Sideways

Just putting it out there-- tetrapack wine is pretty damn tasty.

There.

I said it.

Let's Play the Feud

So Facebook has a new Family Feud app, and I'm officially obsessed.

I've always liked the show... even the reruns on GSN. I also have enjoyed the clips of it on "Funniest Game Show Moment" type shows like this one:

On the new facebook version, you get to play with your friends for Fast Money, which does make the whole event even more fun as you need to rely on them to help you win.

Just another little event making my day better!

The Lottery

Surprisingly, given my profession, I've never talked about a book I enjoy on this blog. Well that all changes today.

I loved reading "The Lottery" by Beth Goobie. It's about this school in Saskatchewan where all of the cool kids from all of the teams and clubs are in this joint group called "Shadow Council". Every year, they put all of the names of the students into a draw, and one student wins this "lottery." No one is allowed to speak to the winner of the event for the entire year-- no one at all. If someone does try, he or she is punished by having to do menial tasks or through social ostracizing. It's pretty intense, and it really highlights issues surrounding bullying.

I obviously don't love what happens in this society-- bullying is a very real problem for today's youth, and although I was fortunate to not be bullied too much growing up, I still see its importance. I think I like how I've seen dozens of kids connect to this book as they read it. It's easily accessible to them, and they often really get into it.

Any novel or author that can do that gets high marks in my books.

Precious

I've said earlier that I thought Gabourey Sidibe gave the performance of the year for her role in "Precious." I still stand by that assertion.

Last night she was the host of SNL... and I just felt so happy that she was. I think I see a lot of who I was in her... and in a small way, her appearance felt a bit like a victory for me too.

I think we have both fought hard in our lives for people to look past our exterior and we haven't let our outside dictate who we are and what people think of us.

I thought it was a great show-- some memorable characters and moments for sure.

Nice work, Gabby.

Sangwich

I had a Whole Foods turkey and brie panini yesterday... minus the brie... and it was amazing. It's my favourite sandwich of all time.

One of my friends asked me why it's so amazing... and we tried to figure it out as she's as obsessed with it as I am.

Perhaps it's the organic ingredients or the super fresh bread. Maybe it's the warmly pressed presentation or the garlic basil aioli...

Either way... it's delicious. And amazing.

I Am Not a Robot

Ever hear a song that seems to be written just for you at a particular moment in time?

This one seems to be for me today. April 25, 2010.

Good Will Hunting

I just re-watched my favourite movie of all time again today, Good Will Hunting... It's been awhile since I've seen it from start to finish, several years even.

I realized this time that the relationship in it that means the most to me, that really is the most pivotal one, is the one between Will and Chuckie (Matt Damon and Ben Affleck). I think it'd be easy to say that either Sean or Skylar are the key catalysts for Will's "healing" if you will, but in my mind, it's all about Chuckie. Will needs Chuckie's permission implicitly in order to move forward. It's the whole "brothers without blood" thing... that loyalty, that complete and utter trust that they have in each other that is so key to everything. I'm an only child, and I so wish I had a sibling or that I'd ever had that sort of friendship with someone. I realize it's too late for me now and that it'll never happen for me at this point in my life. That's not meant to be depressing, even though it may sound that way. It's meant to be honest and factual.

I also realize that I have quite a bit in common with Will, which scares me a bit. I've not got the tragic story that he does (thankfully) but I do see several similarities... more than I'd ever seen in all the years I've watched it.

Perhaps that self realization can be a positive. Does it equal growth? Maybe... but I'd have to act for that to happen-- ha! I do think there's something to be said for self awareness, however, and I think I'm more self aware than I have ever been in my life. For better or for worse.

Either way, I'm pretty stoked to have rediscovered the film in a whole new light 12 years after it came out.

I gotta go see about a Diet Coke.

Bad Mitten

When the Chips Are Down...

Hmmm... the title of this post has very little to do with its content.

Potato chips (crisps) are pretty delicious, and I've been going through a Ruffles Sour Cream and Bacon phase at the moment. But I've realized that I actually have a favourite chip-- I'm not talking flavour per se (that would be Walker's Sweet Thai Chili if you're keeping track). Rather, I'm talking about an actual chip shape.

Namely, it's the curly chip. You know it-- the one folded over onto itself some time in the cooking process. I like the extra crunch of the second layer I suppose. It's the chip I go for every time.

Photograph

I love taking pictures. I wish I was much better at it... I have a friend who's becoming a professional photographer and her talent is impressive.



I don't have a great eye for composition, but I know what I like.

The picture I've added here is my favourite photo that I've ever taken. It's from Oxford Circus in London in March 2008. I think it just totally encapsulates what I love about the city. It's fast moving, cosmopolitan, big and bright, and something totally different from what we experience in North America.

This pic makes me remember the past and look forward to the future, and I'm pretty proud of it.

Maury

Chicken Tetrazinni.

I crack up EVERY time.

Thank you, Joel McHale and "The Soup" staff, for making it impossible to not giggle at an Italian menu.

Everytime

The "Stuff White People Like" blog cracks me up a lot. I'm also shocked (and perhaps slightly appalled?) at how accurately it represents me. I'm so white, apparently!

One of my favourite entries is that apparently we white people love "Acoustic Covers." Now, sadly, I am very VERY guilty of this. I have made cds full of acoustic covers.

Here's one of my favourites of all time:

The Luckiest

I've written before about rediscovering a song that you once loved. It happened again, relatively recently, and whenever the song randomly shuffles into my iPod, I'm always taken aback. The song is called "The Luckiest" by Ben Folds... and it's just beautiful. It's a lovey-dovey song which I usually don't go for, but for some reason, this particular track's lyrics are just beautifully expressed.

I also think about the first time I heard the song. One of my (at the time) best friends played it for me in his office. He told me about a mutual friend we had who thought it was so beautiful that she cried each time she heard it. He told me that I should just go and buy the entire album as I'd love it. He was right.

He and I ended up being house mates for about 8 months and in that time I managed to completely mess up that friendship (as I've done so very often with so many of the people I've been closest with over the years) and I completely regret it.

I'm sorry. I really, sincerely am. For all of it.

Maybe the positive I can take out of this is the fact I've just said what I have shows that I have grown a bit over these past few years. I could never admit that I was wrong or that something was my fault. I don't think I make too many mistakes professionally... but wow... I've been a royal screw up with my friends. Hopefully I will learn.

While I don't have the relationship discussed in "The Luckiest" with anyone right now, I do think I'm pretty lucky. And this blog has helped me see how fortunate I am.

T Swizzle

Ah Taylor Swift.

I tried for so long to not jump on the bandwagon, but that's not going so well. I really can't get enough of a couple of her songs. "You Belong With Me" is so damn catchy... I listen to it more than I care to admit. In an attempt to gain some street cred, I even found a guy version of it online (as I like to be able to sing along without making the song homoerotic) and I frequently crank it.

On my recent trip to Greece, it became one of our sort of anthem songs that we'd sing most days on the bus... trust me, I can't sing. But wow, was it ever fun... who cares when you're overseas and acting silly on a bus?

I miss that trip... even though it's only been a month.

King Arthur

Random things crack me up.

Last night on Jeopardy, the winning contestant, Arthur, went to town on his signalling device. I swear, he tried buzzing in so hard so many times even Alex commented on it.

Crazy.

Anyway, made me laugh a lot.

The Amazing Race

No, this isn't some giant metaphor for life or anything. It's just to admit my love of the show.

It's such a cool concept-- travelling around the world with someone you (potentially) care about and doing all of these cool activities and seeing all of these amazing places.

I don't think I'd do very well in the actual events because I'm not great at bungee jumping or eating ostrich eggs, and I think it would annoy me to no end to not be able to finish the race, but I'd sure have one hell of a time trying.

Happy Happy Joy Joy

I don't know if my quest to continue weight loss can hold up against my newest discovery:

Almond Joy Pieces.


Like Reese's Pieces... only instead of a peanut buttery treat, they are little nuggets of almond, coconut, and chocolate.

And they are amazing.

The Buried Life 2.0

The last post I made was an excerpt from Matthew Arnold's poem "The Buried Life"... But the only reason I'm aware of it is because I heard of a show on MTV with the same title... named after the poem.

The show is about these four guys who decided 100 things they wanted to do before they die and their quest to accomplish these tasks or events and their journey along the way.

It's now something I really want to do... The idea of travelling around with your closest friends and doing things you've always wanted to do... so appealing. Definitely accomplishing dream tasks is awesome... but for me, the time spent with closest friends.... that for me would be one of the highest on the list.

The Buried Life

But often, in the world's most crowded streets,
But often, in the din of strife,
There rises an unspeakable desire
After the knowledge of our buried life;
A thirst to spend our fire and restless force
In tracking out our true, original course;
A longing to inquire
Into the mystery of this heart which beats
So wild, so deep in us--to know
Whence our lives come and where they go.

The Visit

I don't believe that the profession I'm in makes as much of a difference as it says it does to most people. Sure, there are a few people that are really positively impacted by my job-- I was definitely one of those kids for sure, heavily influenced positively. But all in all, I think it wouldn't matter too much to too many people if it was someone else doing my job and not me.

Cynical? Perhaps. Realistic? Definitely.

Tomorrow, however, I have a former "client" coming to visit me. I still don't think that it's one of those "made a difference" stories, but it's nice to know that 5 years after this person left my work, he still wants to keep in touch.

Tomorrow evening, too, I'm hoping to visit with one of my mentors... I'm feeling strangely full circle... and it kind of freaks me out.

Hippity Hop

I was introduced to Cadbury Mini Eggs this year.

I think it'll be a good relationship which will last for many years.

Beauty School Dropout

This made me laugh out loud today... Hilarious.

Made for Walkin'

We had the best weather this weekend... especially for an April!

Non stop sun, highs in the low 20s... light wind (most of the time).

So I walked a lot this weekend. I knew I'd have to do lots of physical activity given the obscene number of mini eggs I've eaten over the last month and the Easter weekend associated caloric intake. I figured I'd be hitting the gym each day. And while I did visit a couple of times to do some weight stuff, I went for an hour walk each day of the four day weekend.

I love going for walks-- beautiful weather, iPod on, lots of time to think...

Lazy Sunday

I like lazy Sundays... ones that have no plans but just end up being good. Not necessarily memorably amazing-- but just... cool.

Today we went to a small port town in my county and had fries and burgers at the local legendary beach side joint... then went for a rum butter shake at the local ice cream parlour... then to the movies.

Simplicity is underrated.

Food Inc.

So I made our family dinner this long weekend... nothing too special-- pork roast, potatoes, carrots... some chutney. I thought it was quite tasty, and everyone seemed to enjoy it.

Cooking makes me happy. I'm not artsy at all, but I feel that way when I cook. It's relaxing and chaotic and beautiful all at once. I think that's art, isn't it?

Departures

My favourite new show in the last few years is "Departures". It's Canadian, about these two, average guys (who actually are from a city about an hour away from me) who leave their lives and travel the world.

It's just an amazing show. It's probably the best filmed show on television-- the cinematography is incredible. They go off the beaten path... hang with the locals... and really take time to get to know where they are. As they travel, they move from being friends to being almost like family.

I know, on some level, that this sort of thing will never happen for me-- mostly because of time, money, and the regular conventions of day to day life (and also because just picking up and leaving home is so not me-- 2-3 weeks away is my max!)-- but I want to do it more than anything.

Just taking off with one of my buddies to explore this world... I can't imagine anything better.

Out Like a Lamb

This has been, apparently, the first March without snow... ever.

I'm happy!

Hard Core Logo

I wear almost exclusively brand names. Yep. I'm kind of a snob that way... or so most would think. But the thought process behind why I do goes beyond superficiality.

So anyone who knows me knows that I was a big kid who turned into a big adult. And let's not sugar coat it: by 'big' I mean, quite pointedly, morbidly obese. I was dangerously overweight. We're talking totally unhealthy, probably one doctor's visit away from being recommended gastric bypass, most likely pre-diabetic obese. You probably aren't aware of how many "x's" clothes can go up to... but I was pretty close to the top.

So, I lost some weight. Ok, a lot of weight. Like I lost an entire person. I'm healthier, that's for sure. But not a lot changed with me socially. I've never had the Dr. Phil fat person story. I was never shunned or by myself because of my weight. I don't remember being made fun of a lot... sure it happened now and then. (Ironically, the meanest thing people have said to me about my weight have been in the last three years since I've been thinner!) But I worked my ass off to make sure people got to know me for me. I didn't let my weight issue define who I was socially... which probably was part of the problem as I didn't feel like I needed to lose weight to gain more friends or respect or success. I was pretty happy.

So what does this have to do with clothing and brand name logos? Well, I never really got to wear many brand names when I was growing up as the companies didn't make clothes in my size. For the majority of time, I wore no name brands while all of my friends got to wear the latest things. Now, I wasn't all out of the loop-- some companies had big and tall lines... namely Tommy Hilfiger and Mossimo. I am actually quite grateful to them as they sort of allowed me to fit in... for a price. Big and tall clothing companies can charge whatever they want as people of size HAVE to purchase their clothes there.

I really just wanted to wear clothes from regular sized people clothes stores. When I'd go shopping with friends, I'd buy something from the big name stores-- socks, sunglasses, a scarf or something-- just so I could carry the bag around for the rest of the day and kind of fit in. Kinda pathetic, eh? My friends didn't care or probably weren't aware at all, but I was.

Now I can go into most stores and buy clothes. So I do. And it's so much cheaper than the big and tall stores-- even with brand names. So even though I'm called a snob for what I wear, for me it's much more than that eagle or crocodile logo...

Fontphile

I have an obsession with fonts; I loathe certain ones (I'm looking your way, Comic Sans) and I use other ones incessantly (Hi Arial and Verdana!).

Every so often, I have to design a logo for something-- it could be a card or a shirt or some other promotional item-- and this is when my obsession becomes really scary. I spend hours on www.dafont.com, going through hundreds of fonts to try and find the right one.

So I had to create a logo for a sports team I'm helping coach... and I finally found the right font.

Thank you Defused!

Babe, Pig in the City

So I've been trying to be healthier for the last few years... and I have been and have therefore lost considerable weight.

But on this day, (the actual day I'm supposed to be writing about... not the week later that I'm actually writing...) March 28th, 2010, I ordered the following for breakfast/ brunch:

Sausage, homefries, and toast with a side of bacon.

I feel myself dying even as I write it.

The sad thing? It was amazing.

After the Party It's the Hotel Lobby

I didn't really do the sleepover thing as a kid. Sure, I was invited to lots of them, but I always had my parents pick me up late at night. I just couldn't bring myself to ever do it. I don't know why. Uber homebody? Perhaps.

Now, however, I love staying over at a hotel. I, again, don't know why. They are unbelievably expensive. And sometimes they aren't even that great... something may be off- location, cleanliness... etc.

Most of my favourite evenings in the past year or so ended up in a hotel room-- and no, that's not supposed to sound creepy or suggest anything scandalous. I've just found that some of the best times, most memorable conversations, and favourite memories of the last little while have taken place there.

Maybe that's why. I don't really have a negative association with times at a hotel.

Plus... someone else has to clean up for me!

Friday, I'm in Love

TGIF

It's almost the best day of the week (Saturday clearly wins due to the sleeping in... the lack of work... etc...). I think what makes it so good is the ANTICIPATION of being done.

I've written a lot about anticipation... and generally, I didn't think I enjoyed it that much... but apparently I do. I like anticipation after it's over I guess... or maybe it's only when something better is on the way... like a weekend!

Oops... I did it again

So I haven't been updating regularly... and I actually can feel it. I think this blog has made me more cognizant of things I enjoy... and how many I actually enjoy.

And no one's read this yet, as far as I can tell... and I'm surprisingly ok with that. I am doing this for me... purely selfishly, actually.... and not anyone else.

So I guess today, since I'm backtracking and going to do a whack of posts (eleven! eep!), I'm happy for forgiveness... even if it's only forgiving myself for not being as up to date as I'd like to be:)