iTunes Playlist Tuesday #199

Um, this playlist is #199! This means next week will be my 200th!!! Holy shit? What should I do to mark this occasion? Please post suggestions below.

As for this week, I'm doing a playlist about the city of Montreal. It's hockey playoff time and I'm cheering for my Canadiens - so this post is for them.

1) Montreal by Raine Maida

2) Montreal by Bahamas

3) Where Have all the Good People Gone by Sam Roberts

4) Montreal Calling by Mobile

5) Cotes de Neige by Stars

6) Un Annee Sans Lumiere by Arcade Fire

7) La Fete by Amylie

8) Modern Love by Bloc Party

9) Of Montreal by The Stills

10) St. Lawrence River by David Usher

ROUND 1: Nugs vs Al (NHL PLAYOFFS STYLE)

In September, Nugs and I had our doubts that there would even be a 2012-13 NHL season. All signs pointed to no as the lockout progressed and dragged on. Surprisingly we ended up with a shortened season. Now that the playoffs have arrived, we've decided to do what we did last year and each make our predictions each round until the Cup final! Last year's "bet" was that the loser had to put the logo of their most hated team in the playoffs on their blog for a month. I lost because I actually don't follow sports that closely and picked teams based on the hotness of the players. Sadly I had a stupid Bruins logo on my blog for a month. My heart wasn't in it because my team didn't make it. I guess we'll sort out the terms of the bet soon.

Sorry to anyone who hates sports or hockey. You can probably just skip these posts. 

Round 1

Allison's Picks:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

PENS vs ISLES

I will obviously choose Pittsburgh. Even without “The Kid” they’re a pretty dangerous team in the East.

HABS vs SENS

This is a bittersweet matchup, as I like both teams. But I must go with my one true love – Montreal. Montreal was one of the teams who really did benefit from the delayed season. We got a new coach this year who took a different approach to the team and it paid off very well. They’ve had a shaky couple of weeks leading up to the playoffs, but that final win against Toronto will hopefully give them the confidence they need to keep on going.

CAPS vs RANGERS

The Southeast division was a sad state of affairs and the Caps were the only team to make the playoffs. Both of these teams have been inconsistent this year – but I’ll give the Rangers the win for this series.

BRUINS vs LEAFS

This is so tough because I so passionately dislike both of these teams. Since Leaf fans are more annoyingly close to me in proximity, I’d like to see them go out in the first round. I reluctantly choose Boston to win this one. Plus they’re the better team. There’s no option for them to both be eliminated in the first round, which is too bad.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

HAWKS vs WILD

Obviously I’m picking Chicago. They were pretty much unstoppable this season.

DUCKS vs WINGS

The Ducks were pretty lethal this year as well. As much as I’d like to see Detriot rise again, I’m giving this one to the Ducks. (Man, I wish they were still the Mighty Ducks).

CANUCKS vs SHARKS

Even though I think Lulongo is a baby for whining about not being traded, I’ll hand them the win. Wonder if he’ll change his tune if they make it to the Cup again?

BLUES vs KINGS

I feel like the Kings probably won’t repeat their triumphant win last season. I’ll give this one to St. Louis.

Nugs' Picks:

I’m so psyched for this year’s postseason. Not only did my Rangers make it in again (just barely; thanks for the heart attack, boys), but there are a bunch of teams that we haven’t seen in the playoffs in a while. NHL fanatics will also recognize each of the Original Six, and some possible historic rivalries if some of these seeds advance. There’s also NO PHILADELPHIA, which is just amazing. No one likes the Flyers. Not even their moms.

Also also- NO NEW JERSEY. Basically the only relevant thing about this state isn’t even there anymore. Sucks for them.

Here are my predictions for each of the Round One matchups. I’m probably wrong, but keep in mind that I’m not getting paid or anything.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

(1)         PITTSBURGH PENGUINS vs.

(8)     NEW YORK ISLANDERS

PENS over ISLES in 5

This is a compelling series for me because I have a rooting interest in both teams. Even though there used to be a massive rivalry between the Rangers and Islanders, the last time the Isles did anything of note at all I wasn’t even a year old. My dad, however, is a major Islanders fan, and almost sobbed with joy when they made the playoffs this year. So I would like to see them advance, and maybe even play us. That would be kind of cool. The Islanders are a good, young team with a lot of promise, and once they move to Brooklyn in 2015, a solid antagonism should re-surface between them and the Rangers.

Meanwhile, my boyfriend, known on That Ain’t Kosher as Iron Man, is an obsessive Pens fan to the point where we have a bet going: whoever comes out higher this season has to wear a shirt of the other one’s team in public. I realize now how stupid this was.

While the Isles have rocked the Pens a few times this season, and they are riding on the incredible success of Center and Alternate Captain John Tavares, the Pens are probably the team in the East with the most potential to capture the 2013 Cup. They’ve been pretty much unstoppable all season, even without Sid Crosby, who still set about a thousand records this season despite missing a third of it due to a broken jaw. With the addition of Jarome Iginla, every other team in the East pretty much went, “I’m done. Night Lois.”

At the very least, I can record Iron Man’s “So Excited” dance and post it on Facebook.

Dammit.

(2) MONTREAL CANADIENS vs.

(7) OTTAWA SENATORS

HABS over SENS in 6

I knew Allison would be elated about this because when we’re not discussing coffee, all she talks about is how much she loves the Habs and how they embarrassed her last season. She probably died when they took the number two spot in the East. What makes this even better is the fact that they drew the Sens for round one, so Montreal has a pretty decent shot of advancing to the Semifinals. Ottawa has excellent defense and some noteworthy goaltending with Craig Anderson, but their top defenseman, Jason Spezza and Erik Karlsson, are still nursing their injuries. Spezza is probably out for the entire postseason, which may hurt their chances for advancement. Montreal is the clear favorite here.

Wouldn’t it be awesome if Allison and I played each other? Just sayin.

(3)         WASHINGTON CAPITALS vs.

(6) NEW YORK RANGERS (!!!!!!!!!!!!)

RANGERS over CAPS in 6

You might be assuming that I’m going with the Rangers here because I love them and won’t shut up about how they actually made the playoffs this year even though they performed like little girls for most of the season. Actually, yes. However, this is also just like last year’s Number 3 seed, Florida, who only made the postseason at such a high level because they happen to be in a shitty division. (The same one as the Craps, FYI)

This matchup is a repeat of the 2012 semifinals, and the Rangers pulled out of that one with a heart-stopping seven games. In 2013, both of these teams got hot at just the right time and are now facing each other again.

The Caps, although commonly referred to as The Crapitals, boast Ovechkin, who finished the regular season as his old self. Their 26.8 percent power-play statistic might pose a problem for my boys, who tend to falter in that area.

The Rangers gave me an incredibly stressful four months, humiliating me by forgetting how to shoot and score goals. We also suffered through a ton of injuries and the loss of fan favorite Gabby, who got traded to Columbus after a disappointing 35 appearances and then scored them a game-winning goal. Naturally. When the season started Rangers fans figured that the Stanley Cup was a lock; now we were hoping for a top 10 finish.

Then April came around and the Rangers found their hot streak, ending the season as the sixth seed with one of the league’s best defensive units and a late season record of 10-3-1. My husband Henrik Lundqvist continued to act as one of the top goalies in the league, finishing with a 2.05 goals-against. I was totally worried that I would have to banish him to the couch this year, but I guess we can work things out.

So happy together

At the end of the series, the Rangers will come out on top (that’s what she said), and they’ll look to show the Craps that they are, in fact, the better and more able opponent. The series will go to 6 games, and I will be insufferably annoying.

(4)         BOSTON BRUINS vs. (5) TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS

BRUINS over LEAFS in 5

When this matchup was first announced, three thoughts went through my head:

1)   This is great because it’s an Original Six series!

B) My friend Tabs is probably having a stroke right now because her Leafs are in the playoffs for the first time since she can remember and

MALEFICENT) I wonder what Allison is thinking, because she hates both of these teams with the intensity of a thousand burning suns. Note to Allison: There is no option “you both lose.” I learned this the hard way during the Yankees-Phillies World Series. I don’t want Allison to disown me or anything, but it would be awesome to see a Semifinal round between the Habs and the Leafs or the Habs and the Bruins. Those are two famous rivalries that I’ve always wanted to witness in the finals. One of my favorite parts of the NHL playoffs is that Enterprise commercial with the Montreal fan and the Boston fan standing next to each other- a small reward for people who follow hockey and get the hilarity behind it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SE4Vg-39qDc

So while I don’t particularly care for the Bruins, it would be fun to see either of these teams advance. This will be an incredible series; very physical with a lot of crowd action. A lot of people dislike Boston due to the fact that they like to play dirty, but they’re coming off of a lot of postseason experience, including a Stanley Cup in 2011. The Leafs, despite a rabid fanbase, haven’t won a Cup in almost 50 years and haven’t been to the playoffs since 2004 (buying tickets like the rest of us doesn’t count). James Reimer has no postseason experience whatsoever, and the Leafs can’t seem to win at the TD Garden, considering the Bruins’ 10-12-1 record with their last 13 games. Not to mention that the word “Leafs” is a major grammar fail.

I really would like to give this to the Leafs, because the Bruins are a bunch of dicks, but I just don’t see Toronto moving forward.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

(1) CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS vs.
(8) MINNESOTA WILD

HAWKS over WILD in 4

I don’t really think this is a question here. I could go into a whole long thing (again, that’s what she said), but I’ll just link you to this.

Yeah, no.

(2) ANAHEIM DUCKS vs.

(7) DETROIT RED WINGS

WINGS over DUCKS in 7

This was a difficult series for me to call. Most of my friends were divided. I originally said “definitely Wings,” then I wasn’t so sure, then I went back to the Wings again (in my defense, everyone should always go straight for the wings). While everyone was so focused on the Blackhawks and their miracle season, Anaheim was quietly climbing their way to the second place spot in the West, with 30 wins and 12 losses. Meanwhile, the Red Wings managed to make their way into the playoffs for a 22^nd straight year, despite a lackluster regular season.

The Ducks will put up an impressive fight, since this is most likely Teemu Selanne’s final season and he’ll be looking to go out with a win. First-year goalie Viktor Fasth has been great in the net, so the key to winning this series will be Detroit’s killer forwards in Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk.

Anaheim clearly has a first-rate coach in Bruce Boudreau, but his playoff history is shaky, as he’s never made it past the second round. The Wings have four Stanley Cups, with the most recent one in 2008. This is a tough series to predict, but I’m leaning towards experience with this one.

(3) VANCOUVER CANUCKS vs.

(6) SAN JOSE SHARKS

CANUCKS over SHARKS in 5

Much like last year, I really want to say Sharks just because they’re called Sharks and Great Whites are awesome. However, their failing playoff history dictates that they don’t have what it takes to make it past the first round.

Meanwhile, the Canucks haven’t suffered a losing streak of more than two consecutive games since early March. There’s also the scary offense provided by the Sedin twins. It is true that the Sharks swept the Canucks in the regular season, but once you hit the postseason, regular games go out the window.

I’m going with Vancouver, and the series probably won’t last very long.

(4) ST. LOUIS BLUES vs.

(5) LOS ANGELES KINGS

KINGS over BLUES in 6

This is an anticipated replay of last year’s Semifinals, where LA swept the Blues and then went on to win the Stanley Cup. There’s no doubt that the Blues are ready to jump back in and do some serious board checking.

However, the Kings’ 8-0 record against St. Louis doesn’t lie. Their stellar defense and Conn Smythe-winning goalie Jonathan Quick should be more than enough to take the Blues down again. St. Louis may be pissed and looking for a win, which may lead to a longer series, but the Kings should easily move on to the second round.

Kit Kat Wars: Canada VS the US

A month or so ago I had a customer from the US come in. We frequently get Americans because of the hotel and conference centre across the street from us, and our proximity to the US border. This particular customer asked where he could buy Kit Kat bars. I told him there was a gas station a block away. He went on to say that he was buying them to taste test them against American Kit Kats. This surprised me, as I assumed they'd be the same. The customer informed me that he was told they taste different and that the Canadian version is supposedly better.

I, of course, had to find this out for myself. I went on Facebook and asked my American friends to mail me Kit Kat bars so I could conduct my own research. Nugs rose to the occasion and offered to send me some for my birthday. She also mailed me a bag of Dunkin' Donuts coffee - which I haven't tasted yet, but I will soon. Thanks! Pretty awesome birthday gifts - chocolate and coffee.

I got the package in the mail last Thursday and took it with me to the house I dogsit at. On my way there I stopped to get some groceries, and a Canadian Kit Kat bar. Nugs mailed me a bag of mini Kit Kats, which was awesome and evil (evil because I pretty much ate the whole bag in three days). I bought a regular sized bar here - but it still worked.

Canadian full sized chocolate bar.

American bag of snack sized bars.

Before tasting them I decided to see if I could figure out the difference by looking at the list of ingredients. That's when I discovered the truth! When I flipped over the bag of mini bars I noticed this:

Kit Kats in the US are made by the Hershey Company. This confused me because in Canada....

They're made by Nestle. I did some quick internet research and learned that Nestle makes Kit Kats all over the world, except for in the US - where Hershey had an agreement with the original British chocolate maker way back when. So before even trying them I knew that's why they taste different.

The packaging is different too. They don't even use the same font for the Logo. I notice these things.

Ignoring the size of the bars, they looked pretty similar. One may have been a slightly darker shade of brown, but not that noticeable. Overall I found the Canadian one had a creamier taste, while the American one had the distinct Hershey's milk chocolate flavour - which isn't a bad thing, but definitely different.

A few days later I was waiting for a train in Toronto and I stopped in a newsstand for some snacks and a magazine when I saw this:

A white chocolate Kit Kat! When I flipped it over it said it was made by The Hershey Company - so it must have been imported. I've heard of there being other flavours, but I've never actually seen one here. I really had no basis of comparison for this one, but I had to buy it since I was doing this whole Kit Kat experiment.

So there you have it folks - my Kit Kat taste test. I had no reason for doing this other than boredom and curiosity.

iTunes Playlist Tuesday #198

Today is the anniversary of Shakespeare's birth (supposedly) and death (definitely). Here is my playlist for The Bard.

1. Romeo and Juliet by Dire Straits

2. Cordelia by The Tragically Hip

3. Cosmic Love by Florence + The Machine

4. Miss MacBeth by Elvis Costello

5. Desolation Row by Bob Dylan

6. Exit Music (for a film) by Radiohead

7. Sigh No More by Mumford and Sons

8. Stubborn Love by The Lumineers

9. I Am the Walrus by The Beatles

10. The Book of Love by Peter Gabriel

Everybody's Got Something to Hide

My face after the facial. No makeup except for a mineral
pressed powder she applied when it was done.

It's been a crazy week - one that truly tested me mentally and physically. I'll write about that soon, when I sort that out better. I'm going to rewind to last Saturday and talk about my birthday spa day.

Last Friday was my 29th birthday - I know, it's the "last" birthday I'll ever have (Forever 29, right?) and to celebrate I treated myself to a day at the spa. I booked a manicure and facial at a nearby spa for the Saturday. I'd never had a facial before, but I figured my skin could use some major TLC. I've always struggled with problem skin. Acne, large pores, uneven skin-tone, dryness, oiliness, blackheads - you name it. It's been a huge hurdle I've had to overcome in life - always wondering why I had to have such crappy skin.

Because I was a first time client I had to fill out this form - front and back - with details about my health, my skin care routines, so on and so forth. I handed it back to the front desk person, and she brought me a glass of cucumber water in a wine glass. The place was really nice. Calm, soothing music played all throughout the spa and the waiting area had comfortable chairs. There were signs telling everyone to please turn off their cellphones - which I appreciated, since this is the type of place you go to to unplug from the world for a few hours.

My esthetician came to get me. She was a plump girl, with dark blond hair in a bun. She led me to the room for my facial. She asked me to remove my top and bra and put on this sheet that wrapped around and snapped on. There was a massage type table/bed set up with a comforter and sheets. She told me to get under the blankets and she's come back when I was ready (she let me change in private, thankfully). I wasn't counting on having to partially disrobe for this treatment, so this made me nervous. In addition to having bad skin on my face, I also have breakouts on my arms and back - it's been a struggle since  puberty. My arms have been getting worse in the last year, and I attribute this to stress. I really didn't want this woman seeing this and judging me for it...thinking that I don't take care of my skin or I don't shower enough.

I'm so self-conscious when it comes to my body. I feel so exposed when people can see my flaws just out in the open. She of course noticed, but was surprisingly friendly, supportive and helpful. She told me her mom had the same problem and she saw a dermatologist for it. I told her how much I hated it, especially with summer coming. I hate feeling like I can't just wear normal tank tops and dresses like other girls because my arms are so gross. She told me that she understood that and sympathized about how hard summer can be. She said, "I'm fat, I hate having to show my arms." I was alarmed by her honesty. I'm not sure I could just say that out loud, but it made me feel better. I wanted to say I understood the weight thing as well, but didn't. I'm not a stick, but I didn't want to commiserate over that. What I did say was, "I think there's a very small percentage of women who feel confident in the summer." She agreed. It was nice to know that I'm not the only one with something to hide in the warm weather. I wonder how long I can get away with wearing long sleeves to work before people start commenting on how hot I must be. Part of me wants to lie and say it's part of my religion or something.

The rest of my facial was amazing. I really felt relaxed. The products she used on my face felt so nice and smelled amazing too. It's such a different sensation to have someone else wash and treat your face. The warm facecloth, the massage - it was a great experience. They're not cheap, but I'd definitely get another one. If and when I do get another facial, I'm requesting the same esthetician - I felt so comfortable with her. She really understands the struggles woman have and doesn't judge you for it. My mom once made me an appointment years ago for an eyebrow wax at a spa when I was still in school. My friend drove me to the appointment, which was nice. At the time I had a bad breakout of cystic acne on my forehead - for those of you who don't know, that's the huge, hard, sore type of acne. The woman who waxed my eyebrows was very critical of my skin. She was very matter-of-fact and sharp about it. I felt like I was under a microscope and she was searching for my weaknesses. I didn't know what to say - I wanted to cry. I was glad my friend was in the room with me.

Part of my bad week this week had to do with me seeing my doctor to follow up on my anxiety issues. In edition to feeling very much so judged by my doctor, he also told me there was nothing he could do about the acne on my arms, as it was stress related. He said a dermatologist would tell me this as well. So no prescription for any creams or gels - nothing. I just have to be less stressed and it will go away. I wanted to cry. How can I just be less stressed? How do I get less stressed before summer starts? This isn't fair.

So I guess I need to formulate a plan to de-stress my life. The number one area of my life that needs de-stressing is my job...but more on that soon.

iTunes Playlist Tuesday #197

This playlist is for the city of Boston, the runners, spectators, volunteers, police officers, paramedics and fire fighters who experienced the tragedy at yesterday's Boston Marathon. As a runner I feel like my community is under attack, even if I wasn't there. But today I was reminded of the tremendous courage and inner-strength that rose above this terrible event.

1. Courage by The Tragically Hip

2. Help I'm Alive by Metic (Acoustic version)

3. Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley

4. Watching Over You by Holly McNarland

5. Stronger by Kanye West

6. Keep it Together by Guster

7. Love at the End of the World by Sam Roberts

8. Running Up That Hill (a Deal with God) by Kate Bush

9. Come Together by The Beatles

10. We All Fall Down by Danny Michel

Americana

Something's wrong in a country when a group of innocent people are killed at a sporting event that promotes fitness, health, determination, strength, and perseverance.

I'm almost in tears now after hearing about the events that occurred at this year's Boston Marathon. A race that is, for many marathon runners, the Super Bowl of the sport. Making it to Boston means you achieved something great - you trained hard, you raced hard, you met all your goals and you are rewarded with the chance to compete in one of the most famous road races in the world. Running is an individual achievement, but these events cannot be made possible without a legion of volunteers, the support of the community and local government, law enforcement and of course the support of loved one's cheering you on.

I've never ran a marathon, but even a 5k race has these things - and there's always a warm feeling of support from the sidelines. Volunteers get up extra early to set up pylons and barriers. They work so hard because these races are important. These races mean something. They mean something to the competitors, but also the communities that support them.

So to find out that someone placed two explosives in garbage cans near the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon today, timing them to detonate four hours after the start of the race (when a large percentage of racers finish), well it broke my heart. I don't understand a country where people get shot at the movies, or at school, or at a marathon. Where does this anger come from? What makes someone want to hurt a bunch of innocent people for no reason? How can someone be that far gone that they lose their morality? From what I've read so far there are no suspects. Who knows, maybe they'll never find out. It's sick and confusing and scary. Why why why!?

For now all I can say is my heart goes out to the families of those killed and injured today. This shouldn't have happened. This should never happen.

A Girl Never Forgets Her First

This is the final installment of my blog's 4th birthday celebrations (my blog turned 4 yesterday...I'll give it another year before I think about a name change...not sure how long I can get away with calling it "My Quarter-Life Crisis")

This post comes from Lauren: Best Concert Ever

Gotcha - you thought this was going to be about sex. Sorry. I'm classy. No, this is about something better than that...at least something more reliable. Yes, just like the song says - "Music is my boyfriend."

Lauren wants to know what was the best concert I've ever been to - and that's tough - I've been to some pretty cool concerts. I think about this a lot - no really, I do. And whenever I do I always go back to 1999 - my very first paid concert. R.E.M.

Did we have the best seats? No, we didn't have seats at all - we had lawn ticket's for an outdoor theatre in Toronto. The CNE was on (The Canadian National Exhibition, or just "The Ex" for short) and the midway was lit up in the background. That tour, R.E.M. had an impressive light show. A wall of neon lights of different icons and words that lit up in different sequences depending on the song. It was magical. I fell in love with live music that night. I may have been with my parents, but it was still fun. I bought a T-shirt (which started my trend of concert t-shirt buying) and a poster (a poster which I had plaked). I came home with my ears ringing and all I wanted to do was play R.E.M. albums over and over - only when I did the music sounded so flat and boring! Had this concert ruined recorded music for me? Not forever, but it did give me an itch to see more live bands - to experience music in new ways.

For me I don't need to be high or drunk at a concert to enjoy. The music just has to be good, and the performers need to give off the kind of energy and spirit that an album just can replicate.

I'm glad R.E.M. was my first real concert and not some lame one-hit-wonder band. I got to see one of the most energetic performers (Michael Stipe) on-stage, dancing around and singing like it was what he was born to do. The band is no-more now, so I'm glad I got to see them live just that once and that it was so memorable that it will forever and always be the best concert I've ever been to.

Thanks everyone who participated in this experiment! It's been a fun and creative project for me and this blog. Here are all the blog's I wrote based on your submissions:

1) Bees from Hanna
2) Fraggle Rock from Amanda
3) Batman from Dave
4) The Number 4 from Matt
5) Penguins from Kim
6) Pie from Miranda

Also, to see how many of you actually come back and read these posts I'm going to extend a challenge back to those of you who participated. I'm going to give you each a topic suggestion for a blog. Obviously you can ignore this and not do it, but if you feel like it HERE (I'm excluding Amanda, as she's my real life friend who doesn't have a blog)

Hanna - Birds
Dave - Superman
Matt - The Number 8
Kim - Sharks
Miranda - Meatloaf
Lauren - Worst Concert Ever

Cheers!

Lemon Meringue

This is yet another blogiversary post! Tomorrow is the last day to suggest a topic for me to blog about (April 13th, 2013 at midnight!). Check out this POST to submit!

This post was suggested by Miranda: Pie

When I think of pie I think of American style diners - the kind with bar seating, servers in teal uniforms with little caps, and free refills of coffee. In this diner there's a glass domed cake plate with a cherry pie - with the crisscrossed pastry on top. I feel like these made-for-TV diners don't exist in real life - at least not in my real life. I'm not even sure I like cherry pie. I much prefer raspberry pie - or better yet, Lemon Meringue. I just don't see pie on too many dessert menus or cases really. It's always been more of a homemade thing for me in reality.

When I was a kid my mom would make lemon meringue pie and for some reason I didn't like the meringue topping - I used to scrap it off and just eat the jelly lemon centre. Over time I learned to appreciate a good meringue, and came to appreciate the pie as a whole. It's just so beautiful and tasty. Sweetness mixed with a mild tart lemon flavour is heavenly. It just looks so sunny and bright. It's a very attractive looking dessert.

Other delicious pies of note:

• Key Lime - Must be made with Key Limes from Florida or it cannot be called this.

• Grasshopper Pie - Funny enough I used to love this as a kid, even though it's made with green creme de mint. My parents fed us booze pie! Also, the Oreo crust and crumble topping was unreal.

• Coconut Cream - I love anything coconut flavoured.

• Pumpkin Pie - A Thanksgiving must

• Pecan Pie - Like butter tarts with nuts.

What are your favourite pie flavours? Do you like it A La Mode? Or on it's own? Whipped cream?
I'm weird about ice cream touching my cake or pie. If I have it I like it in a separate bowl.

Silly Penguins Acting All Fancy

This post is part of my 4th blogiversary celebrations. I've been taking suggestions over HERE for blog topics. Send me yours (on that post) by midnight April 13th, 2013 to be part of it.

This request comes from Kim: Penguins

Funny enough the first thing that came to mind when I read this suggestion was an episode of the show How I Met Your Mother called "Robin 101." In the episode Barney and Robin had just started dating and Barney realizes that he has no idea how to be in a real relationship with her, so he asks his friend Ted (who also dated Robin) for some advice.

In Robin 101, Ted teaches Barney some techniques to distract Robin when she's angry at him:

1) Hockey - She goes on an emotional rant about the 2004 Vancouver Canucks.

2) Proper Gun Cleaning & Maintenance - "You've got to clean your gun!"

3) Emperor Penguins - "Did you know that before intercourse male and female penguins bow to one another?...Silly penguins acting all fancy."

So what does this association with penguins mean? Well, for starters...I watch too much TV and get WAY too into my shows. It's kind of sick. I could seriously kill it in a HIMYM trivia contest. Try me! Seriously!

Oh, and what about that episode where Ted gets really drunk and asks Carl the bartender if he thinks it would be easy to break into the zoo because "I've got to see a penguin like right now!"

I truly need to make new friends, and maybe go outside more often...

But seriously guys, I really want to go to the zoo...

Sorry Kim...I'm so tired right now and this is your penguin post!

P.S. This post was almost going to be about Sidney Crosby's broken jaw, but I really feel too badly about that to make fun of him for it.

The Number 4

This post is part of my request-a-post thing for my blog's 4th anniversary this Saturday. I'm taking requests HERE for post ideas up until and including April 13th, 2013.

This request comes from Matt: The Number 4

Matt wanted this post to be a huge post about the number four, like the movie The Number 23. The trouble is I've never seen this movie. I looked up a description and it sounds super creepy. I hope this post isn't creepy - or I'll try to keep it from being creepy.

The significance of the number 4 is interesting - I did some research. Enjoy!

• In Buddhism there are Four Nobel Truths: Dukkha (The Nobel Truth of Suffering), Samudaya (The Nobel Truth of the Cause of Suffering), Nirodha (The Nobel Truth of Cessation of Suffering) and Magga (The Nobel Truth of The Path Leading to the Cessation of Suffering)

• The are the four elements - Earth, Wind, Fire and Water (the first three make up a band from the 70s)

• In FOUR far east countries (China, Japan, Vietnam and Korea) the number 4 is unlucky because it is a homonym for the word "death."

• Most furniture has four legs (tables, chairs etc.)

• Stupid teenagers use the number 4 to replace the word "for" because they are too lazy to type more letters.

• Abraham Lincoln began his famous Gettysbeug Address with "Four score and seven years ago..."

• There are four bases in baseball.

• The Montreal Canadiens' retired the number 4 - the number worn by Jean Beliveau. (That's NHL hockey, for those of you from down south).

• The term "four letter word" usually refers to swear words - fuck, shit...that sort of thing.

• Cancer is the 4th sign of the Zodiac

• Led Zeppelin IV was the fourth album released by the band. It included many of their most famous hits. Notably "Stairway to Heaven" and "Black Dog."

• There are four seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall (or Autumn)

• Four directions: North, South, East & West

• There were four horseman of the apocalypse.

• Four suits in a deck of cards: Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds & Spades.

• The Beatles were dubbed "The Fab Four": John, Paul, George & Ringo.

I got most of these from Wikipedia - so forgive my lack of originality.

iTunes Playlist Tueaday #196

This is my birthday week playlist:

1. All I Wanna Do by Sheryl Crow - I just wanna have fun!

2. I'm Only Happy When it Rains by Garbage - It always rains on my birthday and it's supposed to rain ALL WEEK!

3. Shiny Happy People by R.E.M. - Just be happy!

4. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun by Cindy Lauper - Girl's night on Friday!

5. Me Party by Miss Piggy & Amy Adams - I'm treating myself to some new clothes, a new do, a facial & manicure!

6. Classy Girl by The Lumineers - "Classy Girls don't kiss in bars like this."

7. Just a Girl by No Doubt - It's true.

8. Steady as She Goes by The Raconteurs - I'll try to stay steady.

9. I Feel It All by Feist - Woo!

10. Still Fighting It by Ben Folds - I'm still fighting this whole age thing.

Another Post About Running

Yesterday I participated in an 8k race in Toronto's scenic High Park. It was a cold, but sunny day - perfect for running, not so much for standing and waiting. I won't bore you with my usual commentary, but it was a fun race and a good 8k for me.

If you'd like me to write about something OTHER than running, consider submitting a suggestion on THIS post. I'm taking blog topic suggestions over there until April 13th (in honour of this blog's 4th birthday).

Here are some pictures I took on my phone from yesterday's Race:

It's also my birthday on Friday - man...I'm getting so old.

POW!

This post is part of my blog's 4th birthday - which is April 13th. I'm taking requests up until that date for topic ideas. See HERE for details and comment there with your topic suggestion.

This topic comes from Dave: Batman

When I think of Batman, I don't think of Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer (though I liked him as Batman, unlike most people), George Clooney or Christian Bale. I think of Adam West.

When I was a kid my brother and I always watched the old 1960s Batman tv show. Of course this was the late 80s and early 90s, but we still loved it. Batman was cool and all, but my favourite character was obviously Batgirl. Looking back, it's no wonder I love Mad Men, I was already into the whole 60s secretary look when I was a kid. Barbara Gordon worked at the Gothem City Library! She's my perfect role model - bookish and studious by day, kick-ass by night. Also, unlike Wonder Woman, her outfit featured pants - much easier to beat up bad guys in pants! That's what's so great about Superheros - they're always such unassuming people in their day-to-day lives, but when they put on those costumes they come alive.

I know the 60s Batman TV show is super cheesy and not well liked by Batman purists, but I love it for it's campiness and low-tech sets. It was funny and silly, which is why I loved it as a kid. I'm not a comic nerd, so I couldn't tell you anything about that version of Batman either. I just know that the grey suit with the big yellow belt is what Batman is to me.

POW!

KABOOM!

BANG!

Other topics that I've covered:

Bees

Fraggle Rock

Red

This post is the result of the suggestion from my friend Amanda as part of my blog's 4th birthday. Please CLICK here for details.

The topic is: Fraggle Rock

When I was in university I had red hair (coloured, of course) and occasionally I would put my crazy untamed locks in pigtails, because in university you can get away with that sort of look because you're not quite an adult yet. Eventually this led to the belief that I looked like Red Fraggle.

Me in September, 2004.

Every year there would be a week-long poster sale on campus. It was awesome (for residence students) because it was an opportunity to buy some stuff to cover our ugly off-light walls. When I saw the Fraggle Rock poster I knew it had to be mine. For the rest of my university days that poster was a permanent fixture on the back of my door - except for maybe 4th year, but I'll explain why later.

Later that year, near the end of our second year, my friend's boyfriend was visiting. I wasn't feeling great, so I stayed hidden in my single room and refused to socialize. Somehow, during a not-so-spirited game of RISK, my friend and her boyfriend decided that they were going to set me up with some friend. I only found out about this because my friend who was in the room told me about it after.

Nothing came about until the following Fall. All of a sudden this guy was going to visit for the weekend and go out to Pub Night with us. I wasn't told much about him except that he was a mechanic and he lived on a horse farm. My snobby suburban head translated this to: Hick.

I wasn't wrong. When he showed up, drinking his Labatt's Blue with his dusty Dodge hat I knew this wasn't the boy for me. It got worse when he took off his hat revealing his mid-90s undercut hair style. I still hadn't been officially told about the set-up, but I knew this was it. He was nice enough, but he had clearly been told about it - so he was trying too hard. We decided to watch a movie and the only place we could have done this was in my room, while sitting on my bed. He walked into my room and saw my Fraggles poster. That's when I decided to wheel the TV out to the kitchen and watch it in there. The discomfort was worth not having him in my personal living space.

A day later he added me to MSN messenger and I was not too happy with my friend for giving him my email address without asking. I was also not too impressed to see that his profile picture was the same picture as my Fraggle Rock poster. This guy was clearly trying too hard. He tried to talk to me about cars and other stuff that didn't interest me. I wasn't so much mad at him,  I was more upset at my friend for this secret set up. I feel bad for how I made fun of him behind his back, I really do, but the guy and I just had nothing in common. The only things we shared were that we liked Fraggle Rock and we were both single. That is not enough of a basis for a real relationship. I'm pretty sure I took the poster down after that. Oh, and he left a peeled off Blue label in my room. Something to remember him by? No need dude, I'll never forget you.

I know I sound like a terrible person, but let this be a lesson to all of you people in relationships. Just because you have two single friends doesn't mean they are meant to be together. Being single is not enough. Also, it's unfair to tell one person about a set up and not the other. No one needs a guy following them around like a puppy trying to impress you when you have no idea they've been told to target you. Just don't do it.

iTunes Playlist Tuesday #195

This week's playlist was inspired by Hanna - 10 songs about making mistakes, learning from them and growing.

1. A Mistake by Fiona Apple

2. Everyhing You've Done Wrong by Sloan

3. All these Things that I've Done by The Killers

4. Get it Wrong, Get it Right by Feist

5. The Apologist by R.E.M.

6. We All Fall Down by Danny Michel

7. I Could Have Lied by Red Hot Chili Peppers

8. Regret by John Frusciante

9. It's Getting Better by The Beatles

10. Shake it Out by Florence + The Machine

Also, CLICK HERE if you want to submit a topic for a blog & Comment Below if you have a playlist idea!

The Sweet & The Sticky

This blog post is part of my 4th Blogiversary Celebrations where I blog what you suggest. See this post for details. This post was inspired by Hanna's suggestion: BEES

Bees may go extinct. It's true, Google it. And even if my dad says he'd be okay with it, since he's afraid of them, it's a big deal for the world.

The bees dying would be catastrophic to the global food supply. Bees pollenate most plants, thus helping them grow and populate. I don't want to be all doom and gloom either - I'm just trying to make a case for our poor misunderstood friends.

My dad says he can live without honey, but I could not. It's good in tea, it's good on toast with peanut butter, and it's good by the spoonful when my throat is sore. It's natures medicine. Bees do that. It's so amazing.

In my parent's backyard there are three rose of sharon trees. In August, when they are in full bloom, bees of all shapes and sizes surround them. They're drunk on pollen - rolling in it practically before they lazily stumble home after imbibing the sweet nectar. They're so focussed on the task that I can get really close to them without fear of getting stung. They're busy and happy. While flies seem to spread germs, bees spread love. You've got to give the bees a break.

Wasps are another story entirely. I've been stung twice by wasps. Wasps are aggressive little jerks. The first time I was stung was six or seven years ago. I was laying in the hammock in my parents backyard, but that summer yellow jacket wasps had decided to take over our lawn. They were everywhere, crawling in the grass and hovering above. I had kicked off my flip flops to the side of the hammock and settled in with a book. When I got up I put my feet down, thinking I was placing them on my shoes, I stepped on an angry wasp. It stung my big toe and it hurt more than I ever expected. My toe blew up and it hurt to walk on it.

The second wasp attack happened not that long ago. A wasp had got inside my work and was attracted to the bottles of sticky sweet syrup that we use for summer drinks at the cafe. I took a rolled up newspaper and swatted at it. I thought I got it but no such luck. While I was steaming milk for a cappuccino I felt something on my shoulder. It suddenly felt like I was being pinched by a hot fire poker. It stung me twice. Unlike the bee, the wasp can sting you multiple times as it does not lose it's stinger in you. I spent the rest of my shift with a bag of ice on my red, swollen shoulder. Jerk. It inspired me to write this poem.

So over the years I've had a love hate relationship with bees and bee-like creatures. In the end, I'd be very sad if they went extinct. Also, one of my favourite books, Generation A by Douglas Coupland, is about a not-so-distant future without bees. It's a must read.

Okay Hanna - I hope you like your post about bees.

Almost Four

On April 13th this blog will be four years old - which means it can walk and talk and is potty trained (finally). Last year I did a giveaway, but I thought I'd try something more blog related this year. I want my readers to tell me what to write about. In the comment section below I want you to give me a topic - it can be specific or abstract - it's your choice. However, the content itself will be up to me, using the topic as a jumping off point.

This could be a fun writing experiment for me. I like having projects - an assigned task. I am most creative when I have restrictions because I have to find interesting ways to present something rather than just having the world be my oyster.

It's a win-win - you (might) get something entertaining to read and I'll have something creative to work on. Yay!

I'll take suggestions leading up to and including April 13th, 2013. Any topics posted after that date will likely not happen. My blog, my rules. I'll decide how and when to post them depending on how many I get.

Okay friends - challenge me! Give me your topics! Be vague, be funny, be simple, be convoluted - whatever you please!