Orange You Glad I Didn't Say Banana?

So I just came back from a successful shopping trip with my friend Ashley. It was the day of deals! Sorry boys, this blog has become super girlie...

1. I bought a dress at The Gap that's a coral/orange colour:

I tried on a few others as well, including this one (which was my second choice):

It was a hard choice, but ultimately the first dress is more structured and flattering. Emphasizes the good curves and hides the bad. Oh, and it was 30% off!

I was hoping to find a cute yellow dress, but nothing was dazzling me, but I did buy something else yellow, but I'll get to that.

2. We stopped for lunch, were I got a hamburger and a Heineken for the price of a domestic. Another great deal!

3. I went to Victoria's Secret and got $10 off my new YELLOW bra because I tried on some new bra they have. You didn't even have to buy it, just as long as you tried it on! I know boys won't understand, but it's super fun to throw away your old ratty bras and replace them with new ones. 

4. We also went to Marshall's, which has opened in Canada. It's pretty much like Winner's. I consider anything purchased at these type of stores "a deal" since everything is marked down. I bought a nail kit for my purse, which was cheap. I'm always breaking my nails at work and have nothing to fix it with! It sucks working with a broken nail because it catches on everything.

I DID spend a lot today, but I just dog sat and did a freelance transcription, so I have extra money coming to me soon. I also rolled a bunch of my change (tip money) and I'll be taking that to that bank very soon.

Oh, did you hear that Canada is phasing out the penny in the fall? Thoughts? I feel like everything is going to get slightly more expensive and that troubles me. Plus, what will I pick up for luck?

Yellow, It's Me, You're Coral-ly Invited...

Yellow!

I have a rare day off tomorrow (off? On a Saturday? What a concept!) and I was planning on spending it with the boy, but since he's still trapped against his will out west, I will be all by my lonesome, and I think that calls for a trip to the mall.

Every year around my birthday I feel compelled to buy a new dress or outfit to wear out. This year is no exception, even though I have plenty of outfits I COULD wear, but that's no fun. I know I bought the mint green maxi dress recently, but I think I'll wear that on Easter Sunday.

I have two colours on the brain right now, yellow and coral. Who will win out? It will depend on how things look when I try them on.

Look for 2012?

Now a look back at outfits from the past. Sorry none of these photos are really that great.

2009 - My 25th Birthday!

2010 - At Karaoke for my 26th birthday.

2011 - My 27th.

Since my birthday is coming up, that also means this blog will be getting another year older as well. I plan to celebrate my birthday with friends and some drinks, and if the weather holds I'd like to go to a rooftop patio downtown. As for my blogiversary, not sure how I'll mark that occasion. It's Friday the 13th this year!

If you were my shopping companion tomorrow what would you suggest I try on? Is there another colour I'm ignoring? What colours do you have on the brain right now when it comes to Spring/Summer fashion?

Found: Reasons to Smile

I did not write these words, but they were forgotten by an anonymous stranger who left them behind on a piece of paper. Whoever you are, I'm sorry for stealing your words, but I'd rather think of it as borrowing. This list made me smile, so thank you for losing it.

• Waiting in line at the grocery store and another checkout opens up.

• How hot sand feels between your toes.

• A hot tea on a rainy day.

• When you're just about to fall asleep and someone throws a blanket on you.

• Laying on the couch when you're sick watching The Price is Right.

• The sound of children laughing

• Orgasm *

• When you're holding your pee for a long time and finally go.

• Taking a shower at someone else's place and using all their fancy soaps & shampoos.

• The smell of gasoline/Coffee brewing

• Finding money in a jacket that you haven't worn in a long time.

• Getting ID'd

• Seeing a police officer on the side of the road when you're driving past, only to realize you're already going the speed limit.

• Hearing one of your favourite songs in one of those "epiphany moments."

• When you finally found something that you've spent what felt like forever looking for.

• A complete stranger gives you a compliment.

• Thinking of someone and in that very moment they call you.

• Seeing an old married couple walking down the street holding hands.

• Getting a massage without having to return the favour to your spouse.

• Accomplishing something you worked really hard at. Not telling(?) anyone and and getting recognized for it. (The writing was hard to read on this one, but I think you get the gist).

• Singing in the shower.

The * next to "orgasm" was because the person who wrote this actually put a star next to it. That made me laugh. 


I'm going to add a few of my own, and I'd love it if you could too - leave yours in the comment section!


• Waking up next to someone in the morning and not caring that your hair's a mess and you're not wearing make up.


• Driving in your pajama's because you know you won't have to get out of the car.


• A cold pint on a patio on a sunny afternoon.


• The smell of freshly cut grass/a new car.


• The way your hair feels after leaving the salon.


• Finishing a good book.


• Letters/postcards from loved ones.


I'll stop there...though I could go on and on.

In The Mail: Nail Art Edition

I told you in my "In the Mail" post that I was expecting something kinda cool shortly and it has come. It actually came Friday, but I picked it up from the post office yesterday.

Have any of you seen Konad? Well, it's a company that makes nail art products. I love nail polish and pretty things, so I'd been wanting to try this for a while. I bought a stamper, scraper and two stamping plates. Basically you paint polish over the design on the metal plate, scrap off the excess, then quickly (this is important) lift the design using the stamp, then press it onto your nail (over an already polished nail).

I'm not great at it yet, but I'm working on it. I love trying new things with my nails, so this is really fun. I bought this when I got my income tax return a few week's ago. I've seen it used on a few nail art blogs and I was intrigued enough to order some.

Stamp, scraper, and two plates.

O.P.I. Do You Lilac it? with O.P.I. Honk if You Love O.P.I. as the stamp colour

I'll try to experiment a bit more with these over the next few days.

iTunes Playlist Tuesday #142

1. It Won't Be Long by The Beatles

2. Constant Craving by k.d. lang

3. Do You Love Me? by Guster

4. Tired of Waiting by The Trews

5. Can't Stop Feeling by Franz Ferdinand

6. Home by Foo Fighters

7. Rough Hands by Alexisonfire

8. Wonderwall by Oasis

9. Chocolate by Snow Patrol

10. Go to Sleep by Sarah Harmer

A Me Party

I've been feeling particularly lonely lately, and it's not just because my boyfriend is away, but that's definitely a huge part of it. I feel like my groups of friends are all breaking off and floating away. Bit by bit people are getting lives and moving on. I've had a hard time nailing down anyone lately, even to just have a quick pint and a chat. I have a lot of stuff I need to say to someone, anyone, but no one's around to talk shit out with.

I work, I sleep, I watch some TV, I go on my computer, I check my phone...wash, rinse, repeat.

I find myself getting angry when I see my friends in happy, normal, healthy relationships. I see them together and envy their togetherness. I know this is wrong, and truly I am happy for them and their mushy love, but I'm bitter. Even though I'm in a relationship, togetherness is just not part of my situation.

I started dating my boyfriend last Spring right before he left for 2.5 months out west for work. I was so happy when he came home, but he still had a lot of local jobs to do - some where he stayed out-of-town in motels while they were working and only came home on some weekends. I'm no stranger to not seeing him much, but he's still my boyfriend and I'm allowed to miss him and hate his job. So I was less than thrilled when he went away this winter and I'm even less thrilled that he's still not back.

There are so many things coming up that I'm usually looking forward to, but this year I'm all freaked out because I can't plan anything because he can't say when he'll be home. He just doesn't know.

Our Niagara get-away? On hold or not happening based on when he finally gets back here. His boss might not even give him time off between jobs, which is so lame.

My birthday? I might have to spend it without him if he's working. I want to tell him that I don't want any gifts if he could just take time off.

I'm feeling a bit like Mary in The Muppets - I've been having a "Me Party" for the past few months, but the party is no longer fun, if it ever was and I'm ready to reserve a table for two.

If he's not home for my birthday I'm thinking I'll make it a girl's night out type outing. No boys allowed.

In The Mail

Over the past two days I've received some really cool things in the mail. All of which are things I ordered, but two caught me by surprise/I forgot about them.

1. My "adoption" certificate for a polar bear cub at The Toronto Zoo.

They emailed me last week to say that it had been sent but returned to them for some reason, which was strange because the address they had for me was correct. Anyways, they re-sent it and it arrived today! He's so cute! I hope I get to see him soon! I love the zoo.

2. Grey Oxford shoes, bought on sale!

I'd been eying these for a while and couldn't find them in stores - but they still had them online, and they were on sale. I'm going to need to break them a lot though.

3. The Wocka Wocka Value Pack of The Muppets.

I forgot I pre-ordered this a while ago, so I was surprised when I opened it today. Has Blu-ray, DVD and digital versions of the movie, plus a digital copy of the movie's soundtrack. Can't wait to blast "Muppet or a Man" loudly in my house when I'm alone.

4. March Luxe Box.

I knew this would come soon, but I hadn't even received my shipping notification yet and it was here. Luxe Box is a canadian beauty subscription service. I pay for the subscription and every month they mail me a box of high-end, luxury beauty products. This month I got an eyeshadow, a hair serum, an O.P.I mini top coat, and a Vera Wang perfume sample. They also send a little note card explaining the products. This month they sent an extra note that's made of paper with seeds in it! I can plant this note and grow flowers. I'm excited to try it out. I'll let you know how that all goes. I know this sounds like a bit of an endorsement, but I genuinely love this. I love surprises in the mail!

http://luxebox.loosebutton.com/

Did any of you get anything fun in the mail recently? I don't care what anyone says, mail is fun. I've been really sick these past few days and it cheered me up to get all this stuff in the mail. I'm waiting for one more thing that I ordered (I know, I might have an online shopping addiction) - I'll tell you/show you that when it comes because it's pretty cool.

iTunes Playlist Tuesday #141

Today is the first day of Spring! Let's celebrate!

1. The First Day of Spring by The Gandharvas - Old Canadian 90s tune that I listen to every Spring.

2. Wake Up by Arcade Fire - Wake up, it's a new day! A new season!

3. Songbird by Oasis - The birds are chirping!

4. In Bloom by Nirvana - The flowers are budding.

5. Short Skirt/Long Jacket by Cake - Warm enough for skirts, but you still need a jacket.

6. Change of Seasons by Sweet Thing - It feels like we skipped Spring though - went straight to Summer.

7. Meet me at the Equinox by Death Cab for Cutie - It's the Spring Equinox.

8. Daylight by Coldplay - More hours of sunlight!

9. Yer Spring by Hey Rosetta! - They also have a song on the same album, Seeds, called "Yer Fall."

10. Open Window (The Wedding Song) by Sarah Harner - We can all open our window's and let the fresh air in.

Made in Canada?

In case you haven't figured it out for yourself yet by now, I am Canadian. I take a lot of pride in that fact - in many cliched ways. I love hockey, maple syrup, butter tarts, wearing plaid - and while hockey, maple syrup and butter tarts are often made here, I find my plaid shirts often have tags that say, "made in Vietnam," or "Made in Bangladesh."

It's very difficult to buy apparel in Canada that is made in Canada. Now the hipsters of the world can all pat themselves on the back for buying American Apparel clothing, and that's great...for America. I know we have many companies that sell clothing and accessories here, but many have been bought by larger American conglomerates. Roots isn't even Canadian owned anymore.

Speaking of Roots, the only things I came across that are made here, clothing and accessory-wise, were Roots' leather bags. But with my budget, I can probably only afford a small wristlet.

A friend mentioned that I could just buy Canadian from Etsy sellers from here, and I do agree. But I feel like unless I want to buy only handmade stuff, there aren't many options out there for me.

The thing about Canada is that we make very little of our own stuff anymore. I get it, we have a small population and it's easier to import products. We focus more on the export of raw materials here.

Unless I am gifted a large sum of money, I'll have to just hope that someone just gives me a Canadian diamond. Yeah, because we don't make a lot of our own stuff the stuff we do make is pricy. I know it's worth paying for because of the quality workmanship and feeding our own economy, I just wish I knew where to find more of it.

Any Canadians with suggestions? Anyone trying to support their own local economy better?

March Poll Result: Do You Use an Electronic Reading Device?

The results are split, so perhaps you guys can expand on this in the comments. Are you moving with the times? Or are you still a fan of paper books? Do you think there's room for both in your life? Please share your feelings and opinions!

Yes 3 (30%) 

No, Never 3 (30%) 

No, but I want one 1 (10%) 

Does my phone count? 1 (10%) 

I'm not sure how I feel about them still 2 (20%)

iTunes Playlist Tuesday #140

I slept late, I have to work, I have a freelance job to work on after work...so today's playlist is another Lazy Genius Playlist. I'll select one song and let that be my DJ.

1. Sweet Thing by Van Morrison - I decided to start with an Irish singer in honour of St. Patrick's Day this coming Saturday.

2. Shelter from the Storm by Bob Dylan - Hopefully we don't get too much rain this week.

3. Graceland by Paul Simon - One of my favourite songs from my childhood.

4. The Hardest Part by Coldplay - Not one of my favourites, but certainly a decent song.

5. Keep the Car Running by Arcade Fire - Such a good Arcade Fire song. Thanks Genius!

6. House of Cards by Radiohead - A song from In Rainbows.

7. Last Goodbye by Jeff Buckley - Really good song. If you've never listened to any Jeff Buckley I suggest you do so now.

8. Cookie Jar by Jack Johnson - A song about the media and how they place blame on things like violent video games and movies for why people commit crimes.

9. Mysterious Ways by U2 - Another classic Irish band! I love old U2 albums.

10. Volcano by Damien Rice - Lastly, a fantastic voice from Ireland. He might make you cry though. This song isn't as sad as others.

Does this Make me Old?

So, as a girl who is probably only 2/8th Irish, more or less, I love St. Patrick's Day. I love green, and any sort of festivity involving jolly drunk people. Last St. Pats was a bust, and this year's will probably end up being so as well. I thought I had plans with friends but those friends have decided they want to party in Toronto instead.

Why can't I do that? Well because I'm too old for that shit.

See, I imagined my night going like this: Line up at pub, finally get in, order green beer, chat with friends,  have another green beer, maybe play some pool, maybe have another green beer, then go home and sleep.

Toronto will happen like this: Take train, or rely on a ride from someone, wait in a long line up at a club, get into club, pay for coat check, buy overpriced drinks, go to someone's apartment and sleep on the floor with my makeup still on and wake up with a hangover and a sore back.

I'm too old to sleep on someone's floor. I'm just not comfortable doing that! Everything involving Toronto always ends up being overblown and takes way too much effort just to drink and celebrate a holiday. I'd rather go to my local and feel comfortable, you know?

Maybe I'll just stay home and watch Irish movies whilst drinking Bailey's.  ♣

When It Looks Like Spring, Feels Like Spring...

It's not quite Spring yet, not officially - but it's 14 degrees Celsius out today (for you Americans that's warm...I don't know your measurement system, so you're going to have to just trust me on this). It's windy, but it feels so nice.

I went for a leisurely jog this morning. My legs were still a bit sore from Sunday's race, so I thought I'd just take it easy. It was nice. I saw some crocuses in a garden as a passed by. Crocuses are usually the first flower to bloom - and here they sometimes get snowed on, giving us a false sign of Spring. In this case I hope it's true. While we didn't have a bad winter by any means this year, I am still looking forward to longer days of light and warm air. I can't wait for patio season to officially begin!



I have a lot to look forward to:

• St. Patrick's Day is on a Saturday this year and I hope I can beat the line-ups and get into a decent pub for a green beer!

• My boyfriend should be home in two weeks which is very exciting. We've both hit the point where the separation has gotten to be a little too much.

• Related to the point above, the BF and I are 90% sure we're going to go to Niagara Falls for a weekend together when he gets home. We'll stay at a nice hotel, have a nice dinner, see some tacky sights, go to the casino - that sort of stuff.

• Easter is early this year - and I always enjoy a good meal and time with my family. It's especially important for me to see my grandma as often as possible right now. She moved into a nursing home in November, and is doing really well, but obviously I'd like to see her outside of that place.

• The weekend following Easter is my 28th birthday - holy hell! I think instead of planning anything and making a Facebook event (for people to ignore or click "decline" to) I'm just going to tell all my friends that I'll be at the ______ pub around ___ o'clock and they can choose whether or not they want to drop in to say Happy Birthday or not. I have many friends from many different areas of my life and it's hard to please everyone. So I don't give a shit this year. If you don't like the pub I choose, don't come. If you think it's too boring, don't come. If you can't stay late, just drop in for a drink. It's my party and I'll do what I want to. And what I want to do is play pool, darts, have some pints and some laughs and go home feeling good.

• My 3rd Blogiversary is the day after my birthday - Friday the 13th! So if anyone has any superstitious ideas on how to commemorate that please comment with your suggestions!

• On the 22nd of April is my grandma's 86th birthday.

• And lastly, on April 29th I'm pretty sure I'm signing up to run a 10k race called "The Race for Chocolate." It's a race where you get chocolate after! I'd run 10k for Chocolate!

Has the upcoming Spring season got you excited for anything? It feels good to stop hibernating and to plan things again!

iTunes Playlist Tuesday #139

The Future is scary...so here are some songs about it!

1. Citizens of Tomorrow by Tokyo Police Club - This is a crazy song about a robot uprising.

2. The Future is X-Rated by Matthew Good Band - There's a political message in this song somewhere.

3. I Hope Tomorrow is Like Today by Guster - Well, no, not really.

4. Space Oddity by David Bowie - Ground Control to Major Tom!

5. Waiting for My Real Life to Begin by Colin Hay - Still waiting...

6. Feather, Fur and Fin by Danny Michel - A song about what will happen if we keep overdeveloping.

7. What You Waiting For? by Gwen Stefani - I'm not sure what I'm waiting for...maybe for my real life to begin?

8. U.F.O. by Holly McNarland - Do you believe?

9. Twilight Galaxy by Metric - And not the Stephanie Meyers version.

10. Everything Will Be All Right by The Killers - But I figure everything will turn out okay.

5 Things About The Frosty 5

Five Things I Learned from Today's 5k Race - The Frosty 5k:

5. I actually like chili - I used to say I hated chili and would never eat it. I think it was the beans that turned me off. Anyways, a hot bowl of chili tastes amazing after running 5 kilometers in the cold.

4. Warm up pants and a coat that covers my butt would have been worthy investments - I wish I'd brought a pair of sweats to wear over my tight running pants before and after the race. And my coat did not cover my posterior region and I kinda wish it had.

3. I need to stop getting psyched out every time someone passes me - I maintained a steady pace for most of the run, until the final km when I had to stop for a few short seconds to compose myself and steady my breathing. I'm proud of myself for finishing and for doing well even though I hadn't really trained for it.

2. I should have trained for it - Running in the cold sucks and I'm a wuss. I kept making excuses for not running because of the weather and I paid for it today. My lungs were not used to having to work so hard!

1. I will never be a true long-distance racer - I'm okay with not finishing in the top categories because I know that I'm not as dedicated to running as those who do. They probably run way more than I do, and they eat healthy and go to the gym and stuff. I don't do many of those things, so I can't expect to be little miss superstar runner. As long as I work towards bettering myself and having fun while doing so, it's worthwhile.