Daily ramblings and other things...

Kites

2012-02-09T05:19:00.001-08:00

The funny thing about childhood is the memories we keep. As a child I remember there always being two kites in the trunk of my mom's car. Two kites for the two kids in my family. Two kites always ready to fly if the wind picked up. The funny thing is I can picture those two kites in the trunk as clear as day, yet I can't actually remember flying them.

Memories are a funny thing. I'm sure if I asked my parents about our kite flying they would have loads of stories about carefree days in the park, with picnics. Perhaps we flew them at the beach. But I still hold my memories of those colorful kites in the trunk of my mom's car just as dear to my heart.

Happy Thursday!

Boston night walks

2012-02-08T16:27:00.001-08:00

I've been to Boston many times, especially in the last three months when I average about once a week for work.

While on layovers I've done a ton of stuff: aquarium, JFK library and many visits to Quincy Market for food. I've wandered through Boston common and the public gardens, had a pint at Cheers and walked the freedom trail. I've even spent two delicious meals in Harvard Yard, eating burgers with the smarties.

What I've never done? Wandered just on the other side of Quincy to admire Union Oyster House, the oldest restaurant in America. And since it's so stunning to see at night it's really a shame I waited this long.

Happy Wednesday!

Giacomo's

2012-02-08T16:18:00.001-08:00

Tonight, while in Boston for work, I had the pleasure of going out for dinner with a couple pilots in the North End. Also known as little Italy.

For those of you who don't know Boston, the north end is really the place to go for food. Hanover street is especially beautiful at night since the street is lined with restaurant after restaurant of amazing Italian eateries. Tonight we hit up Giacomo's.

It's pretty easy to understand why locals and tourists line up in the bitter cold for a bite here. The food is reasonable and delicious and even though the place was packed, we never felt rushed to vacate our prime window seats.

My meal? Shrimp on linguine in a spicy creamy tomato sauce. Perfection.

Happy Wednesday!

Back again all over again....

2012-02-08T11:19:00.000-08:00

So, in search of the name of a lip gloss, I just spent the last hour reading over this old blog. It actually got me pretty emotional. I remember all those daily ramblings so vividly and I am a little confused why I gave up writing....

I guess the main reason I stopped was because I became a nanny and found a lot of the day to day stuff I was now experiencing was not very interesting to outsiders. Would anyone care if little A or little G slept through the dog barking? Or that they started to say my name and it warmed my heart up so much it nearly burst?

So now I am a year into a completely new journey. We moved out of our beloved neighbourhood and are in the suburbs. I don't get outside as much as I did before and I never spend any time just going for a walk downtown. This makes me sad. I miss the old hood and wish I was still living there, although I love my condo.

So what is this inspiring me to do? Get out more. See more friends. All my knitting friends have now moved to different towns and we have to make plans months in advance. My job as a flight attendant means I am getting up super early, and often ending my day in another city. When I'm at home I just want to veg out on the couch in front of Netflix.

But this is now who I am, yet it's who I have let myself become. I no longer yearn for the workouts I used to do. I never see my friends. I'm tired all the time. I don't get outside because I am too lazy and have no one to meet. But I miss my old life and I promise to take it back.

Anyone with me? Anyone want to take back their better habit days?

Happy Wednesday!

p.s.

The lipgloss was Rimmel Kiss Off colour First time, and it's still available on amazon :)

10 days down, too many to go.

2010-05-12T17:51:00.000-07:00

I have been refined sugar free and dairy free for 10 days. Am I insane?

Let's back up a little bit here.....I have been doing Booty Camp Fitness since January and ,while I have been seeing amazing results in my strength and endurance, my scale keeps going up. I have been reassured by my instructor that this is very common when you start to get stronger because your muscles are more heavy...blah blah blah. The truth is I stuff my face full of cupcakes, donuts, potato chips and chocolate bars. Daily. I am not going to be completely honest here, I used to eat so much sugar that it was vile.

Sammy Kennedy, the creator of Booty Camp, came up with a challenge that I decided to accept. For 8 weeks give up refined sugar, dairy and cut back on alcohol. Add one large salad. Along with 45 minutes of continuous exercise daily.

Why did I decide to do this? Here is why:

1)I have been working out like a champ for five months and I know my results would be better if I my body was being fueled properly. Better food=better energy.

2)I have been wanting to see how much I rely on sugar to keep me going during the day. How often am I actually reaching for sugar and not realizing it?

3)I am worried my bad eating habits will influence the girls I look after. Will they start eating cupcakes every day because they see that I do? Monkey see monkey do....

So, here I am 10 days later. I feel awesome. My energy levels are so high and I have lost 3 pounds. Until now my weight has only been going up. I am a little hungry but I am sure it will just take a little time for my body to get used to getting rid of the extra sugar.

Last weekend I decided to ease off the restrictions for one night. I met up with some friends at a pub and I had some delicious fried food and a few beers. The night ended early and I went home to bed. At 3am I woke up in awful pain. The fried food was coming back to get me. My body was revolting against me and it taught me a lesson. Do not eat like crap after you have been eating so well all week. I will never do that again.

Happy Wednesday!

Writing 101

2010-04-04T18:57:00.000-07:00

You might never know it from this blog, but I would like to become a writer. I am 15 pages into my first screenplay. Applause please.

Since I was a little girl I have always wanted to write a movie. I tried to write a play a few years back but I had a lot of trouble getting the ideas on to paper. The structure always seemed scattered, the characters one dimensional and the story convoluted. A great idea in my head didn't transfer to the page.

For Christmas my husband bought me a MacBook and Final Draft. I also have started to use Marilyn Horowitz's book. It is awesome! My characters are now coming alive and my story is easily coming into place. I am really enjoying the process!

Happy Sunday!

Secret joys.

2010-03-24T20:11:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow will be my one week anniversary with my bike. So far, it has been blissful happiness. I have realized I am finding joy in small things. For example, every time we accidentally find a bike lane. This evening after leaving our friend's house we found two new bikes lanes. As a walker I never even looked at the road but now I am finding myself completely overjoyed at the prospect of new spots I can safely ride.

Another surprise joy? Riding my bicycle all by myself on a zero degree crisp morning. The wind in my face never felt so good. I actually found myself saying "Weeeeeeeeeeee!!!" out loud as I whizzed around a curve. Bliss.

Happy Wednesday!

2010-03-22T16:15:00.000-07:00

I bought a bicycle last Thursday. I live in downtown Toronto and was looking for a fast way to get around the city. As everyone living in Toronto knows the TTC is definitely not a fast way to get around the city. The TTC is the Toronto Transit Commission and their slogan is "the better way" although I am not quite sure what they are comparing when they say "better way"...better than a horse and carriage? better than hopping on one foot?

Anyway....

My bicycle is tangerine coloured. It is a cruiser bike. I bought a wicker basket for the front that has a floral liner in it. My helmet is "shocking pink". NO one is going to miss me on the road.

This evening I had a bit of a dilemma. It was my first day riding to work and then part way through the afternoon it started to rain. I couldn't decide if I wanted to bike home in the rain or leave my bike at work. The main reason I was so torn was because I know it is going to pour rain tomorrow and I was more concerned about having my bike home to ride to work on Wednesday morning.

I bit the bullet and decided to ride home in the rain. The pluses? I was pretty much alone on the road in terms of other cyclists, so I was not constantly being passed. I have no problem being passed but as a new rider it makes me a little bit nervous to share my bike lane when I am already terrified about being hit by a car.

The minuses? My soaking wet pants and shoes.

Was it worth it? Hell yeah!!!

Happy Monday!

The ole scale

2010-03-14T14:26:00.000-07:00

Two months ago I started exercising again. Over the past few years I have been very unsuccessful with exercise. I actually really, really love to workout. I love the feeling after a workout when I realize I have made my body a little bit stronger. I love sweating. The problem is that I am not very good at sticking to a routine. I have come up with all the excuses in the world. I don't like to run alone at night. I don't like to run alone in the morning. I don't like to run alone because it is boring. I just ate, I can't workout. I haven't eaten, I can't workout. I can't workout before bed. I am too tired in the morning to workout. And the list goes on.

What keeps me motivated is the changes have I noticed since I started working out. I no longer get tired in the afternoon. At all. No three o'clock sleepiness for me. I also no longer feel I NEED a coffee. You know that feeling, when you wake up and can't see straight until you have a cup? That feeling has disappeared. I still enjoy my morning cup but I can now wait a few hours before I have it.

The strange thing about my new workout? My weight has actually gone up but today I can almost fit into a skirt I bought during college AKA my skinniest time period. I guess I never really believed that muscle is heavier than fat. My body fat percentage is 21.3% down from 26.6% and I can't wait to drop it even lower.

So the point of this post? Please exercise. Your heart will love you and the added results of energy will be worth it. I promise.

Happy Sunday!

Macarons=heaven

2010-03-11T15:02:00.000-08:00

I am not a macaron expert. Until two months ago they never even registered on my radar but NOW I feel I might die if I do not try every flavour. I am talking about French macarons. You know what I am talking about...those colourful little sandwich type pastries you always see in montages of Parisian food shows? Pastel colours...

Well, I saw them in pictures too but I always assumed they would be dry and crunchy and flavourless. I am not sure why I made that assumption because I was dead wrong. My favourite blog Domestic Sluttery has an obsession with them. They seem to be constantly posting new spots to try them around London and you can almost hear them drooling as they were typing up their new reviews. When I had read the fourth review I thought to myself "Self, if these bloggers who I feel have amazing taste in most everything love these macarons what am I waiting for?" and that signalled the beginning of my love affair.

I picked up my macarons today at a place called Nadedge in Toronto which is right across from Trinity Bellwoods park on Queen street W. Like I said, I am not a proper connoisseur by any means but what I do know is I gave away four macarons to four different people and every single one of these people gave me impressions of utter joy as they sunk their teeth into their little taste of heaven.

So what is a French macaron? It is a sandwich cookie of meringue that is filled with either icing, ganache or a fruity jelly. Please try one if you see them. You can thank me later.

Happy Thursday!

Character love.

2010-03-11T12:47:00.001-08:00

I am now on the fourth book in the Sookie Stachouse series. This is the series that HBO's True Blood is loosely based around. I am addicted. It has vampires, werewolves and other "supes" but it is super smutty. And who doesn't love Sookie. I wish I WAS Sookie. These books are amazing and I have now been buying them in twos because I know when I finish the first one I will want to immediately want to start the second one. My mum can never start a new book the same day she finishes an old book. It's like she needs to let that one dwell or something. That being sad, she has stayed up very late finishing one book just so she can get to the next book waiting on her night stand. I digress...

The thing about the Sookie Stackhouse books is that I have totally, head-over-heels, fallen in love with Eric. Like silly fallen for him. The strange part is that because I watched the series before I started reading the books, I have also fallen head-over-heels in love with Alexander Skarsgard. I swoon when I see his photo.....like the one posted above....sigh....

So it begs the question, does good writing mean I have fallen for him or does good acting mean I have fallen for him???

Happy Thursday!

Another crazy day

2010-03-09T15:53:00.000-08:00

What am I thinking about today?

Tonight is the last night of my eight week boot camp. We have measurements tonight. The last time we had measurements was four weeks ago. At that time I lost 22.5 inches. I felt amazing. I was on top of the world and so proud. This week I am not feeling so confident. I missed two of the classes from this round four week period. I have been mostly eating like crap. Ugh....but I am going to still be measured to see how (badly) I have done.

I am doing Booty Camp Fitness. Like I said, I am on the last day of my 8 week session. Every week my amazing teacher Susan switches things up. The first few classes we played tag as a cardio warm up. How fun is that? Now we are doing agility ladders and I pretend I am in the army. It makes the hour go faster.

I liked the boot camp so much that I have already signed up for a second session. In fact, I signed up for a interim session as well. I will have two weeks with no boot camp so I am hoping I can start running outside again.....

Alright, must throw on my sneakers and get outside.

Happy Tuesday!

Friday night movie

2009-11-27T20:15:00.000-08:00

I went out to the movies tonight with a couple girlfriends. We saw New Moon. I will not apologize for it.....or the fact that it is the second time I have seen it so far.....

Anyhow, upon arriving home my living room is full of boys watching South Park so I have retreated to the basement with a glass of wine and my kitty Jakob curled up beside me. What a perfect time to blog.

Life as a nanny is wonderful still! The girls crack me up every day and I almost feel the need to dedicate a whole page to "Little A's" phrases and the things she comes up with....this toddler seriously cracks me up. The Christmas Tree has gone up at work and she sits looking at it telling me what all the ornaments are...until i turn my back. At that point she starts to take them off the tree and then pretends she didn't know this is not allowed. This happens often. It is really, really funny but I, of course, keep a stern, straight face when I politely ask her to hang them back up.

My insane knitting has progressed quickly. C promises to take a bunch of photos of the stuff I am knitting so I can post it. We will see if that ever happens....I bought this fab new knitting book called Boutique Knits and I recommend it to anyone looking for wicked accessories.....I have already knit two hats this week!

Happy Friday!

Technology-arghhhhhh!!!!

2009-11-03T17:49:00.000-08:00

It is common knowledge I am not technologically inclined. In fact, many a computer has leaped to their tragic death to avoid contact with me. Humans I can handle......why must I be made to try and figure out a PC?

I think the "PC" thing is the problem. I grew up with Macs.....we were happy, Macs and I. We typed papers together, we designed graphs and charts. We even started emailing. Then I met C. He was not a "Mac guy" and bowed down to the unholy god that is also know as "computer games". The games C liked to play were not compatible with Macs. My first question was, "why would you play a computer game when you can go outside and actually talk to people?" and then I remembered I was blogging.....hello kettle, this is the pot calling.

I digress....

This weekend we were in NYC cheering on my brother running in the marathon. We had an amazing time and my mom emailed me some photos. I clicked on "download"....and the stupid, freakimg pictures have entered into the abyss of this stupid computer. I tried searching for them and, instead, three copies of every photo that is on this godforsaken computer has come up.

I do not want your pity. I do not want your computer related advice. I just want a f#%&*ing MAC.

Happy Tuesday.

I am on the ball...

2009-09-18T16:51:00.000-07:00

I have accomplished a lot today! This morning started off with laundry, I took the girls to Riverdale Farm and then I can back home and cleaned. I have caught up on a week's worth of Young and the Restless, I did yoga AND I finished knitting my first Christmas present! I basically rule....

Last night at knitting night we convert a new member....my new co-worker Jennifer! Well, hopefully she wants to come back....

What's new? Fall TV!!! The only good thing about this wretched season is the new TV shows. My favourite so far is Glee! Has anyone seen it? Fab...really, really fab.

Alright, I am cooking a delicious meatless meatloaf for dinner with mashed potatoes and asparagus...mmmm...and C brought home key lime mini cupcakes. I am in heaven!

Happy Friday!

Long weekend

2009-09-04T19:42:00.000-07:00

Today I slept in until 10:30am. That, for me, is insane. This might show you how tired I have been lately.

I have now been Mary Poppins, aka a nanny, for over a month. I am still absolutely loving it but it is putting a serious cramp in my energy level. That being said, I have also been switching my sleeping schedule to try and revolve myself to C's later schedule.....and until this week eating poorly. Anyhow, I am now back on track, eating well, catching up on my zzzz's. Life is good.

What have I been up to these last few weeks? Loads. The girls are keeping me on my toes but I have also started watching True Blood AND Mad Men and I am seriously addicted. I watched the first two seasons of Mad Men in a week....the second season in one day. This is a problem. This will also show the people who "just can't get into it" that Mad Men gets waaaay better after the first four or so episodes. True Blood kicks ass and I now have my inspiration to try and look like Anna Paquin...holy smokin' hot body!!! I got a new pilates DVD so we will see how successful I am at using it...

So, I will write more later. For now, sleepy time so I can be bright and perky for a breakfast in the Beach tomorrow morning!!!

Happy Friday!!!

What's going on....

2009-08-10T19:02:00.000-07:00

Life has gotten busier. Or I have gotten more tired.

It's a good thing, believe me.

When last I blogged I had just taken a nanny position which I am LOVING still. This is how my days go:

9am-arrive at work
9:15am- set out on an adventure with A, toddler in a stroller and G, 6 weeks old in a sling carrier. We usually end up at the waterfront watching the boats and airplanes land.
Noon-arrive back for lunch and time with their Mommy
2pm- 4pm Quiet reading and A goes down for a nap.
During her nap I feed and cuddle little G.
4pm-5:30pm playing inside or across the street at the park.

I spend my days in the sand...I am actually starting to develop a bit of a tan!

What I have learned from a toddler this week:
1. It is okay to read the same book over and over as long as you enjoy it every single time.
2. It is fun to laugh for no other reason than because someone gives you a funny face.
3. Ask for a cookie. Usually if you ask someone will give you one.
4. If you are strapped into a stroller you might not always have control of where you are going but if you ask loud enough to go to the park you will probably end up there.

Happy Monday!

Nanny, day 2.

2009-08-04T19:58:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I am aware that I have only been doing this nanny thing for two days BUT I am loving it. I basically get to be a kid again. Okay, so that is not entirely true. I get to be a kid half of the time and a negotiator the other half. My "charges" are two little girls. A is 23 months and G is five weeks old. Little G is pretty chill. You put her in a sling, she cuddles and sleeps for the majority of the day. I am sure once she gets older life will get more hectic but for now she sleeps, poops and eats. Today she was smiling at her Mommy which was really adorable.

Little A rules. She is hilarious. Coolest kid ever. This afternoon after her nap we went into the kitchen to have her afternoon snack. A is just learning to talk and her vocabulary is expanding day by day. Her mom is trying to keep the kids on the same schedule so naps will become easier in the future but for now G sleeps most of the day. Her mom warned me that if A she sees G sleeping she wants to wake her up. Anyhow, I am in the kitchen with A and a cuddly sleepy G. A is having her snack and looks at G and says "'wake?" meaning "is she awake?" and I say "No, G is sleeping". A looks back at me and put a finger up to her lips and says "shhhh!" which is obviously her mimicking what her parents say to her at home when the baby is sleeping. A then says quietly, "Morning G!" and then a little louder...and then a little louder. G is still sleeping.

At this point I really want to see where this is going to go. So A starts to give G kisses on her head. First gently. Her kisses then start to become more and more aggressive. Still nothing. I am not stopping it because I want to see how her little toddler mind works. She asks to give G a hug, so I let her hug us both. G keeps sleeping. It is right around this time that A sees her tactics didn't work and she goes back to her snack. It was pretty hilarious.

Happy Tuesday!

This week so far....

2009-07-28T15:54:00.000-07:00

So, if you count the week starting on Saturday, which I am going to do for this purpose, have been very busy.

Saturday afternoon brought with it flood number one. In Toronto we had some flash flooding. My bedroom is in a basement.....my bedroom was flooded. C and I were in the backyard trying to stop the water and in the bedroom bailing out water from the window well. It was a very unpleasant experience.

Saturday evening brought over our friends Pete, Nathalie and Adam and loads of fun card playing. That made me happier. I drank away some of my stress.

Sunday afternoon brought along even more rain and there was no stopping the flood this time. The carpet was ripped out and it is now a damp concrete and a metal bed frame in my formerly serene bedroom. Needless to say, the air mattress we have been sleeping on in the spare room has not been giving me restful nights.

Monday was happier! I spend the afternoon with some cool ladies and their bebes! I played the role of "mom" without having to actually go through the pain and stress of having a child and it got me ready for my new role as uber-nanny. Or nanny-extraordinaire. No, I will not simply be a "caregiver" I will be the coolest person they will ever get to hang out with! This will be a task since everyone who knows me will probably agree that I am mostly lame....

Today I tried a little bit of the uber-nanny role and spent the morning with just one of my new "wards" Aoife. She is the neatest little kid. We went to H&M, Shoppers Drug Mart and ended up for an hour at the park playing in the sand and enjoying our yummy snacks and water. One thing about me? I have no issue getting dirty in the sand and actually chatting with my little friends. One mother followed her toddler around chatting on the phone and not even interacting with the child....made me very sad.

I also successfully bottle-fed little Gwen (4 weeks old today) This was her first bottle and she took to it so well....this means I will be much more flexible since I can be out longer because she won't need to see Mommy for her food. This makes me elated! I can go to the waterfront! I go go to further away parks! This summer will be grand!!!

Happy Tuesday!

Tripping Daisy...

2009-07-24T17:47:00.000-07:00

I have Tripping Daisy's "I've got a girl" stuck in my head. I still call this song one of my favourites. I plugged it into itunes and Spacehog also showed up. When I got Resident Alien I played it non-stop! It was a great album. It is missing from my collection.....along with a few others. Maybe I loaned them and forgot about it. Maybe they were left at other people's homes.

The album I miss is Twice Removed by Sloan. In my opinion they peaked at this point. The album is solid from start to finish. Maybe this dates me....."If I drink concentrated OJ..." I remember very vividly listening to this album on my Walkman on the way to high school. Cheryl and I were even in one of their videos at York University....

What did you listen to in high school?

Happy Friday!

In other news....

2009-07-22T18:30:00.000-07:00

I am officially a nanny. In two weeks I will be caring for a month old infant and a toddler. Scary, yes? How did I go from the girl who cringed at children to the one who wants to care for them? If anyone says something about my biological clock I swear I will hunt you down....

In other news, C and I have just made our living room into a Moroccan theme. The funny thing about this is that our dining room was supposed to be Moroccan themed. We then realized we NEVER go into our dining room. There are two of us living here. To be honest we usually sit in front of the TV and eat out meals. The theme is a work in progress so I guess we will see how it works out....a good excuse to drink mint tea? Who knows, next week it could be back to green and pink. My styling is tres schizophrenic sometimes....

Tomorrow "new girl" starts at work and I am thrilled. K and I are buying croissants and lattes to celebrate. We are going to sweeten her up (or butter her...croissant...get it?) so hopefully she will like us forever.

Alright, enough blabbing...must find a new book to read. I just finished "Paris Enigma" by Pablo De Santis and LOVED it. C bought it while we were in London. Highly recommend to mystery lovers, or Paris lovers, or history lovers. Or book lovers I guess. Pick it up, you'll love it.

I also read the new Marian Keyes book "This Charming Man" and liked it too. A few years back I became OBSESSED with Marian Keyes. I read every book she wrote....and then...well, the only way I can describe what happened is becoming allergic to her writing style. When I started to read one of her books my mouth went dry and I felt slightly nauseous. I had overdosed on the lovely Irish author. This is the first I have picked up since and it was fab. Intelligent chick lit.

The third book I finished this month is "Obsession, deceit and really dark chocolate" which is one in a series of mystery novels by Kyra Davis. This is another author I love, but that tends to give me the dry mouth thingy. I overindulge on authors. It is completely my fault. These books have clever, clever titles and I love the heroine. I just read another new one has come out so I guess I will be picking that one up to...

Does anyone have a book recommendation? Nothing too heavy, it is summer after all. Message me if you do.

Happy Wednesday!!!

NASA....hoax or truth?

2009-07-16T13:47:00.000-07:00

Adding further fuel to the conspiracy theories, NASA admitted this week that they erased and taped over the original moon landing footage. Really? You didn't really think it was something you might want to look back on in the future? Their reasoning? It was being used for more of a "live TV event" than anything else......stunned silence from the rest of the world is the appropriate response.

The idea that maybe the moon-landing WAS all an anti-Soviet cold war hoax is starting to seem more and more realistic.

Happy Thursday!

If I ruled the world...

2009-07-15T12:27:00.000-07:00

If I ruled the world there would be cupcakes in every coffee shop. Fresh ones with sprinkles.

If I ruled the world coffee would be served in a french press and it would be dark and hot. And no one could speak to another person in the morning before having at least two cups....

If I ruled the world champagne would be a mandatory beverage every night after work. Maybe it would even come through the taps....

What would you do if you ruled the world?

Happy Wednesday!

Breeders...

2009-07-14T16:55:00.000-07:00

I was on Facebook earlier today and came across a photo. It is of someone I went to high school with, but who is not my friend on Facebook. She wasn't actually a friend in high school either but I came across her profile pic and she has a baby. A little girl with a bow in her hair.

It brought back a few memories because this girl was insane. I mean CRAZY.....shouting in your face, laughing very loudly at other people's misfortunes. The kind of disgusting behaviour that I had all but forgotten until I saw the face of that little girl in the photo....maybe some people whouldn't breed?

Happy Tuesday!

B-R-O-W-N-I-E-S!!!!

2009-07-09T18:09:00.001-07:00

I made these brownies this evening and I just had to share them!!! Here is the recipe. Please do not be scared of the zucchinis.....I had three tonight but I figure if they have veggies in them, it makes them healthy. Right? Right? Bueller?

Let me know if you make 'em.

Happy Thursday!

Hooked...

2009-07-09T09:24:00.000-07:00

Summer is great. It is my absolute favourite season, bikinis and all. I love sitting outside, covered in SPF 400 of course, having a drink, reading a book or just being lazy. The days seem longer so I feel like I have time to relax because I have a lot more hours of daylight.

My only complaint about summer? TV shows....

I will admit to being a die-hard North American is this regard...I likes me some TV. Two years ago my parents bought C and I a PVR for Christmas. Ever since then my television watching has gone up, but since I can fast forward through the ads, the actual time in front of that wonderful, colourful box has actually gone down. Secret shows I watch? I will admit it, not that I am actually ashamed anymore, Young and the Restless is my all-time favourite program. C and I scream at the television every night while we watch all the idiots in Genoa City mess up their lives. I also have a Law & Order obsession....I am pretty positive I have seen every episode of every creation of L&O at least once. I am loving the new Law&Order UK these days....reminds me of our London trip last month.

But, summer programs suck, although, I guess I understand that television shows need to take a hiatus. Most of us in Canada aren't as glued to a tv sets in the summer when it is warm outside and we all seem to end up on patios with a drink in hand but anytime a show is premiered in the summer, it always ends up being discussed at my office. We are all mourning the season's ends to our favourite programs so we seems to latch on to anything that is not a rerun.

I caught an episode of Suburbia last night. I love Bob Saget and the show has so much potential. The dialogue was really funny but, for some reason, the cast was delivering lines like jokes and not like dialogue. It didn't feel like many of them were actually conversing with each other. It felt like they were pausing after their lines for the canned laughter.....this is all I have to look forward to this summer?

With only two months until the premieres I guess my best bet is to turn off the tv and get outside like everyone else.

Happy Thursday!

This is why Feldman is a tool....

2009-07-07T18:47:00.000-07:00

This is how he showed up to Michael Jackson' memorial. If he had been invited to Estelle Getty's memorial would he have come dressed in a white wig and old-lady handbag? Is Corey just excited to be out? What a mega-tool.

I was always team Haim anyway.

Happy Tuesday!

Why I love Starbucks!!!

2009-07-07T13:37:00.001-07:00

I went into my local Starbucks this afternoon in search of a coffee and something sweet. As I was drooling over the sweets someone called my name. I looked up and saw it was my friend/former coworker Asli! I ordered my coffee and brownie and she said "Do you want a free piece of cake?" People who know me should know the answer to this question.....YES!!! So, she changed my order to just coffee and supplied me with a delicious piece of chocolate cake.

It is "Partner appreciation day", the Starbucks version of employee appreciation day, so go give your barista some love today!!!

Happy Tuesday!

Busy week!!!

2009-07-06T12:08:00.000-07:00

So I have officially been off vacation for one week...one looong week. Plus, I actually only worked three days out of that week too. Why can't I be on holiday forever?

This week has brought on some summer changes. First, I have started drying some clothes outside. Now that I have a week little garden I have room for a small line. This morning I hung my sheets and towels out and they now smell SO GOOD!!! I remember playing in the wet clothes my mom hung outside when I was a little girl. I hope no one was watching because I ran threw them just to remember how it felt. It felt good...

Second exciting thing? Kristin had her baby! little Gwendolyn was born last Tuesday. She is perfect.

I have also started knititng a hot pink afghan. Very Barbie. Here is a lovely photo of it so far...
I will also be blogging about it at Coolgirlsknit , so check out that site too!!!

Last week C and I had loads of people over....being away for almost three weeks made us miss all out friends. What that meant was because we had very late nights it took me FOREVER to get over jet-lag. I usually am back to my old routine in a couple days but this time it was nearly a week before I got myself back to the regular Toronto time. The trip was well worth the body feeling wonky though.

Speaking of the trip...here are a couple other photos for your enjoyment!

I am now on my way to a kickboxing class with my Mom. Wish me luck!

Happy Monday!!!

Already....

2009-06-30T09:32:00.000-07:00

I have been back at work for three hours after being off for three weeks and I am already jaded. People need to calm down.

Happy Tuesday!

Italian holidays...

2009-06-30T05:57:00.000-07:00

I am back from Italy. And not happy about it.

Our holiday was amazing. We started out in northern England and then a week in London. We then flew from London to the south of Italy. We stayed in Massa Lubrense, which is just outside of Sorrento. It is paradise. Our villa looked out to the sea and stairs lead us down to a swimming area. A picturesque marina was just a five minute walk away. It had three restaurants, a mini-market, a gelato bar and a disco. Everything anyone would every need. I am not really sure why I am back now....I might just pack up the kitty and move right now.

More to follow....

Happy Tuesday!

bad blogger! bad blogger!!!

2009-06-10T19:39:00.000-07:00

So it has been a while since my last post. I have scolded myself.....no excuses really. Laziness? is that an excuse?

What am I doing right now? Watching the TERRIBLE Celine Dion made for tv movie and waiting for my nails to dry. I am regretting the colour I painted them....should I take it all off? I did a nasty job on my toes...uggghhhhh...I think it must come off.

Okay, enough nail polish talk- tomorrow is the big day! Our trip to Europe. I cannot believe it is already upon us....all this planning and talking and now we are getting on the plan demain nuit. Woo hoo! Ugh...the Rene character just had a heart attack and he did a very dramatic fall....I am not impressed. Why am I watching this crappy movie?

C and I are starting out in England and then heading down to Sorrento in Italy for the remainder of the trip. I am looking forward to doing nothing for two weeks. Lucky, lucky me!!

So, I will see y'all in two weeks!

Happy Wednesday!!!

It breaks my heart to say this but....

2009-06-01T08:49:00.000-07:00

...I get it now. Chris Pine is hot.

When the Star Trek trailers came out last year I wondered why they cast this guy as Kirk. I couldn't see the sex appeal. BUT put him in some regular clothes and throw him on a stage.....I get it.....

Happy Monday!

More Kanye UGGGHHHS!!!

2009-05-27T08:32:00.000-07:00

Don't get me wrong. I love Kanye West. The fact that he rants and raves and thinks he is the greatest thing that ever lived makes me smile. It amuses me.
I actually wish I could be my own greatest cheerleader like him.

The problem? Again, someone bragging they don't read.

Kanye says he hates reading books. He brags he never, ever picks one up. He would rather get his information from talking to people. Oh yeah, he also wants you to buy HIS book and read it. Where is the logic here?!?

Does Kanye not know people are mostly stupid? They talk out of the asses a lot. Is this where he wants to get ALL of his information? Or does he only base his knowledge of people on what he sees in the mirror? Is he only talking to himself because, in his opinion, he is the best at everything anyway?

*sigh*

Happy Wednesday!

On tap tonight....

2009-05-22T14:03:00.000-07:00

So I am super excited. Tonight I am getting together with my ladies. Our normal Thursday night has turned into a Friday night. Except no Mar. Mar is too busy basking in the newness of her little nephew Roman. All is forgiven because, to be honest, not much is better than a new, cuddly baby.

What is going on tonight? busy, busy night. First off, yoga. We are all participating in Passport to Prana which is going on in Toronto. Basically, you get to try out one class at a bunch of studios for $30. We plan on trying them all....maybe even a road trip to Oakville because Karla has promised me beer if I go. Hopefully even Red Stripe. Have I mentioned Red Stripe yet? I am surprised. My Jamaica trip has made me OBSESSED with that delicious Jamaican beer. Even C thinks it is heavenly. I wish I was drinking some right now actually....

Alright so, first yoga, then knitting, food (hopefully) and wine. Or maybe Red Stripe?

Happy Friday

Ah Paris!

2009-05-22T06:39:00.000-07:00

This morning I pretended I was in Paris. I needed to get breakfast so I wandered around the corner from work to Le Gourmand, which is a French grocer/bakery.

I chose a pain au chocolat and a baguette for lunch. I am wearing a skirt and ballet flats today so I felt very breezy and French as I strolled back to work, baguette in hand.

Happy Friday!

What would you do?

2009-05-21T12:12:00.000-07:00

A New Zealand couple is on the run. Reports have surfaced that their bank mistakenly deposited $6million US into their account and the couple withdrew an "unspecified" amount....and disappeared.

Here is the question: What would you do?

Me? I'd be SO gone!

Happy Thursday!!!

Jamaica and other warm weather pleasures...

2009-05-20T13:19:00.000-07:00

So I am back from Jamaica and I will blog more about that later. Right now I am just pleased it is warming up here in Toronto. The Queen st crowd has taken their summer dresses for a stroll. I witnessed read polkadot dresses. Aqua striped dresses with red pumps. Brown dresses....these girls have style.

Happy Thursday!

Reality mess....

2009-05-13T07:40:00.000-07:00

This week there has been a huge mess airing out about Jon & Kate +8. Apparently Jon was cheating. Now it seems Kate is cheating. Why do we care about this mess? We care because they chose to have their family filmed and shown on TV. What did they think would happen?

I saw this show for the first time while I was in Boston and it sorta made me sick. The idea that these kids will grow up with cameras always filming them and thinking this is a normal thing to happen. I guess having six babies at once is also not normal. Anyhow, the parents are basically whoring out their creepy kids (sorry J&K fans but identical twins freak me out enough...now throw in six others....a huge nightmare for me) but these parents expect us all to just watch the show and not to have people find a fascination with their family? Please. I know of quite a few people who are addicted to this show and just think the kids are so darn cute. This is their audience....and they want more....they want to see the parents not be saints because this will make everyone feel better about their own crappy lives.

So, who told Jon and Kate this would be a good idea? Did they not look at the track records of the other reality tv families? Remember Jess and Nick? The Osbournes had a few members go to rehab. Carmen Electra had a reality show and how did that end up? The list really just goes on and on. Does anyone know of a recent reality couple that HASN'T broken up?

So to Jon and Kate: Get over yourselves. You ARE celebrities, don't try to con us. The appropriate place to discuss your marital problems is not on TV with Meredith Viera. Turn off the cameras and move to another town if you want peace and quiet.

Happy Wednesday!

This week...

2009-05-10T10:42:00.000-07:00

So I will be flying away to Jamaica this Thursday with work...*sigh*...I have been slowly packing all week and picking up things I need for the trip like sunscreen, tanktops..etc. I am VERY excited because I have never been to an all inclusive resort and the idea of free food and booze all days sounds incredibly appealing.

I have also been working out like a mad woman since bikini season is coming a little earlier than I would have liked it to arrive. C and I went for a 5km run on Friday and I have pulled out all my wonderful SELF magazines in search of new workouts to try. It's actually been a lot of fun and my body is loving being worked out. I plan on bringing y gym stuff to Jamaica to try and get in a few runs or some weights but I guess we'll have to see if I actually follow through.

Yesterday I took my mom to the King Edward hotel for Afternoon Tea. We had such a great time and I would highly recommend it to anyone who likes going for tea. We arrived for our 4pm reservation and they sat us right away. The waiter came by and asked if we had ever had tea there before and when we answered no he went to retrieve his humidor so we could sniff the teas. This impressed me because I am never quite sure how I feel about overly floral teas. I settled on the King's Blend which had an incredible floral scent but tasted more like a regular black tea. The three-tiered tray of food was amazing. The scones were moist and there was enough Devonshire cream for us to load on lots of the four scones we were given. The sandwiches were very creative and delicious and the sweets on top were the perfect end to the meal. I honestly have no complaints for the entire event. The room was royal looking and we were given the perfect amount of attention from our waiter.

This afternoon we are continuing the Mother's Day events with C's parents and my parents. A BBQ ending with a Strawberry tart I made this morning. I have never made it before but the recipe is here if anyone wants it. I will let you know how it tastes later on but it looks gorgeous!!!

Also, I got a few requests for a new haircut photo so here it is.....

Happy Sunday!

What I learned tonight....

2009-05-05T18:22:00.000-07:00

Tonight I got a haircut. My appointment was for 6:15pm so I had a few minutes to waster after work. I decided to use that time wisely....I went to the Crepe place across from Muchmusic and got a Nutella crepe. The first thing I learned tonight was that I can no longer eat Nutella crepes....they are WAY too sweet. last year I used to enjoy one at least once a week. This could explain my weight from last year. Anyway, sugar=bad so I will never get a Nutella crepe again....unless, of course, I am visiting Sarah in Paris. That would be non-negotiable.

Second thing I learned? While I was weighting for my crepe to be ready people started cheering outside of Muchmusic. It turns out Fall Out Boy (aka that band that Ashlee Simpson's husband sometimes plays in) was visiting. A 40ish lady asked who those "boys" signing autographs were....the cook replied "Fallout Boy" to which the lady asked "what type of music do they play?"...this is the best part....he replied "Crap" What I learned? one-liners ARE funny.

third thing I learned? I LOVE Jason from Civello. He is an amazing stylist....

Happy Tuesday!!!

I love him even when....

2009-05-05T05:04:00.001-07:00

Gael Garcia Bernal. Ugh.....LOVE him!!! In 2001 I went to see the opening of Y Tu Mama Tambien and he sat in front of me with Diego Luna and Salma Hayek. He is beautiful and very talented. Yes, I still mourn the ending of his relationship with Natalie Portman because they just seem to be perfect, right? Beautiful, talented together for us all to gawk at....

Perez has posted this link to my Gael.....I even love him like this.

Happy Tuesday!

Real World....

2009-05-04T09:42:00.000-07:00

Alright...dirty little secret? I am a MTV reality show lover. The top of my list is Laguna beach but I do tend to have a soft spot in my heart for The Real World. The problem? I don't actually get MTV so I am a slave to On-demand television to give me my daily doses of MTV reality.

Right now I am catching up on Real World: Hollywood. So good. Great. Two people have already gone home....yes, things got so crazy people had to leave. One guy was in rehab by the fourth episode. Great television.

Here are a few questions I have about the selection process of the contestants. Do they actually only choose highly dysfunctional people? Is one of the questions on the application form "Do you turn into Satan when you consume alcohol?"? Do they really hope someone will be either racist or homophobic? Do contestants not realize that their relationships at home will never work because when they drink they all tend to have sex with fellow contestants. *sigh*

I guess all of this makes good TV.

Happy Monday!

New blog love is so sweet.....

2009-05-02T19:08:00.000-07:00

I am in love. I found a new blog that is just my style. It is called "Domestic Sluttery", isn't that fab?

Please have a little read. Pretty please? These ladies are just my style....they chat baking, drinking and cute housewares. I want to be their friend....

Happy Saturday!!!

Il etait une fois...

2009-05-01T09:48:00.000-07:00

I stumbled upon this video again a few minutes ago. If I ever have a daughter I hope she is exactly like this little girl.

Happy Friday!

Tattoos and knitting night.....

2009-04-30T20:36:00.001-07:00

Another fabulous knitting night this evening with the ladies. Tonight there was no wine and we actually stayed very on topic until 11:30. On a weeknight too. I am sure we will all pay for it in the morning because, as Leah said, we are all getting too old for this....

So one of the topics tonight?
Tattoos....and ugly ones friends have...... since we are going to Hell for gossiping so we may as well go well. What do you guys think about tattoos? Tramp stamps?

Other discussions? Money illusions...friends from high school and, of course, knitting shops. How much the other girlies want to own knitting shops is actually a more accurate topic. Anyone want to fund a few quirky girls and their wool addiction? anyone?anyone? Bueller?

Happy Thursday!

Blocked?

2009-04-30T12:44:00.000-07:00

I got a frantic email from Cher this afternoon. Lainey has been blocked at her work. What does this means to those of us who rely on amusing blogs to get us through the day? It means everything.

I am lucky that I can sneak a peek at my favourite blogs during the day but I appear to a minority in this regard. Most of my friends tell me that their companies block all the big favourites at work...Perez, People.com..hotmail....gmail....

How do we all feel about this?

Marine Biology....

2009-04-24T08:05:00.000-07:00

So the DJ on the radio just told me that Kelly Clarkson wanted to be a marine biologist until she saw Jaws. This reminded me of when I was in elementary school and most of the kids wanted to be marine biologists. I am not kidding. I would estimate 50% of my grade 8 class listed that profession as their dream. I grew up in Brampton, Ontario. The closest ocean is in Boston. Why did all these kids want to work in oceans? My only dream was to get the hell out of Brampton.

So, the big question? I wonder if any of my former classmates actually succeeded in their marine pursuits....or did they, too, watch Jaws and give up?

Happy Friday!

Fridays...

2009-04-24T05:55:00.000-07:00

So today is a sunny Friday in Toronto. I am wearing my new scarf that I knit a few weeks back and I am feeling good. The sun is shining, I have a delicious coffee in hand and tonight friends are coming over for a BBQ.

Last night at knitting night C sat with us and chatted. Topic? Freebie Fives.....and we only had half a glass of wine in us. Cher brought berries and chocolate dip....so good!

Big question today? Who is in your Freebie Five?

Happy Friday!

Old man...

2009-04-23T08:55:00.000-07:00

There is an old man who rides the streetcar into the city every morning. I imagine that he must be around 87 years old. He uses a cane and is always dressed up like he is going to an office job. C and I want to follow him one day to see where he is going, is that creepy? Every time we see him we always nudge each other as if to say "Look! Here he is again!"

The streetcar is always full of people and sometimes I see the same ones everyday and sometimes I don't run into others for months. It's a strange little community in a big city I guess.

Happy Thursday!

Reservations

2009-04-20T07:43:00.000-07:00

So last night we ate out in the North End of Boston. C's dad is running the Boston Marathon right now as I type this post and he needed to carb up before the race.

We made reservations at a place that was recommended in a tour book and all went our separate ways for the day. The plan was to meet up for an early 5pm dinner so C's dad could get some sleep before the big run.

Three of the members of our party were waiting for us outside when we arrived at the restaurant. We could not be seated until the entire party was present. Little J and Stretch (aka Mark) were at a Red Sox game and we knew they were going to be late. This meant that we could not be seated until they got there on the T from Fenway. This was bad....

They recommended that we go to the bar and have a drink. The bar was in the basement and had no stools. This was getting worse. I ordered a Stella and tried to keep the natives from getting restless. C had already abandoned me to go outside and wait for Little J and Stretch to arrive. At this point the restaurant staff was getting pissed off that we weren't ready to sit down and eat. Well, if they had let us sit down we all would have ordered a few drinks and the bill would be ticking away. Instead I was nervously drinking my beer much too quickly trying to keep everyone happy. We decided the marathoner needed to eat so we switched the reservation to five people and C and I would wait for Little J and Stretch to arrive and then eat some place else. *sigh*

Flash forward five minutes and we are outside watching them get out of a cab....then everyone else from our party is beside us on the street telling us they refused to eat there and we needed to find a new place to eat. They wouldn't tell us exactly what went down, but everyone was smiling.

When I finally ate, the gnocchi was awesome.

Happy Boston Marathon Monday!

Why I love America....

2009-04-18T05:12:00.001-07:00

So today I am writing from Albany, NY. We drove from Toronto last night on our way to Boston. We stopped at a Ponderosa to have dinner. This chain has been out of Canada for many, many years so C's dad was excited to eat there. C and I treated for dinner.

We waited, and waited, and waited....no food. Finally we asked what the hold up was and the waitress came back and told us that our order had gotten lost and immediately gave us our money back for the meal. Hahaha! We had been so "kind" treating and here we were getting our money back. Life is great.

Happy Saturday!

Boston...

2009-04-17T08:32:00.000-07:00

So I am off to Boston until next Tuesday. C's dad is going to be running in the Boston Marathon and we are all coming along for the ride.

I am pumped. The last time I was in Boston was for New Year's Eve 1998 with Miss Sarah Frank. It was the coldest I have ever been. On new year's eve we watched Spice World, fell asleep at 9pm and then woke up at 2am to go to IHOP for waffles and drive by Jonathan Knight's house. This was long before any chance of a NKOTB reunion.

This is still, by far, one of my favourite New year's eves.

Happy Friday!

Stupidity...

2009-04-16T12:13:00.000-07:00

Maybe I am extra sensitive because I work for an eye doctor BUT would you ever cut cement with a saw and not wear safety glasses?
This is what the workers do at a site close to my work. They cut cement with huge-ass saws and gawk at women...all the while not wearing safety glasses.

Happy Thursday!

Growing impatient.....

2009-04-15T19:21:00.001-07:00

I have been watching LOST since the very first episode. C and I have devoted many, many years to this program. I am scared that, after all this time, the writers are going to screw it up.

Next season is the last season. We knew from the beginning that the series wouldn't last forvever but we also knew for the last couple years that next season would be the last. Did the writers not take note of that?

Today I am going to air my greviences about the last couple of seasons of LOST.

1. Why would you introduce a whole slew of new characters in the second last season? There are already about 5,000 characters who only appear every fourth episode. How am I supposed to remember who all these other people are when I can barely keep track of the old ones? Tonight we had to pause the show twice to figure out who was on the screen and what they were doing there.

2. Time travel. Is this the only way you could explain things about the island?

I am terrified that the last years I have dedicated to this show will be for nothing. The writers need to stop using these two elements to answer all the questions we have had for the last years. Why not just put all the characters to bed and have them think it was all a dream?

That being said, I will still watch. I watched as the seasons got shorter. I watched when they released three episodes in the fall and then took a break until February. I watch the recap episodes.

*sigh*

Happy Wednesday!

Welcome Bo!

2009-04-14T09:54:00.001-07:00

So, I do not understand how there could be so much controversy over a puppy. The Obama girls received their new puppy, Bo, at the White House this week.

Please read this article for more info.

Basically, there is a conspiracy theory so intricate about this dog, his links to the Kennedys and the "is he or isn't he" a rescue dog debate that my head is spinning. Can't we all just look at the adorable dog and be happy he has new, loving owners?

Happy Tuesday!

Easter Weekend

2009-04-13T05:36:00.000-07:00

This weekend was quite busy and fabulous!
Thursday night started out with my knitting girls coming over for food and wine. M brought so much delicious food....especially those spicy olives.

Friday was a slow start for some of us....Buddy and Lindy came over for a BBQ and to work on "Doris" which is what I have named C's new bike. Buddy is really awesome with bikes because the bike is now in working order. C is having so much fun riding it around and has actually been volunteering to go to the store to pick up things just so that he can go for a ride.

Saturday was our big Easter dinner. We decided this year to change things up a little bit with the menu. In 57 days, not that I am counting, we are going to Italy. I decided to cook an Italian meal to get us all in the mood for our holiday. Gnocchi, Eggplant Parmesan and a Caprese salad. We our going to Massa Lubrense, which is a village on the south western coast of Italy just across from Capri. The meal and company was wonderful.

Sunday we went with C's parents to Niagara Falls to spend the day with C's Nan. It was a little cold but we did have a nice look around the stores in Niagara-on-the-lake. It is just such a nice little town to wander around. Loads of tourists were eating ice cream walking down the street. I thought this was a slightly insane thing to be doing, but maybe they all came from colder climates and thought this was warm enough for ice cream weather? Or maybe they thought that since all the ice cream shops were open it was a "Canadian" thing to do to eat ice cream in winter-like conditions?

Happy Monday!

Thursday night knitting club

2009-04-09T21:23:00.001-07:00

Tonight was awesome. Four of my favourite ladies in the world, two bottles of wine, and way too much food. Brie, Havarti, salsa, tortillas and Easter peanut m&m's. Delicious!

Tonight, as the wine bottles emptied, we discussed many things. One of which is, if you made $70,000/day, like Jennifer Aniston did last year, would it be okay to go to Holt Renfrew and spent $4000 on a random shopping spree? I mean, we are all working girls who long for more shoes, lattes and nicer yarn BUT could we justify that type of spending?

On another note, some of us (ie. ME) have set a fitness goal for the day before I go to Jamaica....which is about 4 weeks from now....please wish me luck. Tomorrow morning at 10am Miss Leah is arriving to take my sorry butt for a run. Let's hope I am sober by then.

Happy Friday...but just barely Friday!

Here comes the sun...

2009-04-09T11:18:00.000-07:00

The sun is shining, the weekend is coming and it is a LONG weekend!!!

Tonight is knitting night and all my girlies are bringing food and wine...mmmmm...apparently tonight is being considered "wasted knit fest". Sweet.

Happy Thursday!!!

Wednesdays in April....

2009-04-08T17:11:00.000-07:00

So I have dropped off the face of the earth, apparently. My best friend M just called to check on me since I have not been facebook-ing or blogging. Very sweet.

There was a death in my husband's family this week and , no matter how much you think you're ready for it, death is always a horrible shock. We are coping. I miss Uncle Lorne so much though.

In other happier news, C and I just spent a few hours with K and baby Aoife. That child eats like a champion. She must have a hollow leg. She managed to cheer both of us up immediately.

What else is new.....C has adopted a discarded bicycle and I have named her Doris. Lindy feels this is a great name for a bike. This will also be C's spring project since she needs new tires and breaks. He figures he is up for the challenge...I guess we'll see....

So, chin up everyone!
Happy Wednesday!!!

Friday night....

2009-04-05T08:08:00.001-07:00

We had a Friday night book club because we are reading Friday Night Knitting Club. We usually have book club on Sunday afternoons. Immediately we felt the difference. Largest difference was the alcohol.....sangria after a long work week.

The host, Meghan, had contacted the author to "call in" to our book club. At first this had seemed like a really neat idea. This was before we had read the book, which although I did enjoy, had a lot of holes in it....and our group has a lot of sarcasm in it.

We had started to discuss possible questions to ask her and we were wondering if she would indeed call us....and then the phone rang. We all screamed. Steph answered the phone on speaker phone. We had decided she was the most mature to keep the conversation rolling. The author, Kate Jacobs, introduced herself and asked if she could call us back in 20 minutes because there was a film crew that wanted to film her talking to us for a Borders in-store promotion. Crap.

The next twenty minutes were spent trying to spin our negative comments into good questions...this was by far the longest we had ever discussed a book at book club. Normally we would have switched to more important subjects like Octo-Mom and the finale of ER.

Kate called back and the interview went quite well....except a few comments thrown in from Steph that I think Kate missed. The sangria was really starting to kick in...hopefully we didn't make too big of fools of ourselves...

Happy Sunday!

Shai...

2009-04-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

Right now Shai is on the radio singing "If I every fall in love". It seems, like most music from 1994, I am the only one who remembers things like this band. Is this true?

What I DO remember is going out and buying this album after hearing a song on Seaquest from Shai. Remember Jonathan Brandis? Single tear.....

This was before the Internet so, in order to find out what the name of the song was, I had to pause the show and read the itty, bitty writing at the end of the credits that listed the song titles. After finding the name of the song, I had to go to HMV and actually read every album cover to see what album this song was listed on.

Kids these days have it so easy. If they like a song on a TV show all they have to do is Google it and they can download it from iTunes. In my day we had to do the detective work. Hell, the Hills even has the song names listed on the screen...you don't even have to Google it...

Happy Friday!

Floral names....

2009-04-03T06:14:00.000-07:00

Jamie Oliver, the Naked Chef, welcomed his third child into the world today. The have named their third daughter Petal Blossom....and I really like it.

Their other daughters are named Poppy and Daisy and forgive me for liking flowers, but I would LOVE my name to be Petal. In fact, from now on my name is Petal.

Happy Friday!

On tonight...

2009-04-02T13:12:00.001-07:00

So apparently this evening's knitting night is turning into quite the party! One thing has led to another and hopefully it will be a full house. Not everyone will be knitting, considering baby Aoife will be here, but everyone WILL be enjoying nutella crepes. Mmmmmmmm.....

Happy Thursday!!!

I don't really want to go for a run but...

2009-04-01T15:16:00.000-07:00

I ate an entire chocolate Easter bunny this afternoon. Granted it was a small one BUT I scarfed down the entire thing. Happily. I do not regret one inch of that delicious rabbit.

This is why I need to go for a run. Damn bunny.

Happy Thursday!

This is why I love her!

2009-04-01T13:51:00.000-07:00

So our little Lainey is getting some emails from quite the rabid twilight fans. I loves it, I do. She has started to post some of the emails and it is really making my day reading them.

Lainey has been reporting that Rob Pattinson, aka EDWARD, is hanging out with Nikki Reed. A big who cares, right? Truth be told, the most exciting part of the past few days is reading the responses that people have been sending Lainey is complete and utter anger. This is my favourite.

I hope she keeps posting them....

Happy Thursday!!!

Is this ever a good idea?

2009-03-31T08:08:00.001-07:00

So Drew Barrymore and that "mac commercial guy", who used to date, are going to work on a movie together. Does this ever work? Does no one remember Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck? It is never a good idea to star in a romantic movie with your ex.

Happy Tuesday!

Spring is here.

2009-03-30T11:57:00.000-07:00

I saw my my first robin this morning in my backyard. I am not sure about other colder parts of North America, but in my house a robin signified the coming of spring. Robins were smart and they would not make their way back, flying all the way home from who knows where, if it wasn't going to stay warm outside.

Robins sightings were a big thing in my house. I remember my grandparents calling us to say they had already seen three robins in their backyard. I used to run to the window to see if I could see any in our backyard but it usually took the robins longer to find their way to us.

Happy Monday!

3OH!3

2009-03-30T08:15:00.000-07:00

Has anyone heard these guys? I am ashamed to admit that Don't trust me! just popped up on my TV radio station and this song is fierce. I love a clever song. This is also why I like the All-American Reject's song Gives you Hell. The lyrics are clever.

Oh no...Nickelback has just come on. Must...switch...song...

My personal hell? Being forced to listen to Nickelback on repeat. Oh no! Actually maybe a concert would be worse! full of their fans. I will admit it. I judge. I don't think i have met a Nickelback fan that I like. Ugh.

Happy Monday!

My June plans....

2009-03-30T08:00:00.001-07:00

This is where I am going in 70 days or so. Not that I am counting or anything. C and I are going to spend a week and a half in the UK and then meet up with family just outside of Sorrento for a week in a villa overlooking Capri. I know you all hate me.

Happy Monday!!!

Mondays.

2009-03-30T06:38:00.000-07:00

I have had a cold all weekend and stayed in the house mostly.

Saturday night we had a going away party for little J who moved to the big, bad Winnipeg on Sunday morning.

On Sunday C and I started to watch some movies. He feels I really need to be schooled in my past movie choices, so we started with two movies: The Sting and The Untouchables. We themed our viewing to Chicago, 1930. Afterwards we watched 3 episodes of the Sopranos....more crime. By the end of the day I was waiting for my doorbell to go and have it be a mobster wanting to take me out.

This morning I have been catching up on Gossip Girl and America's Next Top Model. My favourite part of ANTM? The end when Tyra tells the models to be how to use their face. "not like this. Like this!" and changes her face ever so slightly.....do you guys know what I am talking about here? hahah!

Happy Monday!

Toronto really IS a small-town!

2009-03-27T17:30:00.000-07:00

In other news, I was on the streetcar on the way home from a long day of feeling sick at work and I saw my in-laws on the street! I jumped out at the next stop and flagged them down. They were on their way to dinner and then took me with them! Little J is moving to the Peg on Sunday so they are in town for a going away weekend. Totally random. C was at a spin class so he missed out.....

This weekend consists of a BBQ (even though it will be C-O-L-D) and my very first facial with Cher and Mar on Sunday. I am also hoping to squeeze in a couple workouts if I am feeling a bit better.

What are you up to this weekend?

Happy Friday!

I am much too long-winded...

2009-03-27T17:26:00.000-07:00

Twitter is not for me. I cannot condense my thoughts into 140 characters.

I caved

2009-03-27T12:03:00.001-07:00

I joined Twitter. I am still confused.

I peaked in 1994 and spring is in the air!

2009-03-27T09:41:00.000-07:00

So we have been listening to Virgin Radio here at work for the past month or so. It is very office appropriate but it also throws in some great tunes from the '90s. This is when I came to the realization that I must have peaked in 1994 because every song from that year I tend to know off by heart...and none of my coworkers, who are the same age as me, have even heard them before. Does anyone else remember the song "wanna get freaky wit you?" anyone? bueller?bueller?

I was cool in 1994, obviously very into the music scene. I was also only 13 in 1994.....that just makes me feel so sad. Has my coolness just been deteriorating since then?

The hot dog lady has arrived at the end of the street. To me this means spring has arrived.

Happy Friday!

Tweat? is that what you kids are saying these days?

2009-03-27T09:07:00.000-07:00

So, yes I do not understand Twitter. I have talked about this before. What I DO understand is movies. So, when script writing and twitter combines I think it's a good thing.

Why don't you visit TweetAMovie and let me know what you think.

Happy Friday!

Dancing with two left feet?

2009-03-27T07:07:00.000-07:00

Who is watching Dancing with the stars still? I watched first season but it was just because MY Joey McIntyre was on. This was well before any NKOTB reunion could be discussed.

Why is everyone getting injured this season? What are we at now, like 5 people off the show ad having to be replaced because of ankles or knees being hurt? Is this show just turning into a musical train-wreck to see who will sprain or tear something? If so, maybe I really should start watching.

Happy Friday!

This is how loopy I am today...

2009-03-27T07:05:00.000-07:00

I just took a sip of coffee and realized, before I took the sip, that I was going to miss my mouth. My brain couldn't alert my arm quick enough so I poured it down my dress. Luckily I am wearing a jersey dress so it just slid right off. Damn waste of perfectly good coffee.

What I am thinking about today....

2009-03-26T15:02:00.001-07:00

Here is my list for today!
1. Lost. C and I didn't watch last night but our PVR is holding it for us to watch with dinner!
2. Beer. It will also be consumed with LOST and dinner.
3. Jakob. My kitty is meowing at my feet to be pet. And then to bite me. Those who know the evil cat understand this well.
4. The weekend. I am hoping to finally feel well by then! woo hoo!
5. the dishes in the kitchen that the dish fairy forgot to clean....

Happy Thursday!

sigh

2009-03-26T11:28:00.000-07:00

So my cold heart melted a few minutes ago. I put little Aoife to bed for her nap and she called after me "-ight-ight! 'ove you!" as I left the room. I guess I am a softy after all.

Happy Thursday!

Onion rings make me happy. That's all.

2009-03-26T09:34:00.000-07:00

Today is a crazy day. I have heard more babies cry and more dogs bark for a lifetime. My head is full of a cold and I really should have just worn my glasses today instead of these contacts.

So what did I do to make myself happy? I bought some onion rings....oh boy were they good!! Small onions, pipping hot and crispy but not too greasy. Yes, they made me happy again. No, I am not embarrassed that a deep fried vegetable makes me happy.

Happy Thursday!

Would this actually bring people?

2009-03-25T12:24:00.000-07:00

So, please read this article! It as about a big Tycoon who is going to be rebuilding Titanic, but on land. I would be terrified to go on it! Didn't he see the movie?

Happy Wednesday!

Giraffe

2009-03-25T12:13:00.000-07:00

I put a pair of sunglasses on a toy giraffe 3 hours ago. People have been coming and going all day and no one has commented on it. I find this strange. I would have commented. What does this say about me?

Happy Wednesday!

What I am thinking about today...

2009-03-25T11:16:00.000-07:00

My list of thoughts for the day?
1. Advil cold and sinus rules. But makes me feel a little loopy. Well, more loopy than usual.
2. Bevvies with Kerry after work! Booze will help the loopy feeling I am sure.
3. C is making me a surprise dinner that will be waiting for me when I get home after work....what will it be?!? any guesses?
4. Sister-in-law little J moving this weekend to the Peg. Makes me sad.
5. I scored some great new clothes this weekend is much smaller sizes. Hard work pays off.

This is what is going on in my head. Boring, I know.

Happy Wednesday!

Speaking of twitter...

2009-03-24T16:53:00.001-07:00

Apparently Christopher Walken knows what Twitter is...check it out!

Happy Tuesday!

I don't get it.

2009-03-24T16:37:00.000-07:00

Most people know I am pretty technologically UNadvanced. In fact, the only reason I am able to blog is because Blogger is basically paint by numbers.

Can someone explain twitter to me? I don't get it......what is so cool about it? How does it work?...ugh...

Happy Tuesday!

Yay for Annie!

2009-03-24T07:14:00.001-07:00

I am off work sick today and feeling really crumby. I logged on to Perez and this has brightened my day! Anne Hathaway is going to be playing Judy Garland. I LOVE Annie!! Did anyone else think she owned the Oscars this year? When she sang on stage in the opening piece I truly fell for her!!!

Happy Tuesday!

Winnie ties the knot

2009-03-23T10:11:00.000-07:00

One of my favourite things about today? Reading that Danica McKellar got married. Why is that so exciting? Well, it reminded me that she is a mathematician...yes, you read that correct. Winnie graduated from UCLA with a BS in Math. I loves me a smart girl.

Happy Monday!

Mondays. Fundays?

2009-03-23T06:35:00.000-07:00

I am back from a very fun weekend away in C' hometown. Pub crawl was very successful and we managed to close down the bars. The next morning we were all up at 10:30am because C's mom made pancakes. I am thinking if we had all been at our own homes we would have slept until at least 1pm. The combination of getting older and booze seems to be taking it's toll on us.

I am off to the dentist today. My dentist is great but I hate going to the dentist. I always feel like I have to lie so I won't be scolded for not flossing every day....sad, I know.

Today I slept in until 8:30am and it was the first time Lainey posted before I checked her site. If you haven't check her out before, please start now. She's awesome.

I am sure much of today will be spent lazying around doing laundry and watching my new Twilight DVD.

Happy Monday!

Pub Crawl

2009-03-21T17:15:00.000-07:00

In C's hometown with some friends. Doing pub crawl tonight...can't believe we've never done this here before. I will post photos when I get them and when my liver has recovered.

Happy Saturday!

Starbucks. AKA I am a snob.

2009-03-20T12:28:00.000-07:00

So I was in Starbucks this afternoon and it was pandemonium. People everywhere. Tourists? Fashion week people? I have no idea where these people came from BUT they had no idea how to order a drink. Or where to stand to get their drink. Or what drink they were getting. They must have been tourists because fashion Week people would know where to go.

This was almost as bad as when there was a Lululemon sale in the area a couple years ago. My Starbucks was overrun by pre-teens with gold cards. All of this little girls ordered the most complex drinks I had ever heard of but when the drinks were ready they had no idea what drink went with what person...uuuuggggghhhhh!!!

Happy Friday!

I am not a Twi-Hard. I am a Twi-aholic.

2009-03-19T20:02:00.000-07:00

Saturday the Twilight DVD comes out. So what would a late 20's adult do to celebrate that? Why, go to a Twilight DVD release party of course!!!

I am not lame. I am not a Twi-hard BUT I am a twi-dealer....I have successfully turned seven people on to Twlight since the end of January. I really should just be locked up for this....it's a drug, man.

K, one of my fellow Twi-aholics, is coming with me. This party is at a book store in the suburbs. We plan on doing very suburban things like going to the mall (hopefully NY Fries will be included) and we are going to dinner at Jack Astor's. Is there anything more suburban? Maybe hit up a Tim Horton's for a double double?

We swear if there are only pre-teens we will bail immediately....or else befriend one of them so everyone thinks we just came as a chaperone...

And let's face it, since I am admitting all of this to you I may as well just put it out there....Rob Pattinson's hot. I said it. Kill me.

Happy Thursday.

I didn't miss them until I heard them again....

2009-03-19T19:40:00.000-07:00

So knitting night, as usual, was a blast! Leah and Cheryl always crack me up and you can check out all our knitting woes here.

At the end of the evening, for some reason, we started talking about bands from when we were in high school in the mid '90's.

When Cheryl reminded us of this song both Leah and I gasped in delight! This one is for you Irene!

And what mid 90's musical conversation could be complete without this song? PM Dawn I love you!!!

Do you remember this? Joey Lawrence. I know the rap part from the end off by heart and, yes, this is something I am proud of! My favourite part is "lately you've been acting like I smell like a zoo. Philly zoo to be exact but hey Philly's my origin as a matter of fact"...gold.

C and I are planning on having a 1994 party one of these days. What would someone wear to a 1994 party? Think babydoll dresses, velvet choker neclaces and bodysuits! After checking out American Apparel today I know there is no shortages on bodysuits these days.....

Happy Thursday!

This is for you Jen.

2009-03-19T13:17:00.001-07:00

Does anyone remember this band?

Hee hee...I think their only fan might have been my sister-in-law J.

Props to Nick Newman though, huh Dr. D?

Happy Thursday!

Coffee stories...

2009-03-19T13:12:00.000-07:00

So this morning C and I were soooo intent on our conversation that he walked right out of the house and towards our streetcar stop with his china mug full of coffee in his hand! hahahhaa! He forgot to put it into a travel mug!!! By the time we realized he was still carrying it we had no time to go home and drop it off. He finished his coffee on the streetcar and I laughed so hard that I could barely breath....hee hee...

Happy Thursday!

Money spent = my happiness!

2009-03-19T09:43:00.001-07:00

I bought a new lip gloss today and I LOVE it!! It's Rimmel London's "Kiss Off" in colour "first time".

It is so pretty!! It goes on sorta sheer but has a purple/gold undertone that is really hot! It's not sticky and it doesn't leave a weird tingly feeling when I wear it!

Happy Thursday!

Thursday...2 more sleeps until the weekend.

2009-03-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

What am I thinking about today?
1. Knitting night tonight with the girlies. I WILL finish this scarf sometime this week.
2. The weekend. Pub crawl extraordinaire.

Happy Thursday!

Lost?

2009-03-18T18:43:00.000-07:00

Anyone watch? What did you think?

Dunzo and other secrets...

2009-03-18T11:01:00.001-07:00

I got a McFlurry after lunch. With Smarties...(for those reading this from the US please google Smarties because it is not what you think they are...)

I was THAT girl walking along King street eating an ice cream in March...and I will not apologize for it. McFlurries happen to be one of my weaknesses. I have heard they are also a weakness for Brad Pitt, so I am not embarrassed to admit it.

Another weakness? Laguna Beach. None of this "Hills" crap. Laguna was the real deal and every time I hear the term "dunzo" I think of those beautiful, over-privileged kids. I think I will try to use dunzo 3 times today because, as Joey said on Blossom, if you use a word three times it's yours.

Happy Wednesday!

Why I love Fashion Week

2009-03-18T10:58:00.001-07:00

Seen on King street. A tall blonde with a killer tailored red coat and red high heels carrying the most beautiful Moroccan blue handbag.

*sigh* if only I could be so cool.