Trying to stay cool, but it's difficult when it's 104F. I'm not even going to leave the house today because it's that hot. With the 'heat index' it feels like 110F. Where's my sweet-tea?

Just phoned Revenue Canada and it was scary. Perhaps it was because the fellow could barely speak English, or maybe it was because he coughed into the phone without saying pardon (how rude), or maybe it was because I received a GST refund and I'm currently living in the United States (since January 7, 2006). Perhaps it was because the phone call took 17 minutes...and all I discovered was that the GST refund was for 2004.?????? (I haven't received/been eligible for a GST refund in five years) I'm too tired to argue with them. Whatever. Oh, and they still have yet to process my return for the one week that I lived in Canada for 2006, which was sent April 2007...God help us all if this is how the Government of Canada is performing. Perhaps I should take it easy on them since it is summer holidays. All I ask is that they hire people that can communicate in English because I could not understand what the guy was saying, and he could not understand me. God help us.

Hubby is happy now that we finally saw The Simpsons Movie this past weekend. Very funny, although not all characters are given much screen time. Love the little pokes at Fox. "Spider-pig, spider-pig..."

American Idol is in town today and all the crazy kids are trying out. Fox 4 was covering it live this morning from Texas Stadium and there were thousands lined up outside the studio. One guy from Ohio had his hair done up a la Sanjaya mowhawk -- obviously he just wants his 15 minutes of fame on national television. One North Texas man was in Canada for a wedding on Saturday and drove 24hrs to get to the auditions but missed the deadline for signing in this morning. I would hate to be hanging out at Texas Stadium today as it is supposed to go up to 97F this afternoon, and that's excluding the humidex. Whew! I love the ac.

Went for a walk to Walgreen's and Borders at West Village. Love hanging out at Borders and reading the new mags while sipping on a caramel latte from Seattle's Best. Of course, I did end up spending money...but, most of the items are part of Hubby's Christmas-gift-package. When one is on a budget, it is best to spread the Christmas gift purchasing over a number of months. This is my tip-of-the-day. It's so hot outside that I thought I was going to melt into the sidewalk as I made my way home. I've been home for over an hour but I'm still zonked -- the heat really drains one's energy. Maybe I need to have lunch...

Just back from the dentist and I'm officially swearing off soft drinks...or soda, as my dentist calls it. Apparently my love of Pepsi, Coke, Sprite, ginger-ale, and rootbeer has taken its toll on the enamel of my teeth. Yikes!! Also, bottled-water does not contain fluoride and since I drink it I am not receiving enough fluoride. The dentist actually gave me a prescription for a toothpaste with super-strength amounts of it. If only I'd known about this when I was 15.

Vogue Cover for Winona

Ten days away and our mailbox was jammed full of bills and magazines. Bills don't thrill me, but mags do. Words cannot describe how elated I was to see Winona Ryder on the cover of the August issue of Vogue. Love, love, love Winona! I haven't read the new issue yet as I'm still reading the July issue (which, by the way, contains a lovely article on the late Isabella Blow) and I'm a stickler about reading things in proper order. I'm hoping to get to it this weekend. Back in the 90s I remember getting my hair chopped off into a pixie cut just like Winona did. Sure, I looked cute but I just couldn't pull-it-off like she did. The Vogue cover looks so compelling -- much more than the July issue. Very excited!!!

I missed it. I missed the big explosion in Dallas. They were cleaning it up by the time I heard about it. Why? Well, post-Canada visit I decided to watch less television, turn-off the radio and enjoy the quietness. No longer would I let mindless tv shows rot my brain. Plus, television makes it too easy for me to procrastinate regarding my domestic chores. So, yesterday morning when I noticed the dark smoke billowing over the Dallas skyline during my morning walk (my effort to get into shape) I assumed it was merely a big fire somewhere and thought nothing of it. It wasn't until late afternoon when I happened to turn on the radio that I heard about certain freeways (as highways are called in the US) being closed. So, I'm reconsidering my stance on television even if it means I must hear about Lindsay Lohan's DUI and Britney Spears' bizarre actions.

Knocked out by a Timbit?

I survived nine days without internet access. In the beginning it was difficult, but it's surprising how life carries on without logging on to check email, or see what's new on Perez Hilton. Had a lovely week with my parents. The weather was brilliant! Of course, in the Ottawa Valley area 80F is considered hot...so I was really enjoying what would be considered spring weather in Dallas. I taught my niece (8) how to make water balloons, but my nephew (10) taught me the secret to making them explode when they hit someone. He also showed me how to throw a fast ball and a 'change-up' in baseball -- I'm still not sure what that is. My niece told me that she is no longer a sweet girl. She is now evil. How quickly they grow.

After enjoying the slow-paced life in Shawville it was time to hit the highway to Toronto. We went through Renfrew and took Hwy41 and then Hwy7 at Kaladar. Then we turned onto a highway (can't remember the number) that goes through Tweed. Luckily there was a Tim Hortons in Tweed. After a quick pit-stop we were on our way with coffee and timbits. As we were making our way to the 401 I was devouring the honey-dip timbits (my fave) when out popped the crown on my back molar!!!! Aghhhhhhh!!! We were in the middle of nowhere! Aghhhhh! Luckily we had a bottle of water, so I went into worst-case-scenario-survival-mode as I quickly cleaned off the crown, 'rinsed' my mouth, and promptly plopped the crown back in place. We didn't have time to search for a dentist so I thought the safest place for it would be where it usually was: in my mouth. Let's just say that eating was a tad tricky. To add to that, we encountered a nasty traffic jam on the 401 going through Toronto. It was madness. Then our flight was delayed an hour, but luckily the pilot was able to 'make-up' the time we lost by getting us to DFW on schedule. Just how do pilots do this? Is there a special route for planes that have been delayed? Is there a secret short cut above the clouds? So why can't they be faster all the time?

Chilling in TO

Driving in downtown Toronto is nuts...absolutely nuts. They really should not allow street parking on busy streets. The insanity of Queen Street!!!

It was great to spend the afternoon with GL and her lovely baby boy. She made me a yummy dinner of barbecued pork chops with sauteed swiss chard. I will definitely try cooking the swiss chard at home. Hubby and I had lunch with one of his former coworkers...just wish I could remember the name of the restaurant. Think it was called Torino...funky Italian eatery on Queen Street West.

At the moment I'm chilling on the 34th floor of the Sheraton while Hubby is drinking himself silly at some bar. Hope he's not hungover and cranky tomorrow as we must drive 4hrs to Pembroke.

Almost packed...really. Just hoping and praying that our flight is not delayed tonight as there is a huge thunderstorm heading this way...please let there be no funnel clouds!!