Down the Rabbit Hole

Wordpress

2009-05-24T13:13:00.002-04:00

Hey y'all,
Just another reminder that I've moved over to Wordpress.
SO, if this site is still in your Reader or links, switch it to the other one please!
My new location is http://ewalker9.wordpress.com. Hope to see you over there!

Time for a Move

2009-05-19T23:26:00.002-04:00

Okay, guys, I think I'm going to do it. I'm going to move to Wordpress.
I'll miss having fun themes, but the comments system seems better and I like having integrated stats and the option of pages.
This is a big deal for me, I've been with Blogger for years, so bear with me while I figure out how to use Wordpress fully, and send me some love at my new location.
So head on over to http://ewalker9.wordpress.com and update your links and readers please!!

Star Trek FTW!

2009-05-13T22:11:00.000-04:00

Apparently it's cool to be a Trekkie, for, like, the first time ever.
I have a confession.
As a kid, my best friend loved Star Trek - meaning I had to love it too. Then, as I got older, my parents got into it. When I say "got into it", I mean we watched it every single night during supper for years. I have seen almost every episode of Star Trek Voyager, and a good deal of The Next Generation.
So, even though I'm not a bona-fide Trekkie, I still know a great deal more about the franchise than the average person.
That being said, my little sister is even more of a Trekkie than I ever will be... for a while she even walked around with The Next Generation buttons on her purse. True story. So, with me being home, on Monday, my littlest sister and I had a date to go see Star Trek.

I was excited to go see it. I'd heard really good things about it, and I know J.J. Abrams is pretty amazing. Also, I have a giant crush on Zachary Quinto, partially from Heroes, but mostly due to the fact that he is completely adorable in every single interview I have seen him in.

Um, spoiler alert: it was awesome!

Seriously, go see this right away. If you grew up with Star Trek, go see it. If you've never watched an episode of any Star Treks before this, go see it. If you need to wear your Klingon costume, go see it.
Was there a downside? No, I don't think there was.
The actors were amazing, the special effects were also amazing.
Not to mention how freaking cute Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto are. They should be reason alone to go see it.
Can I go see it again now, please?

I Forgot to Savour It...

2009-05-11T01:15:00.003-04:00

Lately, I've been a little bit, uh, obsessed, with Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse novels. You know, the ones that HBO's TrueBlood are based on? They follow Sookie, a mind-reading waitress in rural Louisianna as she navigates the newly revealed supernatural world - vampires, weres, witches and fairies - oh my! If you've been following along, you'll remember when I first discovered the tv series and spent a whole day watching the entire first season, when I bought and read the first book in the series, when the books completely took over my life, when I considered threatening postal employees because the latest realease had not arrived yet, and finally, when it arrived and I was so excited I took pictures with it.

I had big plans to take it slowly and savour this one, because as far as I know, Ms. Harris has not announced when the next one is coming. I even waited and didn't start reading on Friday night when I got the book, knowing it would go too fast.

Well I started on Saturday morning and finished on Sunday night. "Dead and Gone" went fast.

I don't want to spoil too much for anyone who hasn't read it. (By the way, if you're reading something else, you're wasting your time - start reading this series ASAP!) Let's just say I was pleased. No big departure from the previous books, this series certainly has an established style that it sticks to - but I am a fan of that style. In order not to ruin it, my review is like this:

ERIC!!! (ack! swoon! whaa?) Woah - Arlene! Bill!?!! Holycrapfairiesarecreepy!

Those of you who've read it (*ahem* EP *ahem*), thoughts?
Those of you who have told me you have the first book in the series but have not read it (*cough* Olga *cough*), get on it - you've got a lot of catching up to do!
Those of you who for some bizarre reason have not thought to pick up a copy of these books - seriously, get your butt to the book store or library! They're entertaining and light while being thrilling and sexy. And at least for me, they're consuming, they take over my life, I get emotionally involved, I have a GIANT literary crush on a certain former Viking.

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T21:21:00.003-04:00

Here's Mommy and Me...
Now:

And then:

Happy Mother's Day to my strong and beautiful mother, who has shown me by example how to overcome life's challenges with grace and good humour.

I'll Be MIA for a Few Days...

2009-05-08T18:14:00.003-04:00

It arrived today!! Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris! Look how excited I am! I need to remember to savour it, though, as I don't know when the next is coming. But I'm going home on Sunday, so I'll get to spend next week reading it on the porch - we'd better have good weather!

Seriously, guys, are you reading this series yet?

I'm (Impatiently) Waiting!

2009-05-07T23:56:00.003-04:00

Okay, seriously, Chapters, I pre-ordered the new Charlaine Harris book Dead and Gone, a month ago. It came out on Tuesday. Where is my book?? I could have gone to the store and purchased it multiple times by now! The website finally says it has shipped in full, so maybe this is Canada Post's fault. I've gone downstairs in my pjs every day since Tuesday to check the mail, and I've got nothing. It's Thursday, but if I don't get it tomorrow, so that I have it for the weekend, somebody will be in trouble. Listen, guys, just give me my Sookie Stackhouse book and no one gets hurt.

Maybe Next Time...

2009-05-07T01:26:00.003-04:00

Well, I didn't get either of the full-time positions. They hired a guy who used to work full-time there before he went to school (not a big surprise, males are like gold in my field), and, in a surprise move, they hired a fairly new girl for the other position.
The guy I understand. But the new girl?? She's still learning the job, meanwhile, there were several of us who already know the job who also applied. I mean, I trained for free as a student from September until December, and I've been working there since January - I think I am more qualified for the position than someone who only started a few months ago.
But, as per usual, they told me to keep applying and something will come. They told me that I am well liked by all of the supervisors and management and that there are always new spots opening. Some of the other full-time staff were surprised that I didn't get it, one was even right pissed off, which feels good, I mean, if the full-time staff think I should be full-time, it's a good sign right?
But this was my second time applying for full time. I know one of the staff had to apply for it 4 times before she got it. How long do I keep doing this before I give up and apply to other jobs? I really like my workplace. I really like my clients (some more than others, obviously). I really like the work that we do there. I really really like my co-workers. I don't really want to work somewhere else. But eventually I have to get serious, right? Sooner or later I am going to need to grow up and get a full-time job, right?
For now, though, I think I'll wait it out. I should at least get a second job, but I don't really want to. I mean, I'm young, fresh out of school - if I can't slack off now, when can I?

I've Been Etsy Shopping...

2009-05-04T16:41:00.002-04:00

Sunshine - tie head band/head wrap from joyfulstar - for me.

Pretty hair pins, vintage blue from your wishcake - also, for moi.

A custom-made sign for Mom (a Mother's Day present) that will look sort of like this, only one line and saying: THE FARM Est. 2008 - my parents can post it at their property.
From Distressed DeSigns.

I'm so excited for them all to arrive!! In the meantime, go check out those shops!

Guaranteed Income

2009-05-02T02:18:00.003-04:00

Right now, I only work per diem work, meaning it's like relief shifts. I still get quite a few shifts, almost full time hours, but that's not always guaranteed. I am just waiting around for full time at this point. It will come, I just need to be patient.
Once I get full time, I will have a salary, which will be exactly what I need to finally get my finances in order and develop a real budget. And, of course, with said guaranteed monies, I have some plans.

When I get a real person (full time) job, I want to get:
1. An iPhone (But my current phone, a Motorola Krzr is less than a year old... so I can't justify it yet.)
2. A real couch (Can I do this and keep my loveseat? It's a pretty small apartment, but the loveseat is kind of sentimental.)
3. A big girl bed (I currently have a twin, I want at least a double. And a pretty new bedspread.)

It's all about becoming a grown up really. I have an interview tomorrow for full time. I think there might be a few people ahead of me to get the spot, so I may not get it this time... but it's worth a shot! Wish me luck.

Shop Local

2009-04-29T16:37:00.003-04:00

I found this over at The Transformation of Kern, and although it's an American thing, it completely applies everywhere.

Go here to find out more about it.
My parents own a small business, so I know how super important it is to support small businesses. Sure, I can be caught time to time going to those big box stores, after all, I'm only human, BUT, the more you shop at small businesses, the more products those small businesses can offer you and the more small businesses your town can support. When you shop at local small businesses, that money stays in your community instead of going to a large corporation. Not to mention, the quality of service you get from small businesses is about 1000% better than at those big box stores (you know, when you have to hunt someone down to help you find something who then makes you feel bad for wanting them to go out of their way to find the product you want to purchase?). So shop small and shop local, guys. Everyone benefits!

My Top 10 Pre-Teen / Early Teenage Books

2009-04-28T00:50:00.000-04:00

A while back I read a post over at the Society of List Addicts about Favourite Books from my Childhood, and that inspired me to create my own. I read a lot as a kid. I'm not going to include storybooks, instead I'll stick with the ones I was obsessed with in paperback form as a pre-teen / early teenager.

1) Invitation to The Game - Monica Hughes:
Honestly, I think they should make a movie of this. I read this book more times than I ever read a book in my entire life, it was just that good. I wanted to be Lisse and live in that futuristic dystopia. Now, I loved many of Monica Hughes' other books, but this one definitely takes the cake as the best. In case you haven't read it, go here to read a review.2) The Babysitter's Club - Ann M. Martin:
I read almost every book in the series, squealed with joy when the movie came out, and went to get my babysitting liscence ASAP because of this series. I imagined I was these girls. Anything that can glamourize babysitting to pre-teens is an amazing series. Here's the background info.
3) Nancy Drew - Caroline Keene:
I read a good many of this series as well. Nancy Drew is an amazing girl who, with her 2 best friends, nice car, helpful daddy, and handsome boyfriend, solved various mysteries, often including creepiness and life-risking - everything you would expect from a good mystery. Check out the background of the series.
4) Anne of Green Gables / Emily of New Moon - L.M. Montgomery
Both series (Anne and Emily) were written about East-coast Canadian children who are orphaned and grow up in adopted families (Anne) or with relatives (Emily). Both are daydreamers and have a small group of close friends that they win over, and the series' follow each of them transform into successful young women. Here's info about Anne and Emily.
5) My Teacher is an Alien - Bruce Colville (and pretty much all of his other works):
I was obsessed with Bruce Colville. My friend and I even wrote him fan mail (although I don't remember if we ever sent them). It went along nicely with my obsession with all things space-related. Three school-aged kids who find out that their teacher is, in fact, from outer space. I wanted to be Susan and had a total crush on Peter, and wished pretty much daily that I would be taken into space. Here's more info.

6) Tomorrow When The War Began - John Marsden:
This was a series about a group of teenage friends who were camping in the woods for the weekend when their country (Australia) is invaded by another country. These teens are some of the few people who remain free after the invasion and they help to lead attacks against the invaders, all while experiencing their own coming of age. I read this during a time when I was obsessed with all things war-related - between this, and WWII novels, I wonder if my parents were ever worried about that obsession. Here's more about the series.
7) The Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis:
I don't even need to explain this, do I? I think Mom read all of them outloud to us growing up, every night before bed. When I got a bit older, I read them all myself. There is possibly nothing better as a child than to be read to about talking animals, fairies, nymphs, fawns, and royalty as you're drifting off to sleep, and then, when you're old enough to read it yourself, re-reading the series and being captured by the magic all over again, remembering it just as you heard it as a child. Here's more about the series.
8) Madeline L'Engle - anything by her - especially A Ring of Endless Light and A Wrinkle in Time:
Youth protagonists coming of age while the storylines cover modern science and fantasy events with a religious tinge - they were just perfect for what I was interested in growing up. The religious aspects reminded me of the stories I grew up hearing at church, and made them "cool" again by adding in science and fantasy. Here's more about Madeline.

9) Little House on the Prairie - Laura Ingalls Wilder:
Another series that Mom read to us growing up (I think Mom's reading to us had a lot to do with how much my sister and I read later in life). This one based on the real life stories of the Ingalls family settling on the prairie. My sister and I used to pretend we were the girls in the story, we'd go outside and play Little House. It also inspired a lifelong fear of panthers. Here's more about the series.
10) His Dark Materials Trilogy - Phillip Pullman:
I recently re-read these books again, and they are just SO good. Don't let the recently made movie be any base on which to judge the series. Lyra and Will are from different versions of Earth, and they battle together for the forces of good while coming of age. Also combining religion and fantasy, it's not surprising that I was drawn to it. Although, I read it much later than most kids, because I picked it up when I was too young, got confused, and didn't pick it up again for much too long. All the same, incredible series. Go find out more.

So there you go. The pre-teen / early teenage books that I obsessed over, and that honestly helped shape who I am today.
What were your favourite books / series as a pre-teen and early teenager?

Should Have Known Better

2009-04-26T22:53:00.003-04:00

By 23, there are things I should know better, especially when it comes to my body. I should know how it works and how it reacts to certain things, I shouldn't end up spending the night in the hospital because of something I should know better.
Here's how it went down.
Friday morning, I get a text from one of my BFFs, asking if I wanted to go for drinks. She's had a tough week, and she also wanted to check in with me, because last weekend I found out that one of my clients passed away. So out we went, it was a beautiful Friday night and we found a pub on Bloor St. where the front windows opened garage-door style. We got a table right near the street, so we drank and ate and talked and people-watched for hours until the guy she is seeing showed up. At that point, I was already tipsy. I don't drink too much and I am on medication that lowers my alcohol tolerance, so I have a really low tolerance. So, when the boy showed up, I was already tipsy, and he then proceeded to order us drinks and shots. We made friends with the couple at the table next to us, and generally had a really good time. I usually keep myself sober enough to take transit home, because I live an hour's ride by transit away from downtown. That night, I knew that taking transit by myself would be a bad idea. I have never been that drunk before in my life. I texted friends on the way home to keep myself from passing out. I finally made it home, puked a few times, took a gravol and stumbled into my bed.
Now, I should explain why this is an extra bad idea for me. We believe that I have what's called Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome. I've had this since I was a young teen, the first time I remember it happening was in grade 10. Often it comes when I am nervous or stressed out, it has happened before when I've eaten foods that disagree with me as well. It's never happened before because of drinking, mostly because I usually keep myself in check. Basically, what happens is that I start throwing up, usually early morning, and I keep throwing up, for hours and hours, even when there isn't anything left in my stomach to throw up. It turns into dry heaving and I heave and heave for hours upon hours. Once before, I had to go to the hospital, but usually my Grandpa (a doctor) orders me a perscription of injectable gravol that Mom (a former nurse) gives to me. After an injection or two of gravol, I usually calm down and am able to stop puking, but it can take me days to really recover, because it wears me out. It hasn't happened now for almost 2 years, and it has never happened when I am so far away from home.
I woke up at 8:00 on Saturday morning and the vomiting started. Luckily, I have a cousin who lives in the same city and has helped me deal with the vomiting before, and she was able to come over and help nurse me. I don't think I could have made it through this on my own. By 6 at night, I was still vomiting and not able to keep anything inside of me, so we decided I had to go to the hospital. After what seemed like forever, I was admitted and given fluids and 3 bags of anti-nauseants before I settled down. By 5am, I was feeling better and able to keep fluids down, so my cousin took me home.
We slept all day today, with me waking up to call in to work and every once in a while drink some ginger ale and eat some crackers. My cousin went home late afternoon, and since then I've been home alone, nursing fluids and trying to make myself eat regularly.
Usually I love living by myself, but when I get sick, I hate it. I get so terribly home sick. I hate having to bother friends to come over to help me, but at the same time, I can hardly take care of myself.
But, I should have known better. I need to remember that I am not invincible and that I cannot possibly drink that much, especially when I live by myself and have no one to take care of me.
I am feeling better now, but I not only missed an incredibly beautiful weekend, I missed 2 days of work so far, and I had to cancel my interview for full-time at the shelter. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Music Swap

2009-04-24T12:58:00.004-04:00

Lily just posted about her newest awesome idea:

The Ultimate Music Swap

The idea is basic - leave a comment letting me know you want to play and then next week, I’ll randomly* match everyone up with another blogger. Your task is to create a mix tape (or CD, or playlist on a jump drive…) to send to each other. Pick new favorites, old favorites, up-and-coming local bands, artists you can’t live with out and anything you think needs to be shared with the world. When you get your mixtape/CD/playlist from your new friend, let us know what music you discovered and what your favorites are!

*The exception to this “randomness” is that I will not match up bloggers in the same city so that I don’t end up sending someone in Minneapolis my favorite Atmosphere song, etc.

This will be an AWESOME way to expand your music collection and share a little bit of yours.

Isn't that cool?? So go to Lily's site to tell her you're in! I'm doing it so you should too!

Another Blast From the Past

2009-04-23T02:00:00.004-04:00

After the Fern Gully blast from the past earlier today, I got thinking about the other environmentally themed shows I used to watch as a child. A friend reminded me of The Smoggies, and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon reminded me of Captain Planet. Remember these?

Did I forget any? I feel like we had a large amount of enviro-friendly shows, do kids these day have shows along these lines?

Happy Earth Day!

2009-04-22T12:57:00.003-04:00

In honour of Earth Day, I thought I'd share with you a blast from the past. Remember Fern Gully? The early '90s movie starring fairies, a crazy bat, a hunky logger shrunk down to fairy-size, and a creepy pollution-fueled villain? Yeah, you remember it. It was one of my favourite movies as a child, I watched it over and over again, knew most of the lyrics, wanted to be a fairy who lives in the forest, and thought Zak was a dream boat. Here's my favourite scene from the movie:

Happy Earth Day, everyone!

Just Checking...

2009-04-20T23:22:00.003-04:00

Are you following my Twitter? It's @ewalker9.
What about my Tumblr? I'm pretty darn proud of it. It's the place where I post pretty things. It's Tumbling Down the Rabbit Hole.
And are we friends on 20 Something Bloggers? Here's my profile. Are you a 20 something blogger in Toronto? Join my 20SB Group - Toronto 20 Somethings.
Finally, if you're on Facebook, follow my blog on Networked Blogs. It makes me happy to see people are following me, AND you can add me as a Facebook friend!
Let's be hooked up on every social media platform!

Me, Right Now

2009-04-20T16:01:00.000-04:00

I was tagged by Ria to take a picture of me right now and post it. I cheated and did not do it right away when I found out I was tagged... BUT, this is me right now, at almost 4pm... still in bed.

I am gunna tag a crapload of people (go check out their blogs, too): Jay, Jessica, Larissa, Olga, Whattakes, Shan, Carmen, Courtney, Alanna, Shannon, Laura, Karen, and Ashley. Phew!! Let's see how many of you do it!

Easter Weekend Update... A Week Later

2009-04-19T00:01:00.000-04:00

Hey, remember how last weekend was Easter weekend? Yeah, I had a fantastic weekend at home with the family. I had planned on sharing pictures with y'all, and even started uploading them last week... but then I fell asleep.

So, here they are, a sampling of my Easter weekend:

Here's Mom and Dad at Easter dinner. Doesn't Mommy look amazing!? Take THAT cancer!

The next day, we went to the Farm (remember? the "farm"?). It was the first time I'd actually been to it other than just viewing it from the road at Christmastime. We got to hike around and I got to play in the creeks/ponds - which I reveled in, of course, being approximately 5 years old on the inside.

This is me being a swamp creature!

This old tubing is left over from a maple sugar operation that was on the property a while back. The tubing was stuck under a bunch of mud in the creek, and Dad had just finished talking about how he tried and tried to get it out of the ground and couldn't. I walked into the creek and pulled it and got it right out... and then proceeded to heckle Dad about getting old. What an awesome daughter I am!

This is me and my littlest sis. Notice my classy classy outfit!

And here I am looking like a model in front of our biggest tree, appraising it for tree-house worthiness.

Overall, Easter weekend was one big awesome WIN, and the "farm" gets my seal of approval!

All These Things That I've Done

2009-04-15T16:47:00.004-04:00

I've now seen this on fab obsessed and apartment #412, etc and decided to do it myself. I made all of the things I've done on the list purple. And all the things I want to do are blue.
Enjoy!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyworld/Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you were not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been laid off from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

One More Award!

2009-04-11T00:41:00.000-04:00

Courtney at Once Upon a Bookshelf gave me this here award a while back. The rules are to list 7 things I love and then to tag 7 people who will play along.

Things I Love:
1. My crazy but endearing cat. He's the main man in my life and I don't know what I'd do without him.
2. My Teddy Bear. His name is Teddy. Yes, I am in my 20s and still have a Teddy Bear... I got him when I had my surgery at 3 years old and he has been everywhere with me ever since.
3. Getting mail. No, not the electronic kind, but real old-fashioned snail mail.
4. This place.
5. My family. I appreciate them more and more every day that I work in the youth shelter. I never knew before how lucky I was.
6. Being from a small town. I used to hate it, but now that I really live in the city, I am glad of where I came from. I am pretty good at acting like a city person (for example, when I ride the subway and don't want people to bother me), but I don't think I'll ever truly be a city girl. I feel most at home surrounded by farmers fields and dirt roads, not by concrete sidewalks and subways.
7. Diet Pepsi. Up until recently, I was a Diet Coke girl, but I've been won over to the dark side and fallen in love with Diet Pepsi. I love the taste, and since I don't drink coffee, I need the stuff to get through my day.

And the award goes to...
1. Karen at The Transformation of Kern
2. Erin at The State That I Am In
3. Ria at & That's The Way Life Goes
4. Jess at Classy in Philadelphia
5. Lily at Lily Speak
6. Ashley at Writing to Reach You
7. Alyssa at How Lucky We Are

From Darkness to Light

2009-04-10T23:36:00.004-04:00

First Dawn by traqair57

It's Easter weekend. I made sure to book it off work, and today I made the 4 hour drive home to my parents' house. This is what I've done every year since I moved out, and this is what I will continue to do, like until my life changes in some major way. Every Easter weekend, our whole family gets together (this year we will be short one, due to the sister being in Oz). My Dad's side of the family always has some sort of big dinner, this year is actually the first in my memory that we're not having it at our house - we're going to our aunt and uncle's house because Mom is still recovering from her surgery and seeing as she is going to have a complete recovery from cancer we're encouraging her to milk it while she can. Holiday weekends (Thanksgiving and Easter) are usually pretty stressful in my family, because Mom becomes a giant stress-ball trying to make sure everything is perfect before the family comes over, so this year of cancer treatments has provided a nice break from the stresses of family entertaining at least.
On Easter weekend, we also always have an Easter egg hunt (although Mom stopped this tradition last year, stating that we were too old, and just gave us chocolates in our baskets instead). It's going to be weird celebrating Easter without the middle sister... she was the one who always divided up the Easter eggs to make sure that everyone got an equal amount of foil-wrapped chocolates. But, I suppose, the traditions have to change at some point, and not everyone's going to be able to come to every holiday always.
After the egg hunt, we go to church for an Easter Sunday service that always manages to make me teary. It starts with the entire sanctuary in darkness, all of the normal things like banners, candelabras and floral arrangements are covered in black cloths, and at the front of the church is the large wooden cross we use to light candles on for lent, all of the candles are extinguished, and the cross has black cloths on it as well. Then, someone comes in and lights the Christ candle and others come in and take away the black cloths, still others light the rest of the candles in the sanctuary, and kids from the Sunday School come in with pots and pots of spring flowers to place around the foot of the cross. For us, this symbolizes the darkness that came when Jesus was crucified and the light that followed when He was found risen. Theology aside, I think it's a really nice sentiment. Spring is a time of light after the darkness of winter, so it is a time to start new, to turn mourning into dancing, so to speak.
After a year of dealing with Mom's cancer, I am ready to put it behind me, to move from darkness to light, from mourning to dancing. I am ready to start fresh and focus on me for a bit.
What do y'all do for Easter? Do you celebrate it even? Maybe Passover? What traditions do you have? What ideas do you place behind it? What does that mean for you, and for your family?

Same as it Ever Was

2009-04-06T23:52:00.003-04:00

Do you ever stop where you are and wonder how the heck you ended up there?
As in, if somebody had told you a few years back that you would be in that scenario, you would have laughed at them?
I felt like that a lot during Mom's fight with cancer. Sitting in the hospital waiting room during surgery, driving Mom to chemo, dealing with Mom's tubes and wires in her hospital room... I looked at my surroundings and was overwhelmed by the fact that I never expected that I would be there in that situation, and I never expected I would be able to deal with it as well as I did.
I guess you don't know what you can handle until you're in that situation.
I find that a lot at work. When I was visiting Mom in the hospital, I was telling the nurse about my job, and Mom said that if you had told her two years ago I would be living in Toronto working with street youth, she never would have believed it. You know... if you had told me two years ago that this is what I'd be doing, I would have laughed in your face.
It happens a lot at work, especially when I am dealing with the mental health and the crises that develop... when a kid got stabbed, when fights break out, when a girl comes in completely naked and I have to spend at least 10 minutes talking her into getting re-dressed, when I have to deal with bed bugs, and disgusting rooms and various bodily fluids, when I get sworn at, and yelled at, when I get told too much information about their sex lives... I find myself pausing and thinking "how did I get here?" At first, it was unnerving, being somewhere so out of my element, now I just laugh it off.
I'm a sheltered girl from a small town. J-walking scares me... I grew up on a gravel road. Whenever we would go to Toronto on family trips, Dad would lock the car doors before we got into city limits, likely afraid that a man with a squeegee would jump inside and mug as at gunpoint or we'd get shot up in the middle of a gang war. That's what happens in big cities, right? I was discussing how I grew up with one of my co-workers after work the other day, and she turned to look at me, and asked "Erin, how did you end up here?" Now, she knows the story of how I ended up here, my botched plans for teacher's college after university, and we went to our Child and Youth Work program together, so she knows about all of that... That's not what she meant. I told her truthfully that some days I don't even know.
Luck? Chance? Divine intervention? I don't know. Was it meant to be, or did I just luck out by ending up somewhere I like? Maybe it was completely random. If one little factor of my life had gone a different way, I could be living somewhere completely different, doing something completely different.
That scares me a little. I don't like the idea that my life is arbitrarily decided by chance... I'd much rather think that I am here because it's where I'm supposed to be. I like the idea that I've been brought somewhere that frequently forces me to deal with difficult situations, but I wouldn't be there if I couldn't handle it.
What about you? Do you ever stop and wonder how you ended up where you are? Has your life taken a clear path to where you are today, or has it been a journey of twists and turns? Is it chance and luck, or is there some sort of plan behind the path your life takes?

My Beef with the Interwebz

2009-04-03T01:06:00.003-04:00

I love the interwebz, you know I do.
But sometimes, internet, you give me way too much information.
I'm looking at you, Facebook.
Let's think about this: if it is listed that you dated a person in the "How do you know each other" section, it's not a nice thing to broadcast it on the front page for days when that person gets engaged.
Although it was nice to hear that he has found a nice girl to marry, I don't need it rubbed in my face for days, Facebook.
Actually, that's a lie. I don't want to hear that he is engaged at all.
Part of me wants to go through my Facebook and severely edit the people I am "friends" with. The other part of me knows that I have certain people on there because I am curious to see what they are up to without having to go to the trouble of pursuing a real-life relationship.
But there are some things I don't want to know about.
I can't help but wonder where the line is. When does the internet or social media go from helpful to harmful? How much internet/social media is too much? When do you get overexposed?

Puny Express

2009-03-30T22:52:00.003-04:00

The totally untrue story of Puny Express was started by Shannon and continued by Courtney, so now it's my turn.

Shan explored the band's origins, with our album "Leave My Soul Alone", and Courtney discussed our rise to fame with the album "Freedom Is Just Chaos With Better Lightning". I am here to tell you about the height of our fame: the album 955. Our humble beginnings of church retreat meet ups were long past as our skyrocket to fame landed us in a new world of sex, drugs and rock n' roll.
955 included the tracks:
1. Jim Rogers - a tribute to Puny Express' financial advisor
2. Ulysses - later re-made by Franz Ferdinand
3. June 30 - a rock ballad with video starring Erin and Johnny Depp
4. Lord Byron - written and composed by Courtney and her love of literature
5. Meet Joe Black - written by Shan after her lusty affair with Brad Pitt

It took mere days for 955 to go platinum, and tickets for the corresponding tour sold out in seconds. The band toured for 8 months straight, travelling across North America in a convoy of expensive tour buses surrounded by groupies. After show parties lasted until the wee hours of the morning, and at said parties anything could happen and everything did.

We had the time of our lives, but nothing lasts forever, and it wasn't long before the sex, drugs and rock n' roll got old, the groupies got between us, and 8 long months on the road took its toll. We got cocky with our success, and started fighting amongst ourselves. Egos were clashing and fans began to take notice - the music suffered the most. I will leave it here, in hopes that another member of the band will finish the story.

My Latest Obsession

2009-03-26T16:20:00.004-04:00

I've been a bad blogger. I know. I'm sorry.
And I'll likely continue to be a bad blogger for a little while longer.
Would you like to know why?
I have a new obsession.
The Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris... You know, the books that True Blood was based on?
Let me tell you, the books are even better than the series. Oh. My. Goodness.
I have lost sleep over this series, I've stayed up to the wee hours of the morning reading, and still not been able to sleep afterward because I've continued to think about them.
They are just that good.
Right now, I'm reading Definitely Dead, the 6th book. I have one more to read, until the next one comes out in paperback at the end of the month, and then another one comes out in May... the author says she's not done yet, which makes me terribly happy.
I am no good at book reviewing. I doubt I ever will be any good at it. All I can tell you is that these books are incredible and if you haven't read them yet, do so immediately.
And with that, I will likely be MIA for a little longer while I spend all of my free time reading these books. I'll still be Tumbling and Twittering, so if you're missing me, come see me there!

Recap

2009-03-16T22:21:00.004-04:00

So life has been busy lately, thus I've been MIA from the blogging world. Here's what's new with me:

Mom's surgery went really well. She had it on Monday and was okay to go home on Thursday! Her nurses were fantastic and everything went really smoothly. I am unbelievably relieved that this is finally over.
I've been working overnights. I expect it will be a while before I have a normal sleep schedule again. We have been short staffed the past 2 nights, so I have been stationed by myself at the main desk of the shelter, which I love. When there are no new intakes and all of my work is done, I get to chill with a snack, listen to some Dave Matthews, and read or play around on the internet while everyone else sleeps.
I bought the first book in the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris, it's the book that True Blood is based on. I am almost through it already and I loved it! I went to Chapters tonight and bought the next 3 in the series.
Maurice the turtle is living at my apartment now! The cat hasn't tried to kill him yet, so all is well! He likes staring at me while I do stuff around the apartment, he's funny! I will introduce you properly soon.
My littlest sister is on a March Break school trip to Spain and Italy right now. The middle sister is still in Australia. I am stuck in Toronto... and slowly going stir crazy.
BUT, I got a ticket to see the Dave Matthews Band in June! I'm crazy excited, especially because their new CD comes out only days before. However, the crappy part is that I'm going with 2 other friends, and Ticketmaster wouldn't allow us to puchase more than 2 tickets together for inside the pavilion, so I am sitting one section over from my two friends... here's hoping we can sweet talk the people around us to let us all sit together...
I started a Tumblr, because I clearly need to spend more time on the internet. It's Tumbling Down the Rabbit Hole, go follow me!
Oh! How Lovely! Shops is giving away a set of bodhicitta Recycled Glasses, very cool! Go enter!

Pretty Please?

2009-03-12T22:55:00.003-04:00

Please please please will somebody buy me this Threadless shirt!?! It is called Mister Mittens Big Adventure. In return you will receive my undying love and devotion.
(Ladies 2X fits perfectly, just in case you were curious...)

ANOTHER Award?!

2009-03-12T22:36:00.000-04:00

I am super excited that I won another bloggy award! These things make me all warm and fuzzy inside in ways that I'm sure isn't normal.

Lindsay at Adventures of a Book Thief gave me this Love Ya award. Go check her blog out, y'all! She also was the one who gave me that yummy Bloggy Valentine's Day present. Here's what it says:
“These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award!”

And now for my nominees:
1) Lily at Lily Speak
2) Ria at & that's the way life goes
3) Jess at Classy in Philadelphia
4) Ashley at Writing to Reach You
5) EP at Stylish Handwriting
6) Lucklys at How Lucky We Are
7) Carmen at My Life in a Nutshell
8) Kern at The Transformation of Kern

All of these ladies have fantastic blogs which I highly recommend you go check out immediately, and they're all wonderful people who I am lucky to know. Go read their stuff and get to know them right away if you don't already know them!

Go Enter This Giveaway!

2009-03-12T20:20:00.003-04:00

Over at Allie's Answers you can enter a giveaway for a Gaiam rug. They're made from recycled materials and fair trade. SO cool.

I Don't Know

2009-03-11T00:50:00.001-04:00

Lisa Hannigan was on the Colbert Report last night. I am in love with this song:

Kickaroo!

2009-03-11T00:40:00.002-04:00

Today, I went to the pet store, and on a whim I bought a Kong Kickaroo for Thunder Kitty. Ours is the cow pattern.Let me tell you, if you have a cat who likes to fight like my badass cat, this is the cat toy for you. Thunder Kitty loves it. And it is named Kickaroo. Come on! I have never blogged about a cat toy before, so this is kind of a big deal!

Update

2009-03-09T23:44:00.003-04:00

This is Mom and me. I love this photo.

The surgery went without a hitch today, and Mom seems to be doing well. The doctor seemed very optimistic that she could be out by the weekend as long as things are moving well, he wants her up and walking around tomorrow. She was really doped up tonight, which was likely a good thing. Mom grew up with the woman who is the head of pain management for the hospital and went to nursing school with her, so she's being taken care of. I will likely be going up to visit tomorrow, Wednesday, and Thursday - mostly to give her and Dad a break from each other and to make sure Dad is taking care of himself.

Thanks to all of you for your support and positive thoughts and good wishes, it means so much to me!

Unpacking the Insecurities

2009-03-07T02:07:00.003-05:00

Sometimes I think you just need to rant and get it all out, tonight is one of those nights. So here goes. Saying it's scary to have this out there is the understatement of the year...

I'm usually at least outwardly confident in regards to my relationship status. I joke with my family about my plans to be a crazy cat lady, an old maid. I groan that there may in fact be cobwebs filling up my lady parts. When someone asks, I say I just haven't met anyone I'm interested in being with, nobody I like enough to spend large amounts of time with. I shrug and mutter that I'm sure he'll show up someday.
When it's just me, though, and I get to thinking about it, the insecurities take over.
I mean, I'm 23 years old. I've only ever had one official boyfriend... and that was almost 5 years ago. 5 years. Even I know that's not normal. 5 years and not even the slightest hint of interest or action... well, other than creepers in the alley, which does not count.
Not normal at all. Those insecurities start to tug at me, what's so wrong with me that only alley creepers are interested in me? I mean, I'm not completely repulsive, I'm generally a nice person too, am I emitting some sort of "men, stay the hell away" signal?!?
I am introverted. I know that. I generally like spending time alone, so being single isn't completely terrible. I like being able to come home at night to the cat waiting for me in a quiet apartment.
Just me, and that's okay.
But it's not always okay.
I'm tired of being the odd one out. I'm tired of always being second choice. I want to be somebody's number one for once, the first one they call, the one they would rather be with. I don't think I've ever been somebody's number one.
I want a partner in crime, someone to have adventures with, someone to share my day with.
Unfortunately (or, maybe fortunately) the cat doesn't respond when I talk to him.
I wonder if part of the problem is the fear. The fear of taking a risk, of trusting someone, of new things, of new people, of communicating with someone on a real deep level, of being hurt again. I don't like uncertainties, and it takes me a long time to even build friendships with new people. I clam up. Don't tell them the stuff inside of you because they're going to judge you. I am very rarely uncensored, even around my closest friends.
And I'm picky. I've always maintained that it is a good thing to be picky. You should NOT lower your standards for anyone, I've proclaimed. But maybe my pickiness holds me back. That's what my Mom always says when I am too picky to eat foods. "Try it, you'll like it." She's been crooning that statement to me in a singsongy voice for as long as I can remember.
I am so worried about people judging me too quickly, yet I am fast to judge others.
But I suppose that pickiness has really only been applied recently to online dating. You can't be picky when there's nothing in real life to be picky about.
And so, for now, I guess I'll just pack up the insecurities, suck it up, and be happy with being second choice. He'll come along someday, right? Good thing cats have relatively long life expectancies.

Cancer-schmancer

2009-03-06T00:44:00.001-05:00

Mom's surgery is on Monday.
This will be it. The end of the battle (hopefully).
The doctor will take away Oscar Ostomy (that's right, she named her Ostomy) and hook everything back up and once the muscles are working properly again, my mommy will be back to normal.
It's been a long year. Cancer... shit. I did not ever expect to have to deal with that. Other people got cancer, I knew that, but certainly not anyone in my family, especially my mom.
After the diagnosis, I didn't know what to do with myself... Mom is supposed to take care of ME, not the other way around.
Dad having a slight heart condition I could handle, that I was used to, that was under control. But Mom having cancer!? No way. Can't happen. Cancer is a dirty word. It's a being that comes in and destroys everything it touches and takes away the people it inhabits.
Little did I know...
We were lucky that it was caught relatively early.
We were lucky that Grandpa is a well respected doctor and has connections.
We were lucky that the chemo/radiation shrunk that tumour away to nothing.
We were lucky to have an amazing surgeon.
We were lucky to have tremendous support, from our family, from our town, from our church.
We were lucky.
Cancer isn't an all-devouring beast. It comes in many forms. For some people, cancer will take them away from their loved ones. But for others, there is hope. That is something I wish I knew at the beginning. There is hope.
And you know what? No matter what the outcome, cancer brings people together. Our family became closer than ever. People that Mom had grown apart from came out of the woodwork, bringing cards and flowers and meals and gifts, and most importantly, their presence, letting her know they cared.
As a family we cried, we laughed, we fought, we encouraged, we pitched in. Mom learned that it's okay to take a step back, to ask for help - things she would never do before. The middle sis and I became more present, in spite of not living at home, we made more of an effort to be there. For me, it taught me that if I can get through this crisis, I can get through most anything. The littlest sis, the only child living at home, grew up, a lot. She gracefully dealt with situations that I could have never dealt with at 16. She took care of the house, she accompanied on doctor's visits, she dealt with the outside world when Mom couldn't, she put her own needs aside and became a better person. Dad learned to leave work behind, that business could wait. Never, in my life growing up, had I seen Dad leave the store behind and trust others with his business. Dad also, I think, realized that life is short... not long after this ordeal, he decided to follow his dream of having his own forest and so bought the new property (his new love).
Yeah, cancer sucks ass, but I like to think that there is always a bright side to the crap that happens. Cancer may have ravaged Mom's body, but it also changed all of our lives in a positive way.

Here's the ladies of our family, only weeks before Mom was diagnosed, celebrating middle sis's birthday. From the left we have littlest sis, middle sis, Mom, and myself. If we only knew what was coming...

And here's my beautiful Mom this past Christmas. Here she has gone through a month straight of chemo and radiation, a surgery to remove the affected part of the bowel and insert an ostemy, and she was currently in the middle of 4 months of chemo (1 week a month). Just look at her! She looks incredible! She amazes me with how strong she is.

And so, on Monday, she goes in for more surgery. Minor surgery, just to hook everything back up.
It's minor, I tell myself, it's a happy surgery to fix everything back up. After this, it will be over. Right?
But I still get a nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach when I think about it. Not as big as the one I got before her first surgery... but it's still there.
Maybe it's because I don't deal with hospitals well. The waiting while she's being operated on, how sterile everything is, how scary the patients look, Mom... hooked up to tubes and monitors. I'm not looking forward to going through that again. I feel like I already know my way around that hospital way too well. I'm not a person who deal with medical things well... or bodily fluids for that matter. Heck, I shy away from dealing with emotions. That feeling in the bottom of my stomach and the back of my throat is there the entire time I am, and it stays even when I go home at night. I use humour to get through it. I'm the one in the hospital room cracking jokes and goofing off. Voted most likely to get kicked out of the hospital room and be scowled at by nurses.
But, we'll get through it. And you know what, Mom's going to be fine. They'll continue to check on Mom for the next few years to make sure the cancer doesn't come back, but she responded so well to the treatment this time that I am not terribly concerned about that. Mom's a tough cookie. And no matter what, thanks to this fight with cancer, I have hope. You never know what life's going to throw at you, but even with the bad, you can find good.

The Point of the Composition

2009-03-05T22:36:00.001-05:00

Over at Treasuing, I saw this video posted. I love it enough to post it here for you guys. Please take a few minutes to watch it, it's adorable and it has a fantastic message.

Heads Up!

2009-03-05T16:18:00.001-05:00

Hey guys! There's a contest at Oh, Hello Friend! Get your butt over there and enter it (or don't, so I have a better chance)!

Award O'Clock!

2009-03-05T14:56:00.000-05:00

Recently, I was lucky enough to recieve not one but two blog awards! Here we go:

I recieved the Honest Scrap Award from Rialeilani!

The Honest Scrap award comes with a caveat or 2. Firstly you have to tell your readers 10 things about you they may not know, but that are true. Secondly you have to tag 10 people with the award.

1) I had surgery on my kidney when I was 3 years old. I still have a giant scar across my side from it. You know that tube that goes from your kidney to your bladder? Well I had an extra one, only it didn't go to my bladder, it went nowhere. Now I have a kidney and 3/4s. The only real thing that means is that I could never donate a kidney. I used to be embarrassed to tell people why I had the surgery, because it meant that I was deformed. Now, I don't care.
2) I have a magazine buying problem. Mostly it stems from my quest to find a replacement favourite magazine post-Jane. Currently, sitting on the floor beside my bed I have: Glamour, Lou Lou, Real Simple, Nylon, and Naked Eye. Still, none of them quite live up to Jane.
3) 3 is my favourite number. Has been forever, no idea why!
4) The past few days, when I have spent a great deal of time sick in bed, Thunder Kitty has started cuddling with my legs. It makes me extremely happy.
5) I feel naked if I'm not wearing a watch. I have worn one every single day since I started being a camp counsellor in... 2002. My parents get me a new one pretty much every year for either Christmas or my birthday. That sounds fancy, but they own a jewellery store, so it's okay.
6) If you follow me on Twitter (@ewalker9), you might remember that I am adopting a turtle. His name is Maurice (named after Marice Starr), and he has been a camp pet since 2001 if I remember correctly. Every year I was senior staff at camp, I took care of him, and even when I didn't work there, I harassed the staff who did into taking proper care of him. One year, way before me, he was left there alone from August to October when someone finally found him. Now, the camp doesn't want him and the girl who was taking care of him is going to Nepal and nobody wants him. So I said that if nobody will take him, I will, because I couldn't stand to let him go homeless, I like the little guy. And so, I am adopting my third pet from camp that nobody wanted (the first being Clark the hamster, now deceased, and the second being Thunder Kitty). I thought my parents were going to kill me, instead they just rolled their eyes. I will properly introduce him when he arrives at my place.
7) I have a small collection (4) of tribal masks on my wall. I both love them and scare the crap out of me. I got my first when I worked at the campus art gallery at university. They have a high-end yard sale every year as a fund raiser, where people donate items to sell to raise money for the gallery. Somebody donated a tonne of African masks, and I loved them. I told myself that if there was still one left on the last day, I would buy it. There was, and I did. After that, I bought 3 more on various Carribbean islands that we stopped at on our 2 cruises. The Carribbean ones are much more friendly looking than the African mask. I will likely collect more on my future travels.
8) This is my least favourite time of year. Winter has long since overstayed it's welcome and excitement, spring is nowhere to be seen, most days are cold and grey, and the snow is dirty looking. I cannot wait for spring to come.
9) I used to name my houseplants. I had Ezra (because I loved the name) and Annabelle and Annabelle 2 (she was a sprout from Annabelle the first).
10) Last night, my friend and I were driving back to my apartment, and in the alley outside of it, a guy flagged us down and asked if we could help him jump his car. I did it, luckily he knew what to do because I didn't even know where the button to pop the hood was at first. We got his car started and he was good to go. I was so happy that my friend was with me though, because I grew up being taught that people in the city are scary and not to be trusted, especially when you are a female alone, so I likely would not have stopped to help or at least I would have been torn about it. It was nice to be able to help him, and cool to see what to do to jump start a car. Also, he had a really nice voice.

Tagged:
Jess at Classy in Philadelphia
Lily at Lily Speak
Carmen at My Life in a Nutshell
Cuileann at The Holly and the Ivy
Kern at The Transformation of Kern
Heather at EveryyDayy
Lucklys at How Lucky We Are
Ashley at Writing to Reach You
Ashley at Turquoise Ribbons
EP at Stylish Handwriting

I also received the Arte Y Pico Award (creative blog award) from Ashley at Writing to Reach You! And I would like to give this award to Lily at Lily Speak for having a beautiful blog and being my very first bloggy friend!

One Week

2009-03-02T16:57:00.002-05:00

This movie looks beautiful! I want an adventure like this (minus the short life expectancy bit). It comes out Friday here, so likely I'll see it in a week or so. I expect to bawl through the entire thing. Check out the trailer:

I Wanna Do Bad Things With You

2009-02-28T21:48:00.005-05:00

I spent my entire day today watching the entire first season of HBO's True Blood. I've already talked about how much I love vampires (I've tagged 13 blogs with "Twilight"). For years I've been reading vampire fiction and lusting over them, and Twilight completely solidified that love in the fall, so I figured I couldn't go wrong with True Blood... I mean, check out that sexy poster!

I really liked it, which I suppose one could have assumed judging by the fact that I watched 12 episodes in one day. It was like Twilight for adults - the basic girl falls for vampire, has canine-esque guy friend who is into her, vampire and guy friend have to join to protect girl... all very similar to our favourite teenage vampire saga, and a bonus of no stupid sparkles, breathy staring at each other scenes, and the girl can take care of herself. That being said, it also includes a whole lot more sex, nudity, and drugs than the sexual tension that the teen vampires tiptoed around. It is definitely an adults only vampire saga.
True Blood is set in small-town Louisiana, which I have been enamoured with for years (perhaps since seeing Skeleton Key? I'm not sure, but I've wanted to go for years because it seems like a sexy place).

Thanks to the development of Tru Blood artificial blood, vampires have been able to come out of the coffin and show themselves as a species, lobbying for the vote and equal rights. The discrimination against vampires is still strong, however, and the storyline revolves around the brutal murders of human women who are associating with vampires.

My favourite part of the storyline has to be the relationship between Sookie, a human, and Bill, a vampire (our Bella and Edward). They made me so happy like Edward and Bella did, we follow them from the time they meet through their turmoltuous relationship that is created by their differences. They have to overcome their own fears and prejudices and those of their own kind and learn to risk and trust in order for their relationship to work.

There are, of course, many other aspects of the storyline that will keep you sucked in and wanting more. Season 2 doesn't start until later this year, and I can't wait! Catch up now while you can guys!
And, if all of my sexy pictures and my semi-coherent (I'm on cold meds) descriptions didn't draw you in, watch the opening credits. They are amazingly well done and make me want to move south immediately, and they touch on all of the shows major aspects: life and death, sex and religion, the natural and the unnatural.

What a Woman!

2009-02-27T21:08:00.002-05:00

Alright, y'all need to watch this video with Mississauga (it's right next to Toronto) mayor Hazel McCallion. She's 88 years old and she's been mayor since 1978. 1978!! That's longer than my parents have been married! It's 7 years longer than I've been alive! The woman is incredible! I hope I'm still even half as active as she is when I'm her age. Check out the video:

What I've Been Up To

2009-02-27T20:31:00.004-05:00

I've been MIA all week, it's been a busy week and I've been sick with a cold. Here's a bit of an update:

Mom called on Monday to let me know that she just found out that her surgery (originally scheduled for Monday March 2nd) had been bumped back a week. I was disgruntled because I had booked time off of work to go home this weekend and spend the week with her to help out. Also, I think we were all a little bummed because we just want to get this over with. This surgery will take out her ostomy and hook her bowels back up properly, which means it's the end of our journey with cancer. I know, it hasn't even been a year yet and we're lucky it's gone as fast and as well as it has... but we're all just ready to get everything back to normal and move on with our lives. But we knew it would likely happen, and hopefully the fact that Mom's surgery was bumped means that someone else just starting their journey with cancer treatment can get theirs over with as fast as possible.
My sister seems to be having a fantastic time in Australia, and I am super jealous. Since she left New Zealand and arrived in Australia, she's been snorkeling and scuba diving at the Great Barrier Reef, in a rain forest, and surfing and kayaking on the ocean. In other news, I want to go on vacation SO badly.
The Dave Matthews Band announced more tour dates - INCLUDING TORONTO! So on March 14th I will be buying tickets to go see them at the Molson Amphitheater on June 9th. SO exciting! Also, they announced the title of their new album: Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King - which is set to come out June 2nd!
In other music news, I am going to see Craig Cardiff next weekend in Guelph! And tickets were only $10!! I've wanted to see this guy for years! Of course, going with the camp ladies should make it awesome!
My friend signed up for a meat pie eating contest at a pub a few weeks ago, and the contest was last night. I went as her coach/cheering section and we were SO into it, complete with smack talking the other contestant we knew, pre-contest stretching, and, of course, costumes! There were 2 heats of 5 people, and the top two from each heat went into the finals, oh, yeah, and you couldn't use your hands (a nice bit of info we found out right before the contest). No one else had costumes. My friend actually got 3rd place, and most of her competetors were much larger guys! I was SO impressed! Here we are getting pumped up - check out the awesome shirts that she thought up and I made:

Alright, that's my update for now. I'll keep you posted! (haha I thought that was a funny pun!)

Oscar Night Faves

2009-02-23T00:32:00.004-05:00

If you follow me on Twitter (it's @ewalker9), you know I spent my evening watching the Oscars. I missed the first bit because I was on Skype with my Mom, and I hear the opening was great, as were Tina Fey and Steve Martin. I loved the new format, where for the major awards, past winners announced the nominees. I found it so much more personal, and it definitely made me teary on a few occasions (Best Actress, anybody?). Having only seen a few of the movies in the awards this year (only Mamma Mia and Benjamin Button I do believe), I wasn't hardcore rooting for anyone. However, Kate Winslet winning Best Actress made me really happy because I really like her. And how adorable was her speech?? Getting her Dad to whistle made me so happy!! And acknowleding Meryl Streep's greatness in her speech was so good. Also, Heath Ledger's family accepting the award and celebrating him instead of mourning him was great!
Now, in pictoral form, here are the people and outfits that made me most happy tonight:

John Legend. I freaking love this guy. His voice is beautiful, I kind of wished his performance could have been by itself, he was really stunning with the Peter Gabriel song. And check out his suit! A little retro, a whole lot of hot.

Oh Brad. I'm not a fan of the facial hair, I must admit, but otherwise you are a good lookin' fella. I loved you in Benjamin Button (I meant to post about it, but forgot, maybe I'll do that soon). I think the fact that we can see you getting wrinkles only make you hotter - you've gone from pretty boy to distinguished man and I like it.

RPattz!! I was crazy happy to see you on the red carpet, and then you presented and I turned into a squealy fangirl. And when they did a close up on Mickey Rourke during Best Actor, I saw you over his shoulder, which made the Mickey close up more than bearable. Most importantly, you hair doesn't look like it could eat me or like it contains small forest animals, I like it.

Taraji P. Henson was amazing in Benjamin Button and is super cute in all of her interviews. She looked stunning in that beautiful dress. I would totally consider a dress like that for a wedding dress, I love that classic shape and the un-traditional material!

I have a giant girl crush on Natalie Portman. She is just so freaking cool. She was hilarious with Ben Stiller, and the dress is classically beautiful!

I know it's been on some worst dressed lists, and I know many people (myself included) are not Miley Cyrus' biggest fans, but I freaking love this dress! She looks so grown up in it, and it gives a beautiful silhouette. I just think the dress is gorgeous!

Kate Winslet... another of my girl crushes. I'm so glad she won! I wasn't certain about this dress at first, but the more I saw it, the more I liked it. It suits her perfectly! I usually don't like one-shoulder dresses because it makes your boobs look uneven, but this one works well. I like the a-symmetry and the combination of the gunmetal grey and lace. Way to go, Kate!

And finally, Anne Hathaway. I wasn't sure about this dress at first either, mostly due to the giant gap in the top of it, but it also grew on me. I love how sparkly it is and I love the colour, a daring one for someone so pale (like myself). She looks beautiful, and her expressions during the speeches were adorable, she was so excited and invested, made me happy!

So there we go, those aspects of the Oscars made me the most happy this evening. If you want my other thoughts as it happened, go follow me (@ewalker9) on Twitter. Happy Oscar Night, everyone!

The Letter N

2009-02-20T00:30:00.005-05:00

Lindsay over at Adventures of a Book Thief made a list of 10 things she liked that start with the letter m, and gave me the letter n for mine.
Leave a comment if you want me to give you a random letter for a meme of your own!

1- Night - I am almost entirely nocturnal if given the option, I would much rather sleep all day and stay up all night.
2- Neverland - Not the Michael Jackson place. Peter Pan is one of my favourite books ever, and the newer live version of it is one of my favourite movies. I would love to live in Neverland with the pirates and mermaids and Indians, and never have to grow up.
3- Nosferatu - Basically synonymous with "vampire". I have had a healthy obsession with vampires for years now, much before the Twilight Saga came out, I read Companions in the Night and Dracula and dreamed of running with the vampires.
4- North - I live in the Great White North, and I really do like it here, though I am not technically all that nothern, as I was born about an hour away from Canada's Southernmost Point (Point Pelee and Pelee Island, in case you were wondering), so technically I have spent most of my life more south than most of Canada and some of the US.
5- Narwhal - What a freaking cool animal. It's got a freaking unicorn horn, do I need to say more?
6- Ned from Pushing Daisies - He's completely adorable! Ned could bring me back from the dead and solve mysteries with me any day.
7- North by Northwest - A Hitchcock classic with Cary Grant. Action packed and full of lines such as: "You're a big girl in all the right places", you can't go wrong.
8- Nano - As in, my iPod 3G Nano. I rarely go anywhere without it. It gets me through my hour commutes to and from work.
9- Nerds - The candies! I especially love the green and yellow ones, in sour and normal.
10- Number 36 - The Dave Matthews Band song. Here, Wikipedia tells us a bit about it's history:

Four days after his assassination, the rock group Dave Matthews Band (whose lead singer and guitarist, >Dave Matthews, is from South Africa) began playing a song, #36, to honour Hani. A live favorite for years, the music evolved into the basic foundation of the 2001 single, Everyday. The Introduction to the popular hit "Everyday" starts with the crowd singing "Honey, Honey, come and dance with me", and the crowd and band occasionally use the reprise as an outro to the song as well. (It was originally written as "Hani, Hani, come and dance with me," but Matthews believed the song to be too cheery with those lyrics, so he changed it.)

Here you can watch it:

2010 Mascots, For Your Viewing Pleasure

2009-02-19T19:18:00.000-05:00

Being a Canadian, I got excited for the 2010 Olympics pretty quickly. It's hard not to be, every other commercial on Canadian TV seems to be about them. It's happening on the other side of the country, so I certainly won't see any of it live, but I still love that it's happening here.
And have you seen the mascots? They are freaking adorable!

There is Miga the sea bear, which is apparently part bear and part killer whale.
Quatchi is a Sasquatch. And it looks like he has an inukshuk tattoo - my cousin has one of those.
And finally, Sumi, an animal spirit, and apparently he wears the hat of the orca whale, flies with the wings of the mighty thunderbird and runs on the strong furry legs of the black bear.
Intense, I know.
And, in case you saw this and wondered "What mascot am I most like?", you can find out the answer here. I am most like Sumi, which I am pleased with.

My Secret Identity

2009-02-19T15:47:00.001-05:00

You can go make your own over at The Hero Factory! Thanks to Gretchen for pointing this out!

All this breathing in, never breathing out...

2009-02-19T00:47:00.003-05:00

Hey! Remember when I told y'all I was going to see Ben Folds?
Well, I did! Last night!!

That guy! Yeah! I think he's a hottie. I had a big plan that involved getting close enough to pet him... heavily. But it was packed up close to the stage and I figured that heavily petting Ben Folds might get me kicked out and/or arrested, so I decided I would be better off enjoying the show.

Here we are, waiting in anticipation... there were two openers, a band called Miniature Tigers and an acapella choir from York University that did amazing versions of Ben Folds' "Underground", a Sarah Slean song, and "Don't Stop Believing." Beforehand he played some "bad spa music" due to his interview on CBC radio earlier in the day and the controversy that has follwed it.
And after what seemed like FOREVER, Ben came! These are MY pictures, which explains why they are kind of crappy, and you can see the head of the stupidly tall guy who was RIGHT in my way, but still, it's Ben Folds.

He sang sooooo many songs that I love. I mean, it's hard not to love any Ben Folds song, but he sang a lot of the oldies - Landed (my fave Ben Folds song EVER), Army, Philosophy, Zak and Sara, Kate, Annie Waits, Fair, etc. He also did quite a few of the songs from his new album, which are awesome, like You Don't Know Me, Bitch Went Nuts, Dr. Yang, Kylie from Connecticut, Hiroshima, Effington... I could go on.
He's an incredible live performer! He does amazing things with that piano, he takes audience requests, he interacts with the audience, he got us involved in singing parts... I don't even know what else to say, it was just plain awesome.
If you're even a little bit of a Ben Folds fan, I'd recommend you go see him live ASAP

Be My Blog Valentine!

2009-02-18T18:22:00.002-05:00

As you may or may not know, I participated in the Be my Blog Valentine Gift Exchange. I am the worst partner ever and just mailed mine out today... It's time to break the silence, Carmen, yours should arrive from Canada Post on Monday, sorry about that!
Today, I got to make the cross-town drive to UPS to pick up my gift from Lindsay at Adventures of a Book Thief, and check out what I got:

Amazing chocolates and candies! You might notice that some of the milk chocolates are gone... I couldn't wait on the way home, so I had a few, and a few turned into half of the bag because they are so freaking good!
Thanks, Lindsay!!

This is Slightly Embarrassing.... a Vlog

2009-02-18T14:06:00.002-05:00

It's time for the 2nd 20SB Vlog Day! Unfortunately, I am a bit of a tool and recorded my video sideways, BUT you get to hear my fantastic cat voice. Awesome.

Vlog 2 from Erin Walker on Vimeo.

Self Love

2009-02-13T13:10:00.003-05:00

I found this over at Sizzle Says and I think it's an awesome idea. If you don't have a significant other this Valentine's Day, and even if you do, I think it's important to take this day celebrating love and use it to remember to love yourself. Here's what you've gotta do:

1.) You’re gonna grab yourself a banner. If you don’t like the one I’ve used in this post, you can find another one here.

2.) You’re gonna post that banner and then tell us all something that you really like love about yourself (thus, the “self-love” portion of our program).

3.) Ask or beg your readers to post one thing that they too love about you!!! If your blog friends are nice, you shouldn’t have to beg…much.

And here we go with my self-love part:
I love my ability to love others. I love taking care of people and things, and usually I'm pretty good at understanding what others are thinking and feeling and anticipating what they need. I think that's something that I'm good at, and I love that I finally know what I really do well, as I spent so many years in school being good at every subject but not really excelling in anything in particular. That ability is what I love about me.

And now it's your turn:
YOU are supposed to tell me what YOU love about ME. Awkward, yeah, especially if I don't get any comments. Come on guys, you've gotta comment, please, I'll develop a complex!

So Happy Valentine's Day, y'all, and remember to love yourself as well this holiday and every day.

Best. Thing. Ever.

2009-02-12T14:29:00.002-05:00

Video Recaps | Full Episodes | Webisodes

Dating With Erin: A Gloomy Update

2009-02-06T00:47:00.006-05:00

Alright, so an update on the adventures of dating with Erin is long since due. Remember when I decided I needed to start dating, and when I actually signed up for Plenty of Fish? And then there was the sample of barf worthy messages I have received. Well, there has been a bit since then. Let's just say though, I'm starting to feel rather like this boy:

It's getting depressing by SmartMar mot

There have been two guys so far, the first we will call West Coast and the second we will call The Teacher.
West Coast messaged me first, he seemed nice and fairly normal. He moved here from BC and seemed pretty interested in me. I think I self-sabotaged that one. I was brutally honest about myself, and when I felt like he was moving to the meeting stage fasted than I was ready for, I told him I wanted to move more slowly. Shortly after that, things slowed to a stop. He stopped messaging me, and I didn't really try to re-start it, I just wasn't that interested.
The Teacher was next. He seemed really normal and things were going really well, we seemed to have a lot in common and the messaging was good. He seemed to be really interested in me, and then all of a sudden, he stopped messaging me. He had stopped for a bit before, over the Christmas holidays, so I thought he might return. I wait, and waited, and nothing.
When I first started this, I told myself that I was not going to be the initiator. I would put myself out there by being online, and they would come to me, right?
No more have come. It could be that I'm picky. Good grammar and an education is a must. I'm more attracted to certain types of people than others.

Plenty of fish by SNOWFactory.com

I'll keep looking, but I'm not too excited about it.

And then, there was the slightly embarrassing real life incident. We'll call him Bus Boy.
The day before New Years Eve, I was riding the bus home from the subway around midnight, and saw a guy kind of looking at me. I was not attracted, so I continued to play Solitaire on my iPod (hey, it's an hour commute!). I happened to be getting off the bus at the same stop as him, there were a few people getting off, so I didn't think much of it. It was snowing and gross and I just wanted to get home and to bed because I was working at 8 the next morning. To get to my building, it is fastest to walk down this "Avenue" which is actually more like an alley. It is lined with sketchy garages, and can be a little scary at night. By the time I was at the end of the alley, close to my building, he started walking beside me, and struck up small talk about the weather. I was a little confused. Why is this guy talking to me? Is he flirting with me? Guys don't hit on me! He asked about my New Year's Eve plans, I told him I was working, he started asking questions about me and I answered politely, but did not flirt back, because I just wasn't interested. He told me he was 27 (5 years older than me) and lived in an apartment by himself in the building next to mine. He asked if I had a boyfriend, I told him I was seeing someone. Then he asked for my number. I froze. This sort of thing doesn't happen to me! Part of me figured that I can't complain about being single if I'm turning down giving guys my number, and how do you nicely turn down someone, especially at midnight in your parking lot? I thought about giving him a fake number, but was so flustered that I couldn't think up one, I was afraid I would end up giving him my parents' number or something accidentially. So I did it. I gave a random guy my phone number. That is so uncharacteristic of me, I couldn't believe I did it. We shook hands and I went inside, on my way in, he told me he thought I was hot, and, flattered, I said thank you.
Big mistake.
Less than an hour later, I recieved a picture text message, from him. The picture was of him half (?) naked and flexing. The friends who have seen it speculate that he may be pleasuring himself in it. With the picture, he asks to see one of me. My response was something along the lines of HOLYCRAPNOWAY! I ignored it. Not much later, he sends me another text message informing me that he would like to sexually pleasure me and inviting me over for a booty call.
Ladies, can I take a poll here: would this technique actually work on you???
I ignored that one too, and shared it with my friends of course. Over the course of the next few weeks, I continued to receive texts from him and voicemails, all of which I ignored, hoping he would get the point. One night, however, I accidentally picked up when he called. I pretended not to know who he was. He told me he was just going through his phone calling some people he hadn't talked to (and I am like, WTF, there's more than just me!?!). He asked what I was doing, I said I was hanging out with the guy I was seeing, and he still wanted me to call him sometime! He asked if I got text messages, I curtly said no. He said he was adding people to MSN and asked if I had it, I curtly said no. That was that. I immidiately saved his number as "Do Not Pick Up" in my phone, and got more calls/voicemails than ever before from him over the following week or so. It was starting to stress me out. I worried I would run into him, it's hard to ignore someone in person. It stressed my sister out even more, she wanted to give me her camping knife to carry around with me. I declined. Finally, one weekend, he called me Saturday night, Sunday morning, and Sunday night. That was it, I decided. If he called again, I would do something about it. That Tuesday, he called again. Right afterwards, I texted him. I told him that he needed to stop calling. I said I wasn't interested in booty calls or pictures texts, and that I had already said I was seeing someone, and I am not that kind of girl.
I haven't heard from him since.

And that is that, my friends. A Dating with Erin update. It's a sad state of affairs over here.

Kitteh Love

2009-02-05T01:30:00.003-05:00

We had another cat photoshoot at my apartment tonight! Then I dressed the photos up using Poladroid. I am aware that I am just a few cat photoshoots and a few boyfriendless years away from crazy cat lady-dom. But will you just look at how cute he is!?

Ever Wondered About Canadian Government?

2009-02-03T22:12:00.005-05:00

A good portion of my readers come from outside of Canada, and with the excitement going on in U.S. politics, you may not have realized that Canada's been going through big political changes of its own... sort of. Here to explain what the heck is happening in Canada is Rick Mercer. Haven't heard of him? Picture Jon Stewart, but much more Canadian. He has the Rick Mercer Report on the CBC every Tuesday (he ends every show with "See you next Tuesday", get it? Heh!), where he goes to various Canadian events and talks to/makes fun of Canadian politicians. So Rick, what's been going on in Canada?

25 Things

2009-02-03T19:04:00.002-05:00

This has been going around Facebook like wildfire. After being tagged a few times, I thought I would avoid doing housework by doing one myself. And, because it makes good blog fodder, here you go, 25 random things about yours truly.

1. My initials spell EEW. Thanks, Mom and Dad.
2. As a kid (okay, until a few years ago) I had an unhealthy obsession with moose. Like, as in the animal.
3. I own movies that I've never watched.
4. I have bought myself a "Ferret Frenzy" calendar every year now for 4 years, we started with World Tour, then it was TV Shows, then At the Movies, and now On Vacation. It's ferrets posed in different scenes, wearing clothes and acting out something, in case you were wondering. For February, they are on a cruise ship, dressed in cruise clothing, one is sitting in a deck chair and the other is looking over the side of the ship.
5. I might just singlehandedly keep Matt & Nat handbags in business. I've lost track of how many I have.
6. At our last vet visit, Thunder Kitty weighed 25 pounds. He is on diet kibble now, but I think it's only called "diet" because it must not taste good, he does not like eating it. I realize this is not at all about me... but the reason he is on diet food is so that the vet doesn't judge me as a bad mother when I bring him in.
7. Since last April, I have watched my mother battle - and beat - bowel cancer. It brought our family close together, and made me realize how amazingly strong and beautiful my mother is.
8. I have been on anti-depressants for my anxiety disorder for over 6 years now, it may not be everyone's best option, but it has worked for me.
9. If given the option, I could easily be completely nocturnal.
10. I loved the Twilight series way more than I will admit to most other people (unless they share the obsession). I feel like a 15 year old girl when I admit that New Moon made me cry.
11. I want to travel the world, but first I need to find someone to do it with me because I'm way too chicken to do it alone.
12. I think Dave Matthews is a genius. I would put my anti-adultery morals aside for him. (Too much info? Sorry guys!)
13. I get stressed out when other people are arguing / not getting along, even if I have nothing to do with it.
14. I still don't know what I want to do when I grow up. I like working at the shelter, but I know it's not forever. I don't ever want to feel bored or unhappy with my job.
15. I have considered getting a tattoo, but I am too scared of commitment and permanence.
16. I can't watch those OSPCA commercials on tv without being tempted to adopt them all. If I had a large piece of land and unlimited funds, I would likely adopt a tonne of abused or abandoned animals.
17. I go through periods where I can't get enough of a certain food, and then all of a sudden I can't stand the thought of it and move on to another food. Current food: eggs.
18. I can't decide if I like Diet Coke or Diet Pepsi better. Lately I've been on a Diet Pepsi kick. I drink way more Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi than I should, but I do not like the non name brand colas, I can taste the difference.
19. I like driving. Not so much in the GTA or on 400-series highways, but on the country highways. However, if I had a choice, I would take the train, I love riding the train.
20. I will always love Kenesserie Camp. I would go back to work there in a heartbeat if it was at all feasible for me. It is the first place that I have ever loved.
21. My sister is in New Zealand right now. I cannot even fathom how far away that is.
22. I miss the camping trips we used to go on as a family. The east coast twice, the west coast, Kentucky, South Carolina, Northern Ontario...
23. I had kidney surgery when I was 3 years old. I have a scar across my side that has grown up with me. If given the choice, I don't think I would want to get it removed. That scar is a part of me now.
24. I can bake, but I cannot cook. I almost always screw it up when I cook.
25. I love board games. Most nights I would rather stay in and play them than go out. I love Cranium and Trivial Pursuit and Monopoly.

My Own Personal Saga (minus the vampires)

2009-02-02T23:15:00.004-05:00

Remember this? Weeks ago I ordered this purse, with overnight shipping. I was so excited for it. Those of you who follow me on Twitter have heard about it every step of the way, but just in case you don't follow me on Twitter, here's what went down:
January 14 - Order the purse from Matt & Nat, blog about how excited I am. Overnight shipping wasn't that much more than regular shipping (as in, a matter of cents difference) so I went for it, expecting the purse to arrive by January 16th at the latest.
January 16 - No purse. The tracking website says there is an exception and it should come Monday. I know I won't be home Monday or Tuesday, but figure they will leave a yellow sticky note at my building so I can go pick it up.
January 21 - No sticky note, no purse, no update on the tracking website. I decide to call UPS. They tell me they don't know where it is, because it has not been scanned since it left Quebec, tell me I have to call the company who sent it to have them track it. I call Matt & Nat, they are super helpful and put a track on it, telling me they will call me when they hear from UPS where my purse is.
January 27 - Matt & Nat calls back, says UPS still hasn't found it, but they will call me as soon as they do.
January 28 - My purse was returned by UPS to the Matt & Nat warehouse in Quebec, Matt & Nat tells me they will send it again.
January 30 - The tracker website says they attempted delivery, but I had been home all day and no one had contacted me. I do not have a working buzzer on my building, so I left a note for UPS to call me when they get there and I will meet them. Matt & Nat, who has been in contact with me the whole time via e-mail, says I had better call UPS and see if that will effect delivery. I call UPS, and they tell me that the drivers do not have cell phones and so can't call me. What?? What sort of 21st century company doesn't have cell phones? The pizza delivery guys can call me when they get here, but UPS can't? I am pissed. The UPS lady on the phone asks if I have a concierge or something along those lines, but I live in sketchville and nobody near me has a concierge, so that will not work. I am close to telling her that I will sit outside the building to wait for it, but I have standards. So she suggests that they could hold the package and I could go pick it up. I say sure, I have a car, that's easy to do. Then she informs me that the UPS building that serves my area is at Jane and Steeles. What??? That is nowhere near my area! I live along the lake on the bottom of Toronto, and the UPS building is literally along the border where the top end of Toronto meets Vaughn. At that point I said fine, I would go pick it up, because there were really no other options and my purse was supposed to come two weeks ago.
January 31 - Dropped my little sister off at the airport, was feeling sad about not going anywhere and saw a perfect Matt & Nat bag at Winners that looks like this, only made of linen with darker pleather trimming, and may or may not have purchased it (I love it! It holds my stuff for work PERFECTLY).
February 2 - Got in the car, drove for about an hour across the city, and finally got my purse! Here it is, in all of it's glory (and the glory of my beautiful loveseat):

Ta-da! It's more of a dressy purse, and I have moved my stuff into it to use for my interview tomorrow at the shelter. I think I'll use the linen one for everyday work stuff, and the new one for dressier events. Perfect!!
And thus the saga ends. No vampires or romance, but a beautiful purse (or two) to call my own!

Google Knows All

2009-02-02T00:58:00.004-05:00

I found this Google game over at Coming Home, and thought it looked like fun:

Q1: Type in "[your name] needs" in the Google search.
Erin needs a servant.
(Oh. My. Goodness. Yes, please!)

Q2: Type in "[your name] looks like" in Google search.
Erin looks like Harry Potter on drugs.
(How exactly would that look, anyway?)

Q3: Type in "[your name] says" in Google search.
Erin says "Sit" Happens!
(Frequently!)

Q4: Type in "[your name] wants" in Google search.
Erin wants to pack 330 cookies in eight boxes.
(But I don't know if I can!!!)

Q5:Type in "[your name] does" in Google search.
Erin does the Donkey Dance.
(Daily! Some day it will attract a donkey, I'm sure of it!)

Q6: Type in "[your name] hates" in Google search.
Erin hates stripping. She hates it the way Marie Antoinette hated wigs.
(But, I thought Marie Antionette liked wigs? No?)

Q7: Type in "[your name] asks" in Google search.
Erin asks her class to help her raise the $8000 needed to free an abused elephant, named Lilly.
(Poor Lilly! I hope I can adopt her!)

Q8: Type in "[your name] likes " in Google search.
Erin likes waffles.
(It's true!)

Q9: Type in "[your name] eats " in Google search.
Erin eats emos.
(Well, when I'm out of waffles...)

Q10: Type in "[your name] wears " in Google search.
Erin wears many hats.
(All at once! Wasn't there a children's book about that?)

Q11: Type in "[your name] was arrested for" in Google Search.
Erin was arrested for offensive touching.
(You know it! I'm always so tempted...!)

Q12: Type in "[your name] loves" in Google Search.
Erin loves to cut things with her scissors, but cutting things can cause lots of trouble.
(One time I cut my own bangs, true story. Curly bangs are NOT nice...)

If Only...

2009-01-31T00:24:00.000-05:00

Weeks ago on Delurking Day, I told my Delurkers that they could ask me any question they want. Well, Ashley over at Turquoise Ribbons had one.

Here's a question for you: If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be and why?

Well, I can tell you that I likely will always live in Ontario. My family is way too important to me to move far away, especially now that Mom's been sick. But we're going to pretend that family ties don't factor in here, nor does work/money. Here's my shortlist:

1) Greece.

St John by nicolas.gr

Watching the movie version of "Mamma Mia!" has left me with an intense desire to live in Greece. Go here to watch my favourite song from "Mamma Mia!" - SOS and check out the background... beautiful! Apparently it was filmed in Skopelos. That picture above, that's a chapel. How amazing is that? I love the idea of living on islands and boating around. And will you look at that water?!

2) Spain.

Roseta by Pablo Germade

I was a History major back in university, and Canada has nowhere near as much history as Europe does. I love beautiful old buildings, and the opportunity to walk on places where the events I read about occured. Spain has the perfect combination of history, a beautiful culture (I have a soft spot for Flamenco dancing), and warm weather (the Mediterranean, oh yeah!)

3) Tortola, B.V.I.

Tortola by turtlepatrol

I've been on two cruises of the Western Caribbean, and on my first cruise, Tortola won my heart. No island I've been to since has compared. Small, friendly, not overly touristy, with historic buildings, surrounded by the beautiful sea. It was perfect!

4) Australia.

Back under the Australian starry nights by El Fotopakismo

This could just be jealousy due to the fact that I am going to drop my sister off at the airport to go there tomorrow, but I would love to go there. I have a slight obsession with "Crocodile Dundee", and readers, if you have not seen Danny Deckchair, get your butts to the video store and rent it immediately, it is one of my fave movies that I can watch over and over again. I find Aussie accents completely charming, and the exoticness/wildness of the country makes me want to go explore it. And the stars are completely different there! I've wanted to see the Southern Cross ever since I heard a story about it as a child at camp. Also, I find the names of landmarks and cities hilarious - Wollongong, anybody?

Well, there you go, readers. Those are the places I would live if I had the option to live anywhere in the world. There seems to be a theme here: warm and not North American.

Thanks, Ashley, for your question!

Readers - do you have any other random questions for me? Leave them in the comments and I will respond!

Life Isn't Fair...

2009-01-30T01:47:00.003-05:00

In two days, my sister will be leaving to go to school in Australia for a semester. After a short visit to New Zealand, she will be living in Brisbane. That means she will be here:

Image from here.

While I am stuck here:

Image from here.

Yeah, completely not fair.

Interview with Erin

2009-01-27T19:35:00.008-05:00

Lily of Lily Speak did this Interview meme and I wanted in on that. So I had her interview me, here it is:

1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

1) I know you're a big Dave Matthews Band fan. What's your favorite song and why?
Oh man, I have to pick just one?? I don't know if I can! How's about I tell you about a few of them:
Crash Into Me - this has been my favourite from the start. Granted the lyrics if sung by anyone other than Dave would be a little creepy, but I think it's super romantic. Remember the video?? Beautiful! The lyrics "you wear nothing, but you wear it so well" are amazingly romantic, I think, they show true love and acceptance of a person. That would be one of the most fantastic pre and/or post sex complements a guy could give me.

Pig - I discussed here. "Wash out this tired notion that the best is yet to come" - it's all about how I want to be living my life, being able to seize the day and not waste it.
You Might Die Trying - I discussed this one here. It reminds me that if I want to change the world and make a difference I need to take action by getting off my butt and doing something, even if it is only something small, it's better than being frozen and doing nothing.
But there's Everyday, and Grey Street, and Tripping Billies... awe man!

2) Other than your parents' jewelry shop, what other jobs have you held?
I've had a few, here are my two most exciting/longest from the past:
I've been a camp kid since I was a young teen, starting as a CIT, then a counsellor and then senior staff. I miss K-Camp crazy amounts...

During university, I worked at the art gallery on campus, a little bit as a gallery attendant, but mostly I was in charge of contacting (or attempting to contact) all of the over 2000 artists whose work we had in our collection to get them to sign copyright forms thanks to Canada's new copyright laws.
And now, I work at the youth shelter.

3) What extracurricular activities and/or sports have you done/played?
I've never really been a terribly sporty girl. As a kid I tried ballet and figure skating, and failed miserably at both. When my Aunt and I both lived in London, I went to the flamenco classes that she taught. In elementary school and high school, I did Brownies and Girl Guides and Youth Group out of my church, and Drama Club out of my high school. In university, I volunteered with a fantastic organization called Best Buddies, and at a local elementary school in a classroom for kids with special needs. I also took sign language classes at the university.

4) Let's say you have the chance for a little threesome with two of your fave celebs. Who would you pick?
Dave Matthews.

Crap, I have to pick another? Hmm, perhaps Lee Pace of Pushing Daisies.

Or, if I could go back in time, Pierce Brosnan and Harrison Ford, my old man crushes. Heck, the back in time bit isn't completely necessary.

5) What was your favorite game as a child?
My sisters and I used to play Barbies all the time. We also played our share of hide and go seek. On camping trips, my family would always play Monopoly. With my friends, we played a lot of games in the pool, and we played boneyard in the neighbourhoods around our houses.

Alright, anyone who wants to be interviewed can leave me a comment!

Her Morning Elegance

2009-01-27T01:18:00.003-05:00

I saw this video over at Jiscilla.com today, and it is amazingly beautiful. You all need to watch it, again and again, like I have been doing.

Erin's Red Carpet Round-up

2009-01-24T01:50:00.004-05:00

Well, it's that time of year again: Red Carpet Season. The Oscar nominations were announced the other day, and I have to say, I'm a little bit ashamed of myself this year... Usually I manage to see at least a good chunk of the nominated movies, but this year I have not seen a single one. Actually, scratch that - I saw bits and pieces of The Dark Knight when the kids watched it at work. Pathetic, I know. Here are the nominated films:

Nominated Films from Oscar.com.

That means I have about a month to catch up. What do I want to see for sure? Australia (because I heart Baz Luhrmann, the idea of the country, and history), Defiance (again with the history thing, and Daniel Craig can't hurt), In Bruges (I've heard good things), Rachel Getting Married (again, good things), Slumdog Millionaire (people have been raving about it/ it's won all the awards so far), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (um Brad Pitt. Enough said.), The Wrestler (saw a clip on Conan tonight, looks interesting), and Vicky Cristina Barcelona (looks good). For a full list of nominations go here.

Any thoughts / suggestions / recommendations, guys? Any movies that were missed by The Academy that I should still see?

An Update in Photo Form

2009-01-23T22:28:00.003-05:00

I finally bought a feather headband! I got this one from Urban Outfitters.

Thanks to Doniree, I got to make my very own Obamicon!

In other news, Thunder Kitty is still cute - even with creepy camera flash eyes. He's back on weight control kibble, but I think it's weight control because it doesn't taste good, he hardly eats it!

What I Do on the Internet

2009-01-23T20:34:00.004-05:00

This week's Friday 5 is about Net Habits. It's been a while since I've done a Friday 5, so I thought I'd give this one a shot.

1. What types of blogs do you usually read?
Toooo many... there are 182 in my Google Reader. Mostly, though, they are personal blogs or art/design blogs.
Here's a few you should go read if you don't already: Bliss, Classy in Philadelphia, LilySpeak, Me Melodia, Snapshot Chicago, Stylish Handwriting, The Holly & The Ivy, The State That I Am In,The Transformation of Kern, Turquoise Ribbons, Writing to Reach You, Yes and Yes, and You Are My Fave.

2. What kinds of products do you usually buy when you shop online?
The last two things I bought online were my Matt & Nat purse (which I am still waiting for... stupid UPS...), and my Mole Book.

3. What kinds of online videos do you usually spend time watching?
Here's my fave YouTube videos:

Hope you enjoyed those.

4. Besides Friday 5, what weekly memes do you particularly enjoy?
I don't really do any weekly ones, just when the mood strikes me.

5. Where do you like to go for streaming online music?
Well, I've heard fantastic things about Pandora, but unfortunately, those of us North of the Border aren't able to listen to it. If I listen to streaming music, I usually go to AOL Radio. I will also listen to music on YouTube, which reminds me, I was doing that the other night and rediscovered the video for Crash Into Me by the Dave Matthews Band. I love the song, but it had been a while since I saw the video, so I had forgotten just how beautiful it is. Y'all need to go here and watch it (because embedding is disabled). It's like the most gorgeous dream. Seriously, go watch it.

Baking With Erin

2009-01-23T00:20:00.002-05:00

Tonight I decided to break out my new cookbook (got it for Christmas) and do some baking. I wanted chocolate, and had the right ingredients, so I decided to make brownies. Unfortunately, I did not think that maybe the dish I had was not actually a 9 inch pan, like the called for, but in fact much smaller. All of the mix fit, so I figured that I was good to go. This nearly turned into a giant brownie FAIL when I realized that the insides were still gooey but the outsides were done. I decided to take my chances in hope that the mix would solidify as it cooled...

It didn't, but I decided to try it out anyways...

And it turned out to be a GIANT BROWNIE WIN! Like brownie pudding or a molten lava cake! I may or may not have gone back for seconds...

So, ladies and gentlemen, the lesson for today is don't bother measuring your pans, because way too thick brownies turn into amazing brownie pudding cake!

I'm Just Waiting 'Til the Shine Wears Off

2009-01-22T22:29:00.004-05:00

I've been a neglectful blogger again, sorry guys. It's not that I don't have things to write about... I just haven't been feeling it. Don't worry, I'll be back again shortly! Tonight I am being a domestic goddess - I put up my new shower curtain, did laundry (including trying out the at home dry cleaning kit I purchased to get the cat pee out of my coat - that's right, he peed on my coat), and currently am baking brownies. That, my friends, is about as domestic as it gets around chez Erin.
So now I'll leave you with the video to the song I haven't been able to get out of my head for weeks it's so good: Lost+ by Coldplay ft. Jay-Z. I think it's just beautiful (and this is coming from me, a former Coldplay fan who thought she was so over them).

Join Me on Facebook!

2009-01-19T02:06:00.001-05:00

Now you can join my blog network on Facebook! Please do, it will make me terribly happy!
Click here to do it.

"Standing on Your Mama's Porch..."

2009-01-18T01:33:00.001-05:00

The 20SB January Carnival's theme is your first kiss. I've never really written about my relationship past on here, and because this blog isn't entirely anonymous, I'm going to keep most of it fairly brief and impersonal. I can, however, talk about my first kiss.

All I Need by -roosevelt-

I've always been a bit of a late bloomer. I guess I haven't yet even exactly bloomed all of the way, but that's beside the point. It was the summer after my first year of university. I was 18. That summer I was the Environmental Learning Coordinator at camp, and as senior staff, I lived at camp from April until August. At 18 I had never had a boyfriend, never been kissed.
One of my friends who worked at camp with me had moved to Florida a few years back because of a parental divorce/remarriage, and he was due to work at camp that summer. He ended up driving back to Ontario with a friend that he went to school in Florida with, and, being short on male counsellors for the summer, we asked his friend (who, from now on, we will call The Surfer) if he wanted to stay and work at camp. This guy was always up for an adventure and trying new things, so he rearranged his summer plans to stay. Our group of camp friends would get together whenever I had time off from camp, and The Surfer would join us, so between that and camp training, I got to know him before the camp session actually started. After our first whole wee together at camp, he made up a lame excuse for us to spend the Saturday together, kind of like a date. Another week went by at camp, and we spent the Saturday with our group of friends taking a trip to one of the neighbouring cities so we could go shopping and to the movies. We held hands in the movie theatre. Our friend who was driving dropped me off at home that evening, and The Surfer offered to walk me to the door. We talked for a few minutes and he told me that he was amazed that I had never had a boyfriend before, and asked if maybe he could be my boyfriend. Of course, I was smitten and overwhelmed and said yes. I was standing on the step on the porch and he was standing on the ground, making us about equal height because he was very tall, and then he leaned in and kissed me. I had never realized how amazing something so simple as touching lips could be. We said goodnight after that simple kiss and they drove away. I immediately ran inside and jumped onto my parents' bed with maybe the biggest grin ever to announce with a squeal that I had a fantastic day and that he kissed me.
And there we have it, my first kiss. The relationship didn't end perfectly, I got very hurt and have spent the years since then building up walls to protect myself from getting hurt again. If I could re-do that relationship, I would do things very differently. However, even if I could re-do that first kiss, I wouldn't change a thing. Being gently kissed on your parents' porch on a warm July night is pretty much the perfect first kiss.

(title lyrics from Bryan Adam's "Summer of '69")

Best Child and Youth Worker EVER

2009-01-16T16:09:00.002-05:00

Created by OnePlusYou

Found via Carmen in Calgary.

Fancy Dressing

2009-01-16T00:05:00.005-05:00

Over at Classy in Philadelphia, Jess asked all of us ladies in blog land to share our formal dresses. I thought that even though I haven't had that many, I'd still share my pretty dresses. Unfortunately, although most people have been to quite a few formals and proms, I've only been to one highschool prom and I was a bridesmaid in my friend's wedding. That's it. I'm okay with it though, I get kind of awkward when I get really fancy.

Here I am at highschool prom, grade 12. I'm with my BFF Jim and my pretty hairdo is battling the wind here. I was so excited about this dress, but in hindsight I should have either left the gloves or the wrap. Also exciting was the fact that I got to wear my Mom's pearls (after a stern lecture about what would happen to me if I broke them)... from her wedding I believe.

And here's me posing outside of the men's washroom at my church. Classy, I know. I got to be a bridesmaid in one of my elementary school BFF's wedding. She told us what colours she wanted, and we got to pick out any dress style we wanted as long as it was long. I got mine for about $50 which was amazing, but it was a few sized too big so I had to get Mom to take it in for me. Thank goodness she can sew! I was sooo thrilled about my hair - I felt so classy and elegant, even though it took about 1,000000 bobby pins to keep in there. The hairdresser's wife has the same kind of hair as I do, so he was able to make it look amazing - and he attended the wedding and reception, so he was always there to stick another bobby pin in when it started to loosen.

Finally, for your viewing pleasure, photo evidence of the fact that I have always been freaking adorable/stylish!

So, ladies of the blog world, I expect you to show us all your pretty dress photos, hopefully you have more than I do!

A Few of My (Current) Favourite Things

2009-01-15T19:02:00.007-05:00

I have zero ambition to actually write a real post, even though I have many things to write about. Instead, I am spending my evening with laundry and apartment cleaning and Don't Forget the Lyrics. So, instead of writing a real blog post, I will share with you a few of my favourite things (that I have purchased) from the past few weeks:

Live and Live Luxe by Jennifer Lopez - they were both at Winners and I was pumped to find them there (for you U.S. viewers, Winners is like T.J. Maxx I think - brand names at a discount). They smell gorgeous and are light enough to wear every day! Score!

My Geode Necklace from Urban Outfitters. It reminds me of the rock/geode/jewel collection that Dad used to have in the garage growing up. I went through a stage when I was super interested in rocks and minerals too, I think it may have been a mandatory stage for a jeweller's daughter to go through, no?

My Foxy Necklace from Montreal-based company Frug. I mentioned way back in October my newfound obsession with foxes, and this necklace is just perfect!

A week or so ago, my lips were crazy chapped. I tried every lip gloss I owned and nothing helped. I went to the drug store in hopes of finding something to relieve my lips, and they hardly had anything. Dismayed, I grabbed one that looked alright, LypSyl with Eucalyptus, and ended up even more disappointed when I realized it was the kind you squeeze and the gel comes out when I thought it would be a soft solid. Well imagine my surprise when I put it on, and it feels amazing! My chapped lips healed up incredibly fast and I've kept using it ever since because of how awesome it makes my lips look and feel. I totally recommend it!

And finally, I splurged on some new body wash yesterday. Olay Botanicals Hydrate is amazing! With patchouli and soy, it smells incredible and helps fulfill my secret dreams of being a hippie (a clean one!).

There you have it - Erin's Current Favourite things, you know, other than the things I have already blogged about (like my new bag and feather headbands).

Fiscal Irresponsibility With Erin Continues

2009-01-14T23:08:00.003-05:00

I just got myself a new purse. Or, at least, I will get it in a few days and I can not wait.
It's the Matt & Nat Jorja Small in Coffee Japanese Paper and it is perfect and beautiful. Y'all know how much I love Matt & Nat. (I told you about it here, here, here, here, here, here, and also here. My goodness.)

Please arrive soon, beautiful purse??
Please arrive sooner, paycheck????

Mole Mail!

2009-01-13T21:55:00.002-05:00

Look what arrived in my mailbox today:
The package was adorable on it's own, and my mole is super cute! Now, what to name him? I am aware that I am approximately 7 years old.

It's Delurking Day!

2009-01-12T14:41:00.002-05:00

Alright, y'all. I found out from Ashley over at Turquoise Ribbons that it is apparently Delurking Day. I missed the memo on this I guess.
Anyhow, today is a day for all of you readers to come out of the shadowy bushes of internet anonymity and expose yourself to me as a reader. Leave me a comment to let me know you're here!
You can just say hi, you can ask me a question, tell me a story, or just tell me about yourself! Any questions you have for me I promise to answer in the form of a post. Those of you with blogs yourself, leave the address and I'll be sure to stop by.
So what are you waiting for!? Leave a comment and delurk!

'Cause You Might Die Trying

2009-01-11T01:24:00.006-05:00

I love this song. Not just because it's Dave, also for the idea behind it.

To change the world,
Start with one step.
However small,
The first step is hardest of all.

Once you get your gate,
You will walk in tall.
You said you never did,
Cause you might die trying,
Cause you might die trying.
Cause you---

If you close your eyes,
Cause the house is on fire.
Think you couldn't move,
Until the fire dies.
The things you never did,
Oh, Cause you might die trying,
Cause you might die trying.
You'd be as good as dead,
Cause you might die trying,
Cause you might die trying.

If you give, you, you begin to live.
If you give, you begin to live.
You begin, you get the world.
If you give, you begin to give
You get get the world, you get the world.
If you give, you get to give.

You might die trying.
Oh, you might die trying.
Yeah, you might die trying.

The things you never did,
Cause you might die trying;
You'd be as good as dead.
You never did.

It's hard to do something to make change, but if you don't take the risk nothing will happen at all, right?
I love the idea of making a difference and changing the world, but usually when the opportunity to really do something, even something little, comes along, I freeze up and do nothing. I mean, I help people because it's my job when I'm at the shelter, but outside of work I never go out of my way to help people. I need to stop freezing and going on with my day, doing nothing.

I was riding the streetcar to work today. It was freezing outside and starting to snow. At one point, a homeless man hopped on through the back doors without paying, carrying a garbage bag full of cans. His slightly odd behaviour struck me as potentially schizophrenic, and so I got my guard up like I usually do around people with mental health issues on public transit (not without reason, I've seen a few scary incidents). Sitting on a chair was a leather glove that everyone else who got on had ignored. The homeless man grabbed it and tried it on, appearing thrilled that he would now have a warm hand. After a while, a homeless woman got on. They greeted each other and she sat down near him (in front of me). He then told her about his glove, and offered it to her. She declined, saying she was already too hot, but I was really touched by the gesture. This man who clearly didn't have very many things to call his own and who spent his time outside collecting bottles in the cold without proper winter attire, was willing to give away his newfound glove to somebody else who might need it more than he did. He was willing to try and make a difference and help somebody else. Meanwhile, I sat there with my hat and two gloves and scarf and iPod and just observed.

With Feathers in Her Hair

2009-01-08T21:16:00.005-05:00

I was perusing the accessories section of Urban Outfitters today and completely fell in love with the feather headbands / hair pieces:

And my favourites...I am trying to convince a friend to have a cowboys & indians themed birthday party so I can justify buying one (what are your thoughts on this, readers, is it racist or a social faux pas, or is it retro throwback-y enough for it to work?).
I'm trying to decide whether or not I could rock one of these in real life, maybe not over my forehead, but in the normal headband position. Thoughts?

Polaroids on YOUR Computer

2009-01-07T18:29:00.002-05:00

Have you downloaded Poladroid yet?
No? You're missing out.
Check out some of the pretty pictures I made even prettier:

my camp

the road in front of my house

my favourite man

I Finally Did It!

2009-01-07T12:35:00.002-05:00

I just bought my first thing from Etsy, I'm crazy excited about this:

A mole on a Moleskin notebook! by ArgyleWhale.

It's hilarious and super-cute! And I like to believe that it will help me with my goal of being more artsy in my spare time.

Underemployment Plans

2009-01-06T22:29:00.003-05:00

Now that I'm done school and a real working girl, I have a bit more free time. Okay, that's a lie. Now that my only job is relief work, I'm discovering that I have a lot more free time. It's only my second day off this week and I'm already bored stiff.
I'm still looking for another job (either a full time job or a second part time job), but I'm taking my time, playing it by ear. I want to see how much work I get at the shelter before I look for something else.
In the meantime, I need things to occupy my time. There are a few things that I know for sure I need to do, and a few other ideas I've been thinking about but am undecided on. And, because everybody likes lists, here are my thoughts on things I can do outside of work to occupy my time, in list form:

Cleaning the apartment, and not just average cleaning, but hardcore cleaning - that way I can keep on top of it for the rest of the year, a la my New Year's Resolution. Yes, this includes the closets and ALL of the laundry.
Finding my local library branch, getting a Toronto library card, and reading, reading, reading - for free! This will help with that other resolution.
Training the cat to use the toilet rather than the litter box. Yes, I'm aware that this is basically a pipe dream, but I'm still considering it.
Catching up on the episodes of Pushing Daisies that I have waiting for me to watch on my computer.
Going for walks daily, bringing my camera, and taking pictures. I'm considering taking part in Project 365.
Joining some type of exercise group or class. Taking yoga, dance, swimming, joining an organized sport... I'm not sure which. Any ideas?
Being more artistic: printmaking, painting, photography, etc - just do more of it.
Taking some sort of art and/or crafts class. Know of any good / inexpensive ones in the GTA?
Learn to sew, with a machine, meaning I need to procure a sewing machine somehow.
Borrowing my little sister's Game Cube that she does not use, kicking butt in the games.
Writing thank you notes to the older generation of my family for my Christmas gifts. I have the cards, I just have to sit down and do it.

Have any ideas to add to my list? Any suggestions? Help me out here guys, I'm going stir crazy!

"Rock and roll is - and should be - a kid's place."

2009-01-06T00:00:00.004-05:00

Guess who I'm going to see in concert on February 17th at the Kool Haus in Toronto...

Ben Folds!! Ben F*ing Folds!! (The post title is a Ben Folds quote, btw)

That's right, this Ben Folds:

... and this Ben Folds:

Not only am I going to see THAT Ben Folds, but I am going with some of my favourite kids from our camp years!
February 17th cannot come fast enough!!

But I Hate Resolutions...

2009-01-04T01:03:00.004-05:00

I am a notorious New Year's Resolutions hater. It feels like I always am just setting myself up to fail with the same old goals of losing weight, exercising, and eating better. But I got to thinking, and I guess if I keep choosing the same resolutions every year and I keep failing at them, then maybe I'm not ready for that just yet. So instead, I've thought up a few other things that I would like to see happen in the new year:

1) Stop biting my nails. - I have been a nail biter since I was little. In the past few years though, I've mostly stopped. Now I only bite them when I am stressed or when they get chipped badly. I want to stop all together.

I really should stop biting my nails by diurnaldreamer

2) Drink more water. - I drink way too much diet cola. The problem is that I don't like the taste of water (I am really picky, I know). I am going to try to cut it down by bringing my Nalgene to work with me and some Crystal Lite singles so I can get it down.

Fill 'er up by acermate433s

3) Keep the apartment clean. - My apartment is pretty much always a disaster zone as soon as things in my life get busy. I want to keep on top of things this year. I am going to take the garbage out on the same day every week so I remember, and I am going to do the dishes as soon as I am done with them. I am also going to make the litter box clean out a daily occurrence. If I stay on top of those things, then the rest of it will be easier to get done when I have time.

Banksy by Simon Crubellier

4) Read more. - Now that I'm not in school, I can read for pleasure without feeling guilty that I'm not doing my homework. And now that I'm done the Twilight series, I'm left with a gaping literary hole to fill. I want to keep reading on a daily basis - whether before bed, at work, or on the subway.

On the platform, reading by moriza

5) Keep at this dating business. I'm still doing the online thing, but sometimes the idea of dating seems like more effort than it's worth. I do want to meet someone I like though, so I need to keep trying.

Date by XXVIII

I will keep you posted on my progress. You guys can keep me accountable so that I actually have to work on these. Wish me luck!

On Homes

2009-01-02T01:48:00.003-05:00

So, I've known about this for a while, but was bound to secrecy by my family until they began to tell people. Mom and Dad bought a "farm". I say farm, I mean 60-something acres of land about 45 mins from where we live now that has 2 small sections that are cleared for farming and the rest is forest. Dad hasn't been this excited in a long time (if ever...). Here they are on Boxing Day posing with their Sold sign:

My Mom, looking beautiful in spite of having spent the past year battling cancer, and my Dad, looking about as excited as a kid in a candy store, and their "farm". Mid-life crisis much?

It is a pretty large property, with a small section of farm land on either side. There is a creek that runs through it, branching off into a Y shape in the middle. It's a 5 minute drive from a beach on Lake Erie. Over the next couple of years, they plan to bring the trailer out there and spend weekends on the property. Ultimately, but not for a while, they plan to build a house on the property.

I have mixed feelings about this.

Part of me is not pleased. We have lived in our old farm house since I was in grade 2. I'm attached. Mom and Dad have put in a ton of work on the house, and the majority of my childhood memories are there. That house and its location... well, it is home to me. I am fairly attached to it, even to the town we live outside of. I hated that town growing up, but perhaps absence really does make the heart grow fonder, as I feel nostalgic and proud of it now. There was once a time that Mom and Dad planned to live in our house the rest of their lives, in fact, if you had asked me a year ago, I would have been certain that they would never move.

But Dad has always wanted a forest, that is where he is at his happiest. Give Dad walking shoes and his Tilley hat and leave him with the bugs and plants and animals and he will be content. And I think this past year has shown my parents that they have to stop putting off what they want to do. A brush with your own mortality will make you think twice about your priorities in life.

Oh, and the possibilities. I love the idea of it all. Buying a plot of land in the country, designing and building your own house in the middle of the woods... it sounds amazing. We might force him to put in internet and tv, but if Dad had his way he would live as a hermit, completely cut off from the world. I know he dreams about being self-sufficient, off the grid. Mom wants the house to overlook the ravine where the creek runs, and Dad has talked about having a huge glass wall. Their house (in my head) will look like my idea of the Cullen's house in the Twilight book, and the Cullen's house in the movie.

Remember this, anyone?

So, I suppose I'll have to wait and see. What will they do? When will they do it? What will it look like? How will I let go of the house I love now? What's most important, really, is that Mom and Dad are happy. And maybe that they stop mentioning that the forest will be fantastic for their grandchildren to play in.

A Nice Year

2008-12-29T20:16:00.004-05:00

Over at Operation NICE they have NICE Assignments from time to time, and I really liked the idea behind this one:

Today's Assignment: Celebrate 2008!
I know how you folks are a bunch o' list-makers out there, so let's try it one last time this year. I want you to make a list of all the wonderful things that you've done or have happened to you in the last 12 months. It could be events you attended or awards you received or priceless moments that will help you recall 2008 with great fondness. Or maybe even silly things that might seem trivial to someone else! (e.g. Buying a Wii is totally on my list!) Either way, the more items, the more smiles you'll find!

Here is my list of 2008:

Going on a cruise with my family to ring in the New Year - getting to explore Carribbean islands and relax on tropical beaches
Surviving the bus crash
Getting close to the fantastic people in my CYW class
Using tools to make and open drinks with Stace, more than once
Cousinly weekends with a St Patty's Day parade
Going to the ROM and taking silly pictures there with Stace
Thunder Kitty's first birthday
Movie dates with Stace
DMB CONCERT
Getting to spend time at home in the summer with Mom relaxing on the porch in between camps
The drives to and from HD camp in the summer, cruising with the windows down and the music up
Finding a placement that I really loved
Growing closer with my family during tough times
Weekends with the camp girls - multiple
Nuit Blanche avec Mel
Starting to blog again and the wonderful new bloggy friends I have met
My 23rd Birthday and Thanksgiving
MOM BEATING CANCER!!
The support from my family and friends I have received throughout the cancer ordeal
The Twilight Saga (nerd alert!)
Finding the courage to take a shot on the online dating thing
Reuniting with first year roomie
Spending Christmas with my family
Finishing my CYW program (with honours, I might add!)
Getting a job at the placement I loved
Learning that I am stronger than I ever thought I was
Feeling that I am kinda sorta grown up, living and working on my own in the big city
Becoming more self aware and self reflective as well as more self confident

I think writing this list was important. The events that have happened this year were pretty sucky at times, so much so that my family and I have been joking that 2008 was pretty much the worst year ever. But even though so pretty major bad things happened, a lot of good things still happened. And, I suppose, if those bad things had to happen, I'm glad they happened the way they did. Not only was it the best possible outcome for all events, but it also showed me that I have family and friends there to always support me, and that I am much stronger than I thought.
So, thanks, 2008, you were tough, but we made it. Here's to an easier 2009, with some things changing and others staying the same. Wait and see I guess!

My Christmas in Photos

2008-12-28T20:01:00.004-05:00

I should be unpacking my stuff and tidying my apartment, but instead I'll blog about my Christmas highlights.

I got a new camera, so clearly the first thing I went to do was take pictures of the cat. Everyone loves Thunder Kitty and me photos!

This is our Christmas tree on Christmas Eve after a busy day at the store and the Christmas Eve service. We always open a present each (pajamas) as a family and sit around the tree.

I took a close-up of one of the ornaments I got at 10,000 Villages for my sisters and myself last Christmas. At 10,000 Villages everything is fair trade, it's a pretty cool store.

At Grandma and Grandpa Button's house (Mom's parents), I got to be Santa. The tradition of having one of the grandchildren play Santa started when we were little. We made it all the way through all of the cousins, and the youngest, Maddy, had to do it many many years. When she finally decided that she was sick of it, 3 years ago, Grandma did a random draw to decide who would be Santa, and Jenn (2nd oldest grandchild and 1st oldest unmarried grandchild) got stuck with the job. The next year, Mel, the next oldest, did it, and so this year it was my turn. Grandma asked if I wanted to wear the hat and I replied with something along the lines of heck yes.

On Boxing Day morning, we have lunch at Aunt Christine's and Uncle Richard's. Our oldest cousin and her hubby always come to this part, so now we do our cousin picture there instead of on Christmas Day. Besides the hubby, we only have 1 guy cousin, who I always try to make do things that nobody wants to do using the fact that he is a boy as the reason. This photo was totally my idea.

And finally, on Boxing Day, we go to Aunt Jane and Uncle Mark's house (on my Dad's side). This year, we had a kids' table again for the first time in years - note: kids =14-25. Apparently my sisters and I wear the dark clothes, and Justin is the classy cousin with his mouth full of food.

So, after over a month of waiting, and after selling diamonds at Mom and Dad's store for nearly 2 weeks, I had my traditional family Christmas. It was nice. Not very relaxing, as per usual, but nice all the same. There's always comfort in tradition, I think. No matter how many other things change, some things always stay the same.

The Ghost of Christmas Past

2008-12-24T23:06:00.003-05:00

And now a look into my Christmas Past...

Here is me and lil' sister (I have brown hair) in our Christmas dresses made by Mom, with our brand new dolls in their matching dresses, also made by Mom. Pretty sweet, eh? We are also sporting our brand new bright haired dolls that we kept to play with in the bathtub with our mermaids. We're at Grandpa and Grandma's on Christmas Day, and I think maybe the best thing about it is that I currently have that love seat in my apartment, beautiful pattern and all.

I hope you all have a fantastic holiday season, readers, whatever it is that you celebrate. Take some time and remember years past. And please, please cherish the time you have with your loved ones! Nothing lasts forever, so celebrate every moment.

Christmas is Almost Here!

2008-12-23T21:19:00.002-05:00

Want to get me a last minute Christmas gift? Here's some ideas!

Kitty no.26 by penguinandfish

Tree Print Green Jersey Scarf by PrettyRaccoon

Happy - A stained glass star by PamelaAngus

Monster Cat Loves You (Large Moleskin) by nowvember

Alphabet Soup Necklaces by taprobane

The Dinosaurs Deserved It T-Shirt @ Threadless

Good News, Ladies!

2008-12-22T21:58:00.002-05:00

Everyone's favourite fictional vampire, Robert Pattinson (or RPattz, as I lovingly call him) no longer looks as though there may be a small family of woodland animals living in his hair.
Remember this?

Much better, RPattz, I am a fan of the early 90's grunge revival look minus the actually dirty hair. And the fact that you're carrying a guitar just made me swoon a little.

Via The Superficial.

December Carnival

2008-12-21T23:36:00.006-05:00

The 20SB December Blog Carnival is up, and this month, I have decided to participate. You get 3 choices, and I have chosen to write about: A wishlist of 5 items, one for each sense (that's an item for sight, one for smell, etc). Here we go.

See: Matt & Nat Jorja Small Purse - I'd like to see this under my arm! I love Matt & Nat, a lot. The Jorja Small Purse looks like it would hold all of my belongings and fit perfectly under my arm.
Or, possibly, I'd like to see the world through the lenses of a new camera, something like this one:Smell: Vera Wang Princess - It smells really pretty, I think it may be the next addition to my perfume collection.
Taste: Tim Horton's Breakfast Sandwich - Seriously. I could eat one of these things daily, or even multiple times a day, for the rest of my life. Now if only they weren't so so so unhealthy.
Touch: iPhone - I know I don't need a new phone, but the iPhone is pretty and has so many useful apps! Please? I promise to use it!
Hear: DMB concert - Unfortunately, the tour they just announced doesn't come anywhere near me (NY being the closest). I really really want to see them in concert again. I saw them last June and then once a few Decembers past. DMB honestly puts on the BEST live show, I wish I could see them again and again... I would be an awesome groupie.

Two of My Favourite Things

2008-12-21T00:47:00.003-05:00

Urban Outfitters + Free Stuff!

Y'all need to go and get yourself a free year's subscription to Nylon Magazine!

Amazing!

Erin's Christmas Movie Picks

2008-12-20T23:56:00.000-05:00

Ah, Christmas movies. They make me happy and feel just like a kid again. I watch them year after year, no matter what. There are a lot of great ones out there, here are my top 10:

10) It's a Wonderful Life - a heartwarming story, even if the little girl's voice is maybe the most annoying thing ever. Be happy with the life you have, because the world would be completely different if you weren't a part of it.
9) Merry Christmas, Mr. Bean - My childhood memories involve knowing when Dad was watching Mr. Bean because he would be laughing so loudly that you could hear it all over the house. Mr. Bean makes me laugh too, a lot. Like when he gets the turkey stuck on his head. Hilarious!

8) The Grinch Who Stole Christmas - My favourite thing ever is when the Grinch comes up with his plan and his smile grows and grows and grows. I think he is adorable! And Max, who doesn't love Max the dog?

7) Frosty the Snowman - I grew up watching this every year. Any show that advocates for children hopping on a boxcar with a creepy grown man snowman come to life is a show for me!

6) National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation - Is there anything about this that is NOT hilarious? The squirrel, the cat wrapped up as a present, the Christmas lights... what's not to love??
5) Garfield's Christmas - Another of my childhood classics. Watched this every year growing up. We get to see a sweet spot in Garfield, and we get to meet the chili-eatin' piano-rockin grandma - love her!

4) Muppet Family Christmas - When Muppets and Sesame Street and Fraggles get together in one house, you get a pretty amazing movie. Watch out for the icey patch!!

3) Rudolph - I have the figurines on my Christmas Tree, that's how much I love these. The Abominable Snowman and the Island of Misfit Toys are amazing. The idea that even misfits can fit in and be loved, so sweet!

2) Claymation Christmas - Not as many people know this one, but it is amazing, I wish I had it on DVD. A series of Christmas songs all done in claymation presented by the two lovable dinos with their bantering. Throughout it all, we learn of the true meaning of wassailing (not waffelling or waddeling).

1) Charlie Brown Christmas - My absolute fave Christmas show! First of all, the music is amazing. Secondly, we get Charlie Brown and the gang's dance scenes. Thirdly, we learn the true meaning of Christmas from Linus - beautiful!

What are your must-see Christmas movies?

Crazy Day and Favourite Things

2008-12-19T20:21:00.002-05:00

I've been pretty much MIA this week, thanks to having to work at my parents' store every day almost. I'll make it up soon, I promise.
Today, for example, I got to shovel the walk at the store... 3 times because it kept snowing in (this is usually Dad's job, but he asked me to do it, this was my first sign that something was up), went with Dad to our doctors appointments (2nd hint, I guess he didn't have it before today), and then had to drive him to the hospital to get a EKG (bam, should have known something was up with his heart). His results came back fine, and he even apologized to me for not telling my earlier that he wasn't feeling well. Parents getting old sucks. I don't like having to be the caretaker when it comes to them. Then I got to run errands all over our snow-filled town for store-related things. At least the store wasn't crazy, the snow made it so hardly anyone came in. Good for the type of day Dad and I had, but bad for the store only 6 days before Christmas. Oh well, can't change the weather, right? Geeze, I hope that update made sense, I'm not certain that I'm fully coherant right now.

Here's this week's Friday 5 - Favourite Things:

1) What’s your favorite thing about the shoes you’re wearing (or the shoes you were most recently wearing)?
I'm not wearing any right now, the last ones I was wearing were my brown winter boots, which have lasted me 3 winters and are super comfy!

2) What’s your favorite thing about the people you work with (or the people you go to school with)?
I like the people I work with at Mom and Dad's store because I've known them all forever and have so much fun with them. I like the co-workers at the shelter because they're fun to be with and they're really good at what they do.

3) What’s your favorite thing about the climate where you live?
I like that the summers don't usually get unbearably hot in the summer, and we get snow around Christmas.

4) What’s your favorite thing about Friday?
I liked Fridays better when I was in school and didn't have to work on Saturdays. Those were good days.

5) What’s your favorite thing about the year coming to an end?
2008 has been a pretty sucky year for my family. To quote the Counting Crows "there's reason to believe maybe this year will be better than the last."

Contests Galore!

2008-12-17T21:28:00.006-05:00

Have y'all entered these??

The oh, hello friend Winter Giveaway

AND

The Oh! How Lovely! Shops Giveaway

I am entering them! You can win some pretty sweet things from them. You can't win if you don't enter, guys!

Erin's Christmas Music Picks

2008-12-16T20:31:00.004-05:00

I work retail every Christmas season, so I get mighty tired of Christmas songs after only a few days of working. I can appreciate the Frank Sinatra and the Dean Martin Christmas songs, but there is a limit to how much I can listen to them. Here are my picks for your Christmas listening pleasure:

1) The Hotel Cafe Presents: Winter Songs - Various Artists
Cheery, dreamy, and so pretty. An upbeat yet relaxing Christmas mix.

2) Wintersong - Sarah McLachlan
My fave is her cover of River, with a close second being Song for a Winter's Night. Sarah's voice is just so pretty, and I've loved her for a long time.

3) The Charlie Brown Christmas Soundtrack - Vince Guaraldi Trio
I love this movie a lot, and the soundtrack epitomizes Christmas for me. The kids singing Hark The Herald Angels Sing gives me happy shivers.

4) Let it Snow! - Michael Buble
Lots of Canadiana on this list! I think Michael Buble is a cutie, and his songs have a Rat Pack -esque flavour to them. Only an EP though, so it always leaves me wanting more.

5) Barenaked for the Holidays - Barenaked Ladies
Always upbeat and fun, it makes perfect sense for the BNL to make a Christmas album. And they include Hanukkah songs for our Jewish friends!

Additional Songs I Love (From Other Albums):
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Coldplay
O Come O Come Emmanuel - Sufjan Stevens
Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy - Bing Crosby and David Bowie
I Saw Three Ships - Sting
The Christmas Song - Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds
What's This? - The Nightmare Before Christmas Soundtrack

Happy Christmas Listening, Blog World!

Do DMB Fans Have a Nickname? I am SUCH a Dave-head

2008-12-16T16:18:00.007-05:00

The Dave Matthews Band announced their spring tour dates yesterday, unfortunately, none being closer to me than New York (believe me, I'm still considering it). With that e-mail, they also announced that their new studio album (it's been since Stand Up in 2005) will be released on April 14, 2009. I CANNOT WAIT! Expect me to be at the store to buy it the day it is released. I don't buy many CDs nowadays, the exception being new releases from my all-time fave bands, DMB being top of that list.
I expect it to be a different sound, with the loss of LeRoi Moore this summer. Dave also Twittered that they were considering not using any of the new songs that they had been playing on tour the past few years, using new brand new songs for the album instead. Either way, I am pumped for some new DMB music. Although I have been a fan for many years, I do not join the ranks of the veteran fans that adore old DMB and hate on everything new that comes from them. Dave, I know I will love whatever comes out of your mouth and into my ears, so no need to worry.
Now I just have to wait... April 14th can hurry on up and get here!

See the announcement here.

I Want the Moon!

2008-12-16T10:49:00.005-05:00

Requesting that someone bring you the moon is no longer unreasonable, thanks to some Russian designers. Both the spoiled princess and the hopeless romantic in me want this, badly. And look at the beautifully whimsical pictures of it!! Please, I would like it for Christmas!! I think I even want the moon more than a Kitty Wig (that means I want it a lot)!!

via Treasuring and English Russia.

Where I Plot The Seduction of a Mucisian

2008-12-14T23:39:00.004-05:00

For the past few weeks I have had my new fave (well, second fave, nobody could ever replace Dave Matthews as my fave) singer on repeat. On my computer, on my iPod, in my car, in my head - all I've wanted to listen to is Ray Lamontagne.
His voice has been the soundtrack to my life and to my reading of the Twilight series. The perfect late fall / early winter, curled up in bed with a book music. His voice is beautiful and soothing in most songs, and he has a few songs that make me get up and dance around the apartment singing to the cat. But seriously, I would marry this man in a heartbeat if he promised to sing to me (specifically to sing me to sleep on a nightly basis). He needs to come back to North America, specifically to Toronto, to play a concert so that I can seduce him.
So seriously, check him out. If you dig guys with beards and acoustic guitars (sometimes electric) with beautiful songs, you'll dig Ray Lamontagne.

I'd Like to Thank the Academy...

2008-12-14T17:20:00.003-05:00

A little late, I know, but back a while ago, I received my first ever blog award from my fellow book club member Lily from LilySpeak. I was thrilled, and cheesy as it is, the inner 15 year old girl in me felt accepted by the blogging community! So I will proudly display this on my blog and pass it on to a few others:
The beautiful Lenorenevermore whose posts are always beautiful to read and look at,
a fellow Canadian Carmen of My Life in a Nutshell,
the student with the best dating stories Ashley of Turquoise Ribbons,
and my fellow DMB lover Grey Street of The Life & Times Of....
Thanks for being fantastic bloggers!!

Shuffle!

2008-12-13T21:04:00.007-05:00

Step 1: Put your iTunes or equivalent on random.
Step 2: Type out the first line from the first 20 songs that play, no matter how embarrassing.
Step 3: Bold out the songs when someone guesses the song/album correctly. (Looking them up on Google or any other search engine is CHEATING!)

1. You've got your ball, you've got your chain, tied to me tight tie me up again
Crash Into Me - Dave Matthews Band
2. You'll remember me when the west wind moves on the fields of barley
Fields of Gold - Sting
3. Miracle people with marvelous hair and a knack to do anything better than anyone
New Frontier - Counting Crows
4. This is a call to the colorblind, this is an IOU, I'm stranded behind the horizon line, tied up in something true
5. Ha, open wide, oh so good I'll eat you, take me for a ride in your sweet delicious perfect, little mouth
6. Let us burn one, from end to end, and pass is over to me my friend
Burn One Down - Ben Harper
7. How I wish you could see the potential, the potential of you and me
I Will Possess Your Heart - Death Cab for Cutie
8. Somewhere beyond the sea, somewhere waiting for me
Beyond the Sea - Robbie Williams
9. Lord, give me grace and dancing feet, and the power to impress
10. The world is blowing up, the world is caving in, the world has lost her way again, but you are here with me
11. Baby, baby, when we first met I never felt something so strong
12. 'Cause it's a bitter sweet symphony this life
Bittersweet Symphony - The Verve
13. Life is much too short to sit and wonder who's gonna make the next move and will slowly pull you under when you've always got something to prove
14. Look at all that shines, baby's down on the world and she knows it
15. Everything's different, with my head in the clouds
16. I don't know what I've done, or if I like what I've become
17. Bright just like the stars above me, proud just like my mother planned it
18. I said what you wanted to hear, and what I wanted to say, so I will take it back
19. I tell you how I feel, but you don't care, I say tell me the truth, but you don't dare, you say love is a hell you cannot bare
20. Digging a hole and the walls are caving in, behind me, air's getting thin but I'm trying, I'm breathing in, come find me

I found this gem on She Devotes Her Life...
Okay, here we go, blog readers, how many can you get? Make me proud guys!

No More Slacking!

2008-12-12T18:00:00.003-05:00

I've been slacking on my blogging this week, thanks to it being the last week of school and therefore crazy busy. It's done now, though, I am officially now a university AND college graduate! BA and CYW... I am getting closer and closer to my goal of having the entire alphabet behind my name. So tonight I get to go celebrate with my friends, and tomorrow I am packing up and heading home to my parents' house to work for them sellin' the bling at their store before Christmas. I love working at the store, I've worked there every Christmas season since I was in grade 11... what is that, going on 8 years now? And I grew up at the store practically. It wouldn't be Christmastime without spending the weeks before it selling jewellery wrapped up in pretty boxes by me. Anyhow, I am back there working again on Monday, and until then plan to be reading Breaking Dawn, because I banned myself from it this week while I tried to get work done, and now my ban is over - sweet!

And now, this week's Friday Five, this week's theme is Not Mine:
1) When did you last sleep in a bed outside your home?
I don't like sleeping at other peoples' houses very often, so it was likely the last time I went home and slept in my room at my parents' house, which doesn't count does it because I consider it home too. Before that... I guess it was camp in the summer?

2) When did you last drive someone else’s car?
I drive my parents' car sometimes when I am home.

3) When did you last cook in someone else’s kitchen?
The other night I made myself food at Sam's house when we were studying.

4) When did you last care for children who aren’t yours?
Umm Wednesday? That's kind of my job.

5) When did you last do someone else’s job?
I am always trying to help out and do what I can for my coworkers, so I guess the work I did at my placements counts, because it's not technically my job.

I'm Pretty Much Grown Up Now

2008-12-09T23:24:00.002-05:00

"Grow up, who me?" by charliebubbles

Tomorrow is my last day of placement at the shelter. Before today, I was full of mixed emotions about this. I'm excited to be done the CYW program, it's been a long 16 months straight in this program. I'm tired, so tired that I'm not even stressed about the big old assignment I've barely started due Friday and the final exam looming ominously before me on Thursday. I just want to be done. Before today, I was sad to be leaving the shelter. I like it there, and I'm confidant that I'm doing good work there with great co-workers. So, the grin on my face was probably very large this morning when I was officially hired for per diem relief work at the shelter. Not only do I get to stay on at the shelter... for the very first time, I have a job in my field of study. It feels grown up and real and awesome.