"Now, that didn't take long!"

We're now reconnected--ALERT!! You can now call our Toronto line again and get us in balmy Brussels--and please do!

Ah, the benefits of international telephoning via the internet...for just the low, low price of 35 CAD a month the Rose-Zadow family has two email addresses, unlimited calls to all Canadian area codes 416, 647, 905 and 287 and a voice mailbox...but with priviledges come responsibilities--like being polite to those "GD telemarketers"!!

IT TOOK A WHOLE 120 MINUTES BEFORE BELL CANADA REGISTERED OUR LINE TO THE FIRST-- "Hello, my name is Rashid and I have noticed you enjoy making international calls. Would you be interested in our special, limited time offer...?"

Here's my response, a bit cocky: "Um, thanks so much for your time, Rashid, but you see, you're calling me in BELGIUM on my Voice-over-IP phone, and I get free calls all over the world with this and SKYPE, so I have no interest whatsoever in your service. Good luck with the next call you have to make!"... Was that too polite? Should I have told him to take that headset and shove it in his curry hole? Perhaps a bit rash..."Um, Rashid, don't you want to wait tables in a tourist trap in Goa instead of doing this job? Aren't the hours better? You can at least see your friends when they come in for a coffee after their 1 a.m. shift is over..."

I will stop being sardonic (oops, and should I be much less R......t?) for a few sentences to tell you that we're launching into Christmas with a great amount of energy...here's a pic of our modest tree and our youngest... there's not much under the tree yet, but I'm not off work for another 3 days, so haven't done ANY shopping for those I love...soon. There is a great department store called Inno (similar to Holt Renfrew) that I'll visit if only to see what I can get cheaper elsewhere...starting Friday at 4:00 p.m.

Now for our holiday dinner...I am really hankering for the turkey. We missed it at Thanksgiving, though the school did one for the American festivity and it was really good with the pumpkin pie, stuffing (tho' because of the Belgian chef at school, it tasted a bit too much like herbes de Provence--sound familiar, Mary?) and all the trimmings. This will certainly fill a few of the corners of our tummies--or at least my eldest--have a look at those abs! Honest, we're feeding him...he's just burning those calories like a young boy should!!