Top 10 Things for a Busy Day Off

Is it sad that I can't really remember what it feels like to take a real vacation day? Yeah, I had the week off during the holidays, but so did everybody and their brother.

Tomorrow I have a vacation day (the first of FIVE by the end of March!), and I'm not really sure what to do with myself. Well, not true I guess...I have a list of stuff to tackle:

1. Take the car in for maintenance. (Pretty happy I chose a Honda these days.)

2. While I wait for said car, start reading 1 of the 3 books from the Fall 2010 list that I downloaded to my eReader (ahh Sony, how I love taking 20 books with me everywhere I go).

3. Drink a tall vanilla bean latte (skim, no foam), and enjoy while it's hot.

4. Make an appearance at the gym. (Who art thou, stranger?)

5. Post-workout, see if the Superstore has any whole fryer chickens left that are on sale because frankly, we make a darn good chicken noodle soup at our house.

6. Glance at Blackberry email to see what I'm missing.

7. Take a long hot bubble bath and catch up on the latest issues of Chatelaine and Best Health.

8. Pop into the library to find a good book on potty training. Yeah, we're creeping up on that stage already. :-\

9. Cook something delicious for dinner (but not chicken noodle soup because there's already a batch in the fridge!).

10. Figure out what in the heck I should do on my next day off. (Maybe, nothing!? Because after all...LEISURE RULES!)

Revival: Dusting Off the Cobwebs

So it's been what, almost a year and a half since I've blogged here. Shame on me...especially since my last post was about tips for being a good blogger. Heh.

Today I was inspired to dust off the cobwebs, and get writing again. I'm four months into my maternity leave, and have found myself feeling a bit lost. I love being a mama, and love that I have the luxury of time at home to care for Littlelicious until next July. However, when I brought him home from the hospital, I lost my identity as I knew it.

For over ten years, I've been a career woman. I defined myself on my jobs and aimed to achieve and set the bar high. I thrived on the daily rewards of accomplishment.

And now, my daily accomplishments include getting Littlelicious to nap for an uninterrupted hour, avoiding being spit upon, and coaxing those delightful little giggles out of my son.

That's a whole different world of accomplishments right there.

Anyway...I went to The Company's holiday luncheon today, where I reveled in the company of my colleagues, and decided it was time to reclaim my sense of self. Or at least the part of it that I can while balancing a four-month-old on my hip.

Boot-Scootin' Books?

At my old job (a long, long time ago), when I used to travel a lot, my colleagues and I played the airport boredom game, whereby you try to guess the occupation of passersby simply based on their clothing, hairstyle, actions, etc. It was a fun, brainteaser sort of game that passed the long layover hours amusingly.

Today, I found myself thinking about a similar game, but this time I was considering my neighbour across the street. I have never officially met her (they moved in not too long ago) but she is frequently out in the front yard with her chocolate brown dog (a lab mix?) wearing short shorts, a bikini top, bare feet, and a cowboy hat. Oh, and she's blasting Carrie Underwood from her truck's stereo while she does her boot-scootin' yardwork.

Instead of wondering what her occupation is (Does she have one? I dunno!), I found myself wondering what types of books she likes to read. Does she devour a good swashbuckler with Fabio on the cover? Perhaps a little chicklit late at night? Or maybe, just maybe, being a cowgirl at heart, she's into Louis L'Amour. I'll bet she's more sophisticated than I give her credit for. I'll bet she's a Can Lit girl.

One of these days I'll finally wander across the street to say hello, and it will be one of my first questions because after all those years of the airport game, I never got to know if I was right about a person.

Apparently, The Candyman Can't.

Props to scarbie doll for reminding me to blog about this story as I told it at work today. So if this amuses/grosses you out, you can thank/blame her. :-P

I've been reading Ecoholic by Adria Vasil, and have felt the call to make a concerted effort to lessen my footprint on the environment. So when I read the part about the ways that disposable razors and foaming shave gels negatively impact the environment, I decided that perhaps THIS was my opportunity! THIS would be step 1 in my new drive to make the world a better place!

One of the eco-friendly solutions to hair removal is the ancient process of sugaring. It's much like waxing, but without the toxins and gunk. Plus, the cloth strips are easily washable with a little hot water, and therefore reusable. Bonus!

After a bit of googling I found the universal recipe for successful sugaring:

2 cups sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup water

I bought some basic cotton fabric and cut it into strips. I bought a hefty bag of sugar and a lemon. I got a candy thermometer to ensure I got it to the precise 250 degree temp. And I set to work.

The directions were followed, but as I was waiting for my sugar-licious mixture to cool down to the point where I could slap it on my legs without needing a call to 911, it started to harden. In a panic I tried spreading the amber mixture on my leg, and not only did it not stick to my leg because of the cornstarch I powdered with because this website recommended it for "tautness making it more effective," but it was also still WAY TOO HOT.

As it continued to set to a rock candy stage, I ran down to the kitchen to try and get it out of the glass dish before it completely set.

One foot of wax paper, a spatula, a spoon, and a paring knife later, I had a lovely little blob of artwork on my counter, and a dark amber dish you could have preserved a Jurassic mosquito in.

Mr. Man came to my rescue, and amidst giggling fits, helped me reheat the solution so the glass dish could be saved.

Moral of the story: Leave the sugaring to the professionals, ladies. There are much less stressful (and less messy!) ways to save the earth.

Gesundheit, Mr. Darcy

As I was laying here in bed amidst my hot tea, cough drops, vitamin C, and nearly empty box of tissues, a thought occurred: Main characters in books never get summer colds. They never seem to get colds at all! Period! Somehow that doesn't seem entirely fair. Although, I suppose if they did get colds it would make for rather dull reading, since they'd be stuck in bed all day.

But I digress...seriously, can anyone name a book in which a character suffers from the common cold? It would make me feel better. I think.

Achoo.

Flickr-licious

Sweet. Try spelling with flickr for yourself here.

Long Live Michael Rose and Mucho Burrito!

Today it's all about Mike Rose and burritos.

Oh, what a wonderful day! Not only is it Mike Rose's birthday (Happy Happy to you!), but today is the day that I discovered (well, that Jane escorted us to) a peppy little place called Mucho Burrito! Don't you just feel like singing that name with gusto? MUCH-oooo Buuuurrrrrr-IT-oooooooh!

Okay, so what's so great about Mucho Burrito is that it's almost exactly like Qdoba, which my long-time pals and readers will know was one of my favourite restaurants in that city I used to live in. It was also the restaurant where I let a jerk cut in line because I'm a nice girl. (Oh! Side note - I just realized that the post links in my old blog have apparently stopped working. The story I just referred to is somewhere on the page though, IF you feel like looking for it, and apparently have a lot of time on your hands.)

Aaaaaaanyway. I've been missing that Mexican grill-type cuisine since moving here. And now I am a happy princess once again.

And now a little word or two about Mike Rose. I would give you a little linky goodness, but Mike Rose is apparently a man of so few words that he doesn't have a blog of his very own. But, Mike Rose DOES want to have a place in the world for eternity. Or at least a mention. And so now that I've mentioned Mike Rose's name...let's see, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7....SEVEN whopping times in my blog post, he will therefore be plastered across the blogosphere for eternity. Or until I hit that shiny delete button. :)

Happy Birthday, Mike Rose! (Whoop, that's EIGHT!)

Things That I Keep Meaning to Blog About...

...but I've been too lazy busy to do so. I'll get to it eventually:

1. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne - review
2. Rufus Wainwright's new album
3. Sweet cherries
4. More dental woes
5. Preparing for a yard sale
6. Shoot "The Good Guy" Trailer contest - winner chosen!
7. The Good Guy by Dean Koontz - review (pending pub date)
8. National Bingo Night

So this list serves two purposes I suppose. 1) To let you know, dear reader, that I have been meaning to post several times over the past couple weeks, and 2) to refresh my memory as to what the heck I wanted to write about because for some reason I'm having a hard time with my short term memory lately. I feel like I've aged immensely in the past year, and my brain is showing it I think.

'Til next time then...and at least then I'll know exactly what to post about. Gotta love the good old ordered list!

Cavity Central

Yesterday, I went to the dentist to have a cavity filled. This was an anxiety-ridden trip for me because I haven't had a cavity in at least ten years. I'm not kidding! I had a pretty good run with great teeth for a while there.

But now, as she took an xray to check out the progress the cavity had made before she filled it, she discovered two more cavities. ARGH! Two of them are in the tough spot - right in between your teeth.

I really don't get why I'm having these dental problems all of a sudden now. It's frustrating because my reign as the "No Cavities" Queen has ended. And I'm sad because I had completely forgotten how much novocaine sucks.

She gave me a pretty good shot I guess, because I was still a bit numb 6 hours later. Of course that didn't stop me from enjoying dinner out at my favourite cajun seafood joint with friends though. At least this time I had an excuse for spilling my food and diet coke. "No, really, I'm numb on that side!"

Reminds me of that old Bill Cosby bit that he did about going to the dentist. Anyone remember that? Oh-buh Kay-bee. :-D

There's a Feud Brewin' in Genoa City

Ahhhh it's a Y&R day again. Victor and Brad are going at it cuz Brad slept with Sharon (When the heck did I miss that!?) and Nikki couldn't keep her trap shut about it.

I just thought that it would be a fun idea to do a book of Y&R's most memorable moments, because man, there were some outrageous ones. (Whatever happened to Nina by the way?) Lo and behold, somebody already did it.

Line of the day blurted by Nikki Newman to Victoria Newman: "Phyllis could drive anybody to drink."

Oh they are so sneaky and conniving on this show! Times are always exciting in Genoa City.

Drawing the Line

Today I'm enjoying a rainy day off. I'm planning to spend at least a good hour or two on Suite Francaise because I simply haven't had made the time to devote to it that I should.

I'm really struggling with drawing that line between work/personal time. I've gotten used to logging in and doing some work from home in the evenings, and having started this new position, I'm very tempted to work all the time to bring myself up to speed on everything THAT much faster! But I can't do that. Luckily I have a boss who has flat out told me I can't do that. After only a week, I can tell I could easily burn out in this job if I don't allow for that personal time to do stuff for me and my family.

So, I'm forcing myself to leave the laptop in its bag, to set the Blackberry down on the table and not be drawn to it every time it buzzes. (I haven't been able to bring myself to set it to quiet just yet.) :-D

It's All Mush

As you can tell from my lack of creativity in my previous post's title (which should have been something along the lines of "Blood, Guts, and Crack, Oh My!" or actually, maybe "Bloody Hell, That's a Crack of a Good Book." Okay, I'll stop.) my brain is tired.

You know when you start a new job, there is so much input and a very little output that your brain starts turning to mush.

Yah, that's me. It's day two. But honestly? I can totally see that once I get over the wee little speed bump of a learning curve, I'm going to kick ass at this job.

I just keep telling myself to look back at where I was three years ago. Now think three years ahead.

Am I making any sense here? Maybe I should call it a night... :-P

It's a Young and Restless Friday

I love being home on a weekday to catch up on trashy daytime tv. And my big thrill for today was the fact that they finally killed off Dru on the Young and the Restless. Hallelujah! That woman drove me nuts for YEARS on that show. Now if they could only do something about Victoria. And Nikki. Oh, and Sharon's really irking me too.

Why am I watching this again? :-D

When I Grow Up...

Squeeeee! A week from Monday I will be starting a new position in my company, and I couldn't be more excited about it because it's giving me that feeling that I'll get to do what I really want to do. And it's gotten me thinking about all the different types of things that I thought I wanted to be when I grew up, and I'm slightly off track from that. Okay, well maybe a lot off track.

What I wanted to be when I grew up: (in chronological order)

1. Teacher. I used to have an old school desk in my bedroom, and I would make these tests up and force my friends to sit at the desk and take the test so I could grade it. I think they put up with it so they could swim in our pool.

2. Lawyer. I have no idea where this one came from. I remember talking with my dad about it when I was about 11. I think it came from watching Claire Huxtable on the Cosby Show.

3. Muppeteer. I always had an affinity for Kermit. And I just couldn't STAND it when amateurs tried to make their sock puppets talk, and yet they got the hand motion backwards! Your hand is supposed to OPEN when the words are spoken. For some reason, it's a big pet peeve of mine. Anyway, I gave up this dream when I realized I would have had to move to California where it was really hot. :-D

4. Video director for Weird Al Yankovic. No, I'm not kidding! I was obsessed with Weird Al in junior high, particularly his polkas. I would envision stage versions of them and plan out the video in my head. I think I gave this one up when I discovered that liking Weird Al was not cool with the popular cliques. Don't tell anyone that I still listen to him now and then. And I can still picture my big polka productions.

5. Actress on Broadway. There is nothing like standing on stage in front of a full house, belting out a solo and getting all the attention. Oh, I loved being in musicals in school. My last role was Meg Brockie (the town whore) in Brigadoon. My Scottish accent sucked, but I was great at stealing the show. ;) I did realize though, that it was unlikely that I would make it to Broadway, and would probably die a starving wannabe actress.

6. Stage manager. I gave up the bright lights for the life behind the curtains for several years. Being a stage manager was completely fulfilling for me, blending the creative side with the organization and administration of it all. I think I just loved being in charge. Unfortunately there's not much money to be made here either.

7. Music teacher. In the early years of university, I thought this was it for me. Until I took an exploratory teaching class, and they placed me as a student teacher with 7th and 8th graders. I quickly changed my mind about that profession. Those kids are brutal!! Luckily for me though, I already had enough credits at that point for a music minor, so that made me happy enough.

8. Webmaster. When I gave up on the idea of teaching, I turned to computers as my new hobby, and it quickly became an obsession. I taught myself html, and spent all my spare time online building websites and writing iptscrae for The Palace (geez, does anybody remember that now?). I think this dream stuck, and I've been floating somewhere nearby this profession ever since...

What I actually became:
1. Web Developer
2. Software Quality Analyst
3. Senior SQA, E-commerce Team Leader
--changed careers & industries--
4. Marketing Assistant
5. Marketing & Publicity Coordinator
6. Marketing Manager
7. Publicity Manager
8. Online Marketing Manager (My new job!! Yeah!!)

Do you think that we ever really stop wanting what we don't have? Do we always yearn for the next great thing? When I took a career management training course in between my big career switch, they told us that on average, a person will change careers (not jobs, actual careers) seven times in their life. SEVEN TIMES! Doesn't that seem like a lot? I'm starting to not believe it, at least for myself, because I feel like I've found the industry that I fit in. At last, I feel like the job is right. (Holy crap, the planets have aligned!)

Maybe the seven career changes are for the people who are meandering through their lives not really focusing on what it is they really want to do. The career management training was fantastic, because it forced me to focus on figuring out what my skills, talents, and desires were, and it narrowed down my ideal career options. I would totally recommend going through that process to anyone who is not happy in their current career. It could truly change your life!

So tell me, what did you want to be when you grew up? Did you do it?

Pillow Talk

Good grief. My first post in April and we're already four days in. This has been a wild and busy week, and I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted! Can't wait for my head to hit the pillow.


Speaking of hitting pillows...I saw this story on Global News tonight, and it was like watching a train wreck.

Apparently pillow fighting has become an official sport.

Are you kidding me??

They've applied rules and regulations to pillow fighting and created a league. Oh, and check out their costumes and stage names. Digit Jones? Betty Clock'er? Okay, that part's kinda funny. But I bet some horny guys must be pretty pleased with themselves for creating this.

The Pillow Fight League (PFL) leads the way as the most exciting and innovative new wave in sports entertainment. Featuring strong female combatants, the PFL is engaged in the unprecedented whip-action attack of pillow fighting. Not just for the slumber-party sleepover anymore, these women are serious brawlers - armed with beauty, brains and a nasty disposition. The contests are fast-paced and furious, with flying feathers and hard-hitting moves. There are various ways to win a match, with a referee always on hand to keep the hair-pulling and scratching to a minimum.

Seriously though, am I the only one scratching my head on this one? Would you want your daughter to aspire to be a professional pillow fighter so a crowd of guys could get their kicks? Cause you know they're not watching it for the educational value. ;)

Whatever. Maybe I'm just getting old and cranky. Maybe my sense of what's good entertainment is skewed from what tends to be the norm these days. I don't like Survivor. Or American Idol. Or The Bachelor. There, I said it. Flog me if you must.


But I'm somehow transfixed by Dancing with the Stars. Crap, what's wrong with me!? :-D

Brown Paper Packages Tied Up with Strings...

randomness...feed your mind and your blog
Week of March 25: A Few of My Favorite Things

what's your favorite.....

1. food: I'll break this one down into two categories. Fave healthy food? Yogurt. Especially now that I've discovered the delectable goodness of Activia's apple meusli & nuts. Now, fave food in general? CHEESE! Ohhh I *heart* cheese. Give me a chunk of bread and a hunk of cheese and I'm in heaven.

2. movie: Stealing Home (Mark Harmon & Jodi Foster) Something about this movie just gets me every time. And for anyone who's seen this one, you'll know what it means when I say, "Goodnight Mrs. Paaaaaaarks!" :-D

3. song: Grace Kelly by Mika, but as far as music goes my favourites change frequently. But ooh, Mika's album is released in Canada tomorrow! I've been looking forward to this one...he's a great blend of Elton John, Scissor Sisters, and Queen. What a combination. Big Girl is a great anthem for us fluffy girls out there. :-D

4. color: Brick Red (with glitter!)

5. outdoor activity: Walking. Am I boring yet?

6. season: Fall is indisputably the most beautiful season, in my opinion. Nothing greater than the changing colour of leaves, the crisp autumn air, breaking out your sweaters, and curling up by the fireplace with a cup of cocoa and a good book.

7. book: Oh, now this isn't fair. There's no possible way in the universe that I can narrow it down to one fave. So I'll give you my latest one: The Way the Crow Flies by Ann-Marie MacDonald. Her previous book, Fall on Your Knees was an Oprah pick, but this one grabbed me on a more personal level. Perhaps it's my childhood fascination with Bugs Bunny, just like the main character, Madeleine McCarthy. Or maybe it's something else.

8. store: One word - IKEA. I know, some people look down on it because it's "cheap" stuff. But hey, why should I spend 3x the money at a fancy furniture store, when IKEA stuff looks great and holds up just fine in my house? More money for me to spend on books. And shoes.

9. car: I've only had a few cars in my lifetime, but so far the best has been my Honda Civic (06)!

10. animal: This guy:



till next time....

Visual DNA

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

Long Time Gone

So I feel the need to explain my blogginess. Er, my blogessence. Um. Whatever.

I started a blog way back in 2002. I called it The Old Curiosity Shop, and this was my very first post:

7.17.2002
Curiosity is not just for cats. I read to learn. I read to feel. I read because I'm curious about the world and about people. I love to share my favorite books and poems with people. That's just what this is. The Old Curiosity Shop of Literature.

Somewhere along the way, I lost track of that mission. I went strong for a good solid year, I think, and then the posts started coming few and far between. I think I figured out a reason for it.

I'm a perfectionist (like so many others who say they're a perfectionist when asked what their negative qualities are) and I can't seem to continually produce what I intend to be high-quality posts on a regular basis.

How can I get over that? Well...I can start writing rambly posts like this one until I figure out what the heck I'm trying to say.

I've always believed that good writing is an art that is well practiced.

And boy, have I been out of practice.

But now I feel that urge again...to write...to discover...to share the things I know. It's a pretty profound feeling. I hope it sticks around.

How do you solve a problem like ice on the CN Tower?

Ice Closes Gardiner

This week in Toronto, a major section of the Gardiner Expressway was closed due to the threat of falling sheets of ice the size of dinner tables from the side of the CN Tower.

The size of DINNER TABLES. Yikes.

Well, this little conundrum made my commuting hours hellish. As any Torontonian knows, whenever something happens on the Gardiner/QEW, you get gridlocked traffic trying to get out of the city which makes for lots and lots of cranky motorists.

Me included. CRANKY-pants! My commute home on Monday afternoon took over 2 hours, when it shouldhave taken 1. Grumble grumble.

But the good news is, the highway has reopened -- for now. The sheet of ice is still clinging for dear life on the tower, and officials have no idea how to get it down safely.

Enter the brilliant Canadian public:
"Ask the Maple Leafs to play on it. Maybe they'll actually win a game."
- Wilson Chung, Mississauga

(ouch...hey, they DID win last night!)

"Put a bunch of politicians in the 360 Restaurant. All the hot air generated is sure to melt the ice."
- Trevor Dzoutzidis, Toronto

"Where is Spiderman when we really need him?"
- R. Swift, Point Edward

"Have them re-route the cast of Amazing Race All-Stars to the base of the CN Tower. Give each team a soup spoon and tell them the last one to remove their section of ice is eliminated. Those guys will do anything."
- Bryant St., Toronto

"Lower a large speaker from above and acoustically blast it off. I'm thinking Celine Dion. She can hit the high notes and that way she could use her voice for good instead of evil."
- Tom MacMillan, Brockville

Sheer silliness! :)

Why don't they do my idea? Get a helicopter up there with a really big broom hanging from it, and smack that tower around a little bit? That'll teach it!

literalicious

"Writing a novel is like making love, but it's also like having a tooth pulled. Pleasure and pain. Sometimes it's like making love while having a tooth pulled."

-- Dean Koontz