Grim Reaper..

So the commercial, it turns out, is going to be pretty darn funny, I think. WE were all laughing anyway. It's basically a health commercial. It follows people who are living a healthy lifestyle, and in the background.. lurking... is the lamest, dorkiest Grim Reaper known to man. He is the "Mr. Bean" of the reapers, you get my meaning? SO FUNNY. Anyway, it is two commercials, and in both the oh-so-pathetic reaper ends up getting foiled by the active middle age folks. The first few hours of work, and even on the way to work at 6 am, I was thinking. Oh this is sooo much fun! I miss this! I am so glad I am here! I love the collaborative aspect of working on a movie or commercial, and I got to see people I haven't seen in a long time and catch up. The weather was, for the most part, really beautiful, with a haze over the sun which made it look like a georgous sunset on us all day long. But after about hour 6, right after lunch, and my feet started to complain... LOUDLY.. and I started to fantasize about being home in bed watching a movie with Ellie. After about hour 10 or 11 we all start to get the familiar "Is it hometime?" look on our faces, knowing we have at least another hour or two of rushing around trying to shoot 2 commercials in one day. By 8 o'clock it was sheer panic and hysteria trying to shoot the last shot before we totally lost our shootable light. And then the sweet words... "That's a wrap!". I limped to my truck, as my feet... which at this point are at what we call in the "biz" (okay, maybe not the "biz" but me and some of my "bizzy" friends") ... loaves are crippled. I get home and take my shoes off and my feet and toes are completely swollen. SWOLLEN I TELL YOU! I can't even bend my toes... lovely. Anyway, Ellie and I crawl into bed and it's 10pm (I left my house at 6 am) and we collapse into sleep after only 2 spongebob episodes. Anyway, the commercials are for Alberta Health and Wellness and I think you will like them.. not sure when theywill air, but likely in the next month or two.

Today we are going to Toys R us. I have been to Toys R us several times in the last couple of weeks, for various reasons. Now the store I have been going to is in an area of the city that has become... well... LETHAL... in our city in the last year or two. And for the first time in my entire life I was walking accross the parking lot and was ACTUALLY AFRAID OF GETTING SHOT! I am not kidding! There has been so much gang violence in our city lately that this has actually become a real fear. I was filling up with gas the other day and a "car" drove in with some "kids" in it... you know, the "kids" that make you a bit nervous (not stereotyping here, but you know... okay, maybe stereotyping A LITTLE), and I actually thought... what if I get shot here pumping gas? Then on the way to work yesterday morning I was listening to the radio and they said that a 24 yr old man was SHOT IN THE HEAD in the parking lot of a crowded theatre the night before in front of HUNDREDS of people near the Toys R us that I have been going to. One Father said he got a call from his hysterical 16 yr old daughter out at a movie with some friends that this guy was shot twice in the head RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER!!!!!!!!!!! A couple of weeks ago we had 8 murders in 9 days, actually I think I wrote about that. I am very very freaked out by this! I don't care what anyone says, our city is no longer safe, eventhough when I go out generally speaking I do feel safe. At least in certain areas of the city I do. So then I think, well, maybe we should move. Move to where? What place on this planet is going to be immune from violence like this? Even if you go to a small rural town, eventually years down the road it will get bigger and bigger and have some kind of problems. I don't know. What worries me is what happens in 7 or 8 years when Ellie is a teenager at a movie with her friends and the gangs are even more predominant in our city, or when Ayana is a teenager in 15 years??? What kind of city are we raising our children in?? I am just flabbergasted. On the way home from work we got caught up in yet another road construction major slowdown which has gripped every single area of our city, you can't drive ANYWHERE without getting caught in major traffic and road rage and driving 5 km per hour because of construction. (But don't get me wrong, our city NEEDS it I know.. I only wish there were magical Road Construction Fairies that could do the work without having to impede us the drivers!) Anyway, I thought to myself, instead of spending the millions and millions of dollars on every single road in our city, why don't they take some of the money and hire about 1500 more police officers? Wouldn't that make sense to anyone? Let me break it down. 25 years ago our city had 500,000 people in it and 1200 police officers. Now our city has broken the 1,000,000 mark and we have 1500 police officers. Anyone else see an issue here? Now maybe, due to a recent recruitment drive, maybe we have more cops, but last thing I read about it... that's how many. Any wonder that the thugs are running this city.

Enough ranting....

A friend of mine, after I showed her Ayana's picture yesterday at work, suggested having a shower for the baby. I said, "Well, I thought about having a meet and greet kind of thing, for sure!" And she said, "Instead of gifts people could just make a donation to an RESP for her?" I said, "Even better, instead of gifts people could bring a donation (item or monetary) for the orphanage that she comes from!" And she said, "Brilliant!" (she's british). So that is what I would like to do. I may even incorporate a Ugandan Bead party in on the mix and make the whole day African themed. Anyway, I thought it was a nice idea, and hopefully it all works out and we can have her home before Christmas so people can buy the beads for loved ones as Christmas presents. The Beads for Life organization is a group where you order a whole bunch of beads made out of paper and you have a party and invite everyone over. They send you African music, african recipes, and a DVD with all of the portaits of the bead makers. I have included some pics at the top of this post. When you are done, you send all of the money and the remaining beads back to the organization and they pay ALL of the proceeds directly to the women that made the beads for you and your guests. I just love this idea!

Stay tuned, I'll be announcing when I am having it soon. I may even have it before Ayana comes home, in case it looks like her visa is taking longer than the average.

Anyway, have a terrifac Weekend everyone!