January: January started off the shits with regular work-inspired panic attacks, sleeplessness, anxiety, etc. I discovered the joy that is wearing sweatpants. Peter and I decided to start thinking about shopping for a house.

February: Everybody was cheering on Canada at the Olympics in Vancouver (well, everybody in Canada was cheering on Canada). We started looking at homes and I continued to freak out at work.

March: In a last-ditch effort to preserve my sanity I took on the Six O'Clock Challenge with a goal of leaving the office and not checking my Blackberry after 6pm for a week. House hunting continued.

April: We went to the Dominican Republic for a week of sun, sand, and an ear infection that rendered me unable to go swimming or drink alcohol. Arriba! I turned 29 on the 29th and freaked out about it. We put in an offer on our house, and it was accepted.

May: I started my new job and immediately felt better about everything. That's all I got for May. Ummm...I went to the dentist!

June: June was spent getting ready for the big move, trying to spend time outside and soak up the sun, and settling into the new job. I started playing softball and realized how it's undoubtedly my very worst sport.

July: Moving month! We moved into our new home around the middle of July and spent a lot of the month cleaning, painting, and learning how to do things like put in light fixtures and hang curtain rods. My sister got married at the end of the month and I was her maid of honour, and I'm proud to say I only cried twice. I got my first Coach bag and promptly named him Cedric.

August: Toured a Navy boat during Fleet Week, went to the beach a few times, had my annual fried clam feast, and did a bunch of other summery activities. We murdered the ants that were plaguing our kitchen.

September: We went to Boston to see a Red Sox game, shop, drink, and visit the New England Aquarium - it was a fantastic road trip and we've already talked about going again next summer. We attended the wedding of two friends and hosted a little housewarming party. We wrapped up the softball season with a third-place finish in the league.

October: Celebrated our first Halloween in the new house with a whopping 87 trick-or-treaters. Our first wedding anniversary was also in October and we went to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon to celebrate - both were amazing. Spent Thanksgiving in New Brunswick and picked a gazillion apples.

November: Attempted NaBloPoMo. Failed. Attempted the 30 for 30 Remix Challenge. Succeeded! I made 30 different outfits from 30 different pieces of clothing and didn't shop all month in November! (I still haven't posted the pictures...eeee.) I was a bridesmaid in my cousin's wedding. We also brought home our little Rory Calhoun.

December: Celebrated our first Christmas in the new house. Cuddled the puppy. Visited with our families and friends. Felt cozy, happy, and loved.

It's been a great year.

Christmas was wonderful this year. Zero drama, lots of board games, 5,000 extra calories per day, and enough booze to float a barge. And now it's over, and I've been in a steady downward spiral of sulk for the past three days.

New Year's Eve is my least favourite day of the entire year and the days leading up to it always blow. This year? No exception. After all the fun and frolic is over, the presents are opened and the advent calendar is tossed, there's nothing else to look forward to - just the end of the year looming and a new one about to begin, which, to me, is less about a clean slate and new opportunities and more about scary unknowns and potential for things to go wrong.

Plus, I hate making New Year's Eve plans. New Year's Eve has such high expectations attached to it. For me, staying awake until midnight is an achievement in itself. Dressing up on top of that? Making plans? Partying like a rockstar? Forget it. I always feel like being a hermit on New Year's. I hate the whole idea of being out and surrounded by crowds of people who are also out and all dressed up in their sparkly Le Chateau finery freshly purchased in the Boxing Day sales and having the Best! Time! Ever! because they feel obligated to. I'm just not feeling it.

Christmas went way too quickly and I'm bummed. I love the feelings of family and togetherness and warm, cuddly, coziness the holidays bring. I hate when it ends and everyone's their usual bitchy, petty selves and it's no longer appropriate to wear flannel pyjamas all day long to guard against the cold weather. I wish everybody was Christmas-kind all year long. I really wish I could hibernate from now until the spring. For me, winter stops being fun about the same time the egg nog expires. Once Christmas is over it`s all about windchill factors and pasty skin and chapped lips and failed resolutions for three months.

I definitely need a winter hobby or a project to get me out of my funk. I`m starting a list of things to keep me busy...writing projects, crafts, and some decorating things to spruce the house up over the winter. What are your suggestions for avoiding the winter blahs?

The past few weeks have been a mega-emotional, sleep-deprived sprint to the end of the year fueled by caffeine, alcohol, and apparently, based on the volume of tears shed, hormones. Every minute has been crammed with things to do, places to be, people to see. Everyone has been working like a maniac trying to finish off projects before the Christmas holidays, everyone's tired out, and everyone's fighty and nitpicky. I love this time of year but hate the tension in the air - the way it feels like everyone's been stretched to their very limit, like giant rubber bands that are either going to bounce back to normal over the holidays, or completely snap.

I'm really looking forward to the break. I feel like it's been go, go, go for us all year long. Last winter was a complete gong show for me at work. In the spring, we were busy house-hunting, and I started my new job. Summer was consumed by getting the house and getting settled, and then in the fall there were a couple of trips, bringing home Rory, and adjusting to life with a dog. It has been a terrific year full of blessings and it's going to be nice to be able to put the brakes on for a few days, relax, reflect on 2010 a little and get ready for next year.

Today is my last day of work before the break and I've been making lists of holiday do's and don'ts that I will and will not be partaking in over the next several days.

I will:
+lounge around in my Barbie pyjamas for spans of 24-plus hours
+spend obnoxious amounts of time playing Scattergories, Monopoly, Cranium and any other board games on hand and beg +and bribe people as much as necessary to get them to play with me
+eat all the walnuts and cashews out of the bowls of mixed nuts, leaving only the peanuts and greasy peanut skins
+force the dog to wear antlers and pose for a photoshoot
+offer Peter the top bunk when we go to visit my family

I will not:
+drink coffee that doesn't contain Christmas cheer (i.e. booze)
+go on or anywhere near the Internet for several days (byeeeeee blog! and Twitter! And book of faces!)
+swear on Christmas day
+make stupid faces when the camera comes out
+wear anything that doesn't have an elastic waistband

Merry Christmas, Happy (belated) Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, happy Festivus, happy weekend...whatever you're into, I hope you have a lovely time. I will be back after Christmas, after all the merrymaking dies down and it's time for shit to get real again, with the always fun New Year's Resolutions post. Cheers!

1. Dogs do not go to university. Fun fact: if you have a baby today, the projected cost of his or her tuition at a public university for four years is $257,113 (a whopping $524,579 for tuition at a private college. Side note, my eggs better start looking for part-time after school jobs NOW if they want to get some book learnin' in God knows how many years when we decide to grace the planet with offspring). Tuition for dogs: $0.

2. Dogs don't dirty diapers. I would rather pick up Rory's Tootsie Roll-esque turds off the sidewalk and carry them around in a little baggie any day, when the alternative is wiping up diarrhea that looks like guacamole. Bonus point for dogs: they poop twice a day and they are predictable, unlike babies, who spew from both ends pretty much non-stop, so I've been told.

3. Dogs love you no matter what. Your adolescent dog isn't going to decide to hate you one day. They are loyal to a fault. Conversely, your kids will probably wish you dead hundreds of times in their lives.

4. Shopping for dogs is cheaper than shopping for children. You can get a dog a $4 bag of treats and a $2 chew toy for Christmas and it'll be like winning the lottery. You can't give a child a $4 bag of treats and a $2 chew toy and expect them to be satisfied. On the Santa Claus call-in show on the radio, the other night, a kid asked for a new laptop, PS3, and an iPod touch. A dog would never do that.

5. Dogs do not need a room full of furniture to call their own. They're OK with a corner, a soft blanket and a little carrier.

6. Dogs don't cry when you throw snow in their faces.

7. Dogs don't swear or ask you where babies come from.

8. Dogs don't need to be bathed very often, and when you do wash them, you get to laugh at how skinny and teeny they look with their fur all soaked.

9. You don't have to have "the talk" with dogs. Although apparently they can still get STDs.

10. Rewarding dogs with food when they do something good is not only OK, it's encouraged.

Edit: I forgot some really obvious ones:

You don't need to push a 10-pound dog out your vagina to acquire it.
You don't need to give up coffee and booze for 9 months when you decide to get one.
You LOSE weight with a new dog (all those walks!) instead of gaining it.

I think the advantage is pretty obvious.


Bonus: They're sooooooooooo cute. Proof?


Much better than the alternative.

When I was a little 'un, I loved me some Kraft Dinner. I demanded it for every meal. The way my parents tell it, I sometimes ate it for lunch and supper for several weeks straight, so the fact that I wasn't riddled with rickets and scurvy as a toddler is pretty much a miracle. Just the sight of my mom shaking that little pouch of neon-orange 'cheese' powder before pouring it over the soggy noodles and mixing it up made me salivate like a Pavlovian dog. And speaking of dogs, I would also lick my plate after finishing my KD to get every last taste of the cheesy sauce. It's safe to say that I would have married Kraft Dinner if it were legal.

Once I started school, my Kraft Dinner consumption dipped sharply, but at least once a week I'd eat a big plate of the brilliant orange noodles, sometimes with a side of vegetables or chicken strips, sometimes on its own in all its processed and unnatural glory. In college, Kraft Dinner took a backseat to the newly discovered and exciting alternative: Lipton Sidekicks. In the same amount of time and for the same amount of money I could have a "fancy" meal! Like Fettucine Alfredo or Creamy Carbonara Noodles! I felt like a baller eating my linguine-with-androgynous-chickeny-powder-mix straight from the pot, instead of ghetto-fab KD.

I was out on my own. An adult. Adults don't eat Kraft Dinner. They eat tri-coloured rotini with a mysterious, lumpy, sour-milk-smelling white powder on it masquerading as creamy alfredo sauce.

Then I became enamoured with all things healthy. All of a sudden, info like fibre content, fat grams, calories and carbs became grossly important and mixing cooked noodles with packets of neon-coloured powdered flavouring suddenly seemed like a horrible idea. My old standbys, Sidekicks and KD, stayed on the grocery store shelves in favour of things like baby spinach and Special K and boneless skinless chicken breasts.

I understand this is a lot of backstory about my eating habits but BEAR WITH ME.

Last Wednesday was one of those days - not a bad day per se, but decidedly 'meh'. I came home from work, all bitchypants and ravenous and ready to stress-eat the shit out of a carton of candy cane ice cream. Peter picked up on my mood and wisely decided to make supper:



...white cheddar Kraft Dinner.

The verdict? This was one of my favourite meals I've had in a looooong time. So simple and so undecidedly un-nutritious but absolutely comforting. We classed it up a bit with some red wine. I ate seconds and didn't think twice about the carb-loading. It was creamy and cheesy and delicious. It probably cost about 50 cents for each of us. Ahhhhhmazeballs. Way cheaper than therapy and probably just as effective. KD has earned a regular spot in my pantry once again. It's the circle of life.

I have been listening to the 24/7 Christmas music radio channel for a week now, in the car, at work, at home, everywhere I go. This means I have heard every Christmas song at least 20 times, even the really horrible ones, like "Christmas Shoes". It has also given me a chance to really listen to the lyrics.

The most disturbing conclusion I have come to is that "Baby It's Cold Outside" was just a 40's version of "Blame It On the Alcohol". As in, uber creepy. Let's take a look:


I really can't stay - Baby it's cold outside
I've got to go away - Baby it's cold outside
This evening has been - Been hoping that you'd drop in
So very nice - I'll hold your hands, they're just like ice
My mother will start to worry - Beautiful, what's your hurry
My father will be pacing the floor - Listen to the fireplace roar
So really I'd better scurry - Beautiful, please don't hurry
Well maybe just a half a drink more - Put some music on while I pour

The neighbors might think - Baby, it's bad out there
Say, what's in this drink - No cabs to be had out there
I wish I knew how - Your eyes are like starlight
To break the spell - I'll take your hat, your hair looks swell
I ought to say no, no, no, sir - Mind if I move closer
At least I'm gonna say that I tried - What's the sense in hurting my pride?
I really can't stay - Baby don't hold out
Ahh, but it's cold outside

C'mon baby

I simply must go - Baby, it's cold outside
The answer is no - Ooh darling, it's cold outside
This welcome has been - I'm lucky that you dropped in
So nice and warm - Look out the window at that storm
My sister will be suspicious - Man, your lips look delicious
My brother will be there at the door - Waves upon a tropical shore
My maiden aunt's mind is vicious - Gosh your lips are delicious
Well maybe just a half a drink more - Never such a blizzard before

I've got to go home - Oh, baby, you'll freeze out there
Say, lend me your coat - It's up to your knees out there
You've really been grand - I thrill when you touch my hand
But don't you see - How can you do this thing to me?
There's bound to be talk tomorrow - Think of my life long sorrow
At least there will be plenty implied - If you caught pneumonia and died
I really can't stay - Get over that hold out
Ahh, but it's cold outside

(Lyrics courtesy of http://www.stlyrics.com)

Um. Creepy. HOW IS THIS A FEEL-GOOD CHRISTMAS CAROL? Can't you just imagine some smarmy smooth operator with slicked-back hair trying to feel you up while you're just trying to politely enjoy your whiskey sour? It reminds me of trying to extract myself from the unwelcome embrace of a slurring, Jagerbombing cheesedick at the Alehouse. NOT GOOD.

Behold the lyrics to "Blame It On The Alcohol" (paraphrased a bit because this song is actually THE LONGEST SONG OF ALL TIME):

Blame it on the goose
Got you feeling loose
Blame it on Patron
Got you in the zone
Blame it on the a a a a a alcohol
Blame it on the a a a a a a alcohol

Ay she say she usually don't
But I know that she front
Cause shawty know what she want
But she don't wanna seem like she easy
I ain't saying what you wont do
But you know we probably gonna do
What you been feeninn deep inside
Don't lie now

Girl what you drinking ?
Gonna let sink in
Here for the weekend
Thinking
We can
See what we can be if we press fast forward
Just one more round and you're down I know it
Fill another cup up
Feeling on yo butt what ?

You don't even care now
I was unaware how fine you were before my buzz set in, before my buzz set in...

Oh see
She spilled some drank on me
And now I'm knowing she's tipsy
She put her body on me
And she keep staring me right in my eyes
No telling what I'm gonna do
Baby I would rather show you
What you been missing in your life when I get inside.

(T-PAIN !)

Girl I know you feel good
Dancing like you look
Couple more shots you open up like a book
I ain't trippin? (cause I'm a read ya)
Shawty I ain't trippin? (I just want to please ya)
I'm a take a shot of nuvo
Shawty then you know
It's goin? down we can go and kick it like judo (judo)
You know what I mean
Shawty got drunk thought it all was a dream
So I made her say ahh, ahh ahh
Now she got her hand on my leg
Got my seats all wet in my ride (all wet in my ride)
All over my ride (all over my ride)
She look my dead in the eye, eye eye
Then my pants got bigger
She already knew what the bigger
Had her looking her boyfriend like ahhh ahhh

Now to tha ballas popin' bottles
With their Henny in their cups
Screaming money ain't a thang
If it ain't throw it up in the skyyy (sky)
And hold your dranks up highhhh (high)
And to my independent mamas
Who can buy their own bottles
If you looking like a model
When them broke fellas holla
Tell them byeee (bye)
Hold your drinks up highhhh (high)

(Lyrics courtesy http://www.azlyrics.com>

SO.

Let's compare.

Baby It's Cold Outside: sung by a horny man.
Blame It On The Alcohol: sung by a horny man.

Baby It's Cold Outside: attempts to get a girl drunk in order to hook up with her.
Blame It On The Alcohol: attempts to get a girl drunk in order to hook up with her.

Baby It's Cold Outside: alludes to boners ("I thrill when you touch my hand")...we all know that thrill means sport massive wood
Blame It On The Alcohol: alludes to boners ("She look my dead in the eye, then my pants got bigger")

Baby It's Cold Outside: sounds like a horrible defense in a sexual assault trial ("But...but...it was snowing! It was up to her knees out there!"
Blame It On The Alcohol: sounds like a horrible defense in a sexual assault trial ("But...but...she got her hand on my leg! Got my seats all wet in my ride! All wet in my ride!")

Conclusion: they are the same song. And they are both disgusting. Gentlemen never existed and ladies in the 40s were still getting hit on by creepers - they just had better grammar.

Today's Ten on Tuesday questions can be found here!

1. What is your favorite kind of cheese?
I have to pick just one? But...but I don't want to hurt the others' feelings. I love my cheese and I love them all (almost) equally. I like a nice mozzarella for everyday and brie for fancy times.

2. Do you prefer fudge with or without nuts?
Without - nuts just add confusion.

3. How do you feel about cats?
Cat-people, you might want to skip to #4. The truth is I don't love cats. In college I lived in a house with five disgusting cats and one of them used to poop/throw up (I'm not sure what it was) on my bed and pillow at least once a week. I hate how they scratch around in their litter box covering up their turds and then 30 seconds later they're roaming around on the kitchen counters and table. They're dirty and mean and snotty.

4. Meg Ryan or Julia Roberts?
Can I say neither? I'll go with Julia Roberts just because I liked Pretty Woman.

5. Do you wear a watch?
I have two watches and I wear them both occasionally. One is Gucci and one's from Walmart - what does that say about my personality?

6. What are a few of your favorite songs from the 90′s?
So many...I have songs that remind me of different grades. Wonderwall by Oasis and Santa Monica by Everclear will always remind me of Grade 9. Ghetto Superstar, Grade 11. Obviously there was no theme to my 90's music choices!

7. Do you like scented candles?
Yes, in moderation. I have a pumpkin spice one that I really like and we got some that smell juuuuuust like Christmas trees, which are my favourites.

8. What do you like on your hamburger?
If I'm out drinking we'll go to McDonald's drive-thru (I'm not the one driving obviously) so I can get a cheeseburger dressed like a Big Mac. If we're at home making burgers I just like ketchup, mustard, maybe mayo, and some cheese. I also am a big fan of the peanut butter burger. Don't knock it till you try it!

9. How often do you cut your fingernails?
Not sure - I just file them when they need it.

10. Do you sleep in socks?
Not very often. I used to always wear socks to bed and kick them off in the night. Peter hates it when I wear socks to bed so sometimes I do it to be a brat.

I have been reading Reverb 10 posts on a lot of blogs since December began, half wishing I was participating and half secretly grateful I hadn't signed up for yet another venture that would no doubt become an epic flop as the holidays take over my mind, body and soul (anyone remember NaBloPoMo?)

But I liked yesterday's Reverb prompt so much I couldn't help but jump on the bandwagon for a minute:

What are 11 things your life doesn’t need in 2011? How will you go about eliminating them? How will getting rid of these 11 things change your life?

1. Gucky nail polish. Ladies, I know you feel me on this one. Nail polish is cheap. It lasts for years. Every season, you buy brand new colours because it's a quick, affordable and easy way to update your look. As a result, I have probably 50-60 nail polishes when all I really like to wear are a few darks, one nice red, a couple nudes, some summery brights and one sparkly little number. Solution? Throw out everything that's separated into two very distinct layers in its little bottle. Anything I owned in college is gone. Duplicate colours are dunzo (really, how many bubblegum pinks do you need?)

2. Dark circles. See also: dull skin, cranky mornings, overcaffeination. This year, I will go to bed when I'm tired. No more doing "one more quick thing" before hitting the hay. I hate being sleepy and in 2011 I want to get fully caught up on my rest and if that means going to bed at 8:00 some nights, so be it.

3. Messes. I don't clean our house nearly enough. It's CLEAN but it always ends up being a crazy Saturday-killer because things have piled up all week (or weeks) long. I love having a clean house but I hate wasting a Saturday to get one. Solution: I am going to start planning things to clean here and there throughout the week. It's not like I'm going to feel like scrubbing the toilets on a Tuesday after work but the more little things we can do during the week, the fewer Saturdays need to be wasted with Mr. Clean.

4. Clutter. Magazines from 2003. Shoes with soles that are completely worn through. Random Tupperware lids with no containers that they fit. I hope to get rid of lots of junk in 2011, and find a place for other things. Photos in albums. CDs in sleeves. Files backed up. Receipts organized. How will I do it? A rainy day, my iPod and some boozy coffee to get me through.

5. Chequing account insanity. Right now, my paycheck goes into my chequing account which also comprises my savings account, my emergency fund...this is no good. This year I will finally get my finances in order. My goal initially is to track my spending for three months - every penny that comes in and goes out - and then to take it to a financial advisor to help me set up a savings plan I can handle. I'm not saving for anything too specific - retirement and perhaps a house renovation fund and a vacation fund. But I know the chequing account thing is horrendous. I need to make my money work harder!

6. Flab. I have a gym membership, and I'm in there five days a week, faithfully. Problem: I eat chocolate and cheese, seven days a week, faithfully. Solution: sparkpeople.com. I used this site a few years ago to track all my food and exercise and lost about 30 pounds as a result. I have kept the weight off, but lately I've been feeling a little frumpalicious. I want to get back on the wagon and tone up in 2011 and hopefully turn 30 in April in the best shape of my life.

7. Unnecessary cheapie purchases. Next year I hope to buy fewer, but nicer, things. Instead of buying three new pairs of shoes that are on sale for $30 each but that I feel ho-hum about, I want to buy one pair for $90 that I really love. (But only when I need them!)

8. Lost time. Dicking around on the Internet is probably my worst habit. I want to spend less time arsing around creeping Twitter feeds and celebrity gossip and actually do things that I love: writing (NOT Tweeting). Baking. Playing my piano. Spending time outside with my hubby and dog. Seeing friends. Watching movies. It's not like I'll be on my deathbed one day saying, "shit, I wish I'd tweeted more."

9. Torture device bras. For some reason I have a drawer full of bras with underwires that dig in, straps that won't stay put, elastic going all cockamamie, WHY?! Why do I hold on to ratty old bras like they're Starbucks stocks? I don't even have boobs anyway.

10. Not knowing what to say. I am the worst at instigating a conversation, like if I'm at a networking event or a group thing where I don't know people. I never know how to introduce myself or how to start a conversation. I'm not shy - I'm just not good at kicking things off. The fix: I will make a list (how geeky does this sound) of topics to ask people about upon first meeting them. I promise I'm not as much of an antisocial loser as this makes me sound. MOVING ON...

11. Losing track. There are so many things happening, day to day, and I forget. In 2011 I want to get back to writing in my paper journal, if not every day, at least several times a week, as well as taking pictures more often and using the video camera we got as a wedding gift to record snippets from our lives. We've only used it twice so far and there's so much stuff that would be great to document - Rory as a puppy, making changes in our house, and so many other little things that will be awesome memories one day (if we can remember them).

...these are a few of my favourite things.

[+] a thin-crust cheese pizza and a (big) glass of red wine after a long day at work
[+] A Charlie Brown Christmas, The Grinch (the old cartoon version, not pre-skankalicious Little J as Cindy Lou Who), Mickey's Christmas Carol, and Rudolph


[+] making a Friday night date to decorate the tree and drink Bailey's
[+] sparkly gold nail polish that I might consider ugly any other time of the year

(currently wearing: Wet 'n Wild Shield)

[+] HGTV
[+] Grooveshark
[+] Joe Fresh Barbie pj's


[+] advent calendars (and the fact that I have a Disney Princess advent calendar. And eat my chocolate before I get out of bed every morning. And I'm 29.)

(Don't act like you wouldn't.)

What are some of your favourite things these days?

Also...how in the bloody hell is it December 9 already?

My shopping habits have changed dramatically since we moved to suburbia extraordinaire in July, and by 'changed', I mean 'disappeared'. Gone are the days of leaving our apartment building and walking for less than a minute before we were sipping on elaborate caffeinated drinks with approximately 40 names and 4,000 calories and browsing in our favourite bookstore. 'Getting coffee' now means 'going into the kitchen and brewing some Maxwell House', or driving to find some mass-produced drive-thru swill. More of my clothing purchases than I care to admit have come from Joe Fresh at Superstore or Winner's in Bedford. Shopping now means driving 20+ minutes, and as a result, shopping trips are fewer and farther between.

When I was asked to participate in the Shop Fashionably Late event at Bishop's Landing on the Halifax waterfront, I couldn't say yes fast enough. To break it down, five local bloggers were invited to come to Bishop's Landing on Friday night to participate in a Secret Santa gift exchange. We were each given $50.00 and one hour to shop for gifts for another blogger. Shopping with SOMEONE ELSE'S MONEY?! Getting to scope out the selection at Bishop's Landing? Browsing in the kind of shops where you can't purchase winter tires, milk, shampoo, Christmas lights and tampons in one place? Heavenly.

So Friday night, myself and the other four bloggers met up at Cafe Ristretto for delicious lattes, coffee, squares and cookies, picked up our gift certificates and our instructions, and drew our names. I chose Anthony's name. Ooooh, this was going to be hard. I've read his blog but I had no idea what would make a good gift.

My first stop was easy - everyone likes booze, right? I beelined for Bishop's Cellar, which is an amazing wine store in Bishop's Landing. I've been there before and love not only their selection of wines and the fact that they're open late at night, but also their staff. They are absolutely fabulous, helpful, and know their wine without being snotty about it. Quite the opposite, actually. I told them I had $25 to spend and wanted a really nice red and was promptly shown what is supposed to be a fantastic red wine. I wish I could remember the name of it! (What's nice is that it's saved on my file so next time I'm in they can look it up and I can buy it again.)

With half my money spent, I had another $25 to use wisely. I chose to head to Rum Runners Rum Cake Factory to get a little something sweet to go with the wine. Again, the girl behind the counter was super helpful and friendly. She let me sample the various cakes (traditional rum cake, chocolate rum cake, and whiskey cake). I decided to pick up some of the whiskey cake. It tasted less boozy and more like a spice cake and set me back about $7.00 for a small package. It had been made fresh that day.

I finished off my gift card at the One Stop Wood Shop. This place is a gem. Full of beautiful woodworking, art, and furniture, every piece is unique and of exceptional quality. Again - awesome staff (Bishop's Landing is like the Disneyland of Halifax - the happiest place in the city). I selected a bowl made out of eco-glass, which I found out from the clerk is actually recycled pop bottles from Spain. Giddyup. $15 plus tax later, I'd spent all my moolah and the best part of an hour.

Back at the cafe we swapped presents and it felt just like Christmastime. I was thrilled with my gift: a wooden candleholder made from a tree that was uprooted during Hurricane Juan, a tube of pink lip gloss which has been going everywhere with me since Friday, and a bottle of awesome pinot grigio, which just so happens to be my favourite kind of wine.

There will be another Shop Fashionably Late event at Bishop's Landing this Friday, December 10 and if you are in the Halifax area it's worth checking out. In addition to the stores I visited there are a few beautiful clothing, jewelry, and accessory shops that are real hidden gems I didn't know existed, as well as a cigar store and some great restaurant options no matter what your palate. If there's someone you're having a hard time shopping for, I guarantee you'll find something nice at Bishop's. The stores are not crowded and the staff in all the shops I visited were more than helpful. The merchandise is unique. And there were carolers - I'm feeling Christmasy just thinking about it! Go go go!

It's Ten on Tuesday time! This excites me because I'm not sure if I have enough fodder for a post today. I considered writing about the following things:

-the fact that my grocery list this week consists of Bailey's, egg nog, advent calendars, mixed nuts, and rum;
-completely unprovoked, Rory started HUMPING THE AIR last night when we had friends over;
-today is the last day of November and therefore the last day of the 30 Day Remix ANNNND the last day I need to keep wearing these same 30 items of clothing over and over (plus I get to go shopping again!!!) Pics to come soon

But instead, I feel like phoning it in and answering some questions instead. I have a headache, I am stressy and stabby and cold and undercaffeinated. Gimme a break.

1. Where are you from? Have you lived there your whole life?
I'm from Sackville, New Brunswick and I lived there until I was 18. I then moved back home for a couple of years after I finished school to work at the local paper. I left the Sack for good in 2006 but I only live about two hours away and this is the farthest from home I've ever lived.

2. How would you classify your clothing style?
I don't really have a 'style' - I try to buy things that fit well and that I'll wear in 10 years. I'm not trendy at all. I wear a lot of black. Lately I've been loving skinny jeans, flat boots, and sweaters or cardigans over tank tops. I also love scarves.

3. What kind of car do you drive?
Silver 2007 Mazda3. I've had it for a little more than a year and love her. She's speedy and peppy and reliable. If I were buying a new car today I would absolutely buy another.

4. What would your dream home look like if you could have it (or already do!)?
Well...it would feel adulterous for me to talk about any other house when we just bought our first home in the summer. I do love our house. I love the layout, the huge kitchen and the master bath. I'm happy with our house and would just make some little tweaks to it to bring it up to dream home standards, which we are doing, slowly but surely. I'd like to replace the impossible-to-keep-clean shower in our bathroom with a slicker hotel-y one. I'd also switch out the kitchen sink and countertops and add a backsplash. Crown mouldings in some rooms, fresh paint here and there...but we have a pretty good start!

5. Do you have kids, and if so, how many and how old were you when you had them?
NOPE

6. What is your favorite hobby?
Just one? I have lots of hobbies. Baking, crafting (how old do I sound?) Running, tennis, skating, reading...talking about Christmas...

7. Are you going to have any New Year’s resolutions for 2011?
Yes. TBD.

8. What is something, if anything, that you’d want to change about yourself?
I'd be able to function on zero sleep. There's just way too much to do every day.

9. What is something that you love about yourself?
I'm a good driver.

10. Pick one of the following: Someone to cook for you, someone to do your laundry, or someone to do your dishes.
LAUNDRY. We have a dishwasher, and I love cooking. Laundry is a pain in the ass, especially folding it and putting it away. If I had my way, clean laundry would sit in a little mountain in the corner of the bedroom and we'd just go and root through it every day to pick out what we needed. I just need a clothing folder/put-away-er.

It's been less than a week and we're all still adjusting to life with a dog - the dog is adjusting too. He went from shy, meek, mild little shadow to hellion extraordinaire in the span of a day. It's like our little Rorysaurus is possessed by a demon with a sharp bark and even sharper baby teeth. He'll bark at NOTHING - he'll be sitting in the kitchen like a good boy and all of a sudden will emit this eardrum-splitting bark, totally unprovoked. He cries and screams and jumps on the door when we put him in his room, making us feel like colossally negligent and cruel assholes. And he seems to think that chewing feet is OK. He jumps over his barricades. He wants to eat the stairs. He scratches the glass on the patio doors when he sees his reflection in it. We took him for his first walk on the leash last night, to the mailbox, and he did the first third of the walk completely sideways. He eventually straightened out but then continued to walk UNDER Peter's feet and in the process, got stepped on.

"Hold on," you're probably thinking. "I thought they got a Sheltie, which is supposed to be one of the smartest dog breeds. This puppy sounds retarded." Don't get me wrong - Rory is very smart. He's learned some tricks already and performs them like a champ. He hasn't messed inside the house once, which is amazeballs as far as I'm concerned. He knows when you're mad at him and will make up to you to get back in your good books. He's a very bright little guy - smarter than many people I know.

He's also adorable. It's so hard to get mad at him when he's got the big, sad brown eyes and the oh-so-serious pout on. He's vain, and loves looking at his reflection in any shiny surface (he gets it from Peter). He's energetic and loves to cuddle and be around people, and he's a charmer. At his vet checkup earlier this week, he was quite the girl magnet at the clinic, so I'm told.

It's taken some getting used to and I don't know if Peter and I fully understood how different life would be when it wasn't just us anymore. Now, when we wake up at 6:00, we don't laze around through multiple snooze buttons anymore - we're up and outside shivering while we wait for Rory to do his thang. When I'm eating breakfast with one hand I'm throwing his tennis ball with the other. At noon, instead of eating lunch at my desk or walking around the office block, I've been hustling the 20-minute drive home to let him out and scarf a sandwich before heading back to the office. Around 4:00 I can barely concentrate on work because I can't wait to get home and see my boys.

One of my favourite parts about every day now is coming home from work, the gym, errands, wherever, and going in to get Rory out of his room - no matter if we've been gone five minutes or five hours he's just as excited to see us. I LOVE the feeling of having someone that happy to see me. Regardless of what kind of day it's been, seeing Rory instantly makes me feel better.

So we're only a few days in, but so far, so good. We're all getting used to each other and I think we're all going to get along just fine.

This is my first time ever completing the Ten on Tuesday, as seen on Chelsea's Roots and Rings blog. It's no secret that I love any kind of themed weekly post. Friday Fives, Music Mondays, Wordless Wednesdays, I love them all. Alas, I usually don't know what day of the week it is at any given point, so unless I stumble upon it on that particular day, we're all out of luck.

This Tuesday's questions are about holidays. Well, what a coinkydink - holidays rank right up there in my Land of Favourite Things along with cupcakes, puppies, to-do lists, and adding booze to coffee.

1. What are your plans for the holidays? Do you travel at Thanksgiving? If you celebrate Christmas, do you travel then, too?
Here in Canadialand, Thanksgiving is but a distant memory from more than a month ago. We went to my parents' in New Brunswick for two days and then to Peter's parents for a day, so there was some traveling around. My Christmas plans are still up in the air but will include wearing PJs for several concurrent days, visiting both sets of parents and a bunch of aunts and uncles, eating a ton, drinking lots of Bailey's, playing board games, skating, snowshoeing, watching Christmas movies...ahhhh.

2. How do you make the plans for the holiday? If you have a significant other, how do you decide which family to visit? We split it up. We try to figure out when each family is having their big meal or to-do and plan around that.

3. Do you have your Thanksgiving meal at lunch or later in the day?
It usually ends up being a late lunch that lasts for HOURS AND HOURS. Hoo boy.

4. Do you have a favorite Thanksgiving tradition?
Besides eating? Picking apples with my sister and brother!

5. After a big meal do you lounge around or get up and take a walk?
We go to an apple orchard not far from my parents' house and pick apples. It involves a wagon ride into the orchard and many good photo ops. Regardless of how full we are from dinner we always manage to cram at least one apple into our fat faces.

6. Do you shop on “Black Friday” or do you avoid it?
We don't have that here.

7. When do you usually finish your Christmas shopping?
Around December 20...I try to be done earlier but I'm always getting last-minute things closer to Christmas, stocking stuffers, things like that.

8. Do you and your significant other exchange gifts? Is there a budget?
Yes and no. We exchange gifts and we always say "this year we won't go overboard with the gifts, we'll cut back from last year" and we always overspend from the previous year. We are horrible, terrible, greedy, materialistic people. Meh.

9. When do you decorate for the holidays?
First weekend in December - this year it'll be December 4-5 weekend and I CANNOT WAIT! We get a real tree so that's the earliest we can really do it without the poor thing disintegrating into a heap of fire-hazard needles on the living room floor.

10. Do you go “all out” with the decor or do you keep it simple?
This year I'm foolishly excited to decorate. It's our first year in our house, so it's the first year we can actually decorate the outside of our home. We're still figuring out what we're going to do and are stalking our neighbourhood early birds for ideas, but I think it's safe to say we'll have a wreath on the front door and lights on the front step bannisters and in the windows. Inside we'll try and keep it tasteful but festive - tree in the living room, centrepieces on the tables, stockings on the mantel, and of course lots of Christmasy scented candles and holiday music. We tend to go for more traditional, simple decorations - you won't find a fuschia tree or giant inflatable Santas on our front lawn. We also hate old-fashioned Father Christmases.

This was the best weekend ever for many reasons. There was a Christmas parade, holiday lattes, a delicious Italian dinner out, 4-wheeling, and snow. Best of all? We added a new puppy to our little family. Meet Rory:



Rory is a 12-week-old Sheltie. His likes include grass, chicken-flavoured treats, his blanket and cuddling. His dislikes include snow, loud noises and walking up stairs.

We just got him home a few hours ago. He was so good in the car - he sat in the backseat on his blanket all by himself and didn't make a peep for a couple hours. Right now he's in his "house" (AKA carrier dungeon) which we're trying to get him used to, and fond of, so it's more of a cozy bed and less of a prison during times of abandonment.

We love our little boy already. He's really affectionate and cuddly and loves running around in the yard. He's not totally sure which toys are his yet, but he's starting to like his stuffed duck.

I don't know how I'm going to do anything except play with him and look at his sweet face ever again. Productivity is grinding to zero. We have wanted a dog for years so we're in a bit of a *squeeeeeee!!* puppy haze tonight. Brace yourselves for many Rory updates!

Listen, dishwasher, I've got some stuff to get off my chest. Some of it's not going to be easy, but hear me out, and save your questions for the end.

First and foremost, let me say I'm not too impressed by your so-called "performance" from this morning. I feel that you failed to perform your assigned duties satisfactorily. Essentially, it's supposed to work like this: we put the dirty dishes in. You wash them, and dry them, and you give them back to us clean. Not spotty, not with food still on them, but clean. Sparkling and shiny and ready to put back in the cupboards and drawers. Ready to eat off of without being able to identify what the last meal served on them was. Simples. It shouldn't take you two washes to get things clean. You're slipping, dishwasher. You're not holding up your end of the deal.

Basically, you have one job. Wash the dishes. It isn't your job to flip glasses upside down and fill them with grungy, gritty water for us to spill all over the floor and ourselves when we aren't paying attention. It isn't your job to throw fucking rice around and stick it to other cups and bowls. When we open you up, we shouldn't have to wonder, "did we actually turn this thing on?" or "what kind of a piece of shit dishwasher is this????" We put dirty dishes in. We put soap in. We turn you on. You only have to handle the washing part. COMPRENDE? It's not rocket science. You're like six months old. You shouldn't be shitting the bed just yet.

Dishwasher, I'm sorry we have to have this talk, but you need to start actually living up to your name and getting these dishes clean. I refuse to be one of those people that washes their dishes by hand before putting them into the dishwasher. When it gets to that point, your time is up. I'll rip you out of the wall faster than you can say Maytag Repairman. You do NOT want to be shown up by a dishcloth and a sink full of soapy water. Now show me what you're capable of. Quit dicking around and get this next load squeaky clean or you're getting the Jet Dry.


Yes, I'm having full-on conversations with our kitchen appliances. You don't talk to inanimate objects? Mmmm hmmm.

This morning, I was running around getting ready for the day as I always do, making my lunch, getting my face on, et cetera. My skirt was wrinkly so I threw it in the dryer to knock the wrinkles out, because God forbid I should ever take the time to iron a piece of clothing. So I'm doing my thing in the kitchen wearing just my sweater and my tights - and these are not doubles-as-pants-if-your-last-name-is-Lohan tights, these are semi-transparent black pantyhose, very much meant to be worn under dresses and skirts.

I made my lunch (fruit salad, in case you were wondering) and ran out into the yard to throw my pear and apple cores into the green bin, and while I was out there, I noticed it was a tad breezy on the ol' buttocks. Annnnd then I realized I was out in my yard in broad daylight, sans bottoms, as other neighbours are also up and about getting ready for the day, heading out to their cars and whatnot, and therefore seeing my sheerly clad ass in all its glory at the green bin. I ran back inside, but I'm sure at least two households got an eyeful of derriere with their coffee and oatmeal.

So now I'm the whorey neighbour that prances around undressed in her yard for all to see. The women on our street are going to hate me for being that floozy who puts it all on display. There goes my invitation to the neighbourhood Christmas party and cookie exchange, and they're probably going to start making fun of my flower beds, too. I should really be living far, far away from everyone.

So my NaBloPoMo goal has fallen by the wayside. Things went off the rails on Saturday, which was the day of my cousin's wedding, and performing my bridesmaidly duties trumped the ol' blog. Then Sunday I was suffering through one of the worst hangovers of my life. Annnd since I'd already missed a day, it didn't seem like such a big deal to miss two. Yesterday I was just straight busy. And there you have it - three days sans postage. Womp-wommmp.

In case you're wondering what I've been up to, it's pretty easy to sum up: I've been reverting back to my childhood.

-I bought Barbie pyjamas. Adult-sized, pink-and-black Barbie pyjamas. I wore them all weekend long, with the exception of the wedding.
-I have been choosing chocolate milk in lieu of booze. (No, I'm not pregnant)
-I'm counting down the days until Christmas. 38, in case you're wondering.
-I've been watching shows like Hellcats and Degrassi on purpose.

Confession time: I'm turning 30 in less than six months. Thirty. WTFaaack? Where the hell did that come from? I don't feel 30. I don't act 30. Tell me I look 30 and I'll cut you.

I'm retaliating against time by regressing into childhood. So far, it's going awesome. I fully endorse this move. Kids have the best TV shows, chocolate milk is good for your bones, being in the Christmas spirit is fun, and it's impossible to be in a bad mood when you're wearing Barbie pyjamas - put on a pair and see for yourself.

I know that this is where I should be embracing turning 30 and saying things like "30 is the new 20" and acting all sassy and accomplished. I should be making plans to ring in a new decade with a fabulous party and making a list of 30 things to do before I'm old and decrepit. I'm just not feeling it. I'm completely in denial. I feel like someone actually tricked me and sped up all the calendars and clocks and I'm really 23 or 24. I feel like there were entire years of my 20s that didn't happen. I'm just not ready for this. I'm not ready for a milestone birthday. I want to drag out the next five-ish months indefinitely.

If you need to find me, I'll be at home, reading Seventeen, writing in my diary, and baking cookies while wearing Barbie PJs.

You guys, NaBloPoMo is HARRRRD this year. There is just so much non-bloggy stuff going on and it feels like every night it's 11:00 and I'm all "fiiiiiiiiiiiinally, time for bed. Honk-choo" and then realize I haven't done my daily blog post and have to haul ass back to the basement where my laptop lives and hammer something out. Yesterday's post was deep and introspective. Today, you get bullet points. It's the yin and the yang.

Things I'm currently loving:

-Jeggings. How did I live without them? They are sooo comfy and they look like real, semi-professional pants. I even wore them to work today, with boots and a long sweater, and no one was the wiser!
-Going to the gym at 7PM (Gossip Girl reruns are on from 7-8, which means I can run for a whole hour without crying).
-Taylor Swift's new album! I bought it today - I went to the music store and bought a CD, not even the iTunes version. It felt very retro.
-Cinnamon buns fresh baked by my hubby, which I'm nomming on now while watching some episodes of The Office in my interpretation of a very solid Friday night.

Things all in all are pretty good. There are some cool projects starting up at work, Christmas is coming, my cousin's wedding is tomorrow, and the puppy hunt continues. No complaining here. Happy Friday everyone!

Today was Remembrance Day and I'm a bit appalled and embarrassed at the way I didn't do anything - absolutely nothing - to recognize it. My 'remembering' was limited to a few moments of quiet as I was brushing my teeth this morning, when The Bounce took a break from playing Rihanna and Usher to play some bugle music and then have a moment of silence.

I didn't even get a poppy this year. I kept meaning to pick one up, but I didn't have any change on me, or I wasn't wearing my regular coat, or whatever the excuse du jour happened to be.

My grandfather fought in the second world war, and came from a long line of military people, so honouring Remembrance Day was a tradition in our family. As kids, every November 11 we'd all bundle up and head to the cenotaph, with our poppies pinned on our winter coats and stuck firmly in place with hunks of eraser, to listen to the roll call and the reading of In Flanders Fields.

I remember standing there freezing my ass off (it was always sooooo cold on Remembrance Day) and thinking about everything but the sacrifices men and women had made for our freedoms - I would be thinking about the hot chocolate I was going to get once this was over, or about the movie I'd watched the night before, or how stupid that kid's pom-pom hat looked. And then I'd scold myself and think about wars for a few minutes...until I got distracted by the pom-pom hat again.

Today I woke up and barely even thought about why I had a day off work in the middle of the week. I hung out with some friends, went for a walk with Peter, went out for coffee, and barely even gave a moment's thought to why I'm able to walk around, drive a car, pay for coffee, do any of these things freely in the first place. And now I feel guilty. I feel guilty that I forgot to remember, and I feel guilty that when I remembered to remember (OMG, how poorly constructed can one sentence be?) I couldn't be bothered to put on a poppy or spend twenty minutes freezing at the cenotaph.

I can only be thankful that my grandfather and thousands of others didn't display the same apathy and indifference 70 years ago.

I try to be honest with what I share on my blog. At least, I make a conscious effort not to be dishonest.

I think there are different degrees of honesty. There's honest as in, you're not currently telling a lie. This applies to my blog. Everything I write about is true.

Then, there's gross honest, like, oh, my tampon fell out when I was running down the sidewalk, or I accidentally pooped the bed* - TMI-style honesty. I share a little bit of that. I think being a beast makes you easier to relate to. But there's less and less of the gag-inducing 'omg, she's one nasty biatch' stuff being posted here the more people I know "in real life" are reading my blog.

And then there's the real nitty-gritty. The kind of honesty that isn't pretty, that maybe makes people uncomfortable. The kind of posts that can walk a fine line between introspective and woe-is-me, Debbie Downer epics you skim over in your Google reader; written by some authors, they can make your heart go out to someone you've never met.

Given the complete lack of anonymity and people who know me in real life that pop in from time to time, I can't see myself getting too serious honest, which saddens me a bit. But then, do you really want to read about the time this happened or that happened or why I feel the way I do about a sensitive topic? Do I really want to open myself up for those debates?

Would it be different if nobody knew who I was? Definitely. I have a lot of stuff I'd love to someday share and see what comes back, but for now, you're getting YouTube videos of kids lipsyncing in their rooms and my Christmas lists and vacation snapshots. There are things that I'm just not totally ready to share...things that I'm not convinced a blog is the best forum to share. I guess that's why I've got a paper journal.

*Neither of these scenarios have happened to me but I'm sure they've HAPPENED. If they did happen to me, I might blog about them. Probably not.

...so I'm dialing it in today, and you get the newest Keenan Cahill YouTube video - this time with a special guest.



I love this kid. He's my favourite YouTuber and he's probably way more successful than I will ever be by lipsyncing in his room to bad music. So basically, he's getting paid for something I do every day for free and he's an Internet celebrity and gets to meet questionable rappers. Keenan Cahill > me and all my friends.

Because you're never too old to be a greedy child.

[+] magazine subscriptions: Glamour, Real Simple, Women's Health...it's the gift that keeps on giving all year long!
[+] a charm for my Pandora bracelet
[+] iTunes gift card (now that my beloved LimeWire is in the shitter)
[+] glass jars for holding spices, baking stuff, rice, pastas, etc. I would love to have a beautifully organized kitchen like Chef Michael Smith's, as brought to my attention in Lindsey's recent post.
[+] Clinique Dramatically Different moisturizer & City Block sunblock
[+] clothes - the new BCBG store is opening here very soon (HIIIIIIIIIINT)
[+] shoes
[+] The Office on DVD - season 5 and up
[+] a daily planner
[+] a serious watch
[+] coffee

For the record, Santa, I have been exceptionally good this year.

Well, apparently someone was reading my post a few days ago about three selfish wishes, particularly my third wish for more hours in the day. Lo and behold, when I woke up this morning at 9:30, it was actually 8:30 - bonus hour, shit yes!

Here are some ideas for how to spend that extra hour today aside from the obvious two (sleeping in and hooking up):

1. Play a board game.
2. Watch an episode of Mad Men or Jersey Shore or Dawson's Creek or whatever floats your boat.
3. Make your Christmas card address Excel spreadsheet (someone else does this, I know it. Please confess so I don't feel like a solo Captain Anal.)
4. Do yoga.
5. Bake cookies.
6. Call your mom.
7. Create a new signature cocktail. It's Sunday afternoon, after all - perfect time to booze it up!
8. Write a letter. On paper, with a pen. One that requires an envelope and a stamp.
9. Make a big pot of chili or soup to divvy up into lunch-size amounts and eat all week long.
10. Clean out your closet and donate the stuff you no longer wear.

I'm going to spend my bonus hour in a nice warm bath, with a new magazine, a face mask, and a hair mask...pure relaxation and the best way to end what's been a lovely weekend.

How are you spending your extra hour?

This November, I'm participating in the 30 for 30 challenge, inspired by the lovely Kendi at Kendi Everyday. The idea is that for 30 days, you use 30 pieces of clothing you already own (including shoes, but not including tights, accessories, coats, etc.) to create 30 unique outfits. Oh yeah - you're also not allowed to shop for clothes for 30 days. The idea is to use stuff you've already got in your closet in new, creative ways, and figure out brand new looks you didn't even know you had.

The first order of business was to pick out 30 things I thought would be easy to mix and match all month long. My wardrobe is almost all black, so it would have been easy - but boring. I threw some colours in too. I also took it easy on the shoes and bottoms. This may bite me in the ass in a couple weeks, but when you're only working with 30 things, every piece counts!

So, without further ado:




Skirts
1. Turquoise print - Mexx
2. Black pencil - Le Chateau
3. Beige - Jacob
4. Striped - Dynamite
5. Green print - H&M
6. And a sweaterdress - Le Chateau




Pants
7. Jeggings - Gap
8. Black pants - Smart Set
9. Leggings (!!!) - Garage



T-shirts
10. White tank - Gap
11. Print tank - Walmart
12. Pink shirt - Winners
13. Gray v-neck - American Eagle
14. Striped shirt - Old Navy
15. Gray t - Dynamite
16. Black t - Smart Set



Sweaters
17. Black turtleneck - Walmart
18. Blue cardigan - Pseudio
19. Gray cardigan - Dynamite
20. Black cardigan - Old Navy
21. Beige cardigan - Joe Fresh
22. Black blazer - H&M
23. Big gray sweater - Dynamite
24. Big black sweater - Garage



Button Downs
25. White - RW & Co
26. Plaid - Garage



Shoes
27. Booties - Spring
28. Flats - Joe Fresh
29. Gray pumps - Spring
30. Boots - Shoe Co.

Every Sunday, I'll share my outfits from the previous week. And now I'm off to a bachelorette party. There is a whistle shaped like a penis involved - so clearly I have better places to be than sitting in my basement blogging.

Hope you enjoy the 30 for 30 challenge!

The good:

-it's Friday
-I have lots of fun weekend plans to look forward to - breakfast out with hubby tomorrow at our favourite cafe, bachelorette party tomorrow night for my cousin, and a full day of recovery and sloth behaviour planned for Sunday
-I went to the gym this morning and ran my errands at lunch, so I don't need to leave the house on this disgusting hurricaney evening
-I have the new Kings of Leon to listen to in the car
-we got Netflix
-Lil Wayne is out of jail
-eggnog is back in the grocery store

The bad:

-it's a torrential downpour outside and it's supposed to continue for days
-my hair looks like uncooperative shit - to the point that I might cut my own bangs tonight with kitchen scissors because it can't get any worse
-all the good puppies are so expensive
-I have made almost zero progress on my Christmas shopping list
-I have to shell out so much money this month ($1,170 car insurance, $40 oil change, however much for a tire change and undercoating - that's just on the car alone - there's tons more) and none of the expenses are fun ones

The ugly:

-our front door seam is leaking and water is currently pouring into the house a la Niagara Falls. But don't worry, I have a kitchen towel there to stop the leak! Hey-oh, homegrown solutions WHAT WHAT!
-we watched The Human Centipede last night. Unfortunately, what they say is true: once you've seen it, you can't un-see it.

I'm sitting here, watching Gossip Girl season 2, writer's blocked to the max, and reminiscing on Serena's consistently shitty taste in guys as my iPod updates, when I stumbled across Liz's recent post about her playlist for working out. I decided to post my workout playlist as well, since I've got my iTunes open anyway.

I have...questionable taste when it comes to workout music. It's not that it's bad music. It's just not very good. Criteria for workout music = fast, upbeat, loud, something that a stripper could potentially strip to. Three out of four of the above characteristics - that's pretty much all it takes to make it onto the ol' iPod these days.

Here's what I've been listening to in the gym lately. Try not to laugh:

Lady Gaga - Alejandro
Lil Wayne - Get Something (he's out of prison! Which means we're in for more "musical" treats!)
OK Go - Get Over It
Far East Movement - Like a G6
LMFAO - Get Crazy
Jay Z - On To the Next One
Ke$ha - Take it Off
Cee Lo Green - Fuck You
Florence and the Machine - Kiss With a Fist
Kanye West - Power
My Chemical Romance - Na Na Na
N.E.R.D. - Hot and Fun

Et cetera...What do you like to listen to when you're working out?

[via]

1. I wish I could eat whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, and never worry about it. Not obsessing over food would be nice. I wouldn't even gorge and overdo it - just not thinking about it for more than the amount of time it takes to plan, eat, and enjoy a meal would be wonderful. I spend way too much time, effort, and energy thinking about what I've eaten, what I'm eating, what I'm going to eat. Considering that the average person eats three meals a day plus snacks, that's a LOT of time, effort, and energy.

2. I wish I could control my climate. I hate being too hot, hate being too cold, hate when it's too damp or too humid or too dry. In my perfect world, it would be 30 degrees and sunny every day, 10 degrees every night, with a couple hours of rain overnight - perfect beach weather in the daytime, comfortable for sleeping at night.

3. I wish I could add extra hours to every day. Days go by way too quickly - being able to make them longer at will would be fabulous (especially considering every day is 30 degrees and sunny). What would I do with my extra time? Listen to music. Read. Drink wine. Nap. Take baths. Watch old movies. Learn how to take photos. Take long walks. Go to the beach. Write in my journal. My favourite things...the things I rarely have time for.

If you had three selfish wishes, what would they be? Not world peace, not good health for your family, not do-gooder disease-curing wishes...three wishes that are 100% in your own best interests.

I hate not being prepared, not feeling ready for things. I am the kind of person who prefers to drive to the client meeting alone in order to have that solo time in the car to get my thoughts together. I currently have a list of my outfits planned out for the next 28 days. Spontaneity does not come easily to this girl. I find that I can adapt quickly and go with the flow easily enough if I don't think about it or I have no choice. In a work setting, for example, I can switch from project to project midstream with very little trouble, but in my personal life it's a different story. If I don't know what's for dinner by mid-morning that day, I'm completely out of sorts. Weekends are scheduled two weeks in advance. I guess it's my way of controlling the aspects of my life I CAN control (i.e., not work or mandatory stuff like doctor's appointments).

Not being ready throws me completely off kilter, and right now there are a few things I don't feel remotely prepared for.

[+] Snow and winter weather, complete with the wearing of winter coats, hats, scarves, and mitts
[+] Christmas stuff - Christmas commercials, Christmas cups in Starbucks, Christmas displays in stores
[+] Babies
[+] My parents getting old
[+] Putting away the patio furniture, fire pit and BBQ
[+] Turning 30 in less than six months. Feeling unaccomplished and fail-y.

Is there anything you're dreading or just not prepared for?

So it's NOvember again (that was not a typo, friends. Stay with me) and it's time to batten down the hatches and get shit in order up in this ma. The fun and frivolity of Halloween is over. The leaves have mostly fallen. The clocks are going back an hour this weekend. It's bone-chilling cold outside. Poop's about to get real.

NOvember means...

-NO purchasing clothes for myself for the entire month *cries*
-NO junk food binges, random handfuls of chocolate chips just because, dipping my finger into the butter dish and then the sugar canister. I'm an animal.
-NO skipping a day of blogging (NaBloPoMo! yay!)
-NO skipping a day of working out (NaWoOuMo! yay!)
-NO EXCUSES!!

The reason I'm going all Jillian Michaels on fun stuff is because November is just such a bleak, gross month, it's easy to fall into bad habits to get through it, at least in my experience. It's dark and cold and yucky out, so you buy three new dresses and eat a Deep and Delicious cake for breakfast to cope. It happens. This year, I'm trying to keep myself in check. Save some money. Make room in my closet. Feel healthy and energetic, not akin to 10 pounds of shit in a five-pound bag come the Christmas holidays.

By focusing on good stuff, like eating well, exercising, sticking to a budget and to some simple goals, I'm hoping November will be a more pleasant month and not the absolute Tyrannosaurus Rex of horrid it's been in the past.

I have lots of things to look forward to (upcoming bachelorette party and wedding to attend, getting ready for the holidays, dog shopping) and lots of things that are going to cost a lot of money (uhhh, bachelorette party and wedding, getting ready for the holidays, dog shopping, plus car insurance for the year, yada yada) so saving money wherever I can is going to be pretty important.

NaBloPoMo will help keep me occupied when I can't be doing other things - like shopping for clothes or eating my face off.

Annnnnd not buying any new clothes means there will be room in my closet and drawers for all the piles of new stuff I will undoubtedly be getting for Christmas for being such a good girl during NOvember!

WIN!

So, we've talked about it, weighed the pros and cons, debated about whether we're ready, and figured that we'll never be 100% ready - it's a "figure it out as you go" thing. We've considered our work schedules, our neighbourhood, our finances, the way our house is set up...pretty much every factor that would impact our decision to add to our little family.

And I'm excited to announce that it won't just be Peter and me for much longer!

We're starting to look for a dog!

(Did you think it was a baby? A HUMAN baby?? Fools.)

Growing up, Pete and I both lived in homes with dogs. Big dogs, little dogs, quiet dogs, loud dogs. We've both always wanted a dog, but it's hard to find an apartment that will let you have a dog. And when you do, it's located on the 15th floor of a building - not exactly prime for puppy training.

But now that we're getting settled into the house (which, conveniently, has a fenced-in backyard and is close to several grassy areas perfect for running around) and we don't have any big trips planned, we're starting to keep our eyes open for dogs that might like us as parents. Our criteria is pretty open: we want a dog that's not huge but not tiny (30-50 pounds is perfect), good-natured and friendly, easy to train, and doesn't look like it could double as a curly floor mop.

Boy or girl? Doesn't matter. We don't care about it being a purebred or CKC registered or a descendant of champions. We're just looking for a healthy, happy, relatively smart and trainable pet to keep us company. In fact, we aren't sure if a puppy or a slightly older rescue dog is the best bet. There are pros and cons of each: puppies are soooooo cute, in that rolly-polly-fluffy way, but they're so much work to train (unless you luck out with a pup like my parents' dog which was house trained in one weekend, not kidding.) Slightly older dogs have the basic skills down pat but could come with a host of other issues, and you miss out on that awwww, widdle baby phase.

So I think we're going to take our time and not rush things too much. Do our homework and do our best to ensure we are picking the very best puppy (or dog) to suit all of us.

Dog owners: what were your experiences choosing a dog, training a puppy, and so on? Advice? Suggestions? Dos and don'ts?

Halloween used to be one of my favourite holidays. What's not to love about dressing up so you're unrecognizable and going around the neighbourhood bumming junk food? I'll tell you what's not to love: The smell of old people's houses on Halloween.

One of the things I remember most about trick-or-treating was the smell of old people's houses. You know what I mean. It kind of smells like dusty apples mixed with old snowsuits that have been hanging in the basement/attic all summer. A musty, old-peopley smell that's probably caused by their skin turning to dust or whatever happens when you become so ancient you're practically disintegrating.

While the houses didn't stink exactly, the smell was noticeable, and obviously memorable, and not in a totally awesome way, either. I remember one house in particular just had the most distinct, old person smell. I remember anticipating it before the door opened, every year. I remember thinking as soon as we got in the driveway, "oh no, the house that smells like old people, and sure enough, the world's oldest woman would open the door while the world's oldest man sat in his La-Z-Boy watching Live at 5.

This makes me worry.

What if OUR house smells, too? And we just don't realize it because we live in it?

Not old-people smell of dusty apples and brittle bones. But just...a distinctive odor. One that we have become so accustomed to, we're immune. What if everyone that comes over is assaulted by our rank house smell???

What if the kids who come trick-or-treating remember our house as "the one that smells weird" and don't want to come back next year?

What if the snotty moms who bring their kids right to the door (so they can stick their heads into the foyer and get a good glimpse - I'm on to you nosey broads) notice our secret funk and whisper to all the other local bitches and we don't get invited to the neighbourhood Christmas party?

What if...what if the people who have already been there think our house smells off? Then it's too late.

I'm actually legit stressing about this now. I'll be burning the pumpkin-scented candles at both ends all day Sunday leading up to trick-or-treat time. They can say what they want about our decor or the quality of the treats we give out but I'll be damned if we get branded as the Halloween house that smells weird. This is going to be one fragrant mofo.

It's that time of year. The evenings are getting darker, earlier and earlier. The mornings are also dark - and cold enough to freeze the proverbial nuts off a brass monkey. Terms like "comfort food" and "TV night" sound appealing. "Exercising outside" does not. My friends, it's Fall Fatties time. Proof?

-Hubby and I stayed home Saturday night to make baked mac 'n' cheese. We used three kinds of cheese. And truffle oil. We ate the whole dish and then passed out in a cheesy, carby coma in front of the fireplace.
-Running outside has become painful. My chest hurts and my poor old knees have started to ache on especially chilly days.
-When choosing outfits I tend to gravitate towards shirts based on their ass-hiding ability and pants with a leeeeeeeeeetle extra stretch.

Fall Fatty season is here. It starts extra early here in Canadialand with our early October Thanksgiving gluttony. Then there are the leftovers. Then there are a couple weeks of trying to replicate the fantastic pies/cookies/stuffing you had at Thanksgiving dinner in your own home. Next up is Halloween, which comes bearing those mini-Mars Bars and tiny bags of chips - none of which are that bad on their own, but who eats one friggin' fun-size ANYTHING? Not this bear. Fast forward to November, when holiday parties slowly start to pop up on the calendar and things like eating an entire wheel of cranberry-brie cheese and a box of crackers in one sitting just start happening inexplicably, and by the time December rolls around with all its advent calendars and peppermint gingerbread fattes, it's nothing to consume your own body weight in eggnog and shortbread cookies on a weeknight, and suddenly, it's New Year's Eve and you're sitting on your couch crying into your pinot noir and inhaling your last Terry's Chocolate Orange, section by glorious section, depressed as shit because you're too enormous to fit into your party dress and go out with your friends, and HOW IN THE HELL DID THIS HAPPEN??!!

Don't act like this hasn't happened to you.

In an attempt to nip the Fall Fatties in the bud, Hubby and I are going to get our gym memberships this week. I hate going to the gym. I hate encountering naked people in the locker room. I hate Chatty Cathys on the next treadmill that want to talk to me about supporting minor hockey and buying tickets on some massive fruit basket when all I want to do is listen to Chris Brown on my iPod and complete the Intermediate Lakeside Run on level 6.5. I hate the Jersey Shore cast that hangs out in the weight room grunting and walking around with their arms extended two feet to either side of their torsos because their muscles are just SOOOO BIG they can't put them down like normal people. I hate the temperature, the weird smell, the bad techno music, the TV hogs that insist on watching the news (!!!) or the country music channel (!!!!!!) when they work out, the gym bunnies that are wearing more jewelry and makeup to use the StairMaster than I wore to my prom. When I go to the gym, I look like a hobo, not a debutante.

Regardless, keeping the Fall Fatties at bay is a goal and therefore I'll suck up my gym bitchery and get a membership. I'll just wear my iPod at all times, avoid making eye contact with others, and do my thing every day. It beats the alternative of doubling in size by spring. Plus, you KNOW that giving up eggnog and shortbreads is NOT an option. I have no choice but to gym it!

On the weekend, Peter and I celebrated our first anniversary with a trip to the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas, with a stint on Route 66 in between. It was a surprise to me...well, 90% surprise. I had kind of figured it out by the time we got to the airport :)

We arrived in Vegas, picked up our rental car, and did a quick drive up and down the strip, but we got out of the city fairly quickly and set out for Arizona. We got stuck in major traffic at the Hoover Dam but finally made it across the border and got on Route 66. The desert highway was almost completely deserted except for the occasional cluster of trailers, ghost town, or shady-looking motel. I've never been in the desert before and I've never seen the mountains so the scenery was pretty breathtaking.





We made it to the Grand Canyon National Park at dusk, set up our tent in the light of the headlights, bundled up and went to bed. It was freezing, and we slept like ass, but after a hot shower and a good breakfast in the morning we both felt a hundred times better.

We spent Saturday hiking along the edge of the rim and down into the Canyon a little ways. It was scary and gorgeous at the same time. And just unbelievably big. (TWSS)





We spent Sunday, our anniversary, in Vegas. It was pretty much what I was expecting. Ridiculous, slutty, tacky, loud, and awesome. Unfortunately, I got completely sick on a Caesar's Palace mojito at 3:00 in the afternoon and had to take a little time out in our room at the Bellagio. Vegas kicked my ass hard. And early. Embarrassingly early.





Aside from my ass being kicked by the world's largest and most disgusting mojito, I loved our getaway. A little bit of roughing it, a little bit of luxury. Alone time, crowd time. Dressing up and wearing sweats. It was a perfect mix, just like us, and a perfect way to celebrate our first year married. (Could have been a little more perfect had we won a big jackpot in a casino. But I won't dwell on that.)