570News Blog: Lisa Drew

It’s here ..after what seemed like the longest week ever!

Some six loads of laundry later, the tearful goodbye at school, and last-minute things getting wrapped up here at work.. it is finally here.

The Holiday Begins!!!

Sleeping in, getting through a stack of books - more beachy than brainy…and then there are bike rides… and some runs in the kayak. They should all do the trick.

The whole family..even Great Grandma will hit the beach in the coming days.  Love it.

I’m returning to a place that really has been home over the years. We moved a lot as kids ,with a dad in the military, but every summer was a constant on the shore of Lake Erie in the so-called banana belt.

Every summer as kids we would jump from the car after a long trip down the 401… and race to the beach, trying to be the first one in.
Even back then we had a Waterloo Region connection-  during the road trip..we always stopped at the Knotty Pine for lunch - a toasted club and those huge milkshakes.

I even have scars to prove my summer existence.
A nice one over my right eye - a result of my underwater ballet moves..I just happened to surface at the same time my sister started skipping rocks.  She swears to this day it was an accident!

Food at the cottage is always fresh. ..and just picked.
Mrs. Crawford has since passed away.  Boy, do we miss her raspberries.. we would spend hours picking them behind the farmhouse.  Jam would follow.
We would pack up peanut butter and jam sandwiches, throw the  Archie and Mad magazines into the canoe, and head off shore just far enough.  Then eat and read until my grandparents waved us back in.
  
Now it’s great to bring my kids into my summer life..
My perfectly well-behaved boys.. sitting side-by-side for a two-hour road trip.

Think good thoughts!

Enjoy your time this summer.

lisa

I have to tell you about a great neighbourhood event  that took place last night… one that helps out women in our region.  Mary Jane, Jane and I helped served up fresh, juicy, local strawberries for a great cause.
( We get to stick around for the leftovers!)

The Cambridge Soroptimists have been putting on this great get-together for some years now.
The annual Strawberry Social raises cash
to fund a YWCA program called Small Steps to Success.
It helps women finish their education, or get back into the workplace.

Those huge bowls of strawberries, REAL whipped cream and just baked shortcake bring out the crowds … and help women with a program that provides mentoring placements, even services like haircuts and a business outfit for the big job interview.

Well done to “Auntie” Ann and all involved.

Hope to see you next year.  I plan to add a few more
plastic berries to the hat by then!

lisa

The kindness of others continues to surprise me…and it really shouldn’t.

On friday night, we headed out for dinner with the kids.  We were tired, happy to have someone else cook, and looked forward to just sitting down and planning the very busy weekend ahead.  (Isn’t the month before school ends, as busy as the month before Christmas in terms of social events?)

We went to a nearby restaurant that caters to sports-types and kids - the kind of place where kids can be kids .
When we sat down, our five-year-old waved over and said hi to a school mate about his size who was sitting nearby.
We all exchanged smiles and went on with our meals.

At the end of the meal, we asked our server for the check and she said it had been taken care of…. pointing to the table with our little guy’s school friend, his family and grandparents.
His grandpa had picked up our meals.
Wow.  A little embarrassed, surprised and touched, we said thanks, shook hands and wished them a Happy Summer.

Thanks.  Thanks for the smiles, the meal, and a reminder
of how a sweet gesture goes such a long way..

We plan to pay it forward the next time we dine out.

lisa 

I spotted this in the Globe and Mail today-  very fitting for the kick off to summer.

So, why should we be okay with men gawking on this beach this summer?   They say it’s good for their health!
Turns out the ten minutes a guy spends checking out women is equivalent to a full 30-minute aerobics workout.
These researchers ( male researchers?)  think ogling
lowers a man’s blood pressure and fights heart disease.

The average man will spend almost a year of his life just watching women.
Women? We’re way too busy.  Our ogling time is about two and half months worth in our ENTIRE lifetime!

For health reasons alone, check out Beckham’s new underwear ad..it was just unveiled in Time Square.  

Sexist or not, we have to catch up sometime.

Happy Weekend!

lisa

Summer officially arrives tomorrow at 7:59pm.

And for many workers, it signals the start of summer hours.
Here at the station, our boss is a good Friday kinda guy.
( Yes, he reads this blog.)
For years we’ve had Summer Friday afternoons off with the provision the work gets done and someone is always available .

More and more companies are going this route. It’s a nice perk.
Add in higher gas prices and there’s more to it this season.
A U-S survey finds almost half of workers asked  had already made some changes to their work arrangements because of the price at the pump.
Some 26 percent are already working fewer days a week.

Summer Fridays are still being touted as a feel-good, stress reliever.
It’s a chance to pack the kids and dog into the car, and get to the beach ahead of the crowd.
But maybe more of us will be staying home Friday afternoons this July and August as price of gas wears us down.

I bet the BlackBerry will still be humming along though.

lisa

Back to work Monday.   Somehow I missed
the call from Lance..you know..Lance Armstrong.
He was in town to help raise some big cash for our local cancer centre.  Over 1.3 million dollars.  Congrats to all involved.
Armstrong even managed to fit some romance in.. bringing along actress Kate Hudson.  People Magazine covered off the visit and romance calling the World’s Most Intelligent Community of 2007.. ” small town Waterloo”.
My spies tell me Hudson was grabbing some food
at Webers on the 400… on the hike up to what People refers to Goldie Hawn’s “rustic cabin”.  We call it major property in Muskoka!

Our family did our best cycle salute..and started Father’s Day off with an hour and a half bike ride.  I struggled up the first hill and wondered how Lance Armstrong pulled of seven Tours!
 
Last night before heading to bed, a flash of light caught my eye.  It wasn’t the flash bulbs from paparazzi as Lance pulled up my driveway (ha!) .. but a firefly hanging onto our screen door.
A neon greenish light… flashing every second or so.
Amazing.

lisa

Our brother station in Toronto ..The Fan 590.. has a new take on the old Father’s Day gift of a tie and Old Spice.
( I’ll cop to it right now.. for at least five years in a row my dad got that gift and still smiled. Old Spice was pretty hot in the late 70’s..)

The Fan is giving dad freedom.
The “Give Dad a Divorce” promo includes the services of a family lawyer and is open to members of its online club.
The sports station calls it the perfect gift for the man who has everything, and doesn’t want it. 

You don’t get rid of the kids that easy.

I’ve already sent my dad a gift card to his favourite bookstore.
Maybe I’ll top that up with a bottle of Old Spice just for the memories.

lisa

Can’t you just taste it?
July is now less than three weeks away.

Maybe it’s the humid and wet weather of late.. but many have had that glazed-over look around here.
You can just tell the mental countdown is on.

Think summer vacation,  kids out of class…and ice cream.
It all kicked off last weekend for us, with a deck-warming party.   Cold drinks and ribs.
Neighbourhood BBQ’s, end-of-school parties and even a strawberry social are all pencilled in.

Sixteen days until I’m on the beach.

lisa

I finally caught the Sex and The City movie last night.
It was packed for the 7:30 showing. 
The seats were filled with groups of women.. some wearing tiaras and boas.
Just two men braved the showing.

Did they really want to be there?
A very manly survey by Moosehead Lager finds most men were not planning on checking out Carrie and the girls on the big screen.
Instead,  the anti-Mr. Bigs chose to kick back with a beer and catch the hockey playoffs, or take the dog for a walk.
Only four percent planned on going to the movie.
( For the record, just one guy in our newsroom has checked it out.)

I went with the girls last night, and the movie was total eye candy.
Great shoes, great penthouse, great bodies, and great buttered popcorn.

I made it home just in time to catch the final few minutes of game six.
That’s where my husband was, with beer in hand.
Great final seconds.
Great for Detroit.
I can’t wait until the guys lose their manly playoff beards.

lisa

Faith Popcorn has been calling it for years.
The trendspotter now says we are getting ready to gear down our spending big time… for what she calls “zero-based” living.
The New York futurist says women ( the big consumers)  will start saying no to things like Starbucks and retail therapy.  Can you imagine?
Popcorn points to the U-S signs:  threats of a recession..  the housing crisis there,  and soaring prices at the pump.

Popcorn says get ready for the crash diet..then get ready for the clanning.

Clanning?
We will start to hole up, and protect ourselves, staying close with family and friends.. forming a tight network.

Before I can “clan”, I’ve got a lot of tidying to do around our place.
I also splurged this weekend on two pairs of shoes in honour of the “Sex and the City” movie opening.
I guess I’m not quite ready to cut up the debit card.
Meet me around the corner for a Chai latte.. we’ll  figure it out.

lisa