tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24277323912181298932024-09-02T01:22:38.073-07:00Single Lane Medianoreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427732391218129893.post-67427194727553319572009-07-05T05:42:00.000-07:002009-07-09T02:10:59.429-07:00

By Jodi A. ShawThere's a knock at the door. You answer it and find a stranger standing on your doorstep. You say hello. They ask you if you think world peace is a good thing. Of course, you reply. From there, it's a smooth transition to "Your belief system is misguided and incorrect. My religion is the true religion, and I am here, answering a call from God, to save you by selling, I mean,

Single Lane Medianoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427732391218129893.post-4137508793612447782009-05-26T01:15:00.000-07:002009-05-30T05:17:42.914-07:00

By Jodi A. ShawIt's seven o'clock on a Saturday evening and I can't find my toothbrush. Our new bathroom is chockablock with Rubbermaid tubs filled with miscellaneous items that you have to maneuver your way through to get to the toilet. The fridge is empty (with the exception of ketchup and a bottle of 7-Up), and I've spent the last hour searching for a clean pair of pants.This is my 18th move

Single Lane Medianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427732391218129893.post-51389114291602973872009-05-03T00:31:00.000-07:002009-05-04T20:55:08.934-07:00

By Bev SchellenbergMy eight year-old son has wanted a pet since he was old enough to say "dog." However, our household is already complete with four humans, my daughter's cat, Angel, and our family dog, Cinnamon, a behaviourally-challenged Miniature Dachshund-Miniature Pinscher cross. With his ninth birthday quickly approaching, my son began pushing the equality principle: Since his sister got

Single Lane Medianoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427732391218129893.post-80319843797975240062009-03-30T21:01:00.000-07:002009-04-10T18:45:45.947-07:00

By Jodi A. ShawAccording to this perky little item, lipstick sales are up 40% since the start of the recession. Apparently the same thing happened after the 9/11 attacks, leading the chairmain of Esteé Lauder to coin the term "lipstick index," to account for the phenomenon of glossy sales during bad times.Women would be well-advised to keep an eye on another lipstick index, though -- the

Single Lane Medianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427732391218129893.post-35844082939084834222009-03-09T14:33:00.000-07:002009-03-09T20:03:58.762-07:00

By Bev SchellenbergNow here's a thought: According to the crown prosecutor in the case of Christopher Pauchay, the father of two children who froze to death while in his care, it's important that people care for the children they have. Marylynne Beaton says the three-year sentence handed down on Friday, March 6th, sends an important message to parents. "It's really important for people to

Single Lane Medianoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427732391218129893.post-80677309862503869492009-02-15T18:08:00.000-08:002009-09-07T17:57:40.890-07:00

By Jodi A. Shaw"Oh, what book club are you in?" the librarian asks."I’m not.""So, you're just reading this on your own time?""Yes.""Interesting." The librarian then tells me to read the book, The Time Traveller's Wife, in the given three weeks, as I will be unable to renew it. I explain to her that I own this particular copy and am just in the library for the quiet."That explains how you got a

Single Lane Medianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427732391218129893.post-89276480472254342232009-01-30T22:46:00.000-08:002009-01-31T22:37:27.534-08:00

By Bev SchellenbergThe next time you book your annual check-up with your dentist, consider getting rid of a few wrinkles or puffing up your lips with a botox treatment at the same time. British Columbia is the first province in Canada to permit dentists to shoot botox into their patients’ wrinkles and lips, joining the ranks of dentists in the US and Europe.Naturally, cosmetic dermasurgeons aren

Single Lane Medianoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427732391218129893.post-61184023400441396042008-12-27T04:19:00.000-08:002008-12-28T05:52:06.220-08:00

By Jodi A. ShawIt’s common knowledge that many of us take off full blast with our New Year's resolutions on January 1st -- smokers throw out their lighters and ashtrays, wannabe fitness buffs get locked in for three years at their local gym -- only to come crashing back to earth by mid-January. Others, recognizing that resolutions frequently fail, prefer the low expectations route, holding tight

Single Lane Medianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427732391218129893.post-48128041692584128282008-12-07T22:30:00.000-08:002008-12-10T01:24:42.548-08:00

By Bev SchellenbergI admit it: I'm a Logophile.I believe in the evolution of language. I understand that referring to something good as "rad" is no longer the norm, and that something "phat" is, if nothing else, large in all sorts of ways. With reluctance, I even accept that "a lot," which my computer still automatically corrects, will sooner than later exist as "alot," even in Webster's

Single Lane Medianoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427732391218129893.post-61029930068454807392008-11-02T15:07:00.000-08:002008-11-03T03:05:01.931-08:00

By Jodi A. ShawI prefer not to know the finer details of child birth. Instead, I'd rather wait my turn to experience it, and find out the good, the bad, and the ugly of pregnancy and delivery. A pregnant co-worker, however, has been spoiling some of the secrets for me . . . and affirmed my belief that gestation and childbirth aren't all that glamorous. I don't like it when people ask me about

Single Lane Medianoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427732391218129893.post-66245658794206450342008-10-20T11:06:00.000-07:002008-11-02T17:19:31.654-08:00

By Bev SchellenbergZobmondo is a wonderfully bizarre book crammed with handy conversation starters for parties or family gatherings, as is the board game. Let's play. The idea is to choose from one of two, weird alternatives, for example: "Would you rather have to kill Winnie the Pooh or Bambi?" Or here's a question that it probably wouldn't be wise to ask at an animal activists' convention: "

Single Lane Medianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427732391218129893.post-27137235996231260392008-10-08T01:38:00.000-07:002009-08-17T02:32:25.414-07:00

By Bev SchellenbergSunday, September 21st, I accepted two awards on behalf of my brother, Brian Jaundrew, at the Victoria Rock & Roll Music Hall of Fame award ceremony. Brian chose not to attend. Dave Kissinger, a former guitarist of The Regents, contacted me through Facebook a few months ago. He explained that The Regents, one of several bands my brother had been in, had won in the category of

Single Lane Medianoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427732391218129893.post-4162696275595811752008-09-28T16:28:00.000-07:002008-09-29T01:23:38.599-07:00

By Jodi A. ShawRecently, a friend asked me for my "secret" to a healthy diet. I was confused, so she explained how she admired my food preparation practices and efforts to eat organically. I was still confused, so she added, "You never seem to have to worry when there's food crisis."She was referring, of course, to the listeria outbreak, which has so far resulted in 19 deaths. But she might

Single Lane Medianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427732391218129893.post-1419919639061699302008-09-17T22:31:00.000-07:002008-09-19T11:20:16.896-07:00

By Bev SchellenbergStudents young and old have returned to school, a yearly phenomenon as certain in September as rainfall in Vancouver. Depending on where you stand on the conveyor belt of life, you likely fit somewhere between ecstatic-that-school-has-begun (as in the case of most parents, some students, and some more senior mall-frequenters) to unfazed-and-basically-unaware (as in computer

Single Lane Medianoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427732391218129893.post-8243698036028662662008-09-07T05:03:00.000-07:002008-09-09T04:39:53.393-07:00

By Jodi A. ShawI am not particularly fond of outhouses. I don't like the way they smell when I walk past them, I don't like the crowd of flies buzzing around them, and not for one second do I enjoy squatting over a hole or chute or whatever form it takes. I am, however, in love with camping.This summer, my husband and I took a few weekends away from our TV, computers, and phones, packed a tent,

Single Lane Medianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427732391218129893.post-44780414625239011072008-07-18T17:25:00.000-07:002008-07-18T20:51:48.452-07:00

By guest blogger Lindsay SzymanskiI noticed something disturbing the other day at the grocery store. Pink. Everywhere. I was in the frozen-food aisle, picking out some breakfast treats, when I picked up a box of waffles. Emblazoned with pink ribbons, the box implied that I too could fight the battle of breast cancer, if only I bought . . . waffles.I could see maybe buying a pink bra or even some

Single Lane Medianoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427732391218129893.post-68381537431315703562008-06-30T04:26:00.000-07:002009-03-07T22:55:23.947-08:00

Bev SchellenbergRegardless of what you may think of nude bicyclists, nude maids, or nudists in general ("naturists" for the politically correct out there), consider this the next time you step out of the shower or the tub: there's a nude in your bathroom. You. Granted, you probably have hair sprouting here and there, but ultimately, unless you engage in some unique form of clothed cleansing,

Single Lane Medianoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427732391218129893.post-7008229967644539712008-05-27T02:05:00.000-07:002009-03-07T22:54:01.243-08:00

Bev SchellenbergA co-worker surprised me Monday morning. She'd just been to Disneyland, and, motioning to my desk, said she'd be bringing me a gift "for my collection" later in the week. What was she was talking about?I looked at my desk after she left: Okay, there are the two Littlest Pet Shop dogs, a metal pencil sharpener motorcycle, a chomping Scooby Doo head that rolls, a wind-up jumping

Single Lane Medianoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427732391218129893.post-59580560587418734262008-04-27T03:04:00.000-07:002009-03-07T22:52:15.319-08:00

Bev SchellenbergOn April 25th, Dave Martin, a 66-year old swimmer from Solana Beach, California, was killed by a shark at San Diego County's Tide Beach. Four days later, Adrian Ruiz, 24, was killed by another shark off Troncones Beach, Mexico. Two attacks in a row. Now we can all get get stressed about what's going to happen the next time we venture into the water, just as we did after watching

Single Lane Medianoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427732391218129893.post-20945686827272927992008-04-03T18:34:00.000-07:002009-03-07T22:50:57.698-08:00

Bev SchellenbergThe Japanese do "clean" well. When I left during spring break with 27 high school students and two other teachers, I knew our 12-day stay would be packed full of seeing temples and shrines, shopping, staying with the host families, and visiting high schools. What I didn't realize was how many elements of Japan I'd want to bring home. Especially its tidiness. Slippers, for

Single Lane Medianoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427732391218129893.post-19639548058762142022008-02-29T22:38:00.000-08:002009-03-07T22:49:32.180-08:00

Bev SchellenbergDeath is inevitable. Even worse, death can be expensive. Granted, we won't live with the expense once we're gone, but our offspring or friends may. Fortunately, the options for disposal are many. Among them is procrastination. Alan Derek of Bristol, England lived with his dead room-mate's remains on his sofa for at least five years, and as many as 10, depending on which account

Single Lane Medianoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427732391218129893.post-8450743544868532892008-02-07T01:58:00.000-08:002009-03-07T22:47:25.931-08:00

Bev SchellenbergStatistics on car thefts barely blipped on my radar screen until I became a statistic myself. Sure, it was mildly disquieting to discover that since 1996, Canada has held the unenviable title of "car-theft capital of North America". Or that, according to Statistics Canada, every three minutes another car is stolen, and a car is more likely to be stolen in major hubs like Toronto,

Single Lane Medianoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427732391218129893.post-7191877425110951332008-01-19T23:30:00.000-08:002009-03-07T22:45:59.943-08:00

Bev SchellenbergA few weeks ago, an 85-year old man driving an Oldsmobile rocketed past a police officer doing 161 in a 100 km/hr zone. He later told the officer he was going to the bank and then shopping. He was charged under the Ontario street-racing law -- the oldest person to earn the honour.Good for him. Based on Stats Canada mortality rates in 2002, he's already exceeded the 82.2-year

Single Lane Medianoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427732391218129893.post-61980741605168992662007-12-20T00:26:00.000-08:002009-03-07T22:44:21.096-08:00

Bev SchellenbergPeace and joy get a lot of airtime during the holiday season, but there's another seasonal emotion that is sadly left out in the cold: jealousy. That's right. And it fits right into the Christmas story. Think about it: how do you think Joseph felt when he found out his girlfriend was pregnant, and he knew for a fact that he hadn't known her that way? Surely jealousy seeped into

Single Lane Medianoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427732391218129893.post-83582646348308140072007-11-26T22:14:00.000-08:002009-03-07T22:40:46.142-08:00

Bev SchellenbergMy daughter spotted a sign on a big pickup as we drove home the other day. "Bad Ass Truck" it read. "Look, Mom," she said. "That truck says Bad -- [she paused, not wanting to use a naughty word] -- you know, like 'donkey' -- Truck." The sign was right, though; it was a Bad Ass Truck. And I knew just how its driver felt.Every week, I hop back and forth from an inconspicuous black

Single Lane Medianoreply@blogger.com3