet in the living room and I sucked up a chord from my sons Nintendo Wii's remote sensor .. thus breaking it off ... thus we spend half the morning tracking down one .. had to drive to other side of town to buy a much better 'wireless' one !! And also said Wii will not be used on our living room TV again .. !! After that we went to the store next door and bought some new bath towels & bathmat on sale .. we figured we may as well make the trip worth it .. then we went out for lunch before the trek home .. lol !!! So this is the stuff we end up doing on our weekends ROFL!!!

My Sick Menfolk ...

2008-10-21T21:00:00.003-06:00

My hubby and my two teenaged sons both have this horrible cough going round ... they've had it for weeks .. and they finally went to the doctor's today ... over $200 in meds ... THANK Goodness its all covered by Rays employee benefits ... heavy duty antibiotics ... that'll hopefully knock it out of them before they pass it on to me !!!!!

Dispite all their hacking coughs we all went out for dinner tonight ... was a really nice dinner out just the family ... We ve been playing host to a friend of our oldest sons for just over the week .. he got booted out for not paying the rent ... and I couldnt live with him being on the streets .. but its a drag on our family live if you know what i mean .. even though he is a good kid !!! Thank god he s got a job now so he ll be leaving soon and our lives will get back to normal !!

Toodles till next time ;)

Ok let's see here!!!

2008-10-21T07:42:00.000-06:00

Nice new bloggy thing here .. I guess I shall be using this as my 'venting board' .. etc ... i ll be showing my good, sad and bad moods so just be warned hehe ;) !!!