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Find Mickey Shunick Now

Wed, 23 May 2012 17:25:50 +0000

The entire city of Lafayette is on full alert after Micky Shunick disappeared early Saturday morning while riding her bike home from a friend’s house. I first saw it…

Like hundreds more around this community, my head is consumed with the image of Mickey's blond hair and beautiful smile.

I am beyond sympathetic for Mickey's family. As a mom, a sister, a friend, I cannot for one second imagine what they must be going through.

And I think, as a community, we have just realized how vulnerable we all are.... how we don't live in a bubble free of evils...how the innocence of riding your bike home has been taken away.

So if you're reading this and you're thousands of miles away and think you can't do anything to help, well THERE IS! Tweet (#findmickeyshunick), Facebook, do whatever you can to get the word out!

Read 10 WAYS YOU CAN HELP IN THE SEARCH FOR MICKEY SHUNICK!

And last but not least, stay HOPEFUL!

Lastly...ladies, please use the buddy system while riding your bikes at night. If you can't find a friend, take your car. Let's just all stay safe.

Chez Christophe

Sun, 20 May 2012 16:42:53 +0000

My hometown, Clare, Nova-Scotia lost a gem yesterday. Paul (Christophe) Comeau, owner of the restaurant Chez Christophe, passed away after a battle with cancer. Even 2000 miles away,…

Paul and the mecca that he created with Chez Christophe has become part of who we are as a community.

Set in a relatively small Acadian wooden house along le chemin du Roi, Chez Christophe was the only place where I could order rapure that wasn’t my mom's and leave completely satisfied.

A place where, in the beginning, the menu was written on a little black chalkboard when you walked in and on a Thursday night you could listen to Crystal play The Lover's Waltz on her fiddle.

A place to share, to catch up with your sister and your mother over a plate of fish cakes with a side of chow-chow....oh, the chow-chow.

A place you would dream about when you were thousands of miles away, you missed your family, and all you could think of was a warm roll and Paul's sweet seafood chowder you'd sell your soul for.

A place that need not fancy advertising or even its own listing in the phone book...but, rather a place that flourished on the good old fashion word of mouth.

A place to, early in the morning, pick up the most scrumptious Morning Glory muffins...which I've attempted several times, but never ever got them that huge and that moist!

A place to bring your soon to be husband to impress him.

A place where you could have a meal but once a year yet somehow feel like you had never left.

I didn't know Paul on a very personal level, but through his food he has captured a part of my heart forever.

He has created a place where some of my fondest memories have been made.

And for me, that is how Paul's legend lives on.

F-Bomb

Wed, 16 May 2012 15:27:12 +0000

So the first F-bomb has been dropped. No, not from me picking up dog puke, or Mark trying to make a ponytail. Nope, rather from the mouth of…

It happened the other evening after bath time while I was fixing them their bedtime snack.

But this wasn't any usual tired snack, oh no, this was a special one.

Vanilla wafers sandwiched together with whipped cream!

But not just any whipped cream....the real fancy stuff that comes in can...the one your grandma put on your pistachio upside-down cake in 1972.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm known to be quite fond of the processed, oddly colored snack foods, but this was the very first time that I, myself, had purchased THE can...as per Luke's incessant request. For some reason, food in aerosol cans freak me out. In my opinion, the only stuff that should be in an aerosol can should be hair-spray and spray-paint...not cheese.

So anyway, there I am aerosol canning the hell out of this whipped cream and Joseph's at my feet begging for apple juice.

Let me rephrase that, Joseph is whining incessantly for me to pour him some apple juice in the particular blue cup with Woody on it and not the one with Spider-Man, because the one with Spider- Man on it doesn't let the juice out fast enough.....God forbid...all the while stepping on my feet and digging his nails in my thigh.

So I lose my patience and order him to BACK OFF and to go sit down and that I would fix him some WATER after he finished his snack.

To which he responded by stomping down the stairs angrily and muttering the oh so satisfying word...............F-U-C-K!

I was all like, “WHAT DID YOU SAY?”

And he was like, “What?”

“WHAT DID YOU SAY?”

“Uh, nothing.”...giggling sheepishly.

Thankfully Emmylou clarified the situation and interjected with, “He said FUCK mom!”

So this is one of those moments when, as a parent, you're thinking to yourself, “Ok, if I make a big deal out of this, he will surely get the message that uttering THAT word will get a reaction..from me...from his friends...and most of all, from his brother and sister...however, I can't very well let him get away with saying THAT word...can I?”

That's when you realize how parenting, for me anyhow, walks the fine line between what is right and outright hypocrisy.

So anyway, I just quietly told him that that wasn't a nice word and that he should never say it again.

Oh, well. At least he used it in good context!

My Late Mother's Day Gift To All

Tue, 15 May 2012 02:04:36 +0000

If you're a mom and you've never experienced this moment, or some version of it, then chances are you've somehow birthed mute kittens...

MCA

Tue, 08 May 2012 01:01:31 +0000

Is is just me, or does it seem like in the past year I've written a lot about the passing of legendary artists. I'm starting to sound more and…

Pretty soon I'll be reading the obituaries daily and rubbing Bengay on my knees asking my kids if they feel a draft.

Well, I guess my parents haven’t started this inevitable ritual....yet, so I think I still have a little bit of time left.

That being said, I think it would be blasphemy to not mention the recent passing of Beastie Boys' Adam Yauch.

To be completely honest, however, I was never really a die hard Beastie Boys fan. It's not that I didn't like them, I was just too busy being 4 years old...then eventually consumed with learning every dance move off of Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation video.

Nonetheless, I have totally grown to appreciate the legendary Beastie Boys and the unmistakable sound that those 3 skinny white guys from Brooklyn have created.

And how do you even begin to pick and choose your favorite jam?

Well, I can't necessarily say that this one's my favorite per say, but it sure makes me smile whenever I hear it.

Spreading The Love

Sun, 06 May 2012 00:09:33 +0000

So, my post-festival funk has, for the most part, dissipated. Which leaves me in the mood to spread a little love. These past few years, with the continuing…

However, a lot has changed since then and blogging has become a big part of my life. What started out as something I did to get my creative juices flowing (and a little child rearing venting) quickly turned into something I consider to be part of who I am. I never thought that what I would put out there would have an impact on the people around me. But somehow it has, and I am forever grateful for that gift.

All that to say that blogging is really about putting yourself and your thoughts out there for the world to see. And that, in itself, can be very scary.

Which brings me to my dear friend Melissa Stevenson.

Like she has mentioned in the past, there are things that are just plain hard to say in person. For some reason, behind the comfort of our computer screens, we are able to communicate emotions and truths that would otherwise be buried inside.

In her blog, Our Life In Pieces, Melissa speaks candidly about raising a child with autism.

I know it hasn't been easy for her and the fact that she has the courage to take a leap of faith and share her story with all of us,and still manage to find the humor in all of it is, to say the least, admirable.

Beckett is blessed to be able to call Melissa his mom.

Our Life in Pieces has been nominated for Babble's Top 30 Autism Spectrum Blogs for 2012. Making these kinds of lists goes beyond ''winning''. It's about spreading the word about blogs that support and help families that are living through similar circumstances or to share in the joy of particular milestones.

That being said, click HERE, find Our Life In Pieces and click on the thumps up.

Sometimes it only takes a few seconds to make a world of difference.

Ok y'all, that's it for now.

Peace.

Keep An Eye On Me

Wed, 02 May 2012 15:44:04 +0000

There comes a time in your child's life when you realize how much they're too clever for their own good. Well actually..more like too clever for YOUR own good...

It usually starts around the time they start spitting out that puréed cabbage and insist on keeping their mouths closed until the choo choo train that is your spoon fills a cargo of puréed bananas. I mean, do you really blame them? And who's the genius who decided that introducing babies to vegetables first rather then fruit so babies don't grow an affinity for sweets anyway? I, personally, have never met a brussel sprout that has swayed me from the sugary deliciousness of a Snickers bar!

Wait, what was I talking about again?

Oh yes...how kids are so dang smart.

They pay attention, they know what comes next and they most definitely remember everything...namely that time when you accidentally dropped an F-bomb while stepping in dog shit at 5:30 in the morning...in your living room.

Kids listen and they repeat.

Sometimes this practice proves to be quite embarrassing. Other times, it's just plain cute.

Such was the case the other afternoon when Mark brought Luke to the Blue Moon.

The whole crew was working on getting the place ready for festival and our extremely lovely manager, Holly, was spray-painting some chairs. She consequently ran out of paint, so Mark was on his way to get some more. Luke (who's 5 years old) was playing in the rocks a little ways away.

Mark- ''Hey Luke! Come on we're going to get some more spray paint for Holly!”

Luke- ''Can I stay here?''

Mark- ''You sure?''

Luke- ''Yep.''

Holly gave the nod to say she would watch him.

Then, as Mark was walking away he hears Luke:

''HEY HOLLY! KEEP AN EYE ON ME!''

Need I say more?

The Morning After

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 21:13:50 +0000

My perfect little festival bubble has busted. My shoulders are sun burnt, I sound like a 75 year old woman who's been smoking 3 packs of Marlboro Reds a…

For those few days of festival, nothing really matters expect which stage you're headed towards and if you're gonna go with the meat pie or the spinach shrimp boat.

Yep, festival is over and that makes me sad.

Deuil.

But, the beauty of it is that we get to do it all over again next year.

For the time being, I'm going to listen to a few depressing songs, reintroduce myself to my washer and dryer and thank my lucky stars for living in such a wonderful place.

Big shout out to all the volunteers and the festival staff who make it all happen!

And also to LISA STAFFORD for bringing us all this incredible musical talent....and also for giving Mark, the kids and I a ride to the Place Des Enfants on that hot Saturday afternoon:-)

Ok, now this depressing but lovely song.

*Meaning: my voice is hoarse.

Passport To The Moon Wristband Giveaway!

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 19:41:07 +0000

Contest closed! Congrats to Lauren Wagner and Leslie Haymark for each winning a Passport to the Moon wristband! Thanks to everyone for participating! Happy festival!! What's that in the…

When this time rolls around, our entire lives revolve around Festival.

I trade in my usual birthday party circuit for 2 full days of ''fun'' parading my sticky and thirsty kids around relentlessly looking for shade and the cleanest portable toilets available.

Wait, that doesn't seem like much fun now does it?

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention one important thing....la musique.

All the ''Mom, I'm tired'', ''Mom my feet hurt'', ''Mom, Joseph just stuck a pin in my ear'' are justified by the fact that we are able to witness one of the best music festivals this country has to offer...and for FREE!

To be able to expose my kids to such cultural diversity is a gift I so greatly appreciate every time April rolls around.

So, in keeping with tradition, the Blue Moon Saloon would like to give away 2 Passport To The Moon wristbands. This wristband will get you in at EVERY show during Festival week, which this week includes a new Sunday Brunch with music by The Mercy Brothers and food by Saint Street Inn.

All you need to do is leave a comment and tell me what show you are most excited to see...be it at the Blue Moon or at Festival. Contest ends Wednesday night at midnight. Winners will be notified via e-mail. 2 people will win 1 wristband each.

Now I'm off to download my Festival App and get this party started!

HAPPY FESTIVAL!

For the full Blue Moon Saloon lineup visit www.bluemoonpresents.com.

French Lesson Of The Day

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 18:25:56 +0000

My maternal language is French. But, I consider myself to be perfectly bilingual since I've been speaking English as far back as I can remember. I have, however,…

Sometimes there just isn't that word or phrase that can adequately describe what I'm tying to say...which somehow leads to a frustrating and bizarre version of charades...which, by the way, is THE WORSE GAME IN THE WORLD! The only time you'll catch me playing charades (other then when I can't find the proper English words) is if there's a tornado coming and my only way out of it is to start pantomiming the bathtub scene from Pretty Woman.

But I digress.

One expression that just doesn't translate is this one:

“Batie pour veiller tard!”

This is used to describe certain women...or more precisely a woman's figure...kind of...well not necessarily...depends on who you ask.....better yet, ask Jean-Louis Belliveau...he'll know.

Before I go into wordy details, I figured I'd help the process along with a few photos.

These ladies are definitely “baties pour veiller tard”:

Understand?

The literal translation would be “built to stay up late.”

I personally think it's a compliment. An endearing way to say “beautifully curvaceous”.

Some may think otherwise.

In any case, here is one of Radio Radio's new songs, Galope, off their new album, Hâvre de Grace (released today!).

In the chorus, there's a sweet and sultry voice that sings, ''batie pour veiller tard''.

That's my sister.

And yes, she is batie pour veiller tard....as you will see:-)

Also I wanted to include this because it makes me laugh.

Radio Radio will play Festival International and the Blue Moon Saloon Friday night and Festival again on Saturday night. Holla!