My Favorite Things of 2009

It’s almost the end of the year so it’s time for me to publish “My Favorite Things”, volume 6. Oprah might be retiring, but I’m not anytime soon.

Enjoy and Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones. I hope to connect with all of you in the New Year!

#10 E-Z Pockets

Homemade calzone using the EZ Pocket molds

I’m a sucker for “As Seen On TV” products and typically they aren’t worth their weight in sand. But I found these at Zellers this weekend and they actually did a great job! Brad and I made calzones for dinner (above) and they turned out really great. Better than any pizza we would have ordered in.

Make perfect pizza pockets, calzones, dumplings, perogies, desserts and more with this 5-piece deluxe mold set. The set cost me about $18 from Zellers. Well worth the money if it means less take-out. We’re looking forward to making apple turnovers and egg rolls next.

#9  Community (TV show)

New NBC sitcom, Community, staring Chevy Chase

After his college degree is deemed invalid, Jeff heads back to Community College where he interacts with a hilarious group of students, including Pierce (Chevy Chase), a moist-towelette tycoon who has been married seven times.

The first episode premiered on Facebook and was available for a limited time. Now, Community airs on Thursday nights on NBC.

It took me a few episodes to realize how smart the writing on this show really is and I’m glad I gave it a chance.

#8 Scarves

The latest fashion trend, Scarves!

They are without a doubt the largest fashion trend in 2009 for both guys and girls. And I’m on board! I started collecting scarves last summer. I have 38 to date. And I wear one every day, winter or summer.

My favorite is the infinity scarf I just bought from Winners. It’s a full loop and can be worn in a number of ways. I wear mine double-looped over my winter jacket but most days, when I take off my coat, I leave the scarf on.

#7  You Look Nice Today (podcast)

Hilarious podcast that makes bus riding fun.

Since I ride transit everyday and that means about 3 hours on the bus per day, I need to fill my time. I’ve started listening to a number of podcasts that I subscribe to on iTunes, my favorite being one called “You Look Nice Today: A Journey of Emotional Hygiene”.

The three hosts  met on Twitter and started recording the podcast in early 2008. Mostly improvised, their smart wit and dry sense of humour is most appealing. On a number of occasions, I have found my self laughing out loud on the bus only to be stared at by those around me. It’s worth it though.

#6  Bud Light Lime

Time for a cold one...wait, That's Coors Light.

We first tried this last year when we were in Las Vegas over Halloween. Once it came to Canada, we were thrilled.  And then we couldn’t get any because it was perpetually sold out everywhere. Also, they were charging a fortune for a 12 pack.

Now the chaos has settled and Bud Light Lime can be found on any given day, in any given liquor store. Although they still charge an arm and a leg for it. But on the days we can get it on sale, we usually by a couple cases.

Although good all year round, this beer is ideal for hot summer afternoons. Nothing could be more refreshing.  At least I don’t think so. There’s nothing better than a light, cool beer and some fake lime flavouring to make an afternoon complete.

While other beers have replicated the idea, I haven’t found any that I like as much as Bud Light Lime.

#5 The Messenger

This bag got me through school!

I was given this bag as a going-away gift from my amazing friends at ATCO before I left to start school. Granted I asked for it but I certainly never expected to get it. I found it on Etsy, one of my previous favorite things if you’ll recall. Their online store is called Moop (http://www.etsy.com/shop/moop) and they sell top-quality bags and purses.

At first I thought this bag was really overpriced. After lugging it around every day for the past six months, I retract my initial judgment.  This bag is nothing short of amazing. I have really put it through the ringer; over-stuffing it, spilling my coffee mug in it, tossing it around and leaving it on the floor of the filthy bus. And it still looks like it did on the first day I got it!

#4 Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker (music)

"We just want everyone to have a crush on life!"

My local radio station, Sonic 102.9, started playing these guys late last year. I immediately took a liking to them. At the time they only had one album with a handful of song and trying to buy the album anywhere proved difficult. For a long time I was forced to wait until they came on the radio.

Now after the release of their second album, Questamation, both of their albums can be downloaded from iTunes. I have both (their first album is called Welding the C:/) and I listen to them at least once a day.

Just two guys from Ontario, they’ve made a big splash in the Edmonton music scene. In fact, they return to Edmonton frequently and most recently, did a secret show right here in St. Albert (which I am upset I missed)

With a motto like theirs, you can’t help but love them!

#3 Pink Solution

Best Green Clean you can get

I know, I know…this was on my list last year. But it’s that good so if you haven’t tried it yet, I’m not joking…get on it.

By far the most amazing eco-friendly cleaning solution I have ever tried (and trust me, I’ve tried a lot). All-natural, non-toxic & biodegradable, Pink Solution is great for the kitchen, bathroom, on windows, carpet stains, as laundry detergent and even on the pets. It contains zero chemicals and is safe enough to eat! Plus, it actually gets things clean! I mean, really clean!

I was lucky enough to find a demo at Costco and purchased a cleaning “kit” (5L of Pink Solution, 500mL tub of Mother’s Choice (heavy duty cleaner for rust and stains) and a laundry bar) for approximately $55. If you’re not as lucky as I was, there are typically one or two locations in each city to purchase from or you can order online. It is well worth it. My 5 litres of Pink Solution should last me upwards of two years -that’s including using it to replace my laundry and dishwasher detergent!

#2 Star Trek (movie)

These are the voyages...

So, I finally (FINALLY) saw this movie a few weeks ago. I’m surprised it took me so long in fact as I am a bit of a Trekkie. Wasn’t sure how I’d feel about the new cast but within 15 minutes, I was sold on almost all of them. I especially thought I would struggle with Spock’s character being played by Zachary Quinto, as I have a love-hate relationship with his as Sylar on Heroes. Turns out, he was by far my most favorite part of this movie.  I didn’t love Chris Pine as Kirk but he was maybe my only complaint throughout the movie.

A friend of mine said, and I wholeheartedly agree, “Man they made the ship look sexy”  In fact, I think the whole movie was sexy and I can’t wait for the next one to be released!

#1 Twitter

Tweet, tweet.

Social Media is a term that is thrown around all the time nowadays. But what it really means is personal to each of us. For me, I didn’t understand Twitter at first. I think that was a pretty common consensus.  I didn’t understand why I needed to log into yet another site to talk to people that, in many cases, I saw everyday anyhow. I already had emails, text messages and Facebook for this purpose.

Eventually I started “following” people in my community that were friends of friends or had similar interests as me. I now follow very few of my actual “friends” (although I use that term loosely because I consider my twitter friends equally important in my life). I started connecting with other local designers and people involved in local organizations that I respected.

I’ve met many of these people over the last few months and am now deeply involved in a community that I would not otherwise have gotten involved with. Because of my connections on Twitter I have done work for a local NFP pet rescue organization, been featured on not one, but two local blogs and had drinks with some of the most amazing people I didn’t know. Oh, and don’t forget, it was because of Twitter that I was considered (and later was awarded) my new job!

There is a common Twitter expression that goes something like this; “If you think Twitter is a waste of time, you’re not using it right”. If you take the time to really explore the Twitterverse, observe how others use it and discover how it best works for you, it can be a beneficial tool to enrich your life.

‘Nuff Said

“Everything’s Amazing and Nobody’s Happy”

Last week I was very ill (and before you speculate, it was not H1N1).  So I was very ill. In fact, I thought at one point that I was going to end up in hospital. I didn’t but what I did end up with was five days confined to my bed. During this time I slept, a lot. Occasionally I watched TV but was tired of hearing everyone complain about the H1N1 situation. So I turned to youtube to watch some of my favorite, upbeat comedians; Louis CK being the top of my list (given his recent guest role on Parks and Recreation). I watched him on Conan O’Brien doing a bit titled, “Everything’s Amazing and Nobody’s Happy”. If you haven’t seen it, you can do so here.  I think we all need to think this way a little more.

So there I was lying in bed feeling like death. And I won’t lie, complaining about it, if only to myself. Then I watched this video again and realized…I’m lying in a fleecy, pillow-laden, king-sized bed. I have access to all the clean, hot bathes I want. I have a flushable toilet to barf in. There’s a TV not 10 feet from me. I have all the tasty, nutritious Gatorade I could desire. And a medicine cabinet filled with a different pill to attack every symptom I was, just moments ago, complaining about. Let’s run through that again. Bed. Bath. Toilet. Entertainment. Nutrition. And medicine. Huh. What the hell was I complaining about?

Nowadays people just need to complain about something. Nothing is ever good enough.  As a majority, we are a spoiled, over-entitled culture who, as I said in my last post, does little to no thinking for ourselves. If the news is upset about something, we’re twice as upset. Why would we need to bother doing our own research; the news said it was true, right? We are a society who likes to be worked-up about something at all times. Frankly, I’m sick of it. We have a large majority of people who contribute very little to society and do nothing to understand today’s issues but are the first to lead the way down to parliament with petition sign in hand. Most of the time I don’t think these people understand a quarter of what they should before announcing so loudly their stance. Uneducated protesters do nothing to support their cause and only fuel the flame of ignorance.

Am I worked up about this? Sure I am. I believe in many causes, all of which I’ve taken the time to read about and understand through my own eyes; not what someone else has told me. There are a number of other issues that still confuse me and I don’t know what to believe. So I keep my mouth shut about those so as not to look the fool. I wish others would follow suit.

So yeah, last week I felt like crap. But the odds are that at some point this flu season, we’re all going to fall ill. And if you do, I hope you remember just how lucky you are. Let’s learn to appreciate more and complain less.

I am thankful for the opportunity to stay home to recuperate.  I am thankful that I was able to get the rest and medication I needed to feel better. And most importantly, I am thankful for the many friends and family who sent me daily emails of encouragement and love.

They say you should read this post.

With the rapid retirement of Baby Boomers, X’ers are starting to fill executive roles and I suspect that means the way business is conducted will start to change. The Boomers were a dedicated, hard-working bunch who valued company-loyalty. They were often heard saying things like “you get what you pay for” or “you get out of it what you put in”. Great words to live by but are they still true?

X’ers have a sense of entitlement; I know, I am one. We should get that promotion because we deserve it, not necessarily because we earned it. We went to post secondary school because we were told that piece of paper would earn us a good salary and stable job. With that degree or diploma in hand, we felt as though we’d earned a certain level of respect in the working world.  After all, many Boomers never got a degree and they had executive roles; surely we must not have to start at the bottom of the ladder.

How did this happen? Where did our sense of entitlement come from?

As parents, Boomers encouraged us kids to get an education, to take advantage of the privileges handed to us. As parents often do, they coddled us. We were told we were “special” and could “be anything we wanted to be”. They wanted our road to be an easier one to travel than their own. And therein lies the problem.

We are being handed things too easily. The younger generations (X’ers included) can find any information they want with the simple click of a button. But what has that done for free-thinking? Are we too easily willing to accept what we read on the internet; no questions ask? How often do you hear the phrase, “you know, they say [insert random quote here]“  Who are “they”? Are “they” telling the truth? Do we research what we’re reading and make sure the source is reliable, the facts true?  Are we no longer thinking for ourselves?

Our society’s lack of free-thinking have allowed large corporations and media giants to pollute our minds. From the “climate change controversy” to weight-loss plans and most recently whether or not you should get the H1H1 flu shot; we don’t know what to believe anymore. And very few of us take the time to discover how we really feel about these issues. There are plenty of passionate, dedicated people in this world who wholeheartedly believe in a cause but it scares me to think of how few of them are actually well-informed about what they believe.

I hope this posts gives you something to think about. We all need to take time out of our busy schedule to sit quietly and think our own thoughts; not someone elses.

Find some peace and discover your own thoughts.

Blog Action Day 2009 – Climate Change

Get Blogging

With such a broad topic, it’s hard to know where to begin. So, I’m just going to wing this. I was told about Blog Action Day (BAD) about a week ago and asked if I would write something about Climate Change. As those around me know, I don’t ever have to be asked to talk about this subject. I bring it up, without question, more often than others may prefer.  It’s a subject that makes a lot of people feel uncomfortable. And I can understand.

We hear so much about the so-called “climate controversy”. It’s in the morning paper and on the nightly news. We are led to believe that science “can’t be sure” if human activity is to blame for the rapidly changing temperature over the past few decades. And even those sources that will admit that we are the problem then suggest that it is either too late or too expensive to fix. We don’t know what to believe.  We’re afraid of taking a stand for or against something that might, potentially make us look stupid. And I can understand that too.

I can understand all these feelings because I’ve experienced them all.  And some days I still do. Over the past few years I’ve experienced a roller coaster of environmental emotions.  My Dad has always worked in the Oil and Gas sector. We would fight about these things but, as a teenager, it was more about being rebellious and argumentative with him. Years later, we still don’t see eye to eye but my vision on our different sides is clearer.  I know where I stand and how I feel about changing my behavior.  He is complacent.  In response to me suggesting that if we didn’t change, we wouldn’t have anywhere to live he said, “well, we had a good run”. I know he jokes. I understand. And I don’t expect to ever change his mind.  What has changed is that he no longer actively argues with me. He supports me in my decisions and never has that been more evident as with my new career path and volunteer opportunities.

I have become a hardcore documentary watcher.  And I think it’s important to recognize how these images make us feel. Having a soft spot for animals, I used to start crying every time we drove by roadkill on the way to the farm.  I manage to contain myself a little better now but to see an animal hurt affects me deeply. For many years I avoided watching any nature show in fear of seeing a lion catch a gazelle for dinner. I can now accept that this is a part of the cycle of life and I (usually) manage to not tear up. Shows like Whale Wars or movies such as The Cove are a different story entirely though. These acts are not part of the cycle of life and I typically enter the ’snot-running-down-my-nose-blubbering-fool’ phase. I can’t help it. If it embarrasses you, don’t go to the movies with me.

What I’ve been finding lately though is that I am able to watch more and more shows that, albeit upsetting, are important to our survival. And in all honesty, I come out of that movie feeling overwhelmed; the problems seem too big, the solutions too momentous. I have these moments all the time. But then I shake them off and get back to life; recycling what I can, riding the bus, conserving water and energy and…much to their chagrin…telling everyone I can about what I’ve seen and how we can all make a difference.

I hope you will do the same.

Iao Valley, Maui HI

Headaches, Hangovers & Puck Bunnies: A Horror Story.

Faceoff

At my husband’s recreational hockey game yesterday I actually had to get up, grab my bag and say to my fellow hockey-wife, “I can’t stand it anymore. I have to go sit somewhere else”. You see, the endless squealing escaping the lips of the young, blonde, opposing-team’s girlfriend sitting beside me was more than my head (or my nerves) could handle.

Focused or hungover?

I just kept wishing she would shove the little, pink piglets that childishly adorned her mittens, down her seemingly endless throat.  In all honestly, I suppose I should be thankful that our men don’t play on the same time. The thought of going to every game together makes me gag a little.  Worse yet, we might even have to talk.  And I just wouldn’t have the patience to explain icing to her. And I don’t think she’d have the focus to listen.

It’s been a long time, Old Friend

The Way I See It #26

I’m sure not many people can claim that a Starbucks cup changed their life; I can.

About a year ago I started getting my daily Americano (with two pumps of white chocolate mocha please) in the cup with this quote on. Every time. Not just often; every time. For a long time I ignored it. Then it started to get creepy. Surly Starbucks must make more than one cup design. So I started looking at the cups my friends were getting; they were different.

Huh.

I started to really read what was on this cup. Eventually, I cut it out and posted it on my cubicle wall. The cubicle wall that I saw every day when I went to my job. A job that payed me incredibly well, at which I was fairly successful, and where I frequently heard the expression, “what would we do without you, Jess?” I think you can see where I’m going with this. If you can’t, reread the photo above.

Yep, success is dangerous. Before I knew what happened, I was celebrating five years doing a job that made me sad. I had known for years that I needed to do something else; but what? And even if I did figure out what, where would I find the balls to take that leap?

Four months ago, some how, some way, I jumped. At 32, I’m once again a full-time student. Third times’ a charm, right?  I no longer get a pay cheque. The magic cleaning fairies who used to clean my toilet while I was at work no longer come around. I have to pay for things like my own prescriptions and chiropractic appointments (gasp). I haven’t heard that familiar expression, “what would we do without you, Jess?” once since June. And the worst part is that in two months when I graduate, I have no idea what I’m going to do.

Suddenly the PRAISE and MONEY and OPPORTUNITY have vanished.

And I couldn’t be happier.

Another hockey filled weekend

It's Hockey Season Again

Thanksgiving weekend is upon us; what will you be doing? Much like the rest of my weekends, I’ll be on the couch plugging away on homework assignment after homework assignment. For months, I’ve barely left the house on the weekends. It’s starting to get depressing. Although with the start of hockey season, the couch has become a little bit more comfortable. And the homework, a little less pressing.

But last weekend I did leave the house; because I had to. One of my current projects is to develop a website for my husband’s hockey team. That meant I needed to go get some photos. So I layered up and headed to the Canadian Athletic Club to try and get some decent shots.  And I did.  But what I also got was the refreshing memories of being at the rink.

There’s something about the rink that causes an exhilarating peacefulness to wash over me. Walking into an empty rink after the zamboni is gone but before the players arrive is the best place in the world. The way it smells, the eerie silence. It’s offers a comforting anticipation of what’s to come next.

My husband plays again on Thanksgiving Sunday. And I’ll be there.  With my camera. Taking a break to feel alive, if only for 60 minutes.