Now that Canadian Idol is in full swing I’m slowly warming up to it. This is strange because in the past I couldn’t wait to watch it. This year I have to remember to watch it, which hasn’t happened all that often.  That said I do have a favourite participant of the top 8, its Greg Neufeld.  He’s a cute 23 year old from

Abbotsford, BC. He has a raspy voice that even Enrique Iglesias, this week’s guest judge, envied.  Do I think he’ll win? Who knows.  I do know that Martha Joy a sixteen year old has a stronger than and the judges think Carly Rae is a shoe in the final two. Do I agree with the judges?  Carly Rae hasn’t blown me away, but then again the competition is still in its early stages yet.  Who do I think will be going home?  That’s hard to say. I think Tara, Brian and possibly Jaydee will be in the bottom three.

To all Enrique Iglesias fans he will be performing on tonight’s result show at 9:30 ET. His performance is something to look forward to.

I know there are a lot of readers out there who re-read their books.  My girlfriend’s daughter re-read the first 6 Harry Potter books before she read the last one. She’s done this every time they released a new book in the series.  I have friends who re-read classics like Jayne Austin books.  Well I have to confess I’m not one of them.  I don’t re-read my books.  I do keep some but mostly I pass them on to other readers or donate them.  I never saw the appeal of reading something I’d already read.  There are no surprises and you know the ending.  That alone will loose my interest.  Then there is the fact that I have over 800 in mass paperbacks and 75 in trade paperback and hard covers in my to be read pile.  

Do you re-read your books? If so which ones and why?

It was bound to happy, my upstairs bathroom is finally finished or very close to it.  We only have to put on the last coast of repair painting. We had to change the location of the light fixture and that meant making holes and a heck of a lot of mess.  Now that we are almost done I can’t wait. I have idea for other rooms in my house but I’ll have to save money before I can do those. This means the large projects will need to wait until next winter or spring.  The small one I think we’ll do as money is available.

I had wanted to go and see NO RESERVATION with Catherine Zeta-Jones or HAIRSPRAY with John Travolta this weekend but didn’t.  I went over to a girlfriend’s home last night instead.  We chatted and swam in her pool.  It was worth missing a movie.

Today is a good day to curl up with a good book and an ice tea. It’s too humid for a cup of hot tea. Then again any day is a good day to curl up with a good book in my opinion.  I’m about to head about for a book signing.  If it were sunny I wouldn’t be so willing but since it’s overcastted and rainy I’m happy to go to a bookstore, my home away from home. LOL

I’m also going to see about getting the latest release from Anya Blast, WITCH FIRE. I have never read anything by this author but I saw the book trailer for this book and my interest was peaked. I just hope the store I’m going to has a copy of it.

Finally it’s Friday.  The best part is that I have booked this afternoon off. I plan to head over to the gym, workout for an hour or so and then work from home. However is this good kind of work.  I’m hoping that by the time I get home the last of my bathroom repairs will be done.  We put up the mirror and medicine cabinet last night.  All that’s left are lights, racks for towels and toilet papers and sealing the tiles.  After that my upstairs bathroom is complete. Thank goodness.  

As for the rest of my weekend, I’m going to Opal Carew’s signing tomorrow and meeting up with two friends for dinner, catching up and fun. Sunday I’m not sure what I have planned, probably cleaning.

What do you have planned for this weekend?

 

Canadian Idol this year has decided to help out the Ronald McDonald Home Charities in

Canada and so can we.  How?  Well the top 9 of this year’s Canadian Idol has released a single called “Believe In You” released on July 24 and can be purchase through TELUS, iTunes and Puretracks.  All the funds, 100% of the net proceeds of its sales donated to Ronald McDonald House Charities.  What are they going to use the funds for? Build the first North American Ronald McDonald Family Retreat at Bear Mountain Resort in

Victoria, BC.  This is where families can come and relax away from treatments and hospitals and simply be a family.

For more information http://www.ctv.ca/mini/idol2007/static/bearmountain.html and to purchase a copy of BELIEVE IN YOU for $1.19 (it’s cheaper than a cup of tea or coffee) http://www.puretracks.com/catalog/details.aspx?pid=sony_888880254191

If you believe in this case as much as I do please purchase a download of this single.

 

Today is one of those gorgeous days that I wish to be 10 again. Why? Well at that age I didn’t have any responsibilities other than keep my room clean, cut the grass at least twice a week and weed my Mom’s garden. The rest of the time my summer job was to simply enjoy summer. At the time I didn’t think it was all that great (well maybe just a bit when summer ended and school started in the fall).  Now it seems like perfection!

I know that some adult call in “sick” or simply take the day off to enjoy a relaxing day like this.  I thought about it but decided not.  If I had a pool at home it would have been harder but since I don’t have one I don’t have to worry about it.

So what do you fantasize doing on gorgeous summer days?

I do believe I’m in heaven or if I were I’d want to bring my Teaopia tea master with me.  I am a tea drinker, a very picky tea drinker.  I hate drinking tea from pots that once had coffee. Why? No matter how much you clean the container it still smells like coffee and the water coming out of the container does as well.  There is nothing worse, for me any way, than to sit down to a cup of tea and have it taste like coffee. Yuck!

I have solved that problem.  A store called Teaopia recently opened in the mall within 10 minutes walk from my place.  I went in there on my way to my bank (next door to it).  I was fascinated with the different choices for lattés and smoothies.  I’ve only been able to get regular tea, some green tea and chai lattés cold.  Well no more, Teaopia has a nice big selection of cold and warm teas.  You can even get over 100 different loose teas.  I’ve never been a fan of loose tea because I don’t like anything floating in my cup.  Well they have something to take care of that, it’s their tea master.  You put your loose tea, hot water in, soak for a while.  Once your tea is steeped you simply put your tea master on top of the rim of your tea cup/mug and the water will automatically drain. It makes a PERFECT cup of tea!!!

Check them out at http://www.teaopia.ca/phpcode/web/ .  I swear you won’t regret it. I certainly didn’t.

I may not have attended the activities of Harry Potter at my local bookstore but I did get to find out all about it yesterday.  I attended fellow ORWA (Ottawa Romance Writers Association) member, Opal Carew’s launch of her book TWIN FANTASIES at Gloucester Chapters.  She had a great turn out and almost sold out of copies on hand.  She didn’t outsell Harry Potter’s book for this weekend but she did go through a second order of her book through that store. So that’s pretty darn good for a first book in print for Opal. Way to go Opal!

What did the local bookstore do on Friday night?  The stores stayed open beyond 2:30 am and sold over 800 copies in the one location.  The sale staff at Gloucester Chapter was still pumped from the event two days later.  Now I wonder when another book will create such buzz.  I’m hoping it won’t be long. 

How many of you attended your local Harry Potter events at midnight? Please share your experience with the rest of us.

The TUDORS is coming to CBC next fall.  I have heard tremendous things about this series.  I know that

Tracy is a big fan of the series.  A few other

US friends of mine are as well like Judy.  Now I’ll get a chance to see it for myself.

If any of you have watched this series please let me know what you thought of it. I’d love to hear what you have to say.