Ten Things I've been loving this November

I started this post a back in October, but since I've been lacking the time to finish it, I've just decided to add on.

Hurrah, we made it to December people--bring on the snow! Here are some more things I'm loving this month: 

1. Pumpkin Chai Tea. Ok, it's not the pumpkin spice latte, but when you add the foamed milk, it darn well could be. It's deliciioussss. (I also bought a red velvet flavoured tea to go along with it!!!! I'm in love.)


2. Scary movies. Ok, it's long past Halloween. By two months. But I'm particularly fond of the black and white films, like The Uninvited. (Honestly, aside from the 1940s shmaltz, it's legit. creepy) And how about them Cat People?

3. Ahh. Ahh. AAHHH. Get thee to a Starbucks immediately.


4. Supernatural. I didn't think I would start watching it again, but it's not so bad this season. And honestly, it's getting to the point where Castiel and Dean should simply be together.

5. Pumpkin bread. I made it! Finally! And sadly ate it before I could get a nice picture of the results.
But here's the lovely recipe I followed.

I found this, and enjoyed it greatly.

6. National Novel Writing Month. Not that I have the time to write one (aside from newsworthy items,  har har), but I have a few possibilities kicking around in my brain. (One involves rabid 1,000 year old trees. Don't ask.)


7. The start of Christmas music on the radio. Plus people like this fellow.

8. Doctor Who preview. Wonderful, glorious spoilers.

9. The Who. I saw them in concert last week, and it just reminded of how great music was (and still is) back in the 60s and 70s. PS: These guys haven't changed at all.

10. The fact that I am only a mere few weeks away from having nothing to do. I'll take doing this as a way of relaxation. That, and watching this clip. Ahh, if only I were there!

Images from here

Rainbow War

Having first seen this back in--was it kindergarten?--I never thought I'd find it. But aha! Watching it now, it is just as awesome (perhaps even more!) as I remembered it to be.

ps: Ryan Stiles is in it. I laughed when I found out, because when you find him it's so obvious.

Thursday Afternoon Meanderings

-I have a bit of time this afternoon (no class!! For the time being) to write a post.

-So folks, here I am.
-I should be taking this free time to study, yet I choose blogging instead.
-Go figure.
-But my theory is, blog now, regret it later.
-Mm.
-Or do both.
-What would you rather fight: duck sized horses or a horse-sized duck?
-Be honest now.
-I have a feeling some online meme is going to start with Justin Trudeau like it did (which the above line relates to) with Romney & Obama.
-Mittens!
-Someone walked by with perfume that smells like bathroom spray.
-After the fact.
-Dessert would be lovely.
-May find myself making Pillsbury chocolate chunk cookies when I get home tonight.
-Late as it may be.
-At least they're instant.
-I feel slightly more exposed blogging in a newsroom than I would on my own laptop.
-For obvious reasons.
-I can only imagine reading a woman's mind is like listening to the radio while constantly turning the dial. 
-That made me snort.
-I like that one, because it's probably true.
-That deserves... A facebook status?
-I don't do those anymore.
-And my profile picture consists of a spotted llama instead of myself.
-Priceless.
-Or just plain sad.
-I still haven't started studying.
-The fate of my test this coming Tuesday is sealed.
-law law law.
-Everything is coming up... Libel.
-I am the LAW.
-I would be on my way home right now if it weren't for a late class.
-Oddly enough.
-At least I got to sleep in this morning.
-Otherwise it would have been a long-ass day.
-Ok, it's still long, but not as long.


-I thought watching TWD would be too suspenseful. Now I kind of want to start watching it. The theme is awesome, and I want it for my own dramatic happenings in life.

The past few months in pictures

It's Sunday. I have a soft lead to work on, yet I'm also watching You've Got Mail, trying to send off an email, and thinking of things I should bake sometime. (How productive I am.) And to add on to those things, I'm writing a new post. In short, here's what I've been up to lately:

My birthday cake from a few months ago--long since eaten, but still lovely to look at. Mm.

A recent trip to a farm for my up and coming photo essay.

Trying my hand at speed photography

And a few from a trip to the Royal Winter Fair

This little guy (or girl) was my favourite!

And not to mention, lots of writing. Whether it can/will measure up to my days at Dal, we'll soon find out.

Thoughts on a Friday

I used to eat Nutella by the jar, but no longer. 

-How I've missed doing this.
-Doing Thoughts on a Sunday doesn't have the same affect as Thoughts on a Friday.
-I have school work to do today, but that makes me all the more want to do Friday's thoughts.
-So I shall.
-At the moment, I'm being journalistic and trying to work out the beginnings a soft-lead story.
-So far, so good.
-I hope I do okay on it, because my news reporting prof is tough as nails.
-He tends to rip his students to shreds, I guess as a way to buffer us for "the real world".
-Ok, I'm sure the real world is in fact tough, but not everywhere, depending on where you work.
-For my last pretend news assignment, he wrote on my paper that my opening sentence was "kind of lame."
-Wow, I've never had that happen before.
-I'm not so much offended by it as I'm mildly surprised.
-Is that what they do in the real world of journalism?
-But I'm only in college.
-Okay, perhaps it was a little weak, but not lame.
-And maybe I am a tad offended by that.
-Ok, maybe it was.
-He is, however, a pro at grammar, and definitely knows what the hell he's doing.
-After all, he's apparently been in the field for about 30+ years.
-He gets frustrated easily when he sees something that have unnecessary words like "entirely destroyed." Nope, that would be just destroyed by itself.
-If he were to check this blog out, he would probably want to crumple it up into cyber space because nothing here is CP Style (Canadian Press) and/or grammatically incorrect.
-I've used he quite a lot.
-Before I take up half this space rattling on about my prof, let's move on to something completely different, shall we?
-And it's not going to be about the news.
-Maybe one day, but not today.
-Unless it's about Rob Ford, whom I enjoy ripping.
-Or would that be considered libellous?
-This vid was just begging to be found.
-All the more reason for me to get a cat one day.
-Snow? In Manitoba?
-Oh my.
-It's supposed to be cooler here in Ontario, but with no snow accompanying.
-Pumpkins.
-My goal is to make a pumpkin loaf this season.
-Going to Graceland.
-My article is going no where, and my computer's running out of power.
-Goes to show where my priorities are, eh?
-Turkey time!
-My thought priorities: food, and food.
-Oh, and study.
-Thanksgiving this weekend, whooo.
-And we actually have company this year!
-As for previous years, I was in school.
-You know, it's the 50th anniversary of Dr. No? And if the opening doesn't interest you, this might.
-Ta ta!

As of a few years ago, I associate the fall season/Thanksgiving with this particular piece. 

From here and here

To Autumn

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,

   Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;

Conspiring with him how to load and bless

   With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;

To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,

   And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;

      To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells

   With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,

And still more, later flowers for the bees,

Until they think warm days will never cease,

      For summer has o'er-brimm'd their clammy cells.

Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?

   Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find

Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,

   Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;

Or on a half-reap'd furrow sound asleep,

   Drows'd with the fume of poppies, while thy hook

      Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers:

And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep

   Steady thy laden head across a brook;

   Or by a cyder-press, with patient look,

      Thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours.

Where are the songs of spring? Ay, Where are they?

   Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,—

While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,

   And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue;

Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn

   Among the river sallows, borne aloft

      Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;

And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;

   Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft

   The red-breast whistles from a garden-croft;

      And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.

Image from here

Ten things I've been loving this September

Ahh, yay, the fall season is here again! I'm a bit late in doing this (explanations down below), but I'm going to try hard to keep posts going on here, and to get 10 things I'm loving every month.

1. Being back to school.

And I thought I was pretty much done with it. At the beginning of the month (merely a few weeks ago, which is hard to believe), I got accepted into a journalism program at a local college. It was a flurry of activity at the beginning, it is a flurry of activity at the moment, and it will continue right through til I'm finished in two years. I'm doing photography, news writing, article designing... Ay carumba! But overall, I'm liking it, and it's nice to get back into a routine again. (The only thing I'm not liking is having to get up at 6.00 to get to class at 8.30 twice a week. Oh, and trying to figure out the layout pages for design. It's a bit tricky to explain, but my inner math wiz tends to rear its ugly head.) 

2. Cooler weather.
So long, hot humid, frizz-inducing warm air! I'd choose frigid temperatures any day. (Well, almost.)

3. The return of pumpkin/spice beverages/foods. Things on my list to try this fall? pumpkin bread, and one of those pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks. (How have I not tried one from there yet??)

4. Boots. I've been looking for a good pair since last fall, and the hunt is still on.


5. The start up of the new Doctor Who series!!! Which, unfortunately, is supposed to be ending this Saturday. *Sob* But as for the old clip above, I love this moment from the 2nd Doctor.

6. Silent movies. Some can't stand them, but me...

7. Elementary. Ok, sure there's still the BBC's Sherlock. But I can't resist this one. Jonny Lee Miller has won me over.

8. Sleep. Having to get up at 6:00 twice a week, I need it.



9. Another thing I should probably be shunned for, but I care not. (The '20s have arrived!)

10. My birthday. Yep, it came and went as of this past Wednesday. Yay for cake.

(Wheeheee, I'm twenty threee!)

Thoughts on a Sunday Afternoon

-I may be starting to broadcast my thoughts on Sundays now.
-Not such a bad idea, though I like doing it on the Friday.
-The teasing is tender and trying and thoughtful.
-That sounds like a line in a poem.
-I guess it is, as it's Gertrude Stein.
-Out of all the poets I could have studied, she's the one whose work I keep coming back to.
-Her work is certainly... Something.
-There's nothing more annoying than connecting your camera to your computer, only to find that your pictures looked better on your camera screen than on your computer.

-My thoughts used to tumble out like popcorn, but now they come out like...
-Molasses.
-Slow, and syrupy.
-And rather thick, heheh.
-I learned this past weekend that Agatha Christie wrote romance novels under a psyeudonim.
-Psyeudonim?
-Pseudonym.
-Why could I not spell that?
-Nowadays, when you want to look up the spelling of a word, all you have to do is type it in on google and it will do the work for you.
-Remember Google Mystery??
-That was a lot of fun.
-People googled the strangest things.
-I was happy to come across this.
-The sad thing is, I've become one of those people.
-I didn't see the appeal at first, other than the costumes, but it drew me in.
-That's ok, though.
-At least I can wait patiently til January, or whenever it airs here.
-Just so long as I don't see spoilers!
-Oh yes, back to Agatha Christie: can you imagine that?
-If I were her, I don't think I'd be able to write a romance novel without thinking of ways to kill off a character or two.
-Maybe she did think of that while she wrote.
-And I thought the first movie was intense. Can't wait for the sequel!
-And seeing as we're on the subject of movies... Here's another I possibly would see.
-I just had a deja vu where Anna Karenina was a musical.
-Or was it Android Karenina?
-Either a deja vu or a genius idea in the making.
-Or a vision from another reality?
-I wish!

And for your weird video of the day, I present to you a number from the Peter Pan Musical. Perhaps you watched it as a kid--I used to watch it all the time--and now it just makes me laugh because it's ridiculous.

“What if you slept? And what if, in your sleep, you went to heaven and there plucked a strange and beautiful flower? And what if, when you awoke, you had the flower in your hand? Ah, what then?” 

-Samuel Taylor Coleridge

F. Scott Fitzgerald's letter to his daughter

Things to worry about:
Worry about courage
Worry about cleanliness
Worry about efficiency
Worry about horsemanship

Things not to worry about: 
Don’t worry about popular opinion
Don’t worry about dolls
Don’t worry about the past
Don’t worry about the future
Don’t worry about growing up
Don’t worry about anybody getting ahead of you
Don’t worry about triumph
Don’t worry about failure unless it comes through your own fault
Don’t worry about mosquitoes
Don’t worry about flies
Don’t worry about insects in general
Don’t worry about parents
Don’t worry about boys
Don’t worry about disappointments
Don’t worry about pleasures
Don’t worry about satisfactionsThings to think about: 

What am I really aiming at?
How good am I really in comparison to my contemporaries in regard to:

(a) Scholarship
(b) Do I really understand about people and am I able to get along with them?
(c) Am I trying to make my body a useful instrument or am I neglecting it?

With dearest love,

Daddy

Thoughts on a Sunday Evening

-And the sun was shining today.
-Though yesterday it looked like it could rain forever.
-But then again, it could rain.
-The rain in Spain is mainly in the pla-ain!
-I believe today was one of the first quintessential fall days.
-Even though it's still summer, technically.
-You know how each month has its own smell?
-My nose has been dripping all weekend.
-Not because I have a cold, but because something is making my eye water and the stuff that doesn't runneth over my eye lid drips down through my nose.
-Which in turn, makes my eye water again.
-What sort of fuckery is this?
-I have a fondness for saying that.
-If I haven't caught I cold yet, I probably will now.
-youppi!
-Better late than never, I say.
-How have I not tried a Pumpkin Spiced Latte?
-I'm sure it's good.
-Could it trump my ultimate Starbucks fav, the Peppermint Mocha??
-Hmm. Difficult to say, will have to try the first... First.
-I doubt it.
-Will also have to try making a pumpkin bread this season.
-I prefer saying bread, as opposed to loaf.
-Maybe because I think of loaf, as in meat.
-Remember when loafting was a common term?
-LAME.
-So was sick.
-As in, "that movie was so sick."
-Um, no.
-Unless your actually sick with something, no matter how cool said-subject is, THAT TERM SHOULD NOT BE EXCEPTABLE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE BECAUSE IT IS OUT OF CONTEXT.
-How was it even popularized in the first place?
-I heard it all the way through grade twelve, and loathed it.
-Next time I hear it pass someone's lips, I'd like to throttle them.
-But obviously, I won't.
-There is a chill in the air.
-Time to put the fire place on!
-Or not.
-A few weeks ago I was using my water bottle in bed (it was a cool night) and a tiny hole started spurting water under my covers.
-I would have thought I peed myself if it weren't scalding.
-What a pleasant surprise that was.
-Tick tock.
-That Whatcha Waiting For vid remains cool to his day.
 -Alice in Wonda-laaaaand!

Only here would you find a peculiar interest in silent film clips of bumbling police officers... 

Five ways Doctor Who ruined my life

(I took inspiration from this post, and did my own spin on it.)

Having stumbled across DW about... Oh, three years ago or so, I'm rather embarrassed to admit it has eaten away at my mindset. I had heard about it through the grapevine, and one drizzly night in my dorm room, looking for away to distract me from one of my school papers (the way obsessions usually start) I discovered it through a music video. My curiosity was piqued, because I had no idea who these people were or what it was about.

But little did I know that within a year it would become a full blown obsession--re: this post (hahaha). These days, I can't get enough of re-watching old episodes, youtube clips, and I get irrationally excited when a new episode comes on. I know most of what has happened on the show, but that's probably a fraction of what has gone on.

I debated about creating this post, because part of me said it would make me look like obsessed *Whovian* (god, that term), while the other half was saying it would be kind of fun to put together.

At the end of the day, however, I kind of am an obsessed DW crazeh. So I figured that in lieu of the new series, I'd present to you five ways Doctor Who has ruined my life:

1. Reluctantly accepting that no space craft called a TARDIS is going to ever materialize on the street outside of my house. Ahh, many a time I would have liked a blue box to drop into my life. Especially while at university, when I was really into it and just wanted something to escape from the conditions of my average, boring human life. The show suited me fine, but it made me want to go space exploring badly. Better yet, with a good looking alien! What is this??

Steven Moffatt has given me (and millions of others like me) a sense of false desperation for a means of escape into the cracks of time and go on a wild adventure when things in life go terribly awry. It is totally unfair that the Doctor comes along out of nowhere right in the nick of time, takes his companions on glorious adventures and nearly gets them killed (but doesn't), saves the planet 50 billion times over, and brings them home again before dinner.

A blue police box the size of my closet simply disappearing into the throws of time and space without me onboard? Not fair! Yes yes, think what you will, but I'm sure most of you out there could agree.


2. The concept of time travel. I thought about it before the show even entered my attention span, but never really thought about it. And you know why? It's really confusing.

But this explanation is good enough.

Now I don't see time as something linear anymore, thanks to this show. It's more like a ball of yarn, going this way and that and ending somewhere where you least expected it. Wibbly wobbly, timey wimey, spacey wacey.... That sort.

If I were to go travelling back in time, it would be to 1960s London to see the Beatles in concert. I would probably die from the shock of seeing them, not only as the the four of them were, but having actually travelled back in time to do so. Wee!
BUT, if it were really an episode of Doctor Who, the Beatles would turn out to be slurians or something and kill people with their music and then try to take over the world.
And if I can work Steven Moffat's plot lines into this category, I give him props for his ideas. Because they are wild!

3. Nine, Ten, and Eleven. Any time lord (or alien in general) that's good looking, fun/adventurous with a dash of cooky, has a trademark look (bow tie! Converse!) and wears his emotions on his sleeve sounds pretty good in my books*. The only problem here is that I've been spoiled, and now my standards have been set waaaay above normal. "You don't happen to travel through time? Righto, later, bra'."

And you know what? I love them all. I can't choose favourites--my Libran nature doesn't allow it. They each know how to inspire, and they see the power in you that you don't. Even further more, they just make me want to cry at times. (Cry because I can't have them!)

And hell, when something bizarre happens at work and then some random good looking specimen comes out of no where and starts jabbering to you about creatures you've never heard of before and something about the end of the world, what are you supposed to do? One thing would be to stare, though the second and more reasonable option would be to run--better yet with him, if he grabs your hand.
(*And this will probably be the reason why I will be eternally doomed to singlehood.) 

4. An irrational fear of monsters and aliens that don't exist. I guess this extends to the Weeping Angels, which are pretty scary. However, non existent as the Daleks or Cybermen may be, it isn't entirely impossible for some crazy takedown by a foreign alien species to happen to earth. Just so long as they aren't a quantum locked species like the weeping angels. I never again can look at a stone statue without thinking of them and wondering if they're ready to pounce when my back is turned. Another would be one of these guys, and these dolls (aiiiee!).

5. Not having a musical theme to my life. Rose had one. Martha had one. Donna had one. And Amy Pond had one! Most of them sound dreamy and longing--except for Donna's which is kind of quirky, and has a 'am-I-bovvered' sort of feel to it. And of course, the Doctor's theme is always bad-ass. I could never decide on a theme (god, am I really thinking about this??), but if I did it would have lots of pizzicato in it. Like this.
Goes along with not having Steven Moffat write a script for my life. Damn, would he make it interesting.

What a Wonderful World!

Hiddleston said the memorable aspect wasn't the thundering hooves, it was the advice that Spielberg gave him just before the camera captured that key close-up. "He said, 'How old are you, Tom?' I said, 'I'm 29.' He said, 'OK, I want your war face, the face you've been doing all day for all these battle scenes, all the hell fury. You're strong and courageous and you're 29. Then you see the guns and at that moment, I want you to de-age yourself by 20 years. You're a 9-year-old at that moment. I don't want you to do fear, I don't want fear or horror, I just want to strip away the man and see the boy.' It was the clearest and purest notes I had ever been given."

(While watching War Horse, I really didn't want to believe he died in this scene. Trés depressing.)

(Quoted from the Los Angeles Times)

Thoughts on a Friday

-Tonight will be a record breaker if I can get both my finger nails and toenails done before midnight.
-Starting now.
-I suppose so, as it's not impossible.
-Professional manicurists can do it in an hour or less, easy as pie.
-Mmm, pie.
-I once knew a girl who said that she wanted to be a masseuse when she grew up.
-I wonder if she still does? Or has gotten her certificate yet?
-I don't know why I connected massaging with manicurist.
-Made me think of it, for some reason.
-The best things in life are free.
-I guess that's true.
-Unless it's something you absolutely have to have, and can only pay by credit card.
-Mademoiselle, by Essie.
-Lovely name for a lovely nail polish.
-The sun is bright.
-Blinding against my computer.
-But the day has been beautiful.
-On Sunday, watching the Closing Ceremonies, I thought for sure they were about to do a hologram John Lennon.
-It looked like they would.
-But I guess it would have been rather un-classy, given the "Imagine" circumstances.
-I was also waiting for David Bowie to show up.
-Let's Dance!
-I dare not make another Zoolander reference here.
-As much as I'm dying to.
-Finally, it clouded over.
-And my eyes have dimmed along with the sun.
-Oh wait, it's back.
-And it's a bit chillier now.
-The dog is giving me the strangest look.
-I think he wants his dinner.
-Well, pooch, it will have to wait another five minutes.
-There are days I wish I could babble in German.
-Guten habend! Good evening!
-That will take some time.
-I only know a few sayings, unfortunately.
-So many things I could be baking.
-A galette.
-Pie.
-Brownies?
-Must hop on the latter.
-On Sunday, for sure.
-Because this Saturday, I'm off to a wedding in Kitchener.
-How it will go, I cannot be sure of.
-Autumn.

Rediscovering black swan. Eeek.

10 things I'm loving this August

I can't believe we've already breached August. Summer, it would seem, is on the decline... But not yet!  Suddenly, like an aged rock star, it returns back for a final encore. Or two, or three. (Now where have I heard that simile before?) 

And of course, it still has many wonderful things to offer before the leaves start changing. Here are my top eleven things I'm loving this August:

Golden girl!

1. OLYMPICS. And even though they're over and we're back to crappy television and I'm sad, they were a lot of fun to watch. And Britain, you are every definition of cool. (Sorry Canada.) 

2. Peaches. Where there's a basket full of peaches there's a basket full of possibilities. (hint hint: peach banana smoothie)

3. Hello Giggles. Ok, I knew Zooey Dechanel had a youtube account to this name, but did not know it was an actual site... Looks interesting. And may possibly become my new Jezebel. Found through this article, in fact.

4. I've never even watched Eastenders, but I'm adding the final lines to my stash of quotes worth repeating the rest of my life.

5. Food blogging! Obsession with food at its finest.

6. Citrus Verbena perfume. I learned recently that perfume is really about being in tune with the chemistry of your body. If that's the case, then I'll be content smelling like lemon the rest of my life.

7. The CNE. Whenever I get the opportunity to go there (like last summer), it feels like nothing has changed a bit. Where else can you go where it's ok to eat extremely fatty foods, go on rides (then get sick from having eaten said fatty foods), visit farm animals, and see live shows all in the same place? 





8. After the heat and humidity of august, wacky mid-day thunder showers are a dream come true. The sky clouds over in five seconds, then rain comes plummeting down along with thunder/lightening, and you have to dive for all of your items in one swift handful before they getting sopping wet. All before it ends in another five minutes. Ahh, summer rain.

9. Smoothies. My favourite is peach banana (see above).

10. Lemon Cake. Now I just really want to try making it.

11. Driving. It's been almost a year now since I began practicing in my Dad's standard Jetta (and more recently, the automatic), and it's almost time for me to get my license. My *actual* license. I've stalled plenty of times, forgot to look over my shoulder before changing lanes, cut corners... What a wild ride indeed! But finally, I've gotten over most of those issues and am ready to accomplish the inevitable. This sums up my experience.

“There is nothing more comfortable than a caterpillar and nothing more made for love than a butterfly. We need dresses that crawl and dresses that fly. Fashion is at once a captapillar and a butterfly, caterpillar by day, butterfly by night”

Coco Chanel

from here

Thoughts on a Sunday Afternoon

Where's the Mad Hatter when you need him?

-Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.
-Whew, this upcoming Doctor Who series looks quite intense.
-Not so sure I'm reading to say farewell to Amy and Rory just yet.
-However, everything has a beginning and an end. Make your peace with that and all will be well.
-Quoted by Buddha.
-I'll settle for that.
-Those epiphanic (my made up word) moments when you know, without any shadow of a doubt you're going to accomplish something one day.
-Those moments are incredible.
-Prince of... Whales???
-That's a bad faux pas, my friends, even for a typo.
-He's a Prince for pete's sake.
-Whenever I want to share something I find really funny like that, I never know where to post it or who to post it to.
-It's always a bit of a bummer when nobody comments on something you post.
-Oh well!
-Sad face :(
-Even sadder face :C
-I've come to the point where I don't even post statuses on facebook.
-Unless of course, it's something useless.
-I'll save that for twitter.
-I loved the opening ceremonies, but when Canada was called (yay!), but I was not impressed with the outfits our athletes wore.
-Red Canada sweaters and Khakis???!
-Come on now.
-Why we can't seem to have nice suits and skirts like other international athletes is beyond me.
-I guess that doesn't suit our ways in the wilderness.
-A week later and it still irks me.
-I love watching 1940s movies.
-I swear I was made for that decade.
-I hear rain.
-And maybe some thunder.
-I should have lunch.
-A bit late, but no matter.
-Left over pasta sounds lovely.
-I wish I were in London right now.
-Everything's coming up Milhouse!
-In my case, it would be everything's coming up Madalyn!
-That sounds like it would work.
-Then I would stride away.
-I'm always tempted to break out into this song when somebody's down in the dumps.
-*shakes head*
-In reality, I think I would scare the person I'm singing to.
-That thought makes me laugh.
-The thought of them looking at me with bug eyes, and slowly inching away towards the nearest exit.
-I can't really sing, for one.
-And my gestures? Out of this world!
-I know people mean well when it comes to giving me advice, especially when it comes to job hunting.
-But really, all you're doing is making me confused.
-I'm getting bombarded with advice left right and centre, and I don't know which sounds more logical.
-Sincerely, jobless.
From here

Best Pie Fight Ever

"Somebody get me a pie!"

Ok, the Three Stooges are pretty goofy even by my standards but I do love coming back to this scene. I especially love how the women really get into it.

Thoughts on an Olympic Fever Friday

-Hurray!

-For the longest time I've wondered how London will pull these opening ceremonies off.

-Now we're going to find out.

-I wonder if David Tennant will end up carrying the torch to its cauldron.
-Doctor Who madness if it happens.
-No one will know who this guy is, but we Whovian fans will.
-I feel unusually giddy for these opening ceremonies.
-Gosh, I can only barely remember the opening ceremonies for the Beijing
Games.
-Though I do remember that little kid singing, although it turns out that she was being dubbed by another little girl, who only didn't look as cute.
-I think I may have been house-sitting at the time.
-I think I'm going to find myself watching Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? Eventually.
-Somehow, it just works out like that for me.
-If I see enough of it through clips or hear about it, chances are I'm going to be watching it.
-Power of suggestion?
-I saw the ending of it years ago, but I didn't know what the movie was at the time.
-I've seen clips of it since then, and it's creepy.
-Speaking of Bette Davis, here here.
-What a well spoken woman.
-Do you ever see interviews like that on tv today?
-Nobody has that depth anymore, or anything actually worthwhile to say.
-Ms. Davis, on the other hand, knew what she was talking about, and told it like it was.
-Maybe it was because of where she was at that point of her life, but still, I admire her.
-And maybe I'm just being prudish, but a lot of the tv hosts are pretty vulgar in their manner.
-And maybe some of their guests, too.
-Ok, that definitely sounded prudish, but that's how I see it.
-Nobody knows how to do interviews anymore.
-Olympics have started!!! Yipes!!
-I really, really, reaaally wish I were in London right now.
-Why haven't I visited yet???
-So very envious right now.


Enjoy the games!

And more Bette Davis, because she is a wonder.

Skylines

These past few months, we've had some weird sky phenomenons. There was a huge full moon a few months ago, and the sky after a big storm on Monday night made for some pretty spectacular shots.

The sky after the storm a few nights ago. Weird lighting, but awesome clouds.

Thoughts on a Friday

FRIG NO WAY IS THAT JOHNNY DEPP ASJFLAHJFL WHAT A STUD

-I think I'm onto something.
-I think it's time to get productive.
-I think it's... Stalling for time.

-Sometimes when I look at pictures from another decade, it makes it seem like a creepy and uncertain time to live in.

-Other times I look at pictures and it seems fine and dandy in all its nostalgic purposes.

-If you think Johnny looks young up there, we're dealing with a case of Benjamin Button syndrome here.

-Yuh huh.

-And his S O.

-I'm all about celebrity youth today, it seems.

-How bout a young Tom Hanks?

-Damn right.

-I'm glad its cooler outside.

-Famous last words before the temperature spikes again.

-"As long as I continue to hear 'normal' people telling me I am too childish, I know I'm doing just fine."

-But soft! What light through yonder window breaks.

-I tend to use that phrase from time to time. Despite being severely out of context.

-Ah well.

-But soft! A dog barks.

-Make that two dogs.
-If only I tweeted as much I contributed my thoughts to this blog.
-That's ok, though, for what is twitter but a social media outlet?

-People would think I'm crazy, but crazy is what crazy do.

-Crazy in love, I'm a crazy foo'.

-I made my fist tweet the other day, and it was about this.
-Yeah, Shell! Let's ravage the arctic!
-As terrible as the prospect is, reading the captions make me laugh. Like this one.
-If you were to go incognito, what would your alias be?
-That would make a great post segment.
-My name would probably be Bette.
-Spelled with an 'e', never a 'y'.
-All the best Bettes are dramatic powerhouse divas.
-Something I should strive for.
-Bette Davis.
-Bette Midler.
-Bette....?
-All the other Betty's I'm familiar with are those with 'y's in their names.
-Not that 'y's are bad.
-Ahh, donuts.

A lovely tribute in honour of Natalie Wood's birthday

From here and here

edit: I only learned after the fact that the Shell page I remarked about was indeed a joke, invented by an environmental group. Ah!

Divenire--To Become

After seeing that P&G commercial focused on training for the Olympics--beautifully done btw, if you haven't seen it yet--I knew someone couldn't have composed that piece without having already made a name for themselves in the contemporary classical music field. I was so pleased when I read that it was composed by Ludovico Einaudi--a lovely and inspiring piece to listen to. (It makes me wanna start training for some sport now... Heh.)

Thoughts on, yet another, scorching Friday

-A good day for popsicles.
-Any kind of popsicle.
-Poopsicle.
-Except for the blue kind.
-I can't stand getting a blue tongue.
-There is nothing more pleasantly appealing to the eye than swirly gelato behind the glass.
-Strawberry.
-Chocolate.
-Pistachio.
-Oooh, is that chocolate caramel in there??
-My favourite would be mint chip.
-My least favourite... Strawberry.
-Blergh.
-Don't believe those ice cream flavour personality tests for a second!
-Those things don't make no sense.
-How does one start with their first tweet?
-After... Three months of having it?
-I am at a loss for words.
-I can't believe the 90s were twenty years ago.
-When I see movies dating in the 00's, it was so recent.
-Nowadays, the 90s were a phenom.
-Those once upon a time babies are teenagers today.
-Wow.
-It's always fun watching old movies and seeing an actor you suddenly recognize, in a movie you never knew they were in before til now.
-Such thrill.
-I learned the other day that there was a Huron settlement outside of Toronto that's about the size of Manhattan.
-What ho!
-"Like sand slipping through the hour glass, so are the days of our lives."
-So are the days of my life!
-Where oh where does the week go?
-One second it's Monday, then I turn around and it's Friday afternoon.
-Crazy days.
-This heat's making me crazy.
-I can't even spell properly.
-Though you'd never know it.
-"But now the forbidden fruit must be tasted!"
-After whatshername's Nic Cage email debacle, I've checked out her tumblr, and it just makes me laugh.
-What insane place does she get her ideas from?
-From other tumblrs, I'm guessing.
-And oh my god, what did I just watch?
-Once seen, never unseen.
-Those of you who love Harry Potter... Viewer discretion is advised.
-I profoundly apologize in advance.

Apparently Tom Hulce, who starred as Mozart, had no previous musical training. 

From here, here

Canada Day weekend and a Baby Robin

This post comes a bit late, but I found it too interesting not to share, seeing as it does not happen everyday... Probably for the best! This is a rather wordy post, so bear with me!

Last weekend, I found myself suddenly caretaker to a baby robin.

A real, teeny, baby robin. Like this.

It started off on sweltering Saturday morning of June 30. I was looking out the dining room window, because my mom was pointing to the driveway across the street from us, at what she thought was a dove. We couldn't figure out what it was, so we dug out the handy-dandy binoculars. She couldn't see anything, but when I took them, I could see a small, moving little lump by the sidewalk. E la! It was a baby bird. Its mother had flown down, and huddled on top of it, to protect it from the sun. Unfortunately, people were out and walking about, and she kept getting startled and flying off.

I went out to get a closer look, and the poor thing was lying on its back, panting in the heat. Its eyes weren't open, and barely had any feathers.

 Unsure of what else to do, I carefully moved it (it was so small!) to a spot under a shady tree, and hoped that its mama would come around looking for it. About an hour went by... I saw a robin hopping about, perhaps looking for it, but it didn't go anywhere near the spot where I put the baby.

Some may beg to differ and state that humans should leave the mama to take care of her baby, and leave it at that. But in 30+ degrees heat, what person would I be to let it bake in the sun?

Finally, after waiting a bit longer to see if the mother would ever find it (which it never did, as robins apparently have very little sense of smell to detect their young) I cracked and took it inside because it was so very hot, and probably starving. My mom prepared a shoe box lined with a towel, gave it some cat food with a bit of water via a saringe (it was hungry). Despite having likely been blown from its nest and onto the hot pavement and left in the sun, it seemed pretty ok, and slept peacefully.

We didn't want to get our hopes up for its survival past the first day (as often cases go), so we decided to make it as comfortable as possible anyway.

It needed to be fed every hour soft cat food and worm pieces, and kept warm so it wouldn't catch a chill. I wrapped a small water bottle filled with warm water in the towel next to him, and partially covered him up in the towel.

From the stuff I learned on caring for baby birds on the net, it is a lot of work. And just having this little guy (or girl?) was enough work alone. (The way it opened it's poor, wide little mouth, crying feed me! feed me!) Not only are you feeding and caring for it, but you're worrying about it, and whether you might be doing something wrong, like feeding it too much or too little. I thought about this, but mostly I felt that I was doing the right stuff. 

Nighttime falls: it still slept, was still hungry, and it was doing poopers. That was a good sign, we thought. During the day, we kept it outdoors in the shade to continue giving it fresh air, but brought it for the night.

Again, it still seemed alright, but I still woke up in the middle of the night wondering whether its water bottle needed to be warmed up. I am that much of an animal lover, yes. Around 4.30, I decided to get up and check on it. If it had passed on, I would only be glad it died in the best hands possible.

But no!

I gave it a very little stroke just to see, and it stirred. Suddenly, it was awake, and it was hungry! Oh my. I could even hear it making some very faint cheeps that it hadn't been making yesterday. So, I gave it a bit of food, warmed up its bottle and it settled down again, and I went back to bed satisfied.  Yes, I am that much of an animal lover.

To make this long story short, we had been looking all over town to see if we could find a place for this little bird to go, because we knew we wouldn't be able to care for it as it grew. We called some wild life sanctuaries, but all we got were recorded messages on what to do if we found babies, how to distinguish them, etc. Unfortunately, none were taking in any more baby birds.

On Canada Day Sunday, the bird continued to fare well in our care, and its eyes were opening up a bit. It was starting to remind me of Benjamin Button. No, seriously.

Then, by the late afternoon, a stroke of luck! My mom found on the web a rehabilitation centre somewhere up north. She got in touch with the woman who owned the place, and she said she would take the bird in. That very afternoon, as a matter of fact. Yay!

I would have taken the trip up north, but someone had to watch the dogs here at home. So, I had to leave it to my parents to take the two hour trip. I gave the bird a last bit of food, bundled it up, and watched it go with my parents. Le sigh.
As much work as it was, and would have been if we had kept it longer,  I was sorry it see it go so soon. It was a cute little bird, and I would have liked to see it grow up a bit!

But all's well that ends well. Afterwards, the lady from the centre had said it was a very healthy bird, and we did a good job with it. (Worms weren't recommended though, because baby robins are fed regurgitated worms by their mothers)

Finito!

From here