To Be With You

I heard "To Be With You" by Mr. Big today, and all of a sudden, so many memories of the early 90s came flooding back.

I remember listening to that song religiously in our car every night on the "Top 7 at 7" with "Tarzan Dan". 680 am was a preset on our dial, and I used to love running out to the car each night to check out what would be number one.

Upon reflection, 680 was a pretty good station-- Jesse and Gene in the morning (my favourite segment was "Wreck a Wedding Wednesday" in which they'd call some unsuspecting bride and lie to her about something like her dress being burned in a fire just days before the ceremony... major lols) and then Tarzan Dan at night.

The song "To Be With You" is, to this day, probably one of my favourite one hit wonders. I remember being genuinely confused as to whether the singer was male or female-- and the video didn't help solve the mystery (thank you 80s hair). One of my friends and I argued over that so much-- but neither of us was honestly totally sure.

I don't know why, exactly, that song was so popular to me. It just was mellow, I guess. Hearing it today made me feel a bit mellow too... smiling about a time when things seemed so much simpler, when the highlight of my day would be running out to the car on a warm summer evening to hear the top seven songs of the day counted down by a guy named "Tarzan."

I wish I could go back to that time with the knowledge I have now. I wonder how different things would be.

The Insider

Yep, as you can tell, I'm a total foodie. I'm definitely an addict, and I do have to watch myself. I enjoy cooking, baking, dining-- I love it all-- even grocery shopping.

(Sadly,) this is why I get so excited four times a year when the President's Choice Insider's Report comes out. I love it-- I go absolutely crazy for it.

Let's be honest: President's Choice is the best food brand in Canada. I'm sorry "Compliments" and "Irresistibles" and "No Name"-- you just don't cut it when compared to PC. Not even close. Some of my favourites include their Kettle Chips, jams and jellies, couscous, frozen entrees... I could go on and on.

So today, I was particularly grateful to go through my fliers and come upon a new Insider's Report! I didn't expect one so soon as there was a rather large one at Christmas-- hence the surprise and the enjoyment derived from it. This one features many healthy alternatives which makes my impending PC splurge more guilt-free :)

God Bless Gaelen Weston.

Nothing but a t-shirt

I think most of us have a favourite tshirt. It's one that's worn in, fits just right, and seems to mold to our shape when we put it on. Maybe it's a reminder of the best concert we attended or a great vacation-- whatever the case, it ends up being a favourite.

Whatever the case, t-shirts can be so comfortable. And while I don't have a major affinity to tshirts in general, I must say that there's not much I enjoy more than my tshirt sheets. They are cool when it's hot out; they retain heat in the winter. I find them soft and just the best things to happen to sleep since the bed.

Thank you, tshirt sheets designer. I owe you one.

Scrabbulous

I'd never really been a fan of the board game "Scrabble". I mean, it's alright... but it's no Scattergories.

That all changed when I started playing Scrabble online. Wow. It's so much fun. I enjoy the think time and the fact that there's no one across the board staring, pressuring me to move more quickly.

I've won a few rounds here and there... and I'll even (sadly) admit that I've used the Online Scrabble Word Finder on occasion... but the sweetest victories are the ones that come from just trial and error... sans online generator.

I think it's a nice way to expand the vocabulary and use my (limited) word knowledge.

Let them eat (fruit) cake!

In some ways, I think that I'm becoming a senior citizen. No, I haven't started stashing pocketfuls of Werther's Originals around, nor do I almost break a hip when I see the Trebor "Pick N' Mix".... but one of my favourite things right now (well... from December up to the present) is fruitcake.

Seriously. How old am I?

I remember going to weddings when I was younger, and the signature favour was Fruit Cake, and I was so disappointed. "Boo-urns to Fruit Cake," I'd say.

Then, I had a slice of the Claxtons (sp?). My life changed. It was more fruit than cake, more sweet than briny, more delicious than gross.

I was given a Claxtons Cake for my birthday, and I've been keeping it in the freezer... slowly but surely eating a slice here and there. Highly enjoyable.

So bad for me, by the way.

But so good.

Monster Mash?

I hadn't really heard the term "Mash Up" until watching an episode of Glee which featured the concept of two songs being mashed together. Now, I can't get enough of them.

In fact, I had to do some advertising for an upcoming event and made my own. A little DJing, if you will. I think I've got a future in this career-- ha!

Seriously, though, the only way to make two amazing songs even better is to mix 'em up. What a great concept. There's some DJ (Earworm, maybe?) who puts together a mash up of the top 25 songs of the year at the end of the respective year. It's pretty impressive-- almost like a musical snapshot of 12 months.

You Can't Handle the Truth

I think that we, as a society, sugar coat things too much. Sometimes people need to hear the honest truth. I like to know how people feel about me or things I've done-- good or bad. Yep, people avoid saying what they really feel because they don't want to hurt feelings or offend someone... but I'd much rather have to deal with a bruised ego for a bit than find out months later that someone said something nasty about something I'd done or about me. Here's the thing: people always find out things you've said about them. Always.

I think it's rare that we hear the truth.

Today, I heard some truth. It's not the easiest thing to take-- definitely bruised by it all. But I'm so thankful that I have a friend who was willing to tell it to me. That's a true mark of someone who cares-- it's not always easy being a straight shooter.