Four Old Ladies in an Impala

I was asked by a friend and fellow writer to contribute an anecdote about getting out of a traffic ticket. I told her about the time I ran a yellow light and realized, too late, that there was a police officer waiting for the light to change. I panicked and slammed on the brakes, tires screaming, and landed smack in the middle of the intersection, directly in front of the squad car. I had no choice but to clear the intersection, tailpipe between my legs, and drive slowly through what was by then a red light.

Yes, I was promptly pulled over.

No, I did not get a ticket. But that's another story.

Then I remembered this gem from Youtube. I know this has been around for a long time, but it never gets old.

Enjoy!

What is art?

The brilliant team at Creature Comforts have invaded America!

Creature Comforts began in the UK about twenty years ago with Nick Park (Wallace and Gromit, Chicken Run) at the helm. He would interview average people on a variety of topics, then take the unscripted conversations and animate them using claymation. They are low-key and ridiculously funny.

Here is a taste of the British one:



And here is the new offering, from the U.S.:

Vote for Pedro. I mean, PAMELA!

The lovely ladies over at Smart Bitches Trashy Books are holding a contest for Best Worst First Lines in a romance novel so of course, given my Bulwer-Lytton rep, I had to enter.

Go to the link below and through your support behind me. Look for three entries by Pamela, and although I'm partial to the last one, any votes for me will be gratefully accepted. You only have 24 hours so get crackin'! And if you really, really like one of the others more than mine, go ahead and vote for that one. I won't mind. Much.

I can't get in to Compuserve to pass the word around, so if anyone is so inclined....

http://www.smartbitchestrashybooks.com/

A Brave and Modest Nation

I've been watching the summer Olympics and despite our lack of medals, I'm so proud of our Canadian athletes and all they've accomplished. Most of them have little or no government assistance. In fact, years ago, the young man who mowed my lawn and cleared snow from my driveway was an Olympic athlete, and confessed he was forced to work two jobs just to keep up. This is time he could have, and should have, spent training. We're so close, but just like the game of horseshoes, close just doesn't count in the Olympics. Just think what our men and women could do with a little financial help. Hello, Mr. Harper, are you listening?

While I was pondering Canadian athletes and their grace under pressure during countless interviews, I remembered I had this piece in my files and so, I share it with you today.

This is a wonderful tribute by Kevin Myers, an Irish journalist and commentator, about Canada's record of quiet valour in wartime. This article first appeared in the Sunday Telegraph on April 21st, 2002 and in the National Post.

A Salute to a Brave and Modest Nation

LONDON - Until the deaths last week of four Canadian soldiers accidentally killed by a U.S. warplane in Afghanistan, probably almost no one outside their home country had been aware that Canadian troops were deployed in the region. And as always, Canada will now bury its dead, just as the rest of the world as always will forget its sacrifice, just as it always forgets nearly everything Canada ever does.

It seems that Canada's historic mission READ THE REST HERE