Regis Philbin

I learned yesterday evening that Regis Philbin had passed away. He was 88 years old, roughly a month shy of being 89 years of age.

May he rest in peace.

Photo courtesy of gettyimages

I grew up watching Regis on Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee. I must have been in either grade 10 or 11. I loved them. It was to the point where I recorded their one-hour morning show on my VCR and watched it after school.

I watched the show when Kathie Lee left and it was Live! with Regis for a bit. Then, it became Live! with Regis and Kelly. I also watched him on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire while I lived in the States. It was great. Is that your final answer? Yes!

I continued to watch it until Regis retired. It was nice seeing him occasionally on Rachael Ray's show as a guest.

Regis was a wonderful storyteller. I loved his sense of humour. He was the best.

My first Wild hockey game!

I have booked a trip to the Twin Cities. I am finally going to see a Minnesota Wild game.

I lived in Minnesota for a couple of years. I was there during the hockey team's inaugural year.

I couldn't get tickets during my entire time there. I put down a deposit, hoping to get tickets. Well, it has taken nearly two decades. I have a ten-pack of tickets.

My first game is in a few days. Naturally, I can't go, so I'm selling that ticket.

In October, I'm going down for my first game ever. I am so excited. I spent Saturday booking everything, so I'm ready!

Canada Day and a sunburn

Canada Day celebrations in our nation's capital are amazing! I had a ton of fun proudly wearing a Canada t-shirt, walking around with fellow Canadians, and taking in the live music performances.

I spent far too much time outdoors, though. I have a bit of a sunburn on my arms and around my neck.

The rest of me is fine. I was out in the sun for a couple of hours. It could have been much worse.

Too bad my butt isn't tanned. Life isn't always fair.

P is for playoff hockey #AtoZchallenge

Years ago, I was a huge hockey fan. It was to the point where I would watch hockey every day, subscribe to NHL GameCentre Live, and go to several live games each hockey season, including playoff rounds.

When I got divorced, I still liked hockey, but lost much of that desire to watch hockey game after game.

I switched cell phone providers last October. I took on a corporate plan that was much more attractive than my old plan. This plan also includes NHL GameCentre Live for free, including playoff games.

I have rekindled my love for watching playoff hockey these days. I also like the idea of saving a ton of money by doing a compromise. I won't go and see live games as often as I used to. Instead, I can watch games from the comfort of my home.

It's all good.

My guy will be the first to admit that he isn't a sports person. He has asked me in the past to explain how baseball works. I like that he confides in me. I don't find that odd at all. I still don't understand how cricket works. He does.

So, I am perfectly content being a homebody and watching hockey games for free. My guy likes that I have adopted some of his frugal ways. He likes calling me his Cheap Bastard wannabe, which is sweet.

Who will spank Julie Andrews?

My favourite talk show is Live! with Kelly and Michael. I have been through a couple of host changes. I started watching the show when I was in high school, and loved watching Regis Philbin and Kathie Lee Gifford. They have both left the show.

Today, Julie Andrews was on the show. She is a great sport when it comes to spanking and who she would like to be spanked by.

I love her!

Maks and my guy... are they related affection-wise?

I don't normally watch Dancing with the Stars, except when it's near the end of the season. This season, I didn't watch a single show.

I do watch Live! with Kelly and Michael religiously, though. The winners and runners-up were on the show on Wednesday. Maks reminds me of my guy when it comes to affection.

Although Maks and Meryl have not said in public that they are an item, the affection that they show each other is sweet.

Maks kisses Meryl's hand a couple of times. He sweetly kisses her head, which I love when my guy does that. Maks wraps his arms around her from behind like my guy does with me. I end up touching his arms, which Meryl does with Maks.

The sweetest part? Maks is asked to take his shirt off in front of the audience. My guy would never do that! Maks asks Meryl if it would be okay. She gives him the nod -- permission -- and he does. My guy always asks if it is okay with me before he does something.

I wonder whether Maks and my guy are related. Well, maybe not... my guy doesn't have any tattoos and doesn't dance. That's okay by me. He's sweet to me and that's what counts.

I miss him. Just over two weeks seems like a long time before I see him.