Diary of an Insomniac 5 (Five am wake up call)

Thursday Morning: 4 am on the clock - this was the last time I looked at my clock before the supposed "sleep."

Thursday Morning: 5:20 am - my cellphone alarm wakes me and I get up in a cold sweat quick quickly. Probably 'cause I wasn't really asleep.

Thursday Afternoon: 1:30 pm - Leave to have lunch with co-workers

Thursday Evening: Dinner with my mom at the mall.

Thursday Night: 7 pm - took a shower.

Thursday Night: 8:30 pm - passed out with light on and laptop on bed.

Friday Morning: 1:30 am - wakes up to discover light on & laptop on bed. Goes to bed for real this time.

Friday Morning: 5:20 am - Up again for work.

Friday Afternoon: Watches How I Met Your Mother on DVD for most of the day.

Friday Evening: Eats dinner with family.

Friday Night: 9 pm - Turns out light to sleep.

Friday Night: 9.02 pm - Turns it back on 'cause it feels too early. Only old ladies go to bed that early.

Friday Night: 9:30 pm - Gives up trying to read and goes to sleep.

Saturday Morning: 8:30 am - Alarm goes off.

Saturday Morning: 9 am - After lying awake, gets up and showers for work.

Yeah - I think I'm turning into an old lady.

Weekend (Postcrossing) Update #1

As promised, I said I would fill you in on my postcrossing by the weekend. Well the weekend is not near, it's here! Well, it's Friday night and that is part of the weekend as far as I'm concerned.

I have 5 cards in transit:

Lithuania
Germany
Netherlands
USA
Finland

I'd like to know why Finnish people love Postcrossing so much? From what I've read, the person who started the project is from Portugal, not Finland. According to the site's stats, Finland sends the most cards out of any of the countries.


Cards I sent that have been received:
Austria
Finland x 2
Romania
Brazil
USA


Cards I have received this week:
Netherlands x 2
Finland

TBD: Stuff

I got two more postcards on Tuesday from Postcrossing - but I won't post them today. The girl, who's blog about Postcrossing inspired me to try this, only posts her received cards on Sunday each week. Now I won't copy her completely, but I do think I'll stick to posting my results on the weekend - after a week's worth of mail has arrived.

Also if you read this blog, please notice my poll on the side. This week's poll is about strange things I'd like to do in each province and territory in Canada. Though for some provinces (Sorry Saskatchewan!) I had to come up with lame things. Vote for the things you'd be down with doing in this fantastic country of ours. I excluded things I've already done...such as eat poutine, bagels, and smoked meat in Montreal. No, I have not been to the CN tower. Could be something for my "Before my 26th birthday I'd like to..." list.

Anyways - when the poll ends I'll post the results.

Next week I'm posting a list of songs to calm one down. If you have some suggestions that would be cool. I hate feeling like I'm writing shit that no one cares about.

Oh, and the holidays are coming hard & fast. I bought wrapping stuff at Michael's today, and the cashier was like, "looks like you're getting ready to do a lot of wrapping." I told her I don't know when I'll get around to it, but at least I'm prepared! Like a Boy Scout!

My Uni friends from York and I are gathering Dec 5th for our annual Chrismukkah party. Though we've lost the Mukkah (our Jewish friends) we still keep calling it that. So while Christmas is a month away, my party with my friends is 10 days away! I have gifts to buy and wrap soon-ish! Time's a wastin'! Should be fun - I'm looking forward to it. Good way to kick off the holiday season! I also have gifts to mail, and secret santa's to run, and cards to write! People wonder why I get so depressed New Year's Day - can you blame me? You go from so much madness to nothing.

I have lots of stuff coming up - I wish one of those things would be a new job. Hmm, will one of those fit in my stocking?

itunes Playlist Tuesday! #20

Inspired by my Postcrossing experiment and the release of CBC Radio 2’s Great Canadian Song Quest Songs yesterday, I have compiled a list of ten songs about places. So many songs are about people, or love, or sadness - but everyone belongs somewhere, or has travelled somewhere - even if it’s just a short distance. Places inspire songs in ways that are not unlike the ways in which, say an ex-lover might.

This is my localities playlist:

1 . Vancouver National Anthem by Matthew Good - Not the most complimentary song to begin the list with. Vancouver National Anthem speaks of homelessness and poverty in the city. “We all live downtown, we all die downtown, step over ourselves...”

2 . One Great City! by The Weakerthans - This is love-hate song about the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba. “And in the turning lane, someone’s stalled again, he’s talking to himself, and hears the price of gas repeat his phrase: I hate Winnipeg”

3 . Comin’ Home by City and Colour - This is a song that mentions a lot of places - but really focuses on how nice it is just to go home. “I've been through Nova Scotia, Sydney to Halifax, but I'll never take any pictures, ‘cause I'll know I'll just be right back. ‘Cause I'm comin' home.” There’s no place like home.

4 . West Coast by Coconut Records - This is an adorable song - probably ‘cause I have a huge girly crush on Jason Schwartzman. “I'm going back home to west coast. I wish you would you put yourself in my suitcase.” This one is about how home doesn’t always feel like home if you aren’t with the one you love and care about.

5 . WannaBe in L.A. by Eagles of Death Metal - Not sure if this one is supposed to be ironic or not, but the lyrics are pretty simple. "I take the city in the dead of night, I'm burning gas untill i feel all right, the sunset honeys always make me say, I really wannabe in L.A.”

6 . Graceland by Paul Simon - My parents used to listen to this record when I was a kid. It’s part of my musical history. “Poorboys and Pilgrims with families, and we are going to Graceland, my traveling companion is nine years old, he is the child of my first marriage. But I've reason to believe, we both will be received, in Graceland.” This song seems to be about a failed marriage, and a pilgrimage to Graceland with his son. It can be argued that “Graceland” in the song isn’t meant to be the literal Graceland - but it definitely speaks to being lost and looking for a place bigger than one’s self.

7 . Especially in Michigan by Red Hot Chili Peppers - I choose this one instead of Californication because Michigan is where singer Anthony Kiedis was born and lived for a while with his mother. I like that, even though the centre of the band’s sound and existence has been California, he still has a place in his heart for his other home - Grand Rapids, Michigan. “Out on the farm we'll be swimming with the mother duck. Deep in the mitten where lions and tigers come running just to steal your luck.”

8 . Detroit by Sam Roberts - Written about Detriot in 1967 - during the race riots. It also emphasizes Detroit’s hayday - with it being motor city. Not sure why this Montreal native chose to sing about a time and place he has never existed within, but seems fair enough to long for some place that is long gone. “Does anyone here tonight remember those times? Can anyone here tonight just tell me what they felt like?”

9 . The Rest of my Life by Sloan - A love letter to Canada and to the singer’s future wife perhaps? He’s unsure who he’ll spend the rest of his life with, but he knows for sure that he’ll be in Canada. “One thing I know about the rest of my life: I know that I’ll be living it in Canada.”

10 . Beverly Hills by Weezer - I can’t help myself. Had to include a Weezer song. If you know Weezer, you know that Rivers is always very literal about his lyrics. So this song simply means he wants to be in Beverly Hills. “Beverly Hills, that's where I want to be.”

Any suggestions for songs I missed?

Next week I’m going to do a list of songs to calm you down before the Holiday madness.

Boring Poll Results

I forgot to click the option that allows you to select multiple answers. My bad.

Christmas Shopping
0 (0%)

Christmas Parties
0 (0%)

Time off during the holidays
2 (66%)

Christmas Morning
1 (33%)

Christmas Dinner
0 (0%)

Christmas Music
0 (0%)

New Years Eve
0 (0%)

Gifts
0 (0%)

Christmas Cards
0 (0%)

Being a scrooge Bah Humbug
0 (0%)

Snow
0 (0%)

Groeten uit Apeldoorn Holland

Translation: Greetings from Apeldoorn Holland.

This is the first postcard I've received from Postcrossing. Edith, the sender, didn't write much - just "Greetings from Holland" but I'm pretty sure she had these postcards made, which is really cute.

Five of my postcards have been received thus far, so I should have five coming to me - well, four - since I have received this one. I have five more in transit as well.

Change Gonna Come

Some recent events have forced me to think about my life in a very real sense. A nudge to help me get out of my rut. Though I'm not "out of the woods" yet, I am seriously thinking about what I want to be doing soon.

Things I want to change:

* My job - I'd like to stop working a job, and start a career - or re-start.

* My personal life - I'd like to try to socialize more. For my sanity, possible networking, and to stave off becoming a crazy cat lady.

* My living situation - This will come, but I'd like to have a place to decorate sooner rather than later.

* My free time - I'd like to try and write something real. I've come to realize that the personal narrative is my favourite genre to write. I'd like to write something about myself outside of the blogosphere.

Time's a wastin'.

Austria!

Today I received an email notification stating that one of my Postcrossing postcards had reached it's destination. Hurray! The postcard I mailed to Austria has arrived within 7 days. Now that the postcards are gradually making their way to their intended recipients my own address will be released to random people around the world. Sounds nerdy, but it's fun

My own mailing project is working out as well - the promise I made to write a letter a month for a year is well underway.

Again, for those of you keeping score:

October - Lauren, Vancouver, BC

November - Amanda, Belleville, ON

December -

January -

February -

March -

April -

May -

June -

July -

August -

September -

Hope you all enjoy my weird hobby. Also, with December being Christmas card season - some of you can expect a card from me in the mail. I will still write a non-Christmas letter as part of my 12 Letters, 12 People project.

itunes Playlist Tuesday! #19

For this week I’d like to replace iTunes with YouTube - well, I suppose I could have these songs on my iTunes as well.

Favourite music videos from when videos were still shown on TV.

YouTube Killed The Video Star!

1 . Praise You by Fatboy Slim - Who could forget the video with the awkward dance troop of misfits? I bet you’re gonna search this on YouTube in about 2 seconds...

2 . Big Me by Foo Fighters - This Mentos spoof was the first memorable video by Foo Fighters. Back then we wouldn’t have guessed that they would go on to be one of the most important bands in modern rock. Dave Grohl was just that drummer from Nirvana.

3 . Buddy Holly by Weezer - Superimposing Weezer into Arnold’s as part of the Happy Days’ world was pretty innovative. Even if you don’t like Weezer you can’t deny that this is a cool video.

4 . Can’t Stop by Red Hot Chili Peppers - Inspired by the One Minute Sculptures by Erwin Wurm, this video features the members of the band posing and playing with various household items.

5 . Just by Radiohead - What is that guy saying? Just is a simple but effective video. Everyone will always remember it as the video with the man lying on the ground saying something, but what?

6 . In Bloom by Nirvana - In the same vein as the Buddy Holly video, In Bloom is a mock Ed Sullivan type show in grainy black and white.

7 . It’s Oh So Quiet by Bjork - This video is cute - like a musical. Bjork is just so strange and wonderful.

8 . Everybody Hurts by R.E.M. - Sort of like the Radiohead video, in that there’s unspoken, mysterious circumstances that cause a large group of people to do something. In this case everyone gets out of their cars and walks away.

9 . Subterranean Homesick Blues by Bob Dylan - This video has been imitated many a time. Music videos weren’t really in the fashion back then, so it was pretty innovative.

10 . Park Life by Blur - The Day-Glo colours of this video stick out in my mind even today - and I haven’t seen this video in a couple of years.

Did I miss any?

I am a house plant person - poll results

Cat
1 (33%)

Dog
1 (33%)

Snake
0 (0%)

Farret
0 (0%)

Cat & Dog
2 (66%)

I'm allergic
0 (0%)

Fish
1 (33%)

None - not an animal person
0 (0%)

House plant
2 (66%)

Rodant
1 (33%)

Bird
1 (33%)

My hours at work have been cut = more blogs

So since I have no money and plenty of free time I am at my computer - "blogging" yet again. I don't like that word, blogging. I mean this is technically a "blog" created on a site called blogger/blogspot. But what I'm doing is writing - typing.

Yesterday I discovered "Postcrossing" and today I mailed five postcards to random strangers across the world! I know, I'm so eager. First step: Buying US and International postage. That was easy, I just went to the Canada Post desk at Shopper's Drug Mart. Done. The next step was way harder to complete than I thought possible. Buying postcards.

Seriously, I went to Hallmark, Dollarama, Coles, Zellers, a shitty newstand type store, and finally, Carleton Cards - where I successfully procured five semi-lame Canada postcards.

Some points of note:

* Burlington, ON is not really known as tourist town - hence the lack of postcards and there were none specific to Burlington itself.

* Most Canadian, and even Ontario specific postcards are riddled with cliches. Sunsets over Lake Ontario, canoeing people, loons, geese, moose, fox, wolves, natives in full dress, and Niagara Falls. The only different one I was able to find was a photo of the older part of Union Station where VIA departs from. Nothing that says we are a civilized and modern society. No wonder the rest of the world thinks we live in perpetual snow.

* Postcards don't have enough lines for most international addresses.

Anyways, now that my five postcards are in transit I have to sit and wait for them to be received before my address will be given to five different people. The system is very specific. You must write a code on the postcard that the person must type in to the website when they receive my card. So I sent five, and if all goes well in the postal world, I'll eventually receive five.

I'm such a dork.

I mailed a postcard to:

The United States
Finland
Austria
Romania
Brazil

itunes Playlist Tuesday! #18 and also my 100th post!

Last week’s poll determined the theme of this week’s playlist. Songs dedicated to my friends. I hope you’re happy with the songs I picked for you. What song would you have dedicated to me?

1 . Jacqueline - Tongue by R.E.M. I know this is an odd one, but I knew I had to pick an R.E.M. song and I didn’t want it to be an obvious choice. To my oldest friend - who went to the R.E.M. concert with me in ’99, where we heard this song live.

2 . Amanda - Fa Fa by Guster. We’ve made some awesome musical discoveries together. Danny Michel seemed like an easy choice, but I went for Guster. Awesome title for a song. My second choice would have been Two Points for Honesty by them.

3 . Rob - Amsterdam by Coldplay. It was going to be Coldplay or Oasis for you. Coldplay it is. I’ve always loved this song so I shall dedicate it to you my British friend. Cheers.

4 . Leanne - Just a Girl by No Doubt. I know you love No Doubt and I thought this one was appropriate for you. I also thought I’d dedicate a U2 song to you, but I ultimately went with this. Enjoy.

5 . Kenny - I Don’t Feel Like Dancing by Scissor Sisters. Kenny you follow my blog so I thought I’d dedicate this one to you - I remember you singing and dancing to this song back when we worked at the kiosk.

6 . Megan - Jolene by Dolly Parton. A country song for my country girl. It’s no “Redneck Woman” but I figure you’d like it anyways. I don’t even think you know I have a blog - so you’ll probably never read this anyways.

7 . Michele - Everything by Michael Buble. I’m pretty sure you like Michael Buble. I’m a bad friend - I should know what music you like better. Well this one is for you Michele with one L!

8 . Ginny - Weighty Ghost by Wintersleep. This song was in One Week and I know you liked it. We saw this movie together and it reminds me of you. Enjoy!

9 . Sara - Use Somebody by Kings of Leon. To my cousin who’s first concert was KOL with me in September.

10 . All of you - Friends by Flight of the Conchords.

Here are the lyrics to “Friends” by Flight of the Conchords:


Pom pom-pom, pom pom-pom (ping) (repeat)
(A Capella)

Friends sing together
La La La La
Friends do things together
La La La La
Friends laugh together
Ha Ha Ha Ha
Friends make graphs together
La La La La

Friends help you when you're in danger
Friends are people who are not strangers
Friends help you shift into a new place
Tell you if you've got food on your face

Friends are the ones, on whom you can depend
He's my friend, He's not my friend
Friends are the ones who are there at the end
He's my friend, They're not my friends

If you trip over I'll catch you're fall
If you break my dick, I won't break your balls
If you get drunk and vomit on me
I'll make sure you get home safely

If you cross the road and a trunk struck you
I'd scrape you up and reconstruct you
I'll cheer you up if you're depressed
If you get murdered I'll avenge your death

Friends walk together
La La La La
Pop and lock together
(Zzi zzu Zzi Zzu)

Me and him together
La La La La
Me and Jim forever

Friends go jogging at the track
Friends borrow money never pay It back
Friends do not let friends do crack
Friends go out and grab a snack
Friends drink beer in the sun
Unlike girlfriends they don't mind if you have more than one
Friends tell you when your fly’s undone

My Uncle John had a special friend
They dressed a like, his name was Ben
I've never seen two friends like them
They were very very friendly men

La La La La
Friends, Friends, Friends
La La La La
Friends, Friends, Friends, Friends
La La La La
Friends, Friends, Friends, Friends
La La La La
Friends
La La La La

Postcrossing

I just learned about this - postcrossing is done by signing up for this online community and you're given an address and you mail that person a postcard. Your address is in turn submitted to someone on the site. You register the postcards as you receive them.

I did something less organized when I was a kid. My friend gave me a chain letter with addresses - You were supposed to mail the person on the top a postcard, then put your own name at the bottom and bump the others up and pass it on. Postcrossing is definitely a more anonymous way of doing this. Hmm, might be fun.

http://www.postcrossing.com/about

I might just sign up for this.

I get by with a little help from my friends...Poll results

10 songs dedicated to my friends
3 (100%)

First 10 letters of the alphabet song titles
0 (0%)

10 songs that feature a colour in the title
1 (33%)

10 songs about the rain
1 (33%)

10 sad songs
0 (0%)

10 Happy songs
0 (0%)

10 songs from movie soundtracks
2 (66%)

10 songs I first heard on TV shows
1 (33%)

10 songs by a single artist or band
1 (33%)

10 songs by artists I've seen live
1 (33%)

10 songs where the titles feature a person's name
2 (66%)

Guess you'll be seeing a playlist dedicated to you guys tomorrow. I hope I can come up with 10.

Okay, one more thing, then I'll shut up for today.

I went to the post office and bought a book of 10 stamps. I figure that since Christmas is coming up and I'm doing this letter writing thing, I should buy some more.

I just asked for 10 stamps, didn't specify what picture I wanted on them etc. I assumed I'd get Olympic stamps, but instead I got a book of 10 Montreal Canadians 100th Anniversary stamps. Timbres! This ought to piss off Leaf fans even more.

Also, I didn't get an iphone. Bell is on my shit list right now. Canada Post finally gets points from me.

"This quote describes EXACTLY how I feel at this moment" and stuff like that #3

"Technology favors horrible people."
- Douglas Coupland

So what's the deal with cellphone contracts?

So yo want that new iPhone, right? You've been anxiously awaking it's arrival to your current cellphone provider. You're all set and ready to make this purchase when you realize you still have a year left on your three-year contract, meaning that you will now have to pay full ticket price of the aforementioned iPhone, with a crappy little 100 dollar credit.

Now a 100 dollar credit is nothing to laugh at if say you want to buy, say a new LG phone - which you might have to. But in the game of iPhones and Blackberries, only the financially frivolous can thrive.

Phone companies must know they're evil in offering better deals for those off contract who are willing to sign a three-year deal. Technology moves so fast these days, your phone is practically out of date 6-months in. Now they make the 3-year contract sound less douchey by stating that you can always change your plan. Excellent, so I can change my plan at any point, but if my phone is a piece of crap that is barely holding together, I must wait or suffer the consequences of the full ticket price.

So tonight I will look in vain at the iPhone, even if it's just to hammer in the last nail that I cannot have it. Damn you three-year contracts.

If I have to pay full price on a phone anyways, I might just get a 1-year contract. Maybe in a year I will have a real job and can afford something better. Then maybe a three-year contract won't feel so restricting.

"'Cause Like can Lead to Like-like, and Like-like can Lead to Love..."

What is a date, really? Is it two people going out after 7 pm? Does it have to end with a kiss? Dinner and a movie? Coffee? Casual drinks?

I've hung out with guys in ways that are like dates, but not dates. It's so strange to think that it has to be said out loud or something: THIS IS A DATE, IN CASE YOU'RE CONFUSED, I'M HERE TO CLARIFY THAT THIS, WHAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW, IS IN FACT A DATE.

I work at a coffee shop, so naturally I see a lot of what appear to be first dates. Two people talking about themselves, asking questions. Sometimes the date ends well and they agree to go for a walk or something. Other times they awkwardly hug or shake hands (yikes) and leave separately. Or in the case of one crazy customer, our very own serial dater, have her friends sit nearby so she can gossip about the man after he leaves. No, she's not 16 years old.

The internet has been a game changer for many - the getting-to-know-you stuff is done online. I have yet to try this, and though I struggle, just as many do, to meet new people, I'm not really into the whole internet dating thing. it creeps me out and frankly, even if it's no longer taboo, I'd be embarrassed to tell people that's how I met my boyfriend. I'm not mocking those who do, it's just not something I'm comfortable with.

I haven't been on a "real" date in a while and I think about that when I see these awkward first dates. I definitely couldn't go to a coffee shop. Where else can you go? Drinks? That could be unwise if you're nervous. Dinner (maybe?) Lunch? (Sounds a bit plutonic, no?) Really, I'd be up for anything, aside from anything involving watching televised sports or playing golf or attending a renaissance festival.

What the hell is a date, anyways? Everyone is so casual these days - most people would rather say they're "hanging out" with someone.

Anyways - sorry if this post is full of half-finished, poorly constructed thoughts. It's late and I'm just typing things as they come to me.

iTunes Playlist Tuesday! #17

George Harrison once sang, “It’s been a long, long, long time.” Now that song, “Long, Long, Long” is a fairly long title, but not as long as some. I searched my iTunes catalogue long and hard for song titles so long they didn’t fit in the provided column. Is this introduction long enough or too long? How many times can I write long? Here are songs with long titles:

1 . Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except for Me and my Monkey by The Beatles - This song is so John Lennon - it’s about himself and Yoko, and how he was unashamed that he was so crazy in love with her. The two just lived out loud. Fantastic title.

2 . It Takes a Lot to Laugh, it Takes a Train to Cry by Bob Dylan - I’ve always been one for titles. A clever title will get me 99.9% of the time. This is no exception.

3 . Cheer Up Boys (Your Makeup is Running) by Foo Fighters - This is Dave Grohl’s way of making fun of emo kids. This is what I love about Foo Fighters - there’s no image that goes along with their music, just normal guys rocking out.

4 . I’ve Been Asleep for a Long, Long Time by Hey Rosetta! - Back to the word “long.” This is a pretty amazing song - it definitely places high on my list of most played songs on iTunes.

5 . It’s the End of the World as We Know it by R.E.M. - I don’t think I could go more than a couples weeks without including some song by R.E.M. I blame their vast catalogue of songs. They are my (Heart) band.

6 . An American Draft Dodger in Thunder Bay by Sam Roberts - “I'm an American on the Canadian Shield. And I'm putting down roots in your frozen fields.” This is a song about Vietnam draft dodger coming to Canada - which happened before my time, and before Sam’s time too - but a good song and title none-the-less.

7 . It’s a Good Life if You Don’t Weaken by The Tragically Hip - I love this song so much. I want to slow dance to this one day. The title is borrowed from a Great Depression era song, it was also the title of a Canadian graphic novel. Not sure who borrowed from who (whom?).

8 . The World has Turned and Left me Here by Weezer - Rivers Cuomo doesn’t write cryptic songs - so when he wrote this one, he was probably feeling, quite literally, that he was alone in the world. Emo comments aside, I love Weezer.

9 . I’m Finding it Harder to be a Gentleman by The White Stripes - This song is so great. It’s a pretty accurate depiction of men and women today. The old world version of a gentleman isn’t what woman want anymore. I can see why some guys might find it hard to know what women want.

10 . You Can’t Always Get What You Want by The Rolling Stones - I don’t understand why a band like Metric would ask us listeners who we would want to be, The Beatles or The Rolling Stones? Well I’ve included both in this list. Take that Metric! This is a good song to end my list. I don’t always get what I want, but yeah, maybe if I try, I’ll get what I need.

I hope you enjoyed this list. Was it long enough? Too long? What long song titles would you have included?

Also, next week’s list will be determined by my current poll. The topic with the most votes (if it’s a tie, I’ll just pick the one i like best) will be next week’s playlist. If you haven’t voted, do so.

12 Letters, 12 People - October Success!

I wish I'd checked the mail before posting my last blog - why? Because through some fortunate stroke of serendipity, I received a letter back from my first recipient! Today of all days, the day I decide to write and mail my second letter.

This proves that it worked - I know it made her happy to get my letter, and I definitely felt fantastic when I saw her card among the bills and junk mail today. It doesn't stop here. It's not just a project that has a beginning and an end point - it's a nice thing to do. Yes I said I would only do this for one year, but that's just the starting point. Those single letters each month might turn into more letters - back and forth. You don't write because you have to, you write because you want to.

This has made my day.

Thank you.

12 Letters, 12 People - November

It's November already - which means my second letter has been written and will be mailed sometime today. Just as with my October letter, I have included a notecard painted by me. Again I won't disclose the name of the recipient until I know he/she has received it or enough time has passed that I feel it's safe to say who.

My October letter was actually written to my very first Pen Pal as a child, Lauren. She lives in Vancouver, BC.

So for those of you keeping score:

October: Lauren, Vancouver, BC
November:
December:
January:
February:
March:
April:
May:
June:
July:
August:
September:

If you think I probably don't have your address, or you've moved, send me an email or private Facebook message with the address.

Best Halloween Candies

Mini Chocolate Bars
3 (100%)

Chips
0 (0%)

Suckers
0 (0%)

Those little cubes of caramel
2 (66%)

Nerds or other Wonka-ish candy
0 (0%)

Other (I'm probably missing something)
0 (0%)