Not a Staycation

 Richmond Summer Night Market

This is beautiful, and so is this. I want to crawl up into a bunch and read poetry under an HBC blanket. Once I get home, that is.

I've been down in the greater Vancouver area for several days now. I got to go through a full-body scanner at the airport due to my metal belt. I got lost on Commercial Drive and spent most of my time in Stanley Park trying to figure out how to get out. I've walked my relatives' wild dog, met my cousin's son who is 2.5 and often repeats "But why?". I've gone to thrift stores in Delta and visited my 88-year-old granny.  I've made mistakes even during these holidays, and wasted time, and I am slowly coming to accept that. At least I am still in the moment even when I'm riding a bus back and forth or just making dinner with my aunt. Not every vacation has to be full of tourist expeditions, and I'm glad this one isn't. This weekend I hope to hit up a museum or art gallery and see another relative or two.


If you're reading this, remember that you can breathe and do everything imperfectly and most of the time it will still be all right.

And Now Back to Our Regular Scheduled Programming

  

 

 

 

Gilligan’s Island was about as original as sitcoms get – they were stranded on an island, rather than the same old family or husband-and-wife in their living room for years of the same old domestic conflict. It’s sometimes hokey, tackily bad – but always funny. I think if more American sitcoms today modeled themselves on Gilligan’s Island, they’d be more successful. But, I’m not really a sitcom kinda girl.

On this note, Mary-Ann was always my favourite. She was a no-nonsense, independent, and practical kind of girl. Though I always had the feeling she should end up with the Professor.

 

I never got as far as watching the final ‘rescue’ of Gilligan’s Island, and I’m not sure if I want to. It just might spoil those memories of the group failing time and time again to escape an island that really probably changed their lives.

Bloggerstock: What Inspires You?

Hi everyone (anyone?), today’s feature is a guest post by the lovely and hilarious Jillian of Kick Her Right In The Habit as a part of Bloggerstock December 2010. This month’s topic is ‘What Inspires You?’ – just in time for the new year and new starts.   Now over to Jillian.
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Bloggerstock Time! For you newbies out there Bloggerstock is a blog post swap of sorts. You can check it out or sign up at http://bloggerstock.net
Well this month’s post kinda snuck up on me. For hind sight I should have not committed to anything this holiday season it gets in the way of my drinking as we have been so busy. So it’s 8:36am on December 31^st and I’m trying to collect some brain cells to figure out this month’s topic, “What inspires you?” (PS..Thanks and I’m sorry to my gracious host!)
If you’ve seen my blog you’ll see plenty of pictures what inspires me.

This guy for one:

(Manfriend) 
*Warning: Mushy sentimental stuff ahead.*
My Manfriend/Fiancee is one of the most inspirational aspects of my life. If you knew me 4 years ago, I was in a completely different space in life. It wasn’t all bad broke ass, overworked and paying the bills for my useless waste of skin exboyfriend but now I can say that I’m really happy. Now I can’t chalk it all up to him of course (Gotta keep that ego in check) because ultimately it was the choices I made that was a pivotable point but also the support I have from great classy friends like this:

(Snaggletooth) 
Yup she is one class act all right. She’s a little crazy and border line Manic but she’s my crazy bitch. When ever we hang out it’s always…erm..an adventure. We can’t just go pick up a bag of ice on Christmas morning…nope..we end up at a Vegetarian Indian Restaurant (what else is open on Christmas??) where we wait 45 mins without receiving a drink and end up buying cans of chunky soup at the Shell gas station. A 5 min errand turns into two hours. It’s how we roll.
Another inspiration is:

(Shayla) 
Yup, my short fat dog who loves having her pictures taken. She’s 11 years old now but still behaves like a pup. She also is the first one to come snuggle when I’m not feeling well. I think that’s mostly because I have a blanket on me and that shit is like a magnet for her. Still I like to think that she loves her momma. She’s also just about as coordinated as me so she’s a constant source of amusement.
There are so many sources of inspiration for me. Kidlet (Manfriend’s 11 year old daughter) is a blast and we often have creativity sessions (drawing, painting, cooking etc) whilst Manfriend works on his ass groove on the couch. Really, if you can’t look around you and find inspiration and encouragment then maybe it’s time to make some life changes.
PS> Somethimes this inspires my blog posts too:

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To see what I wrote for Bloggerstock about my inspirations, head over to Leanna’s blog, OMG I moved to NYC!

December is a double-edged sword

It always is. December – the time for holidays, my own birthday, presents, parties, and a break from classes.
However, there’s another part. December – the time for writing 11 page papers in a weekend, cramming for exams, hurriedly trying to get the courses you want for next semester. Then, finally, feeling a big hole in your day where classes were – even if you’ve been productive in the last week, not sitting in a lecture makes it feel a bit less so. And realizing there’s another year over and you’ve accomplished not-so-much.

Another thing – I’m not sure what to think of it, but there’s always Mercury Retrograde. December is interesting, exciting, productive, but always different and not what it seems.

I’m nearly ready for January. New starts, new goals, refreshed, and most of all straightforward and clear January.

Here are some things that could brighten your January, when it arrives:

Amy Marcella 2011 Wall Calendar


Moleskine 12-month Mini Weekly Planner


Essential Art House: 50 Years of Janus Films


Snowdrop Sterling Silver Handmade Earrings


I will, however, try and make the best of things and enjoy what’s left of this month as much as I can. No Scrooges allowed!

Jumping Over Puddles of freshly-melted snow

Yeah, that’s right. I don’t like spring, and I don’t love getting my shoes soaked, but there’s something exhilarating about jumping over puddles of just-melting or freshly-melted snow. Which constitutes the whole ‘spring’ period of my town.



Steps to jumping over newly-melted snow puddles:
1. Brace yourself
2. Estimate whether you can make it over with just one leg.
3. Lift off!
4. Place your opposite foot on the other edge of the puddle. Incidentally, if some water does splash onto your shoe, it’s not so bad.

Related tidbits:
Tash discusses Snow Puddles and  sharing them with her sister on her blog.


Ralph Waldo Emerson:

Crossing a bare common, in snow puddles, at twilight, under a clouded sky, without having in my thoughts any occurrence of special good fortune, I have enjoyed a perfect exhilaration. (Nature)

If you’re not as optimistic or foolish as I am, check out I hate it when snow melts and becomes gray slush puddles on the sidewalk on Facebook.

Stop Trying to Look Like a Rebel

To the kids I see around campus, on the buses, everyday:

• Stop trying to look like a rebel by disagreeing with everyone just to be different
• Stop trying to look like a rebel by littering – it’s just gross.
• Stop trying to look like a rebel, or worse, a hipster, by not taking off your pretentious pork-pie hat inside.
• Stop trying to look like a rebel by constantly bringing up people who are less mainstream than the next. Especially if you can’t back up your facts.
• Stop trying to look like a rebel by wearing ‘punk’/’distressed’ shirts if they really cost $80 each.
• Stop trying to look like a rebel by putting “fuck” in every sentence, we can tell when it’s forced.
• Stop trying to look like a rebel by acting ~random~ – that died along with nexopia.
• Stop trying to look like a rebel by liking Green Day, Simple Plan, and other pop-punk.
• Stop trying to look like a rebel by reading Nietzsche ~because it seems badass~

New Years’ Eve, and why Resolutions ARE and AREN’T bunk

Happy 2010 everyone! I wore:

Twill dress from Dot’s, $7.00
with black sheer tights, a black blazer,  and the boots from this entry
(it was too snowy for heels!)

Why New Years’ Resolutions are bunk:

• People make outrageous goals they can never accomplish, but it’s excusable because they’re ‘resolutions’
• Goal-setting can be done any time of year. So if you want to quick drinking, don’t drink your face off until January 1st, but stop right now!

Why New Year’s Resolutions aren’t bunk:

• If you can make less outrageous resolutions and structure your goals (ie. ‘go to the gym twice a week’ rather than ‘exercise more’ or ‘become a bodybuilder’), they’re more likely to be accomplished!
• Having time off from school/work is an excellent opportunity for reflecting and gathering goals in our minds.

I have a number of goals to work on this year! What are yours?

That Missing Earring.

I really need to come up with a way to store my earrings well. I lost one from my favourite pair recently, in my own room. I've been scouring my room for the past week looking for it. No. Dice.

And what are the odds I'll find this little pair of faux-diamond studs that cost me $2 on clearance at H&M on eBay? Looked, and I'll keep looking.

I guess the moral of this story is: Even if they're inexpensive, hold onto things you like a lot.