I Will Only Cheer for the Calgary Flames Again When They Fire the Sutter Clan

I have slowly become a Montreal Canadiens fan. It could be in part because my boyfriend is a huge Habs fan and has ignited the fan fire that I have only seen with soccer fans in Brazil.(Also the fact I hear Ole Ole Ole Ole at the Montreal Bell Arena on RDS- the French TSN, makes it even more enticing. Most of all, they PLAY GOOD HOCKEY!!!!)
Montreal is to hockey what Flamengo is to soccer in Brazil, Barcelona in Spain, Manchester United in the UK or Milan in Italy. The classic team who has won many championships over the years and has fans around the world.
Calgary had a great run at the cup but were totally robbed in the sixth game against Tampa Bay in the Stanley Cup final.
Calgary needs to get rid of the Sutter clan/family/famiglia... Enough of them. They couldn't keep Camalerri and they bring on Olli Jokiinen. PLEASE!!! I love Jerome Iginla but he cannot be the whole team all the time!! Don't even get me going on the young Sutter that got into trouble in Arizona. At least his uncles had the smarts to trade him away!!!
Calgary has lsot more games this season than I care to remember. IF this was in soccer, the coach and manager would have been fired long ago!!!!
The Flames need new blood at the helm, and until that happens and until they get rid of the Sutters I will not cheer any more for my hometown team.
ALLEZ LES HABITANTES!!!!!

Winter Has Shown Her Face

It has been a week since Calgary got its first major snow dump of the year. Carskating has become a new sport! Unfortunately for the commuters, the roads were sheer ice on the Tuesday morning. A 45 minute commute on a busy day suddenly became a 2 and a half hour terror infused ride. Stopping became optional as cars were spinning their tires and I was praying to not be rear ended by some moron in a half ton.
Today the mercury dipped to -21C but it felt more like -30 with the wind chill factor. It was colder in Calgary than it was in Iqualuit, Nunavut.
Only a month until the official beginning of winter and seven months until our three days of summer returns!!!!
Keep warm everyone!!!

Fashion and Sports..the connection

I have said this many times over, there is definitely a link between professional sports and the fashion business. Yes, we all know that ubermodel Gisele Bundchen is married to the All American greatest football quarterback ever, Tom Brady, but this theory goes beyond just the model/athlete liaison.
Last night I was watching the Montreal Canadiens play the Boston Bruins. The 'Habs' won wholeheartedly 3-1. Here is a little background. Both teams are part of what is known as the 'Original Six', the original six teams that made up the NHL. The other four teams were the Toronto Maple Leafs, the New York Rangers, the Detroit Red Wings,and the Chicago Blackhawks. In 1967, the orignal six became 12. By 1997, there were 30 teams in the NHL.
In the fashion business, there were only a small handful of magazines that were the 'Holy Grail' of the fashion biz. They included French Vogue, French ELLE, British Vogue and American Vogue and French Marie Claire. To get the cover of one of these magazines was akin to being a young hockey player being signed to the Montreal Canadiens or any of the 'Original Six' teams.
What has happened? By 1997, there were 30 teams in the NHL. In 1997, there were numerous national editions of Vogue, ELLE and Marie Claire. ELLE is available in 39 international editions now. Vogue now has 18 international editions.Marie Claire can be found in 24 languages.
A hockey team fields about 22 players. 6 X 22=132. There were 132 NHL hockey players up until 1967. Now with 32 teams in the NHL and a season that goes until basically July, there are at least 700 NHL hockey players on the playing roster.
More NHL teams for players, more magazine covers for models. I think that fashion has become dull and boring and it lacks the pinnache of the days of the exclusivity of the coveted magazine covers. The girls all look the same. Cookie cutter looks with little to no personality. Hockey players are the same thing. Wayne Gretsky was the last of the 'Great ones' that skated with personality.They all look like a bunch of lugs that are just there for the paycheck, not the love of the game.
In the end, too many players and too many models, and little to no excitement.

It's Time for Canadians to Visit Brazil

Every year around this time, the ads for going to Mexico start to appear with more frequency. For less than $1000 one can go to Mexico for a week including airfare. Sounds like a great deal doesn't it? The big question is, "Will you survive?".

Just this past week, a Canadian businessman's burned body was found in the trunk of the car he rented in Acapulco. His family is appealing to the Canadian government to embargo travel to Mexico. I agree. It's extremely dangerous in Mexico right now. The drug wars have killed over 25000 people in the past few years along the USA-Mexican border.

Rio de Janeiro, with all of its problems, is still safer than Mexico. I urge all of my readers to go to Brazil and enjoy one of the most beautiful countries in the world (even though I am not a big fan of the new president, hopefully she will continue to move Brazil forward and not into a Chavezian state).

The best way to get to Brazil from Canada(at least from the West) is on Continental. One can get fares to Rio from Calgary for around $1100 plus tax. It's actually cheaper than going to Europe.

There is a great site for out of the way hotels and bed and breakfasts called Hidden Pousadas. Tell them that the Canarioca sent you.

If you want to see Rio in style, go to Soland Eco Tours.

Travel tips, insider information, I am the go to girl. Leave me a comment!

Beijos da Canarioca