Wrapped Around His Little Fingers Already

Ewan Allen Maclennan
Born March 21, 2008 @ 7:39 am
7lbs 6 oz

...and yes, he has me wrapped around his little fingers!

Mmmm...

So I keep telling y'all that chocolate is good for me. Here's at least one person that supports my belief!

I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish humble tasks as though they were great and noble. The world is moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker.
~ Helen Keller

Current Read

Peppermint-Filled Pinatas, Eric Michael Bryant

Just in case you were wondering what the Easter bunny looks like or if he really exists, check this out...


So there you have it. He, being the Easter bunny, of course, does exist and, just in case you were wondering, he weighs a whopping 22 pounds and is more than 3 feet long. He is of the aptly named "German Giant" rabbit family. According to the BBC, the rabbit's name is Herman (but we know the real story, don't we!!??) and lives with his owner, Hans Wagner, in Berlin, Germany. German Giants are domestic rabbits. They do not exist in the wild and can live as long as 12 years. The BBC says that Herman can eat a bale of hay per week.

Easter Trivia

Here's some Easter trivia for you as we head into the weekend's celebration:

The idea of Easter baskets can be dated back to the Christian tradition of taking baskets of food to church to be blessed at Easter.

Hot cross buns first pop up in print in England in 1733; the sweet, spicy yeast buns traditionally contain currants or raisins, and are marked on top by a cross (an X in the dough). They are traditionally eaten on Good Friday, the Friday before Easter Sunday.

Queen Elizabeth I and her royal court passed a law limiting the consumption of hot cross buns to certain times of the year: Easter, Christmas and funerals.

Pagans used to throw a spring fertility festival in honour of Eostre, an ancient Anglo-Saxon goddess; we get the term Easter from her name.

The idea of decorating eggs for Easter has been around for a long time. In 1290, the household accounts of King Edward I recorded an expense of 18 pence for 450 gold-leafed and coloured eggs, to be given as Easter gifts.

In Greece, Easter eggs are traditionally dyed red, in remembrance of the blood shed by Jesus.

Most Easter lilies -- 95 per cent of the world market -- are grown in the U.S., along the western coast between California and Oregon. The area produces 11 million bulbs for commercial greenhouses around the world.

Why is ham often served for Easter dinner? Before the days of refrigeration, hogs were butchered every autumn, and their meat was prepared for curing, a process that generally takes six to seven months -- about the time when Easter takes place each year.

Easter always falls between March 22 and April 25.

Pysanka is a specific term used for the practice of Easter egg painting.

From the very early times, egg has been considered to be the most important symbol of rebirth.

The initial baskets of Easter were given the appearance of bird's nests.

The maiden chocolate eggs recipes were made in Europe in the nineteenth century.

Each year witnesses the making of nearly 90 million chocolate bunnies.

Next to Halloween, Easter holiday paves way for confectionary business to boom.

When it comes to eating of chocolate bunnies, it is the ears that are preferred to be eaten first by as many as 76% of people.

In the catalogue of kids' favorite Easter foodstuff, Red jellybeans occupy top most position.

The custom of giving eggs at Easter time has been traced back to Egyptians, Persians, Gauls, Greeks and Romans, to whom the egg was a symbol of life.

In medieval times a festival of egg-throwing was held in church, during which the priest would throw a hard-boiled egg to one of the choir boys. It was then tossed from one choir boy to the next and whoever held the egg when the clock struck 12 was the winner and retained the egg.

Easter is now celebrated (in the words of the Book of Common Prayer) on the first Sunday after the full moon which happens on or after March 21, the Spring Equinox.

Easter Bonnets are a throw back to the days when the people denied themselves the pleasure of wearing fine angels for the duration of Lent.

Some Churches still keep up the old tradition of using evergreens - symbolic of eternal life - embroidered in red on white, or woven in straw, but most now prefer displays of flowers in the spring colours of green, yellow and white.

Americans celebrate Easter with a large Easter egg hunt on the White House Lawn.
The date of Passover is variable as it is dependent on the phases of the moon, and thus Easter is also a movable feast.

Each Easter season, Americans buy more than 700 million Marshmallow Peeps, shaped like chicks, as well as Marshmallow Bunnies and Marshmallow Eggs, making them the most popular non-chocolate Easter candy.

Jellybeans did not become an Easter tradition until the 1930s. They were probably first made in America by Boston candy maker William Schrafft, who ran advertisements urging people to send jellybeans to soldiers fighting in the Civil War.Americans consume 16 billion jellybeans at Easter, many of them hidden in baskets. If all the Easter jellybeans were lined end to end, they would circle the globe nearly three times.

Pretzels were originally associated with Easter. The twists of a pretzel were thought to resemble arms crossed in prayer.

And most importantly...

Easter is a Christian Festival that celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. On the third day after Good Friday, the day of his crucifixion, now called Easter Sunday, He rose from the dead. Mourners went to His tomb to collect His body. However, He was not there and they were greeted by an angel who said:

"He is Risen".

8-4

It makes what once seemed impossible seem possible.

Roli's back.

After not seeing ice time since Feb. 1, 2008, Roli the Goalie was back this weekend...and what a return it was! Over 90 shots (total) faced in consecutive games. Talk about shell-shocked! Yikes. That's the Roli I remember. And Edmonton walks away with two wins. Beautiful.

Current Read

The Amber Spyglass, Philip Pullman

Coming Soon...

My friend, Jenn, has her own tea company, Verde Tea, and will soon have her own storefront at the new Sweetgrass Market. I'm so excited...for Jenn and for the community (since they'll have ready access to some of the best tea money can buy!!). Definitely on my highly recommended list! If you want a more specific recommendation on flavor let me know. I've got a few favorites!

Go Oil!?

No, I'm not talking about the ridiculously high price of oil although I probably could. $110/barrel!!?? What the? No, wait. Hold it. Reign it in. I choose to keep my opinions and ranting on that one to myself.

I do however need to lament about last night's game. Which game, you ask? The only game: Edmonton vs. Colorado. Yes, I know they lost. That's the point. I feel inclined to bemoan this emotional roller coaster they've got their fans on. One game we look like a winning team with a chance (weak chance but chance none the less) of playoff contention. Next game...well...let's just say we lose and leave it at that.

My friend, John, put it this way on his blog and I loved it so much I had to steal it (thanks John!):

The Oilers just won't let me grieve in peace. They keep keeping hope alive by going 6-1 in their last 7. Part of me wishes they would just throw in the towel because for them to keep this up and then finally lose and miss the playoffs by 2 pts, I just don't think I could handle it.

Seriously folks, that's the heart of an Oiler fan. Win or lose, we're there. We're mostly realistic, sometimes optimistic, always fans.

I was thinking about that last night after a discussion at my small group about hockey last night. As per usual, I was the only Oiler fan in a sea of misguided Flames fans. It may have started with me mentioning Calgary's disappointing blow of a..ahem...multi (that means 3) goal lead to lose 6-4 to the Thrashers...the Thrashers. The things is they were all surprised. Not disappointed. I would TOTALLY understand that. But surprised. Oh, dear Flames fans...yes, Calgary's got a pretty descent record. Unless they blow something big they're going to make the playoffs. Yes, I know. But they're not the team they were a couple years ago. They're not, unless something changes, going to be a cup contender because they are not consistent. They're going to lose a game or two and it's going to be to teams like Atlanta. Don't be surprised. Here's the thing: As an Edmonton fan, I know where my team stands. Just back of the playoffs. Why? Because they haven't played well consistently this season. That's why I'm not surprised when they lose because I know there are teams that are playing better. I'm disappointed, especially when they play with less then the expected energy of their youth, when passes are exceptionally lazy and penalty minutes total higher than game minutes. I hope for a win. I ALWAYS hope for a win. I hope that my team will do something miraculous and defy everything that's already happened this season. I wish for my team to make the playoffs...I really do. I know the odds aren't good but I still hope. I sympathize with John.

So here I am, an Edmonton fan, sticking with my team through good and bad, sickness and health, richer or poorer.

And proud of it.

Current Read

First, Break All the Rules, Marcus Buckingham and Curtis Coffman

My Overtime Hero

After tonight's game, it's hard to say who actually holds the place of hero in my heart; Garon or Cogliano. Perhaps even bumping Gagner who has been my hockey hero of late.

Edmonton wins in overtime again. Yes, again. That makes 3 in a row, not to mention the NHL record they're setting for most overtime wins. What's better is that it's 3 in a row that Cogliano has scored the winner. That's a record the NHL doesn't even have a category for. I love it. When you're that good, they call you Mr. Mr Overtime, in fact. Plus, he has scored the game winner in 4 of the last 5 games that Edmonton has won. Then there's Garon. The guy is unbeatable in overtime.

Now, I know it would be better not to go to overtime but when your overtime record is as surprising as Edmonton's this season and you need the wins like Edmonton does, let's just say that I'll take 'em and savor every one!

Mac Book Air, Where Art Thou?

Tee hee.

New Music?

Does anyone know of a good website that lists what music is releasing when? ITunes is good for finding out what has come out but I'm wondering if anyone has any other good resources for finding out about both mainstream and indie upcoming albums. Anyone?

Coming on May 22...

I can't wait!!!

Jim Breuer - Alcohol

Once

"Falling Slowly" by Glen Hansard and Market Iglova

After recommendations from friends like Shelly and Steve, I rented Once, an Irish independent film which apparently took only 17 days to film. It's a beautiful film with a fantastic soundtrack. I loved that it wasn't flashy Hollywood production or made up actors and actresses. It was simple, earthy, real people sharing a seemingly effortless story of friendship, music and chasing dreams. It was engaging and heartfelt and refreshing. Consider this my stamp of approval!

Current Read

The Chrysalids, John Wyndham

So I was on the train on my way home yesterday when something a little bit odd happened. We got to the second last stop on the line and stopped. I know, odd. Oh, of only sarcasm carried through blog posts. Anyway, we sat for a minute or two longer than normal and then the driver got off, looking slightly flustered, and ran across the tracks to the other side of the platform. All of us on the train were left feeling slightly unsure of how we were getting home. As I watched, a train came from the other direction and our driver proceeded to get on that train. It took several long minutes of waiting before a driver came off that train to ours to take his place. Here's the best part of it. We got to my stop, the last stop on the line, and the new driver announced that the train was now out of service and got off the train.

I just found it all a little bit weird.

And that, my friends, is the beauty of public transit.