Grade four Lesley: I am so mad!
Present Lesley: What could be so intense that you could be so mad?
Grade four Lesley: Well, there are these shoes that I really want, and everyone else has them but I don’t think mom is going to buy them for me.
Present Lesley: Is that really something to get so mad about?
Grade four Lesley: Yes! All the other girls have these shoes and I feel so out of place by not having them.
Present Lesley: Well, what makes them so different?
Grade four Lesley: They are so cool! They come with Chiclets or Smarties!
Present Lesley: Couldn’t you just go to the store and buy Chiclets or Smarties if you wanted them?
Grade four Lesley: I guess I could, but this way I get a pair of shoes too.
Present Lesley: So what do these wonderful shoes look like?
Grade four Lesley: They’re black with a little tiny heel and a pointy toe, they’re wicked!
Present Lesley: Would you even wear something like that?
Grade four Lesley: I’d wear them all the time if I had them.
Present Lesley: Well, just a warning, they don’t stay in style for very long so I wouldn’t get too excited about them.
Grade four Lesley: Yes they will! Everyone has them so they’ll be in style for a long time. And I just got these red jeans with zippers at the bottom that they’ll look good with.
Present Lesley: Yeah, your jeans will be out of style soon enough too.
Grade four Lesley: No they won’t, they’re just jeans.
Present Lesley: Believe me, you’re getting mad for nothing, stick with your deck shoes and be happy with that.
Grade four Lesley: No way, I won’t be happy until I get those shoes. And I won’t come out of my room until I get them either.
Present Lesley: Knowing mom, you’ll be in your room for am awful long time then.
Grade four Lesley: I don’t care how long I have to wait, I want those shoes.
Grade five Lesley: I hear you, I better get the shoes I want too.
Present Lesley: You want shoes too?
Grade five Lesley: Yeah, and not the kind from Kmart either, I want a pair from a real store.
Present Lesley: But you’ll grow out of them and you know mom won’t spend much money on a pair of shoes with you growing so quick.
Grade five Lesley: Yes she will, I’ll tell her I want them really bad.
Present Lesley: What are these shoes that you want so badly?
Grade five Lesley: I really, really want a pair of white high top sneakers.
Present Lesley: Okay, you have got to be kidding.
Grade five Lesley: Why would I be kidding?
Present Lesley: Do you know how hideous those things will look on your feet?
Grade five Lesley: They won’t look hideous, thank you very much. They’ll look really cool, and I think the guys will think they’re awesome.
Present Lesley: Believe me, they won’t think they’re awesome.
Grade five Lesley: They will, you’re just too old to know what’s cool.
Present Lesley: I’m only 27, that’s not old.
Grade five Lesley: Yes it is! That’s really old. Not mom old, but still too old to know what someone my age would wear.
Present Lesley: So you think that having these high top sneakers will change your life?
Grade five Lesley: Well no, but I really want them cause all the guys are wearing them.
Present Lesley: And that’s a good reason to get them?
Grade five Lesley: Well, I want them cause they look comfortable too. I’ll help mom pay for them. I’ll put some money towards them.
Present Lesley: You’ll say that but never give her any money. Besides, it’s her money to begin with.
Grade five Lesley: I do chores to earn it!
Present Lesley: Who are you trying to fool? I know better than anyone that you don’t do enough chores to earn money.
Grade five Lesley: I keep my room clean. I’d still help pay for them.
Grade six Lesley: I’m getting older now and I need a good pair of sneakers so I’ll have to help mom pay for the ones I want. They need to come from the mall cause I’m playing sports more now.
Present Lesley: Playing soccer for a few months at school doesn’t justify getting expensive shoes, and you know mom won’t shop in the mall.
Grade six Lesley: Well you can’t get LA Gears anywhere else but the mall. She has to go there to get them.
Present Lesley: What makes them so great and expensive?
Grade six Lesley: They’re good sneakers.
Present Lesley: There has to be some other reason why you want them this bad.
Grade six Lesley: Well, they have these cool twirls of material on the sides, it looks so cool.
Present Lesley: Will you get sick of them, like you get sick of everything else you buy?
Grade six Lesley: No, cause these are good sneakers and I’ll need good ones for junior high next year. I won’t even ask for new sneakers when I start grade seven.
Present Lesley: Well isn’t that nice of you.
Grade six Lesley: It is actually, so be quiet.
Present Lesley: Just remember this when September rolls around and you start asking mom for school supplies and new clothes.
Grade six Lesley: I will, I swear I won’t ask for new sneakers then cause LA Gear’s are really good and will last.
Present Lesley: You’ll probably grow out of them before the next school year starts.
Grade six Lesley: No, I won’t cause I think I stopped growing. Wait, mom is here with Nan. I wonder what she wants?
Present Lesley: That is weird, she never usually came to school during the day.
Grade six Lesley: You’re not going to believe this! Mom just showed up for me to try on a pair of LA Gear sneakers! And they totally fit so she’s going to keep them!
Present Lesley: What? You actually got them? That’s a rare moment for mom.
Grade six Lesley: I can’t believe it, I’m so excited! I’ll love these sneakers forever!
Present Lesley: Just like you said you would love the New Kids on the Block forever too right?
Grade six Lesley: Yeah, I will. I’ll be a fan of the New Kids and my LA Gear’s forever.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
The Real Joan Cusack
It was an exciting time in Halifax. A big Hollywood movie production company was coming to town to shoot a blockbuster thriller. It meant big things for the city and a chance for people to possibly run into big stars like George Clooney or Will Smith. For one Halifax citizen, this movie changed her life.
Joan Cusack was a stay at home mom with three children. The children were all under the age of seven so Joan was a very busy woman throughout the day. Between school, daycare, and extra curricular activities, Joan hardly had time to stop, breath and take a moment for herself. Once the weekends came, it was Joan’s time to do what she wanted to do. Her husband would take the kids for the day allowing Joan to hit the town and treat herself.
This particular Saturday, Joan was in downtown Halifax spending too much money at stores that were obviously overpriced. But this was Joan’s day, which meant anything goes. While in the change room at Biscuit trying on a ridiculously glamourous evening gown, Joan’s cell phone started ringing. When she looked at the caller ID she was hardly shocked. It was her husband.
She assumed one of the kids was crying or the older one beat up the middle child so she decided to let him deal with it for now, and go about her shopping. After leaving the store, Joan decided to call her husband back and talk him through whatever crisis he was overreacting about. He answered the phone and with no screaming children in the background, Joan knew that there was no tragedy at home. Joan had gotten a phone call from a strange man, which usually would not go over well with her hubby, but the subject matter intrigued him.
“I’m looking for Joan Cusack, we need her down at Pier 21 right away. It’s very important that she get down here as soon as possible,” the strange man told her husband. Pier 21? Joan had no idea who that could have been or why they wanted her down at Pier 21 right away. She decided that since this was her day to do what she wanted, she would take a trip down to Pier 21 to see what was going on. It’s a public place so she was sure she would be fine. He husband gave her the “Be safe,” speech and she made her way to the pier.
As she approached the area, she noticed that there was a lot of commotion. Trailers lined the streets and there were people wearing headsets buzzing around. She approached a few people to tell them her name and that she was called to come down to Pier 21 but each person sent her to see someone else. She finally found a security guard who she thought might lead her in the right direction. She told the security guard her name and he immediately grabbed her by the arm and rushed her into the middle of all the madness. He ushered her into a trailer and before she had a chance to say she didn’t know what was happening, he was gone and she was once again all alone and confused.
A woman stuck her head in the trailer while Joan was exploring the trailer and called out her name. When Joan responded, the woman simply said, “Just seeing if you were here,” and shut the door again. Joan was starting to get freaked out. People knew her and were expecting her, yet she was completely oblivious as to what was going on. She thought about leaving without talking to another person, but something about the whole situation was so enticing that she decided to explore some more.
The trailer was filled with food, make-up, and hair products. Before she was able to explore too much, the woman who stuck her head in before appeared again and came in the trailer. This time there was a man with her. This startled Joan, but only for an instant, because she noticed their faces were just as surprised to see her as she was to see them. The woman said in a confused tone, “Joan Cusack?” Joan replied with a yes, because that was her name but was equally confused. The man started to laugh, which at first made Joan extremely nervous and regret her decision to be adventurous.
The man must have recognized her nervousness because he immediately went from a laugh to a chuckle and started to explain who he was. “My name is Oliver Stone, I’m the director of the movie being shot here.” Joan was still confused because although that explained who he was, it still did not explain why Joan was in the trailer. Mr. Stone went on to explain the movies premise and the stars that were in the movie, one being Joan Cusack, famous actress and sister of fellow actor John Cusack. “My assistant definitely made a mistake,” Mr. Stone explained. “I asked him to look up Joan Cusack’s phone number and call her down to the set. I meant for him to look it up in my contact book, not the phone book. He obviously did not follow my direction properly, or want to keep his job.”
What a relief! Joan thought for sure that this was going to be her demise and she would be stuck in this trailer and driven over the border to the USA, never to be seen again. Instead she met a famous director, famous actors, and starred as a walk on in her first major motion picture. Mr. Stone invited Joan to stay on the set, which led to her being in the background of several scenes that day. Everyone was extremely nice and Joan even got to meet the woman who shares her name. Joan’s treat day turned into one of the most memorable days of her life.
She has since kept in touch with the famous Joan Cusack and is a hit at parties when she tells her story of her rise to stardom. This experience may not have made her a famous movie star or led to appearances on The Tonight Show or The View, but she was a hit with her friends and her family. Her kids no longer call her Mommy, she is now Mommy the movie star, which she is perfectly fine with.
Joan Cusack was a stay at home mom with three children. The children were all under the age of seven so Joan was a very busy woman throughout the day. Between school, daycare, and extra curricular activities, Joan hardly had time to stop, breath and take a moment for herself. Once the weekends came, it was Joan’s time to do what she wanted to do. Her husband would take the kids for the day allowing Joan to hit the town and treat herself.
This particular Saturday, Joan was in downtown Halifax spending too much money at stores that were obviously overpriced. But this was Joan’s day, which meant anything goes. While in the change room at Biscuit trying on a ridiculously glamourous evening gown, Joan’s cell phone started ringing. When she looked at the caller ID she was hardly shocked. It was her husband.
She assumed one of the kids was crying or the older one beat up the middle child so she decided to let him deal with it for now, and go about her shopping. After leaving the store, Joan decided to call her husband back and talk him through whatever crisis he was overreacting about. He answered the phone and with no screaming children in the background, Joan knew that there was no tragedy at home. Joan had gotten a phone call from a strange man, which usually would not go over well with her hubby, but the subject matter intrigued him.
“I’m looking for Joan Cusack, we need her down at Pier 21 right away. It’s very important that she get down here as soon as possible,” the strange man told her husband. Pier 21? Joan had no idea who that could have been or why they wanted her down at Pier 21 right away. She decided that since this was her day to do what she wanted, she would take a trip down to Pier 21 to see what was going on. It’s a public place so she was sure she would be fine. He husband gave her the “Be safe,” speech and she made her way to the pier.
As she approached the area, she noticed that there was a lot of commotion. Trailers lined the streets and there were people wearing headsets buzzing around. She approached a few people to tell them her name and that she was called to come down to Pier 21 but each person sent her to see someone else. She finally found a security guard who she thought might lead her in the right direction. She told the security guard her name and he immediately grabbed her by the arm and rushed her into the middle of all the madness. He ushered her into a trailer and before she had a chance to say she didn’t know what was happening, he was gone and she was once again all alone and confused.
A woman stuck her head in the trailer while Joan was exploring the trailer and called out her name. When Joan responded, the woman simply said, “Just seeing if you were here,” and shut the door again. Joan was starting to get freaked out. People knew her and were expecting her, yet she was completely oblivious as to what was going on. She thought about leaving without talking to another person, but something about the whole situation was so enticing that she decided to explore some more.
The trailer was filled with food, make-up, and hair products. Before she was able to explore too much, the woman who stuck her head in before appeared again and came in the trailer. This time there was a man with her. This startled Joan, but only for an instant, because she noticed their faces were just as surprised to see her as she was to see them. The woman said in a confused tone, “Joan Cusack?” Joan replied with a yes, because that was her name but was equally confused. The man started to laugh, which at first made Joan extremely nervous and regret her decision to be adventurous.
The man must have recognized her nervousness because he immediately went from a laugh to a chuckle and started to explain who he was. “My name is Oliver Stone, I’m the director of the movie being shot here.” Joan was still confused because although that explained who he was, it still did not explain why Joan was in the trailer. Mr. Stone went on to explain the movies premise and the stars that were in the movie, one being Joan Cusack, famous actress and sister of fellow actor John Cusack. “My assistant definitely made a mistake,” Mr. Stone explained. “I asked him to look up Joan Cusack’s phone number and call her down to the set. I meant for him to look it up in my contact book, not the phone book. He obviously did not follow my direction properly, or want to keep his job.”
What a relief! Joan thought for sure that this was going to be her demise and she would be stuck in this trailer and driven over the border to the USA, never to be seen again. Instead she met a famous director, famous actors, and starred as a walk on in her first major motion picture. Mr. Stone invited Joan to stay on the set, which led to her being in the background of several scenes that day. Everyone was extremely nice and Joan even got to meet the woman who shares her name. Joan’s treat day turned into one of the most memorable days of her life.
She has since kept in touch with the famous Joan Cusack and is a hit at parties when she tells her story of her rise to stardom. This experience may not have made her a famous movie star or led to appearances on The Tonight Show or The View, but she was a hit with her friends and her family. Her kids no longer call her Mommy, she is now Mommy the movie star, which she is perfectly fine with.
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