btwinnipeg

Yesterday we had Jim Bertram on the show, he’s a Public Security Expert and former Deputy Chief of Police to talk about womens summer safety but these tips will help keep you safer year round.

Jim also showed us a small personal alarm device that he picked up at the Bay.  Instead of sounding like an alarm, it sounds like a woman screaming which he says people will pay more attention to than the sound of random alarms. A great thing to pick up for yourself or someone you know.

Here are Jim’s tips:

1. Be alert and aware when walking alone.  Remove your iPod ear buds and anything that might obstruct your view, like hoods or hats.
2. Never carry a weapon, like mace or small knives, because it is easy for someone to take over the weapon and use it against you. Mace can easily backfire if the wind is blowing the wrong way or the nozzle is pointed the wrong direction.
3. Carry  something that makes noise like a whistle or personal security device. When women are in a high stress situations they can tend to loose their voice- which is why something that makes noise for you is a good idea- you want to draw as much attention to yourself as possible. They have come a long way in security devices in the last ten years there are a few on the market that are discreet that you can wear on a keychain or purse strap.
4.  Avoid wearing a purse strap across your chest, instead carry it over your shoulder when walking alone This gives someone an easy way to grab you and pull you around. Women routinely use a cross-body shoulder bag to avoid theft, however few think about the dangerous implications to their personal safety.
5. Exercise caution in parking lots. Parking lots at night are a prime spot for attackers because women are forced to walk to their cars alone, often with insufficient lighting. If it’s late and most of the other cars have gone, ask mall security to accompany you to your car. Once there, check the passenger side floor and the back seat before you get in.
6. Always call to order a cab. This way the driver can be traced, and you can be certain that your driver is an employee of the company.
7. Don’t isolate yourself on public transit On a bus, try to sit close to the driver. Many cities also have a special stop request program that allows women traveling alone after dark to request to be dropped off between bus stops, closer to their destinations.
8. Avoid wearing excessive or flashy jewellery If what you’re wearing looks valuable, you put yourself at greater risk of being mugged or attacked by thieves.
9. Use the elevator. Many women take the stairs in lieu of the elevator, but it’s in a woman’s best interest to avoid isolated stair wells.
10. Change your routes and routines on a regular basis This helps to derail any would-be predators from being able to track your movements or actions.

The warm weather has arrived (along with some wet weather) and this being my first year trying to grow food on my balcony I have succeeded and failed. Every year I try to grow herbs on my balcony. When I say “grow” I really mean “keep alive”. I don’t grow them from seeds. I buy them already grown and just put them into a different pot with other herbs. It makes me feel happy when I see them lush and green and I pretend I did all the work myself.

This year I decided I would try and get some tomato plants. I was told it’s really easy to grow tomatoes. I bought a few different varieties at the St. Norbert Farmers’ Market and most of them looked limp and dead within a week. I was told to chop off the dead leaves (which I did) and one plant has given me a few little grape tomatoes. The others…well, they’re slightly delayed.

I will blame my near-dead plants on anything other than my sheer lack of gardening skills. For example, we’ve had some crazy weather lately. Including reports of tornadoes, hail etc. This is a photo I took of the intense storm cloud moving in last week….and of the rainbow that followed.

The Forks was a hoppin’ place this weekend with KidsFest taking over. On BT we highlighted a few of the entertainers at this year’s KidsFest including the ChairMen. 2 guys with impressive juggling skills who used Jon and I as volunteers.

To keep us from moving and getting knocked in the face or back of the head by the bowling pins they were tossing back and forth they thought it would be a good idea to wrap us together with plastic wrap. I don’t think I’ve ever been so close to Jon.  I’m not sure why we both look so sad either.

Once the juggling act was over and we done, I was ready to bolt. Jon wanted to keep chatting. This is what happens when you’re stuck together.

We did not stay this way for the rest of the show.

I hope everyone had a great long weekend. I hear the weather here in Winnipeg was quite nice and it was a mixed bag in Toronto where I went to visit some friends. Rainy one day, sunny the next.  Despite being a big city, Toronto can feel really small.  Here’s a perfect example: I was walking home from dinner and passed a restaurant called The Chef’s House. It’s where the culinary students at George Brown College work preparing fantastic meals. Just as I looked in the window of the restaurant I spot Chef Rob Rainford and Chef Michael who works with him.  They were on BT a few months ago grilling up some great dishes and are looking forward to coming back.  It’s always great to run into BT guests when out and about!

While in Toronto, I stayed with my friend who has 2 cats. I am not really a cat person as I grew up always having dogs as pets. With cats, you can’t leave your glass on the counter or their paw will be in it. And you can’t leave a plate of food unsupervised either. Also, if you get up in the middle of the night to use the washroom, you won’t see this if you have a dog.

I have BBQ envy.  For 7 years I have had a BBQ and I last summer I moved into a building that didn’t allow them so I got rid of mine. But I don’t think I can last another summer without a grill and the possibility of burning chicken beyond recognition.  Last week, we had BBQ King Ted Reader on the show. He built a (to be confirmed) record breaking 590-pound burger in Toronto.  And grilled up some much smaller burgers while here at our BT studios.

Ted uses a lot of cheese. I like cheese.

These look good. Not the raw chicken. But they were good once they were cooked.

On Sunday May 2nd, the Winnipeg Police Services Half Marathon took place and a few coworkers from Citytv signed up to pound the pavement and raise money for charity. Many other Citytv staffers showed up to support the runners and I felt the best role for me would be that of cheerleader.

* On that note, visit Evan’s blog for outtakes from my cheerleader tryout.

Laura made some signs to cheer on our brave runners who got hit with a refreshing bit of rain as they crossed the finish line.  Congrats to all the people who took part in the half marathon!

I hate to admit that in my 30-plus years on this earth…I’ve only been to Target once.  That is, until yesterday. Tjhat’s when I doubled the number of times I’ve visited the land of plenty. Along with 2 coworkers, Courtney (you may see her on the show every now and then) and Laura, our superstar P.A., we hit the road for my first trip to Grand Forks.  It seems to be the easiest route ever, you just drive straight down Pembina and there it is, Super Target.

Truthfully, I was on the search for Baconnaise for my brother. His birthday is coming up in May. Won’t he be delighted to discover that I’ve bought him bacon flavoured spread that contains no bacon but is 100% natural (so the label says.)

The girls hit the clothes (as you can see from the cart) and I hit the grocery section to pick up fun candies and chocolates to bake with. It was a happy day for all.

Last week  Jon, Evan, Jenna and I had some new photos taken. We haven’t had our photos taken together and these are the shots that get used for promotional purposes or on the website.  We took some individual shots and then clowned around together. Thanks to our P.A. Laura for taking photos with my Rogers iPhone while we posed and tried to look professional.

I took a few days off to visit my folks in Nova Scotia where I grew up and on the way back stopped off in Toronto to visit some friends.  It’s been a year since I was back in Nova Scotia and April is not usually a very warm month but I got lucky with great weather while I was down there.

Here are some photos of my visit home.  I really miss the ocean and love the smell of the salt water (the harbour smell is not lovely). Here’s a pic from the Halifax Dingle.  A park in Halifax.

I always visit the Halifax Farmers Market when I’m home. It’s the best place to be on a Saturday morning and my mom and I bought some fresh oysters, scallops and mussels. Tasty!

There are always musicians around the Farmers Market and plenty of fiddlers! I liked this group because not everyone can play a washboard.

…cupcakes! In my opinion, a day can be made better by a sweet treat. We had a little potluck lunch here at the station and I made some chocolate cupcakes for the occassion. But the cupcakes were almost second to my fancy 3-tier cupcake carrier. I’ve never used it before. It holds 36 cupcakes and how often do you really need to make THAT many cupcakes? Also, it’s a lot of work to prep the production of that many cupcakes when you’re just a hobby baker like I am. I’m sure the professionals whip them up much faster.  There’s chocolate buttercream, peanut butter buttercream and cream cheese frosting. Take your pick.