Z = Zee End

Z is for Zee End

of the April 2012 A-Z Challenge

All I want to say today is: I did it! No, We did it! Zees is zee end. Thank you to all those who commented, followed, impressed, shocked, inspired, touched my heart, made my belly hurt from laughing (Cassie), amazed, supported (too many to list), encouraged and didn't give up.

Tune in to read my Reflections Post of the Challenge on May 7th.

And, in the spirit of my posts of Changes through history, enjoy another one of my favourite songs by Ozzy Osbourne with his daughter Kelly:) Love this song. Here's "Changes"

Say it with me in the comments: "I did it!"

Y = Yacht

Y is for Yacht

(A-Z Theme: Changes through history)

Yacht (n): 1.a vessel used for private cruising, racing, or other noncommercial purposes.


When I think of a yacht, the first one that comes into my mind is from Pirates of the Caribbean.

Here's a similar one:

 I believe this one is/was owned by  Tiger Woods.

Don't know who owns this one, but it's sure nice.

 


A concept of a yacht in the future, but I wouldn't be surprised if someone already owned it.

This, is my yacht :D (not really) I call her Jaws :P










Do you own a yacht? Do you like boating? Not a fan of water?

X = Xenophobia

X is for Xenophobia

(A-Z Challenge -"unthemed" for today)

Xenophobia (adj):  an unreasonable fear or hatred of foreigners or strangers or of that which is foreign or strange.

I have a couple of fears, not of something foreign or strange, but the fears are strange. In fact, they're so strange I cannot share them with others.

Here are some fears people have (if you've been reading Cassie's blog, she's been blogging about fears all month!)

 Claustrophobia: fear of confined spaces

Arachnophobia: Fear of Spiders

Coulrophobia: Fear of Clowns

Oenophobia: Fear of Wines

Ranidaphobia: Fear of Frogs

And my all time favorite: Pteromerhanophobia
Fear of Flying 






 Do you have a fear you'd like to share? Are you Xenophobic?

W = Weather

W is for Weather

(A-Z Theme: changes through history)

Weather (n): 1. the state of the atmosphere with respect to wind, temperature, cloudiness, moisture, pressure, etc.

My favourite weather is of the warmer kind and the only reason I tolerate winter and the cold is because of skiing, so as much as I don't like the cold, I tolerate it because of my love for skiing. Now, the best kind of weather is skiing on beautiful hills in short sleeves. Yes, I've done it, and got a sun tan. The crisp air while the glow of the sun warms your face is the best feeling in the world. 

Here are some weather photos to enjoy. (All from google - I did not take these):

We get similar lightning strikes near the forest behind our house. The entire neighborhood shakes.

I have lived through a few snow storms like this one. Coolest thing when you're a kid!

I love rain clouds and the sound of rain on a tent when camping.

Doesn't this photo make you feel little? It does for me (small font intended).

I've seen a few of these types of clouds from an airplane. Did I ever mention I hate to fly?

Now, I've never seen a tornado. I have seen a funnel cloud 2 years ago. But, when we drove to Florida in December the twisted trees along the highway in Georgia amazed me. You don't know the power of these things until you see their destruction.

I took this photo of a sunset at Lake Huron, Ontario.







Does some weather scare you? Do you have a favourite type of weather? Have you seen a tornado?

V = Vampires

V is for Vampires

(A-Z Theme: Changes through history)

Vampire (n): 1.a preternatural being, commonly believed to be a reanimated corpse, that is said to suck the blood of sleeping persons at night.

OK, so Vampires can't really change, can they? They are after all "frozen in time". But, through Hollywood, here's how they've changed and evolved since they first appeared on the big screens.

It would be wrong to put another vampire beside Brad Pitt. (and I had trouble adjusting the spacing of the phoots)

Do you have a favourite? For me, Angel and Spike still hold my heart, but Twilight made me a writer.

And, last but not least ;)

Although many think vampires are on the brink of extinction, there's still a huge reader and viewer audience drooling for more. A small bump in the road of over saturated markets is not going to wipe out these creatures anytime soon.


What do you think?

U = Universe

U is for Universe

(A-Z Theme: Changes through history)

Universe (n): 1.the totality of known or supposed objects and phenomena throughout space; the cosmos; macrocosm.

2.the whole world, especially with reference to humanity: a truth known throughout the universe.

 

If one thing is certain, it's that the universe is changing everyday as it expands. I think the universe is one of those things I don't think I'll ever be able to grasp because of its sheer size. It amazes, mystifies and scares me to a point beyond which I can ever discuss it. I'm in awe of the great space and feel blessed to be able to exist amongst it all.  Here are some pictures I found on the web. There are thousands. Now, imagine me starring endlessly with my mouth open :) and enjoy!

 

If you'd like to learn more, this is a cool website I stumbled upon: Atlas of the Universe

 

Aren't these beautiful? Does the Universe scare, inspire or mystify you? Do you think there's life on other planets? [beside Alex's clone army;)]

T = Trains

T is for Trains

(A-Z Theme: Changes through history)

Train (n): 1.Railroads . a self-propelled, connected group of rolling stock.

2. a line or procession of persons, vehicles, animals, etc., traveling together.

 

Trains have been an important means of transportation and communication. For the past few decades, they have also been used for entertainment and leisure purposes. While there are many types and shapes, following are a few I found on the web (there are hundreds).

 As you know, I hate flying and have a big fear of boarding a plane. I also despise trains. Not as much as planes, but it's a fear that stems from remembering my great-grandfather with his legs cut off at his knees because he fell onto train tracks (a long, long time ago).

I remember him walking on his stumps when I was little.


We have these green trains in Toronto.

I must say, as much as I don't like trains, I really enjoyed the monorail in Disney. Pretty cool.





Do you like riding on the train? Would you prefer the old steam kind, or an electric one if you had a choice?

S = Sports

S is for Sports

(A-Z Theme: Changes through history)

Sport (n):  1. an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature, as racing, baseball, tennis, golf, bowling, wrestling, boxing, hunting, fishing, etc.


Today, I'm quoting Wikipedia. After reading the history of sports, I couldn't explain it any better than they do:) Enjoy!

There are artifacts and structures that suggest that the Chinese engaged in sporting activities as early as 2000 BC.^[9] Gymnastics appears to have been a popular sport in China's ancient past. Monuments to the Pharaohs indicate that a number of sports, including swimming and fishing, were well-developed and regulated several thousands of years ago in ancient Egypt.^[10] Other Egyptian sports included javelin throwing, high jump, and wrestling. Ancient Persian sports such as the traditional Iranian martial art of Zourkhaneh had a close connection to the warfare skills.^[11] Among other sports that originate in ancient Persia are polo and jousting.
A wide range of sports were already established by the time of Ancient Greece and the military culture and the development of sports in Greece influenced one another considerably. Sports became such a prominent part of their culture that the Greeks created the Olympic Games, which in ancient times were held every four years in a small village in the Peloponnesus called Olympia.^[12]


I love to ski. Do you enjoy sports? Which ones?

R = Records

R is for Records

(A-Z Theme: changes through history)

Record (adj):  surpassing or superior to all others: a record year for automobile sales. (note: there are 27 definitions for this word)

Guinness World Records fascinate me. People keep trying to beat a record, or think of something new that hasn't been done, do it well, and call it a record (that is until someone else comes along and beats it).

Human achievements increase. 

Extremes of the natural world become even more extreme.

Here are some of them:

Most pierced man in the world.

 Longest fingernails

Longest Tongue









What is your favourite World Record? If you were to try to beat a record, which one would it be? Alex, if you're reading this today, you could probably beat the record for most blog comments;)

Q = Quarter

Q is for Quarter

(A-Z theme: changes through history)

Quarter (n): one fourth of a U.S. or Canadian dollar, equivalent to 25 cents. (yes, there are other definitions, but that's the one I'm talking about today)

The Canadian quarter usually features the caribou on the reverse side:

And Queen Elizabeth on the obverse side:







From time to time it comes in single commemorative designs such as the following. My kids love collecting these:)

 
2004 Remembrance Day Quarter featuring the corn poppy.

2006 Pink Ribbon Quarter

2010 Vancouver Olympics Athletes (this one is Cindy Klassen)

2011 Legendary Nature - Orca Quarter








There are dozens of these quarters in circulation.  Did you learn anything new?