Well, there is more snow on the way in this city on this Leap Year day! 

- petey

Well, I've been on a DIGITAL IMAGING course for the past two days.  I've learned some great tips in Photoshop CS3 that I never knew before.  Though, I just got my passport photo taken and I look like an angry convict but I doubt there is a plug-in in Photoshop to improve my mood and looks!!!  hehehe

My favourite soft drink is BRIO (that I drink rarely but it is great).  I just found a wikipedia article about it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinotto

- petey

Well, I've never seen so much snow in life and Ottawa is going to be hit again with a snowstorm on Sunday!  I just bought the upgrade to Office 2007 Professional and I'm easily getting used to the new interface.  In Office 2003, I was actually creating my own customized toolbar to get my favourite functions out of the menus (i.e. mail as attachment, clip art, word count, change case, etc...) and I see now I don't need that.  

-  petey

ENFIN!!!

Since the tender age of 20, I have made it my life's mission to learn and constantly improve my French!  I love the language, the songs, the culture, the movies, and the people (meaning Québec, France, etc...).

On that very subject, I would like to render homage to one incredible woman's efforts.  I can finally attempt to master the LE and LA of the French language!!!  Meaning, I'm talking about noun genders in French that might seem to have no rhyme or reason.   Thus, let me introduce, Cécile Huot, professeure de carrière, diplômée des universités Laval et de Montréal, et elle détient un doctorat en littérature comparée de l'université de Toulouse.

Her great book Dictionnaire des genres : le féminin - le masculin en un clin d'oeil has shown the wonderful relationship between the endings of French nouns in connection with predicting their gender (le or la).  She also lists the exceptions.  No learner of French should be without this book.  The sad thing is that I just discovered an old copy of this book (1983) and it is no longer being published!  C'est dommage!   Cécile, tu es formidable!   Merci de tout mon coeur!

petey

Just survived another snowstorm in Ottawa.  Not much is happening these days.  Though, it's Groundhog Day!!!

hehe   More Winter!  I watched that great movie with Bill Murray last night Groundhog Day.  It's the best!!!

petey

Here's a YouTube video of my favourite song in French by:  Georges Brassens -- Chanson pour L'Auvergnat
 
George looks very tormented and Poe-like in this great video!  The video has English subtitles.  This is my favourite song of all time.   It's an incredible performance!   The message in this song is sans pareil!

***

The plans are shaping up for my trip to Lille in June 2008!    Vive Lille et vive la France!

petey

I'm planning a trip to Nottingham (UK) this June to visit my old friend John Cash!   We'll take a road trip down to Lille,  France and I'll have the red ukulele at hand pendant notre voyage incroyable!  hehe

More later...

petey

I'm been fighting a second cold since this weekend.  I might have to check out the new Houdini musical in Montreal with my friend Schmelvis in February.  He's a family man but he knows how to escape the chains when need be!  ;-) hehehe

Not much is happening in my life at this moment.  It's winter in Ottawa and although it hasn't been that cold, we've had lots of snow (much of which has melted).  I need to figure out a special project to complete in the first six months of the new year, possibly any of the following follies:

• finish editing my science fiction novel Lily and send it to DAW Books
• go in the recording studio to record three songs with piano and voice
• keep plugging away at the ukulele and record some songs with voice
• find where to buy my favourite key limes in this city!

Well, a man has to have some plans after all!   hehe 

petey

My good friend Schmelvis (the Jewish Elvis) tells me that Elvis would have been 73 years old today!!!  Long Live the King! 

petey

I've been sick with a rotten cold for a week and I've been mostly in bed since returning from Sarnia.  No New Years celebrating for me this year!  At least I got to scan in some interesting early family photos of my grandfather who was a miner, and accordionist during his youth!   hehe

Matchewan Bridge, Northern Ontario CANADA (1925)   Click on an image to enlarge.

petey

I'm back!!!  How do you like my hat?   hehe

petey

Well, I'm off to Sarnia!   Merry Christmas and Joyeux Noël!!

petey

Well, Ottawa was hit once again with more snow today!  I walked all the way home from my work (in Hull) to Billings Bridge.  Not by my choice really, but because the entire city was in a traffic gridlock.  I'd never seen anything like it in my life before.  It took me an hour and 20 minutes to get home from Hull and as I walked down Bank Street, not one bus would pass me.  The traffic was a complete wall for 4 kilometres.  Almost like prison...  hehe  

On that very subject, my friend Todd Swift recommended I start watching the series Prison Break so I bought the first two seasons on DVD.  It's quite an intense show but I'm enjoying it.  I like the prison parts but I find the killers (government agents) speak too much before they kill someone.  That's a bit far-fetched because anyone could record such ridiculous confessions.   Though, overall, the show is great drama.

I'll be heading back to Sarnia for the holidays on the train, VIA1 first class of course (i.e. Meals, wines and liqueurs.   hehe

 petey

Well, Ottawa has been hit hard with the second big snow storm of the year and its still on going!!!  I find it rather peaceful since the whole city is forced to slow down.  I took a walk across the street to my local mall (see picture) and a city bus was stuck as well as a car.  Check out the video!

Video (860 KB Windows Media)

brrrrrr!   hehe

petey

Here are a few shots of me from my work's talent show in Gatineau.  Click on an image to enlarge.

First photo:  Puttin' on the Fish       Second photo:  promo stage shot

Winter has hit hard in the Ottawa / Gatineau area but as you can see in these photos, I'm still having fun!  hehe

petey

The whole city has slowed down due to the recent snowstorm!  Taking the bus home from work today was a painfully big affair.  I decided to get off the bus and walk for about 20 minutes to avoid the bus line ups on Slater street that went on for over an hour!

I ended up trudging through the snow to the Glebe to catch the bus number 1 home.  Well, I made it home safe and sound and I'll be making some veggie quesadillas for myself tonight!   Yum Yum!  One of my favourite foods!

Pedro!

The snow is back in Ottawa!!  Have a nice weekend!

Petey

Not much to say.  Winter has hit Ottawa and I'm now wearing my black winter boots!  hehe  Here's a greeting card I bought so long ago that looks like our family's property at Lake Sesekinika!

petey

I've recently rediscovered an old 1960s TV show: The Wild Wild West. I just bought the first season on DVD.  I had only ever seen a few episodes as a young kid in the 1970s as reruns, so it remained back in my mind all these years.  Well, I've got the first season and I really love it!  It's basically a kind of James Bond with a zany side kick,   back in the wild west traveling around on a train car on secret missions.  I've just ordered season 2!

petey

I've discovered a new French singer (from France) that I really like called Thomas Dutronc.  He does this really great song called "J'aime plus Paris".  (I don't like Paris anymore)  I had found a site with a live video on stage of the song that was really great, but it has since disappeared.   Boohoo!

Anyway, here is a more doctored video from Dailymotion.
(It's best to pause the video while loading, then wait till it's finished loading then watch).

petey

I performed in a non-competitive talent show for charity at the Gatineau City Hall (Hôtel de ville) on November 14, 2007.   It was a blast.  I did my ukulele number in English and French, singing and playing a song called Puttin' on the Fish and Mets-toi un poisson.  It was a warped version of Puttin' on the Ritz and I wore a fish hat on my head.  Stay tuned for the YouTube video!  

petey

Here was the line up!

I've added a new friend to my home page -- Sascha Sass, the German and Spanish comedian! 

petey

Guess what holiday is next?!!!  hehehe

Bring on those sleigh bells accompanied by the ukulele!  hehe

petey

Halloween was a big success!

Last night, I gave out free copies of my Halloween CD "The Frankenstein Files" in Aylmer, Québec.  Kids were so shocked upon getting a free CD, they often said to me, "You're the best!"  I still gave out chocolate bars as well!

Petey