Photo of the Day

Here's one of my first attempts at the camera toss. Christmas lights in my dark bedroom, with my Rebel XT. To see more of these, click here.

posted by Unknown @ 12:41 p.m.

March of the Penguins, The Return of...

So- some of you may recall that I went to see March of Penguins a couple weeks ago at the Royal Cinema on College. Well- Monday I get an email from Now Magazine, saying that I won a copy of the DVD! Sweet! It's such a cute documentary, I'm glad I can add it to my collection.

I've been fairly lucky with the Now contests as of late. A couple weeks ago I won advance screening passes to Mrs. Henderson's Presents, and in July I won passes to go see the movie RIZE.

posted by Unknown @ 11:34 a.m.

I'm not a regular red meat eater...

... but sometimes, I just gotta. Especially when it's free! Last night we went to The Keg for our department Christmas dinner. It was super yummy! I had a pint of Creemore Springs to start out, Mushrooms Neptune for an appetizer (mushrooms stuffed with crab meat and cream cheese *insert Homer's drooling noise here*), Sirloin and Tiger Shrimp with garlic mashed potatoes and a roasted tomato with cheese for the main course, and a Mandatory Coffee (coffee with peppermint schnapps and Bailey's, whipped cream and chocolate flakes on top) to finish up. It was spectacular!

posted by Unknown @ 11:19 a.m.

Christmas Bark

So, today we're having a Cookie Swap at work, and I decided to make some Christmas Bark. You know, the white chocolate/peppermint layered treat that costs like, $20/lb. in the store. Well- it turns out, it's pretty easy to make!

First, I made myself a drink in this cool retro glass that I re-discovered at my dad's house this weekend. Isn't it so stylish? Real crystal too. LOL.

Then I melted a crap-load of white chocolate, double-boil style. I added some crushed candy canes.

I layered the white chocolate, some melted semi-sweet chocolate chips, and another layer of white.

I sprinkled some crushed up candy canes (the crushing part was fun) all over the top.

I stuck the whole shebang into the fridge for about half an hour until it set, and then broke the big chunk into bite size peices. Voila!

Nummers!

posted by Unknown @ 11:39 a.m.

Five Days 'til Christmas!!

I'm super excited... especially for a full week off work. Ahhhhhhh! I haven't had a full week vacation in a looooong time. This past weekend we had the Gignac Family Christmas. It went well- the usual potluck buffet with turkey and all the fixings, my favourite being the mashed potatoes. This year's potatoes were special- look at this heart-shaped spud!!

posted by Unknown @ 11:15 a.m.

My Horoscope this Week

LEO... July 23 - August 22

Kiss the back of your hand and remember a moment in childhood when you felt the perfect joy of being at home in the world. Give a gift to a river, lake, or ocean. Treasure the unique shape and contours of your beautiful face. For just 48 hours, be inflamed with the hypothesis that your soul will live forever. Imagine that your place of power is where the tree joins the earth. Playfully lower your expectations all the way down to the bottom, and tune in to the shattering sweetness of life exactly as it is. Put yourself under the protection of the raw elements. Write an epic three-page autobiography while sitting in the pitch dark. Seize the power to create magic that has always seemed impossible before.

Woah.

posted by Unknown @ 2:48 p.m.

The week so far...

Sorry for no posts recently! I found out that my step mother reads this, so HI SHIRLEY!!!

Let's see... Tuesday my friend Julia and I went to see an advanced screening for the new movie Mrs. Henderson Presents. It was good, cute, funny in places, sombre in others. Judi Dench was spectacular as always- she's got a wit about her, and her chemistry with Bob Hoskins was really cool to watch.
The movie was set in the 40's during WWII, and the costumes were awesome. The set was a little questionable, and they used some genuine footage of the war, which was interesting. The way they integrated it was a little... choppy? I think there could've been a smoother transition between the movie and the footage.
All in all, it was an interesting film, with lots of... how shall I say... boobies in it! The premise of the movie is this: a wealthy widow is bored and buys a theatre, and to stay popular she suggests having nude women in the revue. Inspired by true events.
I don't think I would've paid to see this movie- but since I won the tickets from NOW Magazine- it was well worth it!

Hmmm... what else is happening right now... Oh yeah! The Subway Party that we went to last Thursday was featured on The Hour! Thankfully, I was NOT shown on television, but James and Stef were. The video will be available to watch on The Hour's website soon, so I'll post a link later.

So- the snow is coming, and lucky me! I get to drive home to Windsor in it! I leave the city tomorrow at 6pm, so it should be an interested drive. With the rush hour traffic and the snow, I'm guessing it'll take me 5 hours to get home. BAH! Oh well!!!

posted by Unknown @ 1:18 p.m.

My favourite Christmas decorations...

... are snowflakes and stars. And look! You can make them online now!! Check it out!!

Make a Flake

Here's my latest one...

posted by Unknown @ 4:05 p.m.

A sad event...

Last night, my roommate moved her cats to her new apartment (a couple days before the big move, so they could adjust without all the racket). I didn't think I would be so sad, but I was! Here are a couple funny pics of them (requested by Maria- she says bloggers always post photos of their pets!)

This is Kevin. The image isn't sideways, he's just a contortionist.

And this is Wellesley, as seen here with a smidge of attitude.

posted by Unknown @ 11:56 a.m.

Holiday Subway Party

I didn't know what to expect when we went to the subway party, and wasn't totally convinced that I wanted to go. After all, at the time we were leaving the house I was normally in bed (watching King of the Hill)! I told myself I'd ride the train from Kipling to Bathurst and then hop off and head home.

However, when we got to Kipling, there was a tonne of people, and a good vibe in the air. James said it reminded him of old-school raves, when the focus was the good spirit and happiness of everyone there. We boarded the train at 11:11pm, and within seconds (I'm not even exagerating), the car was decorated and presents were being handed out! There were chocolates being passed around and LOTS of cameras (I'm sure a search on Flickr will result in thousands of images- including 50 of my own). There was a guy filming for The Hour, and he interviewed us (I hope I'm not on the show, I looked awful!)

You'll see James in a billion pictures, as he was really the life of the party (as per the usual). It's a good thing he brought his drum, as he was one of the sole providers of music. There was also a someone with a wooden pan flute type of instrument and couple whistles. And of course we sang some good ole' Christmas carols!!

posted by Unknown @ 11:34 a.m.

Another successful bookclub??

LOL... we never end up talking about the book! Well, not enough anyways! Last night was no exception. We ate some yummy (I hope!) stir fry that I whipped up, Maria brought over some rice, Julia picked up some delectable pastries from a Chinese bakery and Erin supplied us with the drink (Keith's). All in all, it was a good meal! Not too much to do with the book, but still good. The book- we hummed and hawed (sp?) about it, and I think Julia was the only one that said she outright hated it. It was a good read, I thought, but nothing spectacular. Next month's book is Casino Royale by Ian Fleming (James Bond)- it should be a good break from the norm.

Today at work was exhausting. They've got me in the shipping department now- I'm a regular jack of all trades around here. I hope they don't need me in shipping too much, it sucks being on my feet all day!! I'll sleep well tonight, that's for sure!

BUT- before sleep, it's the Holiday Party Train!! I've never been, but taking the last scheduled train from end to end with a bunch of wackos in costume sounds like a HELL of a good time!!! I'll definitely post some pics tomorrow.

posted by Unknown @ 5:07 p.m.

Alligator by Lisa Moore

I just, just finished reading this book, and I'm not sure exactly how I feel about it. It's a deep, deep book. There's so much symbolism and imagery, and SO many metaphors; I got confused as to what was actually happening in the book and the different emotions being described. I can see why it was nominated for the Giller though, it's unlike anything else I've ever read. It makes you think, without telling you to. Like, you stop reading and start staring off into space, but you're not sure what made you stop and ponder.

There were no quotation marks, which usually drives me crazy, but it wasn't so bad in this book. My short story writing teacher said that authors will not use quotation marks in order to present themselves, and the reader, with a challenge. Normally I just think it's confusing, but in this book, the author did it well. I'm not sure what her reasoning was, but it worked. Maybe she felt it would flow better. The book did certainly flow. Her sentences would sometimes run on forever, it seemed, but they almost always worked.

Another writing tool Moore used was the flashback. Used in excess. This was also a bit confusing, as it was hard to distinguish between the current story being told and the background she was portraying. It seemed almost backwards- she'd present the characters in a setting, and then she'd explain how they got there. I guess this is just another way of telling a story, and it did feel fresh.

The ending seemed a bit abrupt. I didn't feel there was enough of a build-up to the climax, and that left me feeling like the book ended in a hurry. Most of the story ends were tied up, but there was one integral part that she left hanging. Unfortunately, the characters involved in this part of the book, Frank and Colleen, were my favourite, so I felt a bit jipped. I kept getting Isobel and Madeleine mixed up, and I didn't really care what Beverly was up to.

posted by Unknown @ 2:47 p.m.

MMMuffins...

No- not from the store... from scratch! I made these sweet sweet muffins, and they're super tasty. Here's the recipe...

Banana Crunch Muffins
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup + 2 tblsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup melted butter, cooled
1 banana mashed
1 banana, chopped
1 1/2 cups granola (it's supposed to be 1/2 cup, and then 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts, 1/2 cup of shredded coconuts, but I didn't have walnuts and I hate coconut)
2 tblsp. banana chips (I didn't have these, but I wish I had!)

- Preheat oven to 350º F. Line or grease 12 muffin cups.
- Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix in egg, milk, vanilla and butter. Fold in mashed banana, chopped banana, granola, walnuts and coconut. Scoop into muffin tins. Sprinkle with banana chips.
- Base for 25 minutes or until knife insterted into centre of muffin comes out clean. VOILA!

posted by Unknown @ 6:23 p.m.

Profound Words...

Brainstorm at the outskirts of your understanding...
That was my horoscope for the week (as provided by Freewill Astrology in Now Magazine).
What shall I think about.?
Things that are extrememly small, like atoms and molecules?
Or things that are very big, like the universe and beyong?
Or are those the same thing? Wha?!?

posted by Unknown @ 1:41 p.m.

I am not a hooker...

But I can make $65 in an hour! Participating in a focus group, that is. It actually took two hours, which kinda ticked me off, but it didn't seem like two hours, so that was good. The product in question was facial cleansers, Olay Daily Facial Cleansing Cloths, to be precise. I just can't get over the fact that each day, twice a day sometimes, you wash your face and then throw the cloth away! Hello waste!! The interviewer was a bit snippy, but each of the other women had a good vibe (there were 6 of us altogether). All in all, it was a good subway adventure. Plus my rent cheque won't bounce now!

posted by Unknown @ 10:30 p.m.