Notes from the crawl...

1) We started in Yorkville yet again, and I'm pretty sure that we saw Jude Law at our first stop. We were sitting on the patio, right by the entrance, and he was leaving. My friend and I were talking and we both stopped and gave each other a very pointed "Is that Jude Law?" look. I'm pretty sure it was, even though he had a totally awkward haircut. About 20 minutes after he left, he returned with really red eyes. Oh yeah - my first celebrity gossip scoop!

One of my coworkers at this point spilled a glass of merlot all over one of my other coworkers. The waitress brought us a spray called "Wine Away", which totally got all of the wine off her jeans. Miraculous!

2) Our second stop was a book launch. My coworker had a couple of poems published in an anthology. We stayed for all of the readings; they were mosly pretty good. However, standing in a hot little bookstore for 1.5 hrs killed the buzz that I'd gotten from stop #1.

3) We moved from the launch to dinner at a cute pub we discovered last year. I now know where to get Toronto's best Mac & Cheese.

4) We meandered to College St, were we ran into two teaching assistants from our school who thought it was hi-larious to see 6 teachers out on the town. We told them to bring us someplace to do shots and we ended up at this club that was in a garage on a side street. There we saw a few men in skirts dancing to house music. We had shots of amaretto and sambuca, and joined in on the dancing.

5) Next stop was a grungy bar that one of my coworkers loves. We slowed down our drinking pace momentarily and slowly sipped our drinks to loud rock music.

6) At our next stop, I moved on to drinking peach martinis. We then made plans for next school year - important stuff like starting a Friday lunch tradition and stuff. At this point, we were all pretty drunk and high-fiving each other a lot, because apparently, I tend to high five people a lot when I'm drunk.

7) Last stop was Sneaky Dee's - which I honestly think is the best last stop on a pub crawl because they have pretty great poutine. Anyhow, our waitress ended up spilling a plate of poutine on my coworker (who was wearing white, of course). My other coworker exclaimed "Oh no! My ketchup!" as this happened. We were all laughing hysterically at this point, and the waitress was apologizing profusely. She spent 10 mintues with us, cleaning off my coworker's sweater with baking soda and club soda as we continued to laugh. She ended up bringing us a round of apology shots.

I think it was about 4 am when I made it home. Ahhh, I love the end of the school year. :)

Thanks for the memories...

As I was watching the class of 2007 walk across the stage this evening, I remembered something: I am a member of the class of 1997, and approximately 10 years ago, I was making a similar walk. Now, that of course, was back in the day of Ontario's archaic education system where there was a grade 13 (OAC) for those who were university-bound, so I graduated from high school knowing that I'd be back again in September taking fun courses like physics and calculus.

But still - it's been 10 years since I graduated high school. Yikes!

It's been a pretty productive 10 years for sure. In that time, I completed my OAC year, got two university degrees, racked up 4 years of teaching experience, kept all of my close friends from high school, made tonnes of new ones, and developed my refined taste in cool music. Not too shabby.

Anyhow, back to my mind wanderings during the ceremony... There was at least on good thing about graduating from a St. Ratford high school. All of the graduating classes were given free tickets to a Festival Production. The play for my year was, I kid you not, Death of A Salesman. Could they not have found something more depressing? It was a good production, but I left with a "gee life sucks" feeling, which isn't particularly what one wants to feel as they move into the next chapter of their life.

Tomorrow we have our year end meeting. There are a couple of people who are leaving our school of whom I'm quite fond, so it'll be a bittersweet day. At least I'll end it with a kickass annual pub crawl. :) I think I've mentioned the pub crawl. Oh, how I'm excited for the pub crawl.

I also have my "lessons" planned for my first day of vacay (Friday). School-year habits, such as planning your days, are hard to kill during those first few days of vacay.
1) Sleep in.
2) Drink lots of water, and eat something to hopefully minimize effects of hangover.
3) Mail ring back to Sweden? (See note below)
4) Walk to children's bookstore that is near my new apartment to pre-order next Harry Potter book. I know, it's shocking that I haven't ordered yet, but I don't until I find a place that will put the book directly in my hands at midnight for at least 30% off.
5) Continue jaunt to neighbourhood library and check out a few books. I haven't done that in a long time.
6) Take books to a coffee shop and read them while enjoying a frappucino.

I love summer!

Note: Less than two weeks ago, while perusing celebrity gossip, I read about a ring made in Sweeden called Singelrigen. Bascially, it's a ring to signify that you're single, and you're cool with it, and whatever. I liked the idea, and I really the look of the ring, so I ordered one. It arrived today, but is a little too big for my ring finger (I was between sizes). It fits on my middle finger and index finger, so I'm debating whether to exchange it or keep it.

It never once bought me a drink.

No more pencils, no more books, no more students' dirty looks!

I have 2 more days officially on the clock. Exams are marked, marks are in, and I'm in the process of cleaning my desks (don't ask, but I have multiple). I have a couple more binders to organize, and a few other assorted chores, and that's it. Tomorrow night is graduation, then on Thursday we have our year-end staff meeting/lunch. And then, you know what comes after that? Pub crawl!!! Woo-hoo!!!

It's been a busy time since the fantabulous Weakerthans concert. I went to St. Ratford this weekend. The honest-to-God highlight of the weekend for me was that I went for a long walk around the river on Sunday afternoon, and a little weasel scurried past me, and stood still so that I could get a good look at him/her. I don't think I've ever seen a weasel in real-life; they're smaller than I imagined. While I was looking at the weasel, I remembed back to the mammology course I took in university and how weasels have a special jaw that clicks in just the right way that makes their bite pretty powerful, and how I was lucky that said weasel was not trying to bite me. Then, my mind wandered to a favourite line from the Simpsons: "Marge, don't discourage the boy. Weasling out of things separates us from the animals. Except the weasel."

Okay, I'll stop indulging in my weirdness now. Whose weekend highlight is seeing a weasel? Yeesh, I get stranger by the day. But honestly, I'd never seen one in real life, except for the human type, of course.

This evening I went to a wedding shower for a coworker which was conveniently held at a pub in my neighbourhood. It was fun as far as showers go; no corny games or anything like that, just people getting together and having drinks and snacks. There were teachers from a bunch of school there. It turned out that one of them was actually a Canadian pop music star from the late 1980s, whose tape I totally dug. It was kind of funny because my coworker (whose shower it was) came up and asked a group of us if we'd ever heard of the singer, and I of course was all geeky and exuberant and noted that I loved her when I was 8. So, my coworker introduced me to the woman like I was a big fan, and it was a little bit embarassing, but not too much really. It's more funny to think that I've ended up working for the same school board as a childhood idol. I had to call my mom and tell her when I got home though.

Anyhow, I should get going to bed. The faster I go to bed, the faster that I can awake and get myself to work to finish off those last pesky tasks.

Measure me in metered lines and one decisive stare.

Well last night was my enjoyability of enjoyablities - a Weakerthans concert. The long over-two-year drought is over. It was awesome to the power of infinity. My coworker who went with me teased me about how when I really like something I say "I love it/them/whatever dearly". So after the concert she said "Did you love it dearly?" and I said "Of course I loved it very dearly!"

As you know, it was in downtown Hamilton. Downtown Hamilton is pure sketch, y'all. There we were, two Toronto girls, debating where would be the safest place to park the car in a parking lot. Should we park by a nice truck? Maybe then scoundrels would break into the truck and not our car... Or perhaps the truck would just shade the car and make it an easier target. When we were driving home after the concert, we were very sure to have our doors locked. Anyway, I don't think that Hamilton's sketchy area is that bad, after all, there are some very sketchy areas of Toronto (like where I saw Joel Plaskett), but unfamiliar sketch is scarier that familiar sketch.

The venue was a total hole, but holes are fun, and my coworker loves holes so we were quite happy. The opening band, Attack in Black, were quite enjoyable. Then it was a very short while and then the Weakerthans came on! Yay! How can I describe them? I really and truly believe that they are the best live band around. Am I biased? I don't think so. All I know is that I liked the Weakerthans. Then, in the summer of 2001, I saw them live and after that I loved them dearly. After a few more shows, they became my favourite.

Anyway, they did not disappoint last night. (They could never disappoint.) They played a lot of new material, all of which was amazing. Oh new Weakerthans record, how I await you! There was even a song about curling. Also, for one of the new songs Christine Fellows took the stage and played keyboard (I think). I couldn't see much on the stage, even though the venue was tiny. All I know was at the end of the song, John K said "Christine Fellows, everyone" which I assume meant that she was playing on stage. She is someone else who I love dearly.

I also enjoy how there are songs, that on CD you might overlook or which might just not be your favourite, but when they are played live become standouts. Last night, the song "The Prescience of Dawn" totally stood out for me. My breath was taken away. It was awesome.

Below are some pictures of the show. The first one is taken from my vantage point. The others were taken by my tall coworker. In desirable traits for a concert-going-buddy, height is definitely on the list.



So that concet will definitely tide me over for awhile. I hope that there will be another long Weakerthans-concert-related post coming in the near future.

I actually don't have to be at work today because all of my exams have been written and I'm caught up on my marking. Next week, I have to go in and tie up some lose ends, and on Thursday is our year-end staff lunch and then it's good-bye to the 2006/2007 school year!

I get to laze around my apt until when I have to catch my train to St. Ratford. Happy weekend to everyone!

I know you may roll your eyes at this, but I'm so glad that you exist.

Tomorrow night is my Weakerthans concert in Hamilton. Woo-hoo! I am beyond excited for this. Now, I'm sure I'm complained a billion times on here about the fact that it's been over two years since my last Weakerthans concert, and man, am I happy to be ending that dry spell.

Initially I was going to rent a car with my dear friend Becca T to go to Hamilton for the show, but stuff happens and she can no longer go. Luckily, I have a friend at work, for whom I've made Weakerthans mixed CDs, who was more than willing to pick up the slack. Plus, she's got a car, so I do not have to deal with my Toronto/highway-driving anxieties at this point in time.

In university, my pals Becca T, Alison and I coined a lot of words in our personal lexicon. We were weird like that. One of the best was the term enjoyability (noun) which is a term for something enjoyable. A Weakerthans concerts is one of my top enjoyabilities in life. Since I'm in a happy mood, I'm going to list some more enjoyabilities, just for fun, since making a list of enjoyabilities is an enjoyability in itself.

* Today's weather - it was a little cool, but I love not sweating!
* Sitting on my balcony with a yummy Orange Mocha Frappucino from Starbucks. I'm sad that I'm moving away from said balcony. I don't go out there often enough, but man, the view is breathtaking.
* New CDs! I picked up the Silversun Pickups (haha) and Imogen Heap on a whim today.
* Students who write me happy notes on their final exams.
* The Daily Show/Colbert Report - I haven't watched them in awhile, but I did today and laughed a lot. My fave line from Colbert "Oscillating fans: pick a side - left or right. We're at war!"
* Planning end of school pub crawls.
* Nice marking pens.
* School staring a little bit later during exam week.
* Taking the train to Stratford. I complain a lot about the train's lateness, but I do enjoy sitting on the train, listening to my iPod and daydreaming. Incidentally, I'm attempting another trip home, provided I do not sleep through my train again.
* Fresh laundry. That reminds me, I'd better go get mine from the dryer. Later!

Because the air outside will make our cells divide at an alarming rate.

Oh goodness gracious, my shoulders and, for some reason that I don't understand, my neck, are sore from all of the paddling this weekend. Thank goodness today was a relatively easy day at work, with only short classes and then exams.

Anyhow, my fellow Torontonian Scott made up this meme himself, and I'm going to do it right now, before I forget. What's better than a home-made meme??

God doesn't care whether or not I follow all of the little rules. He cares that I'm trying to make my corner of the planet a little bit better and that I love my fellow humans, even though some of them make it tough sometimes.

I adore sitting in a comfy chair, reading a good book while listening to my iPod and drinking a latte.

They always say that you should keep your friends close and your enemies even closer. Lucky for me, I don't have much in the way of the latter, 'cuz it would really suck having to invite enemies to concerts.

Yeah, it's true that I'm a huge nerd, but I'm comfortable with it.

At one point I said that I would never, ever be a teacher. Mainly because at that point, I was a teenager, and lots of people said "oh, you should be a teacher" and teenagers like to be contrary like that. Trust me, I am an expert in the contrariness of teenagers.

Why should I care about celebrity gossip? It's cheap, meaningless, tacky, and crass. Yet it's the first thing I turn to after a hard day at work. It's my crack, I tell you.

Real men find smart women sexy.

I always return to St. Ratford. I love to badmouth it, and mock it, but it will always have a special place in my heart. I don't think I'll live there ever again, but I'll always have a connection to the place where I grew up. Plus a lot of my peeps still live there.

The music I love makes the soundtrack of my life. I love how I can listen to songs, and they vividly bring me back to memories of past times, and people.

I've never really had a broken heart because I keep myself way too guarded to be heartbroken by anyone. And, I've never met anyone whom I've loved enough to be hurt that deeply.

Someone told me that going to the University of Toronto would be a huge mistake because I'm not suited to living in a big city. Me - 1, that person - 0.

I can sit and pretend that summer will last forever, but Septemeber always creeps up on me.

The funny thing is I really should be cleaning my messy apartment instead of blogging. I wonder what percentage of my blog posts have been written under the auspices of procrastination?

So let go, jump in, oh well, whatcha waiting for?

This weekend was the big dragonboat festival. We had 2 races yesterday, and 2 today. The races on Saturday were the heats to determine what divisions we'd be racing in. They had put us in the wrong heats actually; we were with mixed teams when we were an all women's team. Now, we were told that we couldn't use this as an excuse; women's teams can paddle just as well or maybe better than mixed teams since women do tend to be good team players, which is what dragonboat racing is all about. Nevertheless, we came in last in our qualifying heats, but at least our times were on par with the lowest division of women's teams.

Our first race today was a diaster. We were racing again against mixed teams for the education cup. Again we finished last and had our worst time ever.

However, we had one race to go: the final for the lowest division of women's teams. We buckled down, practiced our start while sitting in rows on the grass, and stretched beforehand. We repeated our mantra for the upcoming race: reach out, head up and focus on our boat. We also had to borrow some paddlers from another team to fill our boat (a couple people left early for no good reason - boo, they're off the team next year I say).

We got yet another coach to steer us for this race. Apparently this year, everything was rather disorganized as compared to other years. We didn't even get a consistent coach from week to week, like we were supposed to. This last guy was really good; he got our sagging morale up and give us good last minute tips.

The race started. We reached out. We kept our heads up. We focussed on our boat. (Which is so much easier to do when you are not in last place with all of the other boats ahead of you.) I had no idea where we were compared to the other boats. At one point our coach said we were in third place. Everyone was screaming. For the last 100 m we paddled like crazy. The finish line got closer. The coach screamed "Go you sexy bitches!!! Reach!!" We went all out screaming like crazy. We got to the end and had no idea how we did; there were two other boats really close to us. Even at the end, we weren't sure how we did. All we cared was that we weren't last and we gave it our all.

There was less than 1 second between first and third places. One of the several coaches that we had throughout the season told us that it's often the push at the end that determines the winner. Well, the push that we gave at the end did it! We won the last race! We got a gold medal! Dammit, we were sexy bitches!!

(Note: we loved this last coach and asked him to be our coach next year. He said sure, if we were willing to drive all the way to Pickering. We were very disappointed to find out he wasn't in Toronto.)

Anyhow, below is a collage that we made to celebrate our victory complete with a medal, our trophy and our plaque.



One of my coworkers had to leave early because she had a bad knee that got really bad from being knocked against the side of the boat. We called her to tell her that we won the last race and she wouldn't believe it. Hahaha. We're all going to wear our medals to school tomorrow.

Anyhow, it was a great experience. I'm so that I decided to sign up for dragonboating. If you recall, I did so when I was a bit drunk. I honestly don't think I would have done so while sober. I'm not the most sportive of individuals, and I haven't been on any sort of sports team since fourth grade and haven't even thought about joining any sort of team since then either. It's really fun doing something unexpected and out of the norm like this, and I guess it goes to shows me that I should take more risks in life.

(Note: I just remembered that my friend begged me to be on the broomball team in teachers' college. I reluctantly agreed. We only played in one tourney I think. We were the Mighty Ducks of broomball: we didn't even have our own helmets. I think we actually won a game which made us very happy. We had no chance agains the likes of the Faculty of Pharmacy who had jerseys and were sponsered by Advil for crying out loud.)

Also, perhaps I would have been better in sports if I had had someone screaming at me "Go you sexy bitch!"

Anyhow, I think I'm going to be hurting tomorrow. But, it will be hilarious wearing my gold medal all day at school.

Well, off to do some marking. I've got two sets of projects to mark (well not complete sets, some are to come in tomorrow still, but I promised those who got them in on time I'd have them marked for tomorrow). Tomorrow is a short day of classes and then exams in the afternoon. I'm not even doing anything with my classes: I wrapped up everything on Friday. Oh summer vacay, you're getting so close that I can taste you!

We're back where we belong.

The big news is that tomorrow is my last full day of teaching for the 2006/2007 school year. I can't believe how another year has flown by. Next year will be my fifth year of being a teacher; my fourth at my school.

The year end has sort of sneaked up on me. I mean, come May/June, there's always a countdown going on in my head, but this year, I've been so busy that it's like BOOM! and there is one day left. Tomorrow I'm going to play exam review Jeopardy in my classes, and give them treats, and maybe get a little mushy on them.

I love summer vacation, of course, but it's dull compared to the school year. I have my share of days of frustration, where I feel like I'm banging my head against the wall. My school is not especially academic (although there are some really sharp knives mixed in with the spoons, so to speak), and they like to give me some of the more challenging classes to teach, which is actually a compliment. Anyhow, despite the frustrations, I have so much fun at work, and during the summer I miss the little moments that I have during the average day that make me laugh and warm my heart.

So, as an homage to the school year that was, I'm going to share some of my favourite moments from this school year, most of which are from the last few weeks.

*Kid comes in for extra help at lunch before a test. I say "So what do you need help with?" Kid looks at me as if I'm kind of dumb. "Well, science..." he says, as if I was going to help him with English. I bite my tongue and don't point out that science is a rather broad field, and I was hoping that he'd narrow it down for me.

*Kid puts up his hand during a test and asks about a particular question which was "Is your home wired in series or in parallel?" He says "I never thought to look." I do my best not to laugh and explain he is supposed to use his knowledge of circuits to figure it out.

*A couple weekends ago, I tell my period 3 class that I really like them and I'm going to miss them. To which one clever kid replies "Miss, if you're going to miss us so much, why don't you give us 5 more minutes to study for our quiz??" So I do. Then when I say put your books away, it's quiz time, they all say "Miss, but remember you are going to miss us, right? How 'bout 5 more minutes?"

*I have to teach a unit on space, which isn't my favourite because I don't know all of the answers to all the questions they have. One kid asks me "Miss, how long would it take to fly to the moon?" I reply "I don't know, I've never been." They are nice enough to laugh and leave it at that.

Anyhow, I'm going to miss them during the summer. Remind me of this when in August I start writing my whiny "I don't want to go back" posts.

Sleepless long nights that's what my youth was for.

10 random things that have been running through my mind:

1) I just ate strawberries and yogurt. Strawberries are my favourite of all the berries.

2) I'm wearing new jean capris that I bought awhile ago. I like them a lot.

3) I dance better in my mind than I do in real life.

4) I need to get a light-up sign in my room that says "Do not think about anything stressful past midnight!" The past two nights, I've been tossing and turning in bed thinking about the most ridiculous things, and gettting stressed out and irritated. Then, the next day, I realize the stupidity of my thoughts and wonder why I got all worked up. In general, I tend to be a pretty laid back person, but I guess when I'm over-tired that goes out the window.

5) I booked my movers. I just need to book the elevator and pack my stuff up. Moving day is July 14th by the way.

6) I've also booked my flights for the Western Canada Extravanganza.

7) I spent 15 minutes today looking for my misplaced keys. (They had fallen behind a chair.) I honeslty got convinced that I'd left in the door and that my sketchy neighbours across the hall must have stolen them.

8) I'm hoping that the course I'm taking this summer might be a good place to meet guys, because really, that's really the only way I can make myself look forward to it. I'm required to take this course to get my permanent contract, and I don't think it will be hard like the course I'll be taking next summer (which will result in me getting a raise). I dunno... maybe there will be guys there. But, they will be teachers. And, in theory, dating a teacher would be okay because we'd have the same vacay time, but on the other hand, teachers are an odd sort and there really aren't that many younger males in the profession... or at least not that I meet.

9) Today I ate the most delicious fudgsicle.

10) There are three more full days of teaching left. And, for two of those, we actually have shorter classes. Oh summer my friend, you are so close to being here!

I'm capsized staring at the edge of safe..

I've been trying to blog all week, but I start a post then I read over my writing and think "this is the most boring thing known to humankind!" and delete it.

This could be indicative of two things:
a) my life is really, really boring right now; or
b) I'm in June ADD mode and my attention span is just slightly higher than that of a gnat.

Anyhow here's the weekend rundown, put into a numerical list to help me organize my wandering thoughts.

1) Rowing was cancelled on Friday because of a wicked thunderstorm. Myself and a couple of coworkers got there just in time to head down to the beach, get a bunch of sand blown into our face only to meet the rest of our team running to the parking lot. We made it to our cars just before the torrential downpour.

We have one more practice (Wed night) until the big races this weekend. Hmmm, do you think the fact that we haven't practiced in a couple weeks bodes well for us?

2) Friday evening I went to a coworkers' place to beverage, eat homemade eggrolls, and play Apples to Apples (a great party card game - buy it if you don't have it!). It was good times.

3) Saturday was errand day. As well as running errands, I booked some accomodations and train travel for the upcoming Western Canada extravaganza. I still have to book my flights.

4) Today was my roommate's wedding shower out in Mississauga. It was good. Hard to believe that in a month and a couple days we're no longer going to be roommates.

5) This weekend's much repeated song on my iPod is The Con by Tegan and Sara from their upcoming album of the same name. It is fabulous. I'm excited for that album.

Did I mention that I have 5 more full days of teaching 'til exams?? Woo! I can't believe this school year is almost over!

Who'll give you time to cry and time to find yourself?

What's better than seeing two bands, ones that you would actually pay to see, for free?

Perhaps seeing them in a venue that allows the second band to play the multiple encores that you're accustomed to?

But, really, one cannot expect perfection all of the time in one's life.

Anyhow, my free Stills/Hawksley show was awesome, awesome, awesome. The Stills are a pretty great live band. Now, I'm pretty unfamiliar with their music other than the fact that I love the song "Lola Stars & Stripes", and own their CD "Logic Will Break Your Heart". (Confession: I bought that CD a long time ago and never really bonded properly with it. I think I got it as one of those 2 for $25 deals along with Damien Rice's O. Usually, when I get two CDs at once, a sort of natural selection occurs and one CD prevails over the other. I really will listen to more of the Stills now that I've seen them live.)

After a good set by The Stills, my dear friend Hawksley took the stage for what I think is the eighth time I've seen him. He put on a good show as always and played a good mix of newer stuff and old classics that I love. He also had quite a few rockstar moments during songs like Anger as Beauty, Smoke, Baby, and Jealous of Your Cigarette. He is such a great live perfomer.

The show was at the Harbourfront Centre which is a good outdoor venue with covered seats (thankfully since it started to pour at one point). The only thing that sucks about the HC is that it is near a bunch of condos, so the music can only be so loud, and the band must be done at 11 pm, which limits encores. However, tonight it was a bit more special there was a light show going on a the same time as a part of Luminato (a 10 celebtration of all things creative that's going on right now in Toronto).

Anyhow, I must say that my concert-going of 2007 has hit a better stride then in the beginning of the year. I've had Ben Folds, Great Lake Swimmers, The Joel Plaskett Emergency, Hawksley Workman, and, in 2 weeks and 2 days, the Weakerthans. I may not have quantity, but I definitely have quality.

You gotta roll with the punches to get to what is real.

Remember how I said that the cancellation of rowing practice was going to allot me a bit of extra time before I caught my train? Well, I decided that perhaps a little nap was in order. I didn't worry about setting an alarm clock or anything since it was only 5 pm, and my train didn't leave until 10. Well, apparently a busy week with performance appraisals, accompanying 92 kids to the science centre and very warm temperatures takes its toll on a person. I didn't wake up from my little nap until 9:37, thereby missing my train.

However, it might be a blessing in disguise... I was able to cancel my ticket (however, I incurred $25 worth of cancellation charges 'cuz I'd gotten the discounted tickets... boo!) and I'm sticking in Toronto for the weekend. I have a tonne of work to get done, not to mention the usual chores and errands. Staying here will facilitate everything much better. I was able to get a lot of the chore and errand type things done yesterday, so here I am on Sunday procrastinating the inevitable schoolwork.

And what better way to do that then to fill in the latest survey that's been making the Facebook rounds? (For the record, I prefer doing surveys the old-fashioned way still: on my blog.)

1. Initials: CAW

2. Name someone with the same birthday as you: Matt Groening!! I think that says a lot.

3. Favorite fruit? Bananas and strawberries.

4. For or against same sex marriage? Very much so.

5. Are you allergic to anything? Not that I know of.

6. Are you bisexual? I don't think so.

7. Have you ever slept in someone else’s clothes? Yup.

8. How many U.S states have you been to? 10. Might add another one this summer.

9. How many of the U.S states have you lived in? Zer0.

10. Have you ever lived outside the U.S? Always.

11. Name something physical you like about yourself? I like my hands.

12. Something non-physical you like about yourself? I've always been a fan of my brain.

13. Do you have any pets? Not at the moment, but I plan to get a cat when I've moved into the new apartment and have returned from my summer travels.

14. What is your dream car? Mint Green hybrid VW Beetle. I don't think VW does hybrids yet, but one can dream. Actually, if I've dreaming, maybe it'll be a Mint Green VW Beetle that gets 100 Ks to a thimble-ful of corn oil.

15. If you could go anywhere in the world where would you go? I'd love to go back to the UK. Also, I really want to visit France and Greece and Italy and ....

16. Are you bipolar? I don't think so.

17. What dream car do you want your husband/wife to drive? An environmentally friendly one. That's all I ask.

18. Where would you want to go on a first date? Depends on whether it's a good first date or a bad first date... A good first date could be anywhere, quite frankly. But if it's bad, I just ask for lots of escape exits.

19. Would you date the person who posted this before you? Hmmm... it would give me a good excuse for going back to the UK. ;)

20. Has anyone ever sang or played for you personally? Yup.

21. Ever been kissed under fireworks? No... I tend to lead a life void of anything that resembles romance.

22. What was the last text message you received? Becca T saying that she got my message.

23. Have you ever bungee jumped? Nope.

24. Have you ever white water rafted? Nope.

25. Has anyone ten years older than you ever hit on you? I'm sure, but I don't keep a tally of these things.

26. Are you racist? I don't think so.

27. What song are you listening to right now? Just Friends by Amy Winehouse

28. What's your favorite song at the moment? Hmmm... maybe either Lazy Eye by the Silversun Pickups or 1234 by Feist

29. What was the last movie you watched? Pirates of the Carribean 3. Boo.

30. Where was the last place you went besides your house? The mall.

31. Have you ever seriously vandalized someone else's property? No.

32. Have you ever hit someone of the opposite sex? Of course.

33. What's the first thing you notice about the opposite sex? I'd have to say how they are dressed.

34. What's your fav. body part on the opposite sex? Forearms and eyes.

35. What do you usually order from Starbucks? Right now a Grande Light Orange Mocha Frappucino is my heaven in a cup.

36. Say something totally random about yourself: I'm a klutz.

37. Do you have an iPod? Yes!!!

38. Has anyone ever said you looked like a celebrity? My friend Becca T told me that I have the same eyes as Mike Myers (the comedian - not the psycho from the Halloween movies.)

39. Do you have freckles? Nope.

40. Are you comfortable with your height? Yeah. It's average.

41. Do you love something right now? See questions #35 and #37.

42. How tall are you? 5’6"

43. Do you speak any other language other than english? A little tiny insignficant amount of French, but it's very rusty.

44. Have you ever ridden in a limo? It was the only good thing about my high school prom.

45. Has anyone you were really close to passed away? Yes.

46. Do you watch MTV? Never.

48. What's something that really annoys you? People who are nasty and disagreeable and petty.

50. Do you like Michael Jackson? I will quote Bart Simpson - "It's just something that's made up to frighten kids like the boogeyman or Michael Jackson."

51. Have you ever surfed? No.

52. Do you know how to pump gas? Yes, but I prefer if someone else does it.

53. Do you drive? Only when in St. Ratford. Although, I will be overcoming my fear of driving in Toronto in a few weeks.

54. What's the latest you have ever stayed out? All night.

55. Have you ever thought that you were honestly going to die? Not in the immediate future though, but I am aware of the inevitable.

56. Were you ever rushed by an ambulance into the emergency room? No.

57. Have you ever been dared to do something you didn't want to do? Probably. Nothing stands out though.

58. What's your favorite state to live in? A perpetual state of happiness and dogoodery works for me. -> I'll go with Claire's answer.

59. What color is your hair? Brown with blonde highlights for summer.

60.What color are your eyes?Brown.

61. Do you have any special talents? Lots.

62. Favorite non-alcoholic drink? Chocolate Milk.

63. Favorite city? I love London England and Syndney Australia but deep down it's always gonna be Toronto.

64. Have you ever ridden a mechanical bull? Good Lord no.

65. If you were working on a pirate ship, what would you most likely be? I'd probably get stuck mopping the poopdeck... But, if one Captain Jack Sparrow was on said ship I'd like to be his romantic lead, even if the last movie did suck.

66. Who do you live with? With my roommate. Only for 6 more weeks though. :(

67. Last thing you watched on TV? The news.

68. Do you wear glasses or contacts? Neither.

69. Have you ever taken a roadtrip? Tonnes of times. My favourites involve bands (such as the Sloan roadtrip and the upcoming Weakerthans roadtrip.)

Don't be a stranger to the danger that is kissing you.

Ahhh!! I am hyper and overstimulated!! I just found out that Hawksley Workman is playing *for free* on Monday evening at the Harbourfront. Was that not the most pleasant surprise that I've ever come across in my life?? Perhaps.

Other things that are overstimulating me:

a) The fact that it's only 21 more days 'til my Weakerthans roadtrip to Hamilton.
b) Trip-planning. This summer's trip will be a Western Canada extravaganza (isn't everything more fun when you call it an extravaganza?). I'm just fleshing out the details now, but I believe that some booking will commence very shortly. I'm excited. I must say that I do like planning a trip.
c) Only 12 more teaching days. Well, really only 11. The last one doesn't count.
d) I can't believe June is starting soon. That reminds me, I gotta write my roommate the last rent cheque ever for this apartment. That's crazy. I'm going to miss this living arrangement.

Obstacles that are standing in my way:
a) Massive pile of marking.
b) Exams to be written.
c) Tests/quizzes/etc. still to give.

All right, I really should go to bed. Happy weekend everyone!

ps Rowing is cancelled for tomorrow. :( Although, that buys me a few hours of time to write exams, clean my apt, or more likely procrastinate before my train leaves.

Don't get down, don't waste time on things that you can't ever change...

Man, this time of yearing is busy. I wish that there was some sort of gradual wind-down during the last three weeks of classes, but no luck. I have a work to-do list a mile long, not to mention my to-do list in my personal life here. What's that? Yes, yes, you are on the top my of list piles of clothing on the floor. I hear that you want to picked up and I'll get to it soon, I swear.

Anyhow, the beginning of this week was made even more busy by the fact that I was due for a teaching appraisal at work. Basically, the principal comes in and sits in on one of your classes and watches you teach. The good thing is that they let you pick the class and the lesson, so you can take out your best tricks. Being a science teacher, I of course planned a lab for my appraisal. So, really, it made my life easy and the whole thing went really well. Anyway, I'm just glad that it's over.

Nothing much more exciting is happening this week. On Friday, I have rowing practice and then I'm taking the late train to St. Ratford. I also have exams due next week, and it doesn't look like I'll get to them this week, so I'll be working on those this weekend. Woo-hoo (insert sarcastic look here).

In stupidity news, the TTC or the city or someone without much going on upstairs has decided to erect 5 yellow poles for bicycles outside the entrance to the subway station near my house. Normally, I used to exit the station and turn left towards the intersection, but now there are these dumb poles in the way. These poles slow people down because they have to walk around them, and it is really annoying. Why would anyone decide to put up these poles in a high traffic area? I really should take a picture of the ridiculousness... Anyway, that makes me glad that I'm moving one station north.

Next on tap is me going to bed early. That never happens, but I am exhausted.

Paid the cover, saw the show...

My emo-shoes went to their first concert tonight and had a blast.

The concert was the Joel Plaskett Emergency. The venue was the Opera House. I've actually never been to the Opera House before. It's a great venue, albeit in a slightly sketchy neighbourhood. I had a friend who lived pretty close to there in university. I'm sure she'll be pleased to know that the skeevy strip joint is still around... Anyhow, the Opera House is great. The stage is really cool because it has this ornate moulding around it. I definitely would like to go to another concert there again.

The opener was Peter Elkas. Becca T and I had seen him open for Joel during a solo show at a littl place called Hugh's Room a couple of years ago. This was an amazing show that I think both of us might place in our top 10 favourite shows of all-time. It was little and intimate and made you feel like you were one of Joel's friends that he invited over to entertain. I've never had that feeling from a concert before.

Anyhow, Peter Elkas was a great opener. I'd describe his music as straight-up rock. I'd compare him to Sam Roberts, but perhaps more because he really looks like him, as opposed to sounding like him. Peter Elkas also had a really great backing band, which is always helpful. During his performance, we remembered that we'd also seen him open for Sloan once, so this was our third Peter Elkas experience and by far the best. He also played with the Joel Plaskett Emergency, so I have to award him bonus marks for being up on stage so long.

Joel Plaskett and his Emergency band were fabulous. I love when one of your favourite artists comes out on stage and you feel like you're seeing an old friend. He started by playing a few songs from his enjoyable new album Ashtray Rock. Then, he mellowed a bit by playing some stuff from his solo-acoustic album La De Da. He played the song Natural Disaster, which *may* just be my favourite Joel Plaskett song, and that started the sing alongs. After that the band came back and they really started playing a lot of the older stuff and everyone was singing along. It was so much fun. Joel Plaskett is such an amazing performer and songwriter.

Becca T and I commented after the show how we'd forgotten how many truly fabulous Joel Plaskett songs there are. I definitely think he's one of Canada's most underrated performers. He's gotten some radio play, and his song Nowhere With You was in a beer commercial, but he should be a household name. But, then again, I like my performers underrated so that I can go see them in small-ish venues.

Anyhow, the concert was obviously the high point of my weekend. Becca T and I went to see Pirates of the Carribean 3 today. It was way too long and had too much action in it. I would have preferred more Johnny Depp and more funny moments. The people responsible for this movie should have re-watched the first and made notes about why that one was really good and applied this to the third.

Friday night I didn't do much except for my dragonboat practice. It's so fun. The hardest part is getting in and out of the darned boat. I scraped my knee getting out... Only 2 more practices 'til the races though.

Tomorrow I have errands to run and a massive pile of marking to deal with. I miss the length of last weekend.

Update

I went to see the apartment again and put in an application. I just have to be approved and then I will have it.

I am relieved to have made a decision and to not have to look anymore. I am going to miss this place though.

I count to three and grin...

I love short weeks; tomorrow is Wednesday already!

Okay, I have lots of exciting pieces of news to relay:

1) Weakerthans Road Trip!! On June 21st, the Weakerthans are playing a one-off show in Hamilton. My dear friend Becca T and I are going to go. We got our tickets yesterday! Back in university, the Weakerthans played in Hamilton, and we made the trip by GO Bus. It resulted in us getting lost in the sketchy part of town, almost freezing to death and spending the hours betwee 2 and 5 am in a Tim Hortons, but it was good times and a great concert. We're going to re-live the experience, but this time going by rental car, which will not only get us to the concert, but help us deal with our collective fears of driving in Toronto. Anyhow, I'm very excited. My two-year drought of not seeing the Weakerthans is almost over!

2) As you know, my roommate is getting married, which is why I have to move. The wedding is in Vancouver. I've been planning on making the trip, but part of me had not confirmed because I hadn't secured a travel buddy. Well, my dear friend Becca T has decided to not only join me on the above Weakerthans road trip, but also to Vancouver! And, she apparently knows someone with a farmhouse who will let us stay there for free. Yay!

3) I have a second date with the apartment that I saw on Saturday. I kept thinking about how much I liked it, and after talking to a bunch of people, I might just go for it and be done with the hunting process. I'm going to go see it again tomorrow after work, and if it lives up to what I remember, I will probably go for it. I'll keep you posted.

Other random tidbits from the weekend:
a) a coworker lent me season 1 of Arrested Development. I'd never really watched it and I have to say that I am enjoying it muchly.
b) I am sooooooooo going to miss the view from this apartment. Last night Becca T and I were able to watch all sorts of fireworks from my window. We could see all of the big shows across the city.
c) Only four more weeks of classes for me to teach. Then, exams and it's summer!

You are surely special; I like you, I like you, a-la-la.

Long weekend rundown thus far:

1) I think my arms have finally become un-sore from dragonboat practice last night. It was another beautiful afternoon and it was a good practice. I believe we're getting slightly better. Afterwards, we had drinks and dinner at a cafe down by the water where we practice. A fun night in all.

2) Today I looked at two apartments. I really liked the first one. It only had two cons on my list: 1) no balcony and 2) not a great view. Now, quite honestly, I have lived in two apartments with balconies, and I don't use them enough so I don't think I'd really notice if I didn't have one. Also, I'm a spolied brat with my awesome south-facing (ie the lake and the city skyline) view. The second apartment had a really small balcony, which made me think that maybe it's better to have no balcony than a crappy balcony. It also had a pretty great north-facing view. But, it was so tiny compared to the first, more expensive, and the bathroom was super crappy. So that one's a definite no.

I have an appointment to see an apartment that may be similar to the first but with a balcony on Tuesday. Then, next Saturday I have a appointment to see another apartment that is a little more expensive than what I've been looking at, but in neighbourhood where I'd love to move. I'll prolly make a few more appointments on that Saturday too, and maybe hopefully, I'll just make up my mind and pick a place.

3) This afternoon I met a friend at Yorkdale mall (inferior to the Eaton Centre in my rankings of big Toronto malls) for some shopping and dinner. I picked up the new Rufus Wainwright CD, a couple pairs of shorts for summer (woo!) and a new lipstick. Now, this lipstick is totally blog worthy for the following reasons:

a) its tube is made from corn and is compeletly biodegradable;
b) its box contains wildflower seeds so you can plant it;
c) the name of the shade is "Killarney" because it is inspired by Killarney National Park in Ireland, which I visited last summer. I won't be able to go there again this summer, but I can wear a lipstick inspired by it, dammit!

4) Tonight I plan to lay low and watch SNL and eat popcorn.

5) Tomorrow's plan is to run errands and such, and then go see Shrek with a couple of friends. And, I will also enjoy the absence of the usual Sunday night blues because Monday's Victoria Day!

You won't forget a beautiful brunnette with eyes of chocolate...

I stole this from a friend's Facebook note. I couldn't resist this survey, and I have some work that I need to do before going to bed, and what's a better way to procrastinate than a long survey?

Tired of all of those surveys made up by high school kids?'Have you ever kissed someone?''Missed someone?''Told someone you loved them?''Drank alcohol?'Here are 50 questions for the people who are a little more "mature"...

1. What bill do you hate paying the most?
Visa. All other bills lead to the Visa, so it's the mother of all bills. Why, why, why do I never win what I buy?

2. Where was the last place you had a romantic dinner?
Oh gosh, I don't remember. I don't have romantic dinners enough in my life. :(

3. Last time you puked from drinking?
After my friend Joanna's wedding (not anywhere near the actual wedding... I'm not that bad of a guest...) in 2001. Thank goodness that my friend Sandra's boyfriend was nice enough to hold my hair for me. My date was useless. And, he was the reason that I got drunk, because we placed bets on the music during the reception and I lost a lot, hence the reason I ended up in my sorry state.

4. When is the last time you got drunk and danced on a bar?
I've never danced on a bar. On tables, yes. Last time would be during a shed party in high school. (Remember, St. Ratford is surrounded by farmland.)

5. Name of your first grade teacher?
I skipped first grade.

6. What do you really want to be doing right now?
I'd love to be at a Weakerthans concert.

7. What did you want to be when you were growing up?
A writer.

8. How many colleges did you attend?
U of T for both of my degrees.

9. Why did you choose the shirt that you have on right now?
I'm wearing a pink tshirt for two reasons: 1) it's comfy; 2) it matches my stiped pj pants.

10. GAS PRICES?
Don't drive, don't care. (Sorry to those of you who drive, I hear they're high.)

11. If you could move anywhere and take someone with you?
I'm honestly really happy where I am now. I love Toronto. Okay, if I had to go, I'd move to London England and take my friend Becca T. Or maybe Ireland. Or maybe Wales. Or maybe...

12. First thought when the alarm went off this morning?
Thank goodness it's a late-start day so I don't have to rush off.

13. Last thought before going to sleep last night?
I don't remember.

14. Favorite style of underwear?
I don't care as long as they're comfy and not granny panties, of course.

15. Favorite style of underwear for the opposite sex?
Boxers.

16. What errand/chore do you despise?
All of them. Probably cleaning floors is the highest. Or bringing down the mountain of recycling that piles up way too fast.

17. If you didn't have to work, would you volunteer?
I hope that I would.

18. Get up early or sleep in?
Sleep in all of the way!!

19. What is your favorite cartoon character?
Mr. Burns.

20. Favorite NON sexual thing to do at night with a girl/guy?
Go to a concert.

21. Have you found real love yet?
Nope.

22. When did you first start feeling old?
I'm not sure. Maybe when I hit 26.

23. Favorite 80's movie?
Say Anything. Love the young John Cusack.

24. Your favorite lunch meat?
Turkey.

25. What do you get every time you go into Sam's Club? Or Walmart?
I don't go to those places.

26. Beach or lake?
Ummm, here you can easily get both at the same time. This questions confuses me.

27. Do you think marriage is an outdated ritual?
No.

28. How many people do you stalk on Facebook?
I wish I had the time to stalk on Facebook.

29. Favorite guilty pleasure?
Oh my. I am the queen of guilty pleasures. Let's just say there are some songs on my iPod that are soooooooooooo uncool, but I love sooooooo much.

30. Favorite movie you wouldn't want anyone to find out about?
Ummmm... I'm not sure. I am totally comfortable that I love and own a cinematic classic such as "Win A Date with Tad Hamilton!"

31. What's your drink?
Alcoholic = amaretto and cranberry juice. Non-alcoholic = chocolate milk. Starbucks = grande non-fat, sugar-free cinnamon dolce latte with sprinkles.

32. Cowboys or Indians?
Indians.

33. Cops or Robbers?
Cops.

34. Who from high school would you like to run into?
I keep in contact with everyone that I like. So, there's no one I particularly miss. Oh actually, I wouldn't mind running into some of my teachers, especially my science teachers. I'd like to borrow some of their resources.

35. What radio station is your car radio tuned to right now?
No car.

36. Norm or Cliff?
Definitely Norm.

37. The Cosby Show or the Simpsons?
LOL. Do I even have to say???

38. Worst relationship mistake that you wish you could take back?
Ummm, I never make mistakes. I'm perfect. ;) Yup, that's it. That's why I'm single...

39. Do you like the person who sits directly across from you at work?
No one really sits across from me. Except for my students. And I like them. Well, most of them.

40. If you could get away with it, who would you kill?
No one.

41. What famous person(s) would you like to have dinner with?
George Strombolopolous. Actually, that would be a mess. I can't focus even on his TV show because he's too attractive to me. So... I'm going to go with David Suzuki. That would be safe and enlightening.

42. What famous person would you like to sleep with?
LOL There are a lot. But, I think that this would be a better George Strombolopolous option than #41. And Jim from The Office. Not the actor, but the actual character.

43. Have you ever had to use a fire extinguisher for its intended purpose?
No

44. Last book you read for real?
I haven't finished a book since March Break. That was the Josephine B Trilogy. I've started about 4 books since then, but I haven't had luck getting through them. I think it's attributed to that I'm going through a crappy book-picking period and a short attention span.

45. Do you have a teddy bear?
Yes. I just bought one in January from Starbucks because it was on sale and oh-so-fashionably attired in a red parka.

46. Strangest place you have ever brushed your teeth?
No where that stands out.

47. Somewhere in California you've never been and would like to go?
The Winchester Mystery House! I've wanted to go there since I was a kid and I saw it on a TV show about haunted houses. I'd really love to go at Halloween, but that'll have to wait until I'm retired. (Oct. 31st 2035 will be the first Halloween of my retirement. Yes, I know it's scary that I know when I'll retire, but they send you stuff in the mail with that date printed on it, so how can you not remember that?)

48. Do you go to church?
Yup.

49. At this point in your life would you rather start a new career or a new relationship?
New relationship for sure. I like my career.

50. Just how OLD are you?
27

Why'd ya have to break all my heart?

Internet poll: Should I buy the new Rufus Wainwright album?

(Currently I'm reacquainting myself with Want One and thinking, yes, a new Rufus album would be a worthwhile investment.)

We've been having wicked thunderstorms this evening. I love thunderstorms.

Moving pictures, silent films.

I haven’t posted in awhile. I wish that I could say it was because my life has been super exciting and busy with many social activities and romantic dalliances, but alas it hasn’t. I’ve been spending the nice weather outside lots just walking aimlessly accompanied by my trusty iPod. On Tuesday, I did get together for beer and greasy food with a long-lost friend who I recently found on Facebook, so I guess I can’t say I’ve been a complete social recluse. Also, I did have dragonboat practice on Friday night. I am enjoying this endeavour thus far; who says that drunk people don’t make good decisions? This is something I never would have signed up while sober. I guess the moral of the story is that I would have been involved more in athletic activities in my life if I was a heavy drinker. Yup, I’m pretty sure that’s the moral.

I spent the weekend in St. Ratford for Mothers’ Day and my mom’s birthday which is in a couple days. I didn’t even phone any friends; I figured it’d be good to stick around home and watch movies with the ‘rents. I saw The Queen (v. good) and The Pursuit of Happyness (not bad). Also, I got my hair coiffed and highlighted for summer. I haven’t touched my hair colour in three years after a very traumatic highlighting experience, but I decided it was time to jump back on that horse, and I’m glad I did since I’m pleased with the results. I also indulged in the purchase of some new summer clothing. It’s getting hot inside my school, so I need some lighter stuff.

Right now I’m on the train and I can’t focus on a book or even a sudoku puzzle. A lot of the time when I take the train, I’m content sitting, listening to music, staring out the window and letting my mind drift (often into sleep), but for some reason that’s not working tonight, so I decided to pull out my laptop and write. I might actually write some posts that have been kicking around my old brain and post them next time I’m blocked.

Note: The writing of posts did not go well. I started, then got distracted by a game of spider solitaire, then got of a bit of a headache from staring at a computer screen on a bumpy train. I suppose those posts will have to kick around my brain awhile longer

Also, the train actually got me home on time for once. *Gasp!* That rarely happens. Anyhow, when I got to my apartment, there were three police cars outside. Weird. There were a couple of officers in the lobby, but no commotion, thankfully. Wonder what was up...

I thought I heard the sweetest guitar...

Another Monday closer to summer. It's a bit early, but yearnings for summer are rattling in my bones. The weather's getting warmer, the sun's a bit brighter, and flowers are in bloom. Where else can my mind wander but to the inevitable fact that this nice weather will conclude in a couple months of my life not being ruled by bells.

Okay, I swear I won't bring up the fact I'm looking forward to summer again until after the long weekend.

Speaking of long weekends, I've decided that I will officially start the apartment hunt that weekend. I actually got my room somewhat clean last night; now I'm thinking about how I'm really going to miss this apartment and perhaps this area.

Tonight my friend Becca T dropped by and we had fun watching last week's office episode (hilarious), playing cards, listening to music and watching vintage SNL on YouTube. It kind of felt like university again, in that more or less we talked about the same stuff and made the same corny jokes. I love the comfort of the familiarity of old friendships.

Speaking of old friendships, I am soooooooooo addicted to my new Tori Amos CD. It's a huge album (23 songs), and I've pared it down to 15 favourites that I've put on their own playlist. Right now I'm addicted to two specific songs: Programmable Soda and Roosterspur Bridge. The first is just a super fun song, the second makes me feel wistful for the past, specifically for what I'm not sure, but it just evokes this bittersweet melancholy in me. I suppose I'm attracted to that feeling right now since I'm on the cusp of change in my life, and I'm not a fan of change. So, bittersweet melachonly suits my mood.

I think any Toriphile will dig her new album. There was a bit of hype of this album being a throwback to her earlier stuff. It seems more of a natural progression from the last album as opposed to going back to earlier stuff. I'm really connecting with the songs to the point where I can feel them just becoming part of my cells.

I wasn't a Tori fan until I worked at the art gallery in St. Ratford for a summer while I was in university. Another summer student left her Tori CD (Under the Pink) at the front desk, and I started to listen to it during the last hour of my shift when there would be no visitors in the gallery and I was more or less killing time. Even though I wasn't a fan of the music at first, it somehow became part of me and I missed it when my summer job was over, so I bought it. After that, I started listening to other Tori songs here and there, and I grew into a fan. It helped that one of my good university friends was a huge Tori fan and we bonded over her.

Speaking of my Tori-friend, I haven't seen him since my 26th bday but we reconnected over Facebook and are going for drinks tomorrow after work. So, Facebook does have practical applications uses, ie reconnecting with old friends that you actually like, in addition to wasting lots of time.

Anyhow, tonight while Becca T and I played cards, I put on my new Feist. It's actually the first time I listened to the whole album through, and I liked it a lot. Woo-hoo for great albums.

But baby I don't need your cash, Mama got it all in hand now.

I went for a really long walk in the cemetary today, and made all kinds of amusing observations that I thought would make a great blog post, but alas, I forget most of them (other than the fact that magnolia trees in bloom are very pretty). I came across this survey on Claire's blog, so I figured I'd steal it.

1. Does anyone know your password to your MySpace besides yourself?
I refused to join MySpace so the answer is no. But no one knows any of my other passwords either.

2. What was the last thing you ordered at McDonalds?
Probably fries and a strawberry sundae.

3. Are you an emotional person?
In public, no; I think I have a calm, easy-going demeanor. I can get very emo in private though.

4. Do you like your middle name?
Yes I do. Alexandra is a fabulous name, as other bloggers will attest.

5. Do you believe in love at first sight?
For shoes, yes. For people, I'm not sure. If I ever experience it, I'll let you know.

6. Does the person you like, know that you like them?
No.

7. What was the last thing you did?
I checked all of my fave blogs and commented. But before that, I went grocery shopping.

9. Who was the last person you ate with?
Probably my roommate. I think we had dinner together at some point this week. I've been too busy at lunch this week to actually eat lunch, so I don't think I haven't even eaten with any colleagues lately.

10. What song are you listening to right now?
Bouncing Off Clouds by Tori Amos. Love it.

11. How's the weather right now?
It was sunny today, but right now the sun is setting. A nice day; temperature of about 17 degrees Celsius.

12. Last person who called you?
My pal Becca T.

13. Last lie you told?
Hmmmm.... I don't remember. I rarely actually tell lies, although I think up a lot of lies.

14. Last song you sang?
1234 by Feist.

15. Do you love anyone?
Family and friends of course.

16. Lost a friendship over something stupid?
Not since elementary school.

17. Last thing you drank?
Diet Coke.

18. Last thing you ate?
A Frosty from Wendy's. Mmm.

19. Where do you wish you were?
I'd love to be back in the UK.

20. Faked being sick to miss school?
I try to do that once per semester for my mental health. :)

21. What time did you wake up today?
About 10 am.

22. Last person you talked to in person?
My roommate.

23. last person who made you laugh?
My roommate.

24. What are you wearing right now?
My fave jeans, a green t-shirt, and a corduroy jacket. And a Christie subway station button on my jacket.

25. What’s the first thing you notice about the opposite sex?
Eyes.

27. Where are you right now?
My bedroom in my apartment. Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Planet Earth.

28. What day and date is it?
Saturday May 5th.

29. Did you go anywhere today?
Walked around the cemetary and to the grocery store.

30. What did you do there?
I think it's self evident.

31. What else are you doing today?
I'm not sure. Perhaps going for a latte.

32. Are you watching TV?
No.

33. Are you mature or immature?
A bit of both, I think.

34. Who are you closer to, your mum or your dad?
I'm pretty close to both, but in different ways. I talk to mom about emotional stuff, whereas I joke around with Dad more.

36. What school(s) did you go to?
St. Al's elem school, St. Mike's high school, U of T (SMC) and U of T (OISE).

37. What's the most annoying thing people say to you?
Coming from students "I'm not late" when they walk into class late. I'm trying to train them to say "Sorry Miss, I am late because..."

38. Do you like music?
I love it. I don't know what I'd do without it.

39. Do you want to get married?
Yes, if I come across the right person. And hopefully that won't happen 'til I 30, because I'd enjoy a few more years of being single.

41. Where did you go on vacation last summer?
England, Wales, Ireland.

42. Would you bungee jump?
Good Lord no.

43. Do you like rollercoasters?
Not anymore.

44. Is there anything you wish for every summer?
That summer would not end. :)

45. Do you use chopsticks?
Yup. Took me awhile to master them though.

46. What's your favorite meal of the day?
Dinner - I can take my time eating and I get dessert.

47. Thinking of someone right now?
Nope.

48. Concerned about life right now?
No more than usual.

49. Have you ever tripped going up the stairs?
Oh yeah.

50. What are you looking forward to this spring?
The end of spring because it means summer.

Gonna turn that whiskey into rain.

Happy May Day! I was looking forward to this day because firstly, I think May is going to be less busy work-wise than April (or so I hope) and secondly, it's two-CD Tuesday! I love looking foward to a Tuesday when one highly-anticipated CD comes out, but when there are two, what more can I say than fantabulous. Today was the release day for the new Tori Amos CD American Doll Posse and Feist's The Reminder. Of course, the first thing that I did when I was done work was to head straight to a music store to pick up both CDs, including the deluxe limited-edition version where applicable (Tori).

I also took a bit of a detour on my way home after that. On Sunday, I browsed around the shoe department at the Bay. I came across a pair of Converse All-Stars that could only be described using one word: emo-licious. They had little pink broken hearts on them for crying out loud. But, on Sunday, I was well-behaved. I said "No Christielli, you do not need new shoes. Why, just yesterday, you purchased yourself a nice pair of grown-up shoes with pretty understated gold-flowers on them, fun straps, and heels that make you sound like a grown-up as you walk down the halls in them. " However, the running shoes have been in the back of my mind since Sunday, and especially today at school when it was dress down day and they would have looked oh-so-cool with my jeans. Since the Bay was just by where I picked up my new CDs, I had to give in.

Here's a picture of them, in all of their emo-liciousness.


I look forward to wearing them to many rock concerts. Their first show will be Joel Plaskett. I also picked up those tickets today while getting my CDs, and had an enjoyable Joel Plaskett conversation with the record store clerk who was sort-of-kind-of-cute in a geeky way, but probably too young. (He said he'll be at the Plaskett show.)

Now that I'm done with my shoe babbling, I'll move onto other new topics.

In I-don't-know-what-I've-got-'til-it's-gone news, the beginning of May is a bit sad despite new CDs. I own an Office calendar, and April was Jim Halpert month. I don't feel that I took enough advantage of enjoying Jim's picture during April. May is The Temp month. I have nothing against the Temp, but he's no Jim. Not even close. Maybe I should just leave the calendar at April forever.

In I'm-really-not-completely-vapid-despite-this-post-being-mostly-about-shoes news, I bought a great book recently: Ecoholic by Adria Vasil. Vasil writes a column of the same name in Now magazine. She dispenses advice for greener-living for those of us who are addicted to the planet. (Hi, my name is Christielli and I'm a total Ecoholic.) Anyhow, I'm going to try and green myself up one step at a time. I recently got a grocery bag made from old water bottles so that I can end my dependence on evil one-time plastic bags. Note: remembering to bring the bag with me is the hard part. My second step is to try and buy more locally-grown food. There's a farmer's market every Thursday in the community centre by my school. This Thursday, I'm going to go for the first time ever and see what I can score. And I'll remember my grocery bag.

Anyhow, I must go listen to my new CDs. So far Tori's 6 for 6 of the songs I've listened to. Happy humpday tomorrow.

Take by the hand and tell me you would take my anywhere.

Another weekend done. Another Monday on the horizon. I find that I'm always a tad nervous before another week starts. I feel like there is so much I have to do over the course of the upcoming week, and I honestly don't know if I'll get it done. However, by the time Monday finishes, I always feel so much better. If Mondays could somehow be eliminated, I'd feel so much better.

I feel like I had an overall productive weekend. After getting my taxes done on Friday, I spent Saturday sleeping in, shopping (new shoes!), and doing laundry. Today, I got some more shopping in, including food shopping and some organizing done.

I feel like my belongings are such a mess. I have so much useless crap that I have to go through. While doing laundry, I was able to go through my closet and get rid of a huge garbage bag full of clothes that I don't want any more. The scary thing is that I know there is probably more clothing in there that I could get rid of. How is it possible that something I liked enough to buy two years ago now looks so ugly to me?

I also bought the paper shredder that I've been meaning to buy for, well, forever. I have a bad habit of shoving papers into a shopping bag under my desk, or a couple of shoes boxes on my desk, as opposed to dealing with them. Most of them are just bank statements and those stupid cheques that come with your credit card. Anyway, tonight I spent about half an hour shredding, so I'm feeling likeI fought the paper war, and I'm winning right now.

Anyway, I feel that I'm on my way to organizing my life so that I'll be able to uproot it easily come the end of July when I'll be moving.

Happy Monday everyone.

ps This may be the most boring blog post in the history of blogging, so I'd better liven it up with by revealing some secrets:

a) I cannot focus on The Hour with George Strombolopolous because he's too attractive. He could be talking about a very important issue that I'm interested in but I don't hear the words he speaks. It's a problem because I think it's a good show.
b) I like P!nk. Total guilty pleasure.

You cannot fight me, you don't have to like me...

I just noticed that this is my 400th post. I'm always amazed at how long I've kept this thing up.

Anyhow, woo-hoo for weekends. Especially weekends that feel just a tad longer. Yesterday was a PD day, and it was one that was held away from school - actually, at a beautiful botannical garden.

Yesterday was dragonboat practice #2. It was quite a bit colder out than the first time we practiced. However, I felt that it was a much better practice because the coach made us do more drills this time. We had a different coach, a 22 year old guy who was even't a coach, and he was much better than last week's "I've been coaching for 10 years" guy. I actually felt like I'd had a good workout by the end of practice and really enjoyed myself this week.

Last night I also did my taxes, which I'd put off for a while. This year I owe money for the first time ever in my life ($29!). Aren't I supposed to pay fewer taxes when there's a Conservative government??? Stupid Stephen Harper... Although, at least my transit passes saved me from paying more. I know, I can't really complain about $29, but it's the first time in my life I've had to send them money.

After paddling and doing taxes, I was too tired to do something fun, so I went to bed early. I could have watched a movie with my roommate and her friend but I didn't feel that I even had the capacity to focus on a movie.

Today, once I get out of my pajamas, I plan to do a little bit of shopping, then start doing some cleaning, organizing, and laundry. Oh, and I also plan to take some time to read. I haven't been able to get into a book since March Break. I've started a few, but gotten nowhere. I don't know if that's indicative of the books, or my mental state. Whichever, maybe a latte will help me read. Lattes fix everything.

The only thing on my mind was the light years between our own kind.

Tonight was parent-teacher interview night. It was a good night overall. I was busy, but not so busy that I didn't have time to chat with some of the teachers around me.

I am a girl of routine. One of my coworkers knows this very well. She makes fun of me because whenever we walk to the subway together, I insist upon crossing the street to use the west entrance of the subway station, as opposed to directly using the east entrance. I do this because it allows me to be outside as long as possible, even though I have to wait for an extra set of traffic lights. I hate not following my routine.

Anyhow, at lunch today she suggested that we should go to a restaurant a couple blocks away for dinnner before interviews. I looked at her with a strained looked and said "Yeah, that would be nice, but I always go to the mall for dinner before interviews." She could tell that not going to the mall before interviews would be the equivalent of using the wrong subway station entrance, so she agreed to keep with my routine. Plus, I pointed out to her that we could look at shoes at the mall - an advantage that the other restaurant clearly didn't have.

After interviews, a few of us went out for drinks. I had a great time which made me realize how lucky I am to have made some great friends within my staff. We pledged that we must always do the post-interview drink thing, which makes me happy, since I love having a routine to follow. :)

ps Tomorrow is a PD day - no planning! It's so nice waking up without thinking "what am I going to do with those kids today?" every once and awhile.

Well don't fear, it's just the bullets bouncing off my helmet.

I actually went searching for post ideas today, because I really have nothing going on to post about. I can across a suggestion to list your favourite bands/artists from A to Z. Who knew that some letters would be so hard to fill??

A - Alanis Morrisette
B - Ben Folds (Five)
C - Christine Fellows
D - Death Cab for Cutie
E - Esthero
F - Feist
G - Great Lake Swimmers
H - Hawksley Workman
I - I don't have any special letter I bands.
J - Joel Plaskett Emergency
K - Kathleen Edwards
L - Lowest of the Low
M - Matthew Good (Band)
N - Neko Case
O - Oasis
P - Postal Service
Q - Quite frankly, I have no Q artists on my iPod
R - R.E.M
S - Such a hard decision - Sloan? Stars? Sarah Harmer? I cannot choose between those three.
T - Tori Amos
U - U2 (I guess... I'm not a big U2 fan, but they're better than The Used, who have one song I like)
V - Veruca Salt
W - Weakerthans!!!
X - I have X-actly zero X artists.
Y - Yellowcard is my only Y band. Eep.
Z - Zwan

Tomorrow we can drive around this town...

*Sigh* Here I sit at the unhappy end of a weekend once again. I really should be trying to sleep right now, but falling asleep on a Sunday night is such a hard chore, don't you find? Especially when you're facing another very busy week at work.

I had my first dragonboat practice on Friday night. The weather was fabulous. Honestly, I think being on the lake was the perfect place to be that evening. We spent most of our practice going slow and practicing our technique (which I suspect I suck at), so the hour wasn't as strenuous as I feared it would be. I thought we were doing okay, despite some older woman heckling us from ashore. "Are you rowing or are you paddling?" she yelled. -10 karma points for her, I say. At least -10.

I raced home, changed out of my fashionable rowing clothes (now wet and smelly with Lake Ontario water), had some dinner, then packed up to catch the late train to St. Ratford. Thank goodness, I was travelling west and not east, as the VIA tracks east of Toronto were blocked due to a Mohawk protest.

On Saturday, I ran a bunch of errands and then headed off for the karaoke party. All I have to say, is that if I've been indulging in spirits, and I'm around people I'm comfortable with, keep microphones the heck away from me. Especially if I have my iPod handy and can bust out 90s classics like Basket Case, Hey Jealousy, and Ironic. I apologize to people in the room who were sober. And those who were not. Although, I'm thinking that I should maybe invest in a karaoke device to have at home, because there's something therapudic about singing into a microphone. Sure beats a hairbrush.

Sunday was a sleepy day spent relaxing with the 'rents and having a coffee with a friend. Gotta love those lazy Sundays.

Have a happy week!

I think she said "it's like a kiss from God"...

Do you ever have those times when weepy rock songs make you really weepy?

I do. It kind of sucks.

The city or the country we just want to make some noise.

It's nice to be getting ever closer to the end of the week. This week has been crazy-busy at work, and so will be next week, but I think once those weeks are finished, things will calm down a bit. That's what I say now, but I'm sure when the first week of May does roll around, I'll be singing a different story.

Today I picked up the new album "Ashtray Rock" by the Joel Plaskett Emergency. I've listened to it all the way through, and it's definitely one of those albums that you can listen to all of the way through and love the whole thing. It's a concept album that revolves around a love triangle that breaks up a young band, and it totally works. It's got a lot of super-fun, fist-pumping songs that make me feel long for summer. Plus, I think it will be great to hear live, which I'll be doing on May 26th; I just bought my tickets today. Woo! All is well in life, as long as I have a concert to look forward to.

Speaking of summer, I think we're finally getting some spring weather. Thank goodness.

I'm especially glad that it is warming up, because I have my first practice for the rowing team that I signed up for while, ummm, a little under the influence. I've never done any sort of rowing in my life, but it should be fun. I might be sore on Saturday (or should I say I will most definitely be sore), but whatever doesn't kill you will make you stronger, right?? This weekend, I had to buy some non-cotton type pants to wear, and I ended up getting a matching tank top and jacket, so at least I'll be fashionable, right? The only sad thing is that my new clothes will get Lake Ontario water on them, ew.

Well, I think that's it. Hope that Friday gets here fast. :)

I will never see the sun. Spadina, St. George, Bay, and Yonge.

Tonight was the Great Lake Swimmers concert. My verdict: fabulously beautiful. First of all, the concert was in a church, and I now am of the belief that more concerts should be in churches because of the great acoustics. The music was absolutely gorgeous. All of the musical arrangements were stunning. All kinds of interesting instruments were used: banjo, pedal steel, xylophone, upright bass, violin, mandolin, and yes, even a harmonium. Wonderful.

Now, I am quite new to the band. I'd heard of them before, but never listened to anything until I read glowing reviews of their new album Ongiara. I love that album. Tonight I heard some of their older stuff, which is gorgeous too. The title of this post is from a song from their first album, which is self-titled, that is about taking the TTC to work every day and going past the same stops. Of course, I had to make sure that I owned that song, so I picked up the album. Something to listen to on the way home from work, since every day I also pass through those stops. And, even in that order (on the way home).

Also, Owen Pallet, aka Final Fantasy, played violin at the show. I'm not sure if Final Fantasy stuff is for me, since it's classified as electronic, but he's a great violin player.

Well, that makes for two fabulous concerts too weekends in a row. Next weekend is a girls' karaoke night in St. Ratford area. Girls - you have a lot to live up to. I expect Ben Folds/Great Lake Swimmers calibre performances. If not, I will bust out my worst Simon Cowell on you. No pressure. ;)

I've also been watching a lot of that new Feist video that I posted last night. It's my new addiction, I suppose. I soooooo wish I could do that song for karaoke. And, I've watched the video so much that I could probably accompany it with a lot of dance moves. It's probably best for all involved that my friend's karaoke device will surely not have that song.

Well, tomorrow, or I guess it's now today, involves me doing report cards. Oh what fun. I hope the rest of you have enjoyable Sundays that are not work-related. :)

1-2-3-4 tell me that you love me more.

When all else is sucking in your life, at least there's always great music out there.
(Note: not all else is sucking in my life right now, but work politics are making me say "grrr".)

Here's a list of musical happenings that are subsiding the inner growl inside of me today.

1) Great Lake Swimmers. As I've mentioned a couple of times (redundancy is a fault of my, I'll admit), I'm seeing them tomorrow. Less than 24 hrs 'til show time!

2) Feist - I came across this video today and realized that I'm super-excited for her new CD (out May 1st).



3) Tori Amos - Oh, will I be one over-stimulated girl on May 1st, when two great CDs are released. I've been getting all of the teaser emails for this new album, and I gotta hand it to Tori for being such a creative person. She's taking over the personae of 5 women for the CD (hence the title American Doll Posse), complete with blogs for each of them. Anyhow, I'd read the lyrics to the first song, "Yo George" online and I fell in love with it just from the lyrics. I got to listen to the song this week, and I love it. Listen to it here!

4) Even though I've not heard anything from it yet, I'm sure the new Joel Plaskett Emergency CD will very awesome. And it's out on Tuesday!!

Hope you all have fantabulous weekends!

Just a ying and a yang or a couple of pints, please.

My four-day weekend totally mellowed me out, so it was pretty hard getting back into the groove today. I did it, but every cell in my body, espeically those in my brain, protested.

I had a pleasant trip home to St. Ratford. I haven't posted much about my parents' health lately, but both of them are doing much better. They're not perfect by any means, but improving a lot so I have been able to cut back on my trips home. I look forward to spending many more lazy weekends in Toronto.

Oh my, I'm experiencing huge blogger's block right now. I'm having a hard time even thinking of anything else to say.

Ummm, here's a list of some things I'm looking forward to:
- Great Lake Swimmers concert on Saturday
- New Joel Plasket Emergency CD next Tuesday
- New Tori Amos CD on May 1st

Here's a list of things that I'm not looking forward to:
- The huge pile of stuff I have to get done at work this month. I feel that April is a freight train that could run me down.
- The eventuality that in a couple of months I have to go apartment hunting, pack, and then move.

C'est la vie, I suppose. Hmmm, I promise a more creative post next time.

Number one song after number one song.

First concert of 2007 has finally happened, and boy, has it set the bar high for the rest of the concerts of 2007.

If I lived in some sort of state where I could only go to one concert a year, I might very well pick Ben Folds as that concert. He puts on an incredible show. No one rocks a piano like that man.

The highlights of the show was his Canadian version of "Rock this Bitch" (it's a huge inside-joke song for Ben Folds fans), his cover of Dr. Dre/Snoop Dogg's "Bitches Ain't Shit" (go to iTunes and buy that cover now if you want a good laugh, albeit it with a lot of swearing), and his cover of The Postal Service's "Such Great Heights". On top of all this, he played 22 other Ben Folds classics. (I'm a nerd who writes down the set list when she gets home from a show and then makes it into a playlist on her iPod. That's how I know the exact number.) I think the two unexpected songs that I was very excited to hear were "Emaline" and "Evaporated".

That was the fifth time I've seen Ben. I hope number six isn't too far away.

All right, time for bed. Early train to catch tomorrow morning.

Update: Posting setlist as requested by Megan. (Not in order by any means. I have a good memory, but not that good.)

Miserlou, Trusted, All You Can Eat, Jesusland, Annie Waits, Rock This Bitch, Bastard, Still Fighting It, There's Always Someone Cooler Than You, Bitches Ain't Shit, Losing Lisa, Gone, Lullabye, Emaline, Evaporated, Narcolepsy, Kate, Such Great Heights, Gracie, Landed, Army, You to Thank, Underground, Zak and Sara, Not the Same.

I think I got all 25 songs there. :D

Update #2: I just booked concert #2 for '07: Great Lake Swimmers!!! Woo! It's next Saturday...

Clever disguise but it won't work this time.

I had one of those days where I thought about how some people bring out the best in me, and others the worst in me. Thankfully, my life is full of 99% of the former and 1% of the latter. But, gee, that 1% can be trying. Anyhow, even though I did have to put up with some of the 1% today, I had enough of the 99% to make my day pretty swell.

Ach. There is a huge pile of dishes by my sink. Anyone wanna come over and wash them for me? Don't all run now.

A cold snap started today. It's pretty darned chilly out there right now. I went for a walk in the cemetary today after school, and it started to snow on me. Snow. Apparently the forecast for tomorrow is below zero, as is the forecast for Friday. Which sucks, because I was planning on wearing a light jacket to my Ben Folds concert on Friday, and now I'm going to have to dress more warmly and rethink my whole outfit. Boo.

Yes! Ben Folds is on Friday! Finally, my first concert of 2007. The concert offerings in Toronto had better pick up so I can improve this.

In other-things-to-be-excited-about news, there is finally a new episode of the Office tomorrow night. I am way more excited about the new episode than I am about the fact that it's a four-day weekend coming up. Don't get me wrong: I am excited for the long weekend, but I would work two extra days for a new Office episode.

Saturday morning I'm taking the train to St. Ratford for Easter. I predict a relaxing weekend. Which I will need because when I'm back, report card insanity starts. Not to mention about a dozen other types of insanity. Oh summer, where are you??

These are the days when you wish your bed was already made.

Or, how not to start a Monday.

After hitting the snooze button thrice, I drag myself out of bed and head to the bathroom to hop in the shower. As I'm just about to step in the shower, I hear a big crash. "Not my laptop!" is the first thing that comes to mind and then I realize it sounded like the noise came from the kitchen, and my beloved computer is probably safe.

I throw my pjs back on and head into the kitchen which now looks like a grisly crime scene. The shelf above the chopping block in the kitchen had decided it was no longer happy be securely adhered to the wall and gave way. On said shelf was, among other things, a jar of (expensive) fire-roasted pepper tomato sauce that I'd given my roommate for Christmas. It had hit the floor, and its contents were now on the floor, on the door of the fridge, all over the cupboards, and yes, even on the table, chairs and wall in the dining room. My roomate's cookbooks were scattered amongst the tomato-y mess, along with the contents of a jar of grape jelly that a friend had made for me. Sadly, I will never eat said jelly. (Note: jelly doesn't splatter spectacularly like tomato sauce. So, if at one point in your life, you get really really angry at a person and decide to hurl a jar of condiment inside of their kitchen, go for the tomato sauce, not the jelly.)

I look at the mess, and decide that I'd deal with it after my shower. After the shower, I surveyed the mess, which I really really really just wanted to leave for later and realized that it would be 100 times worse to clean once it had dried, and decided to go wake up my roommate. I knock on her door explaining that there was an unfortunate situation in the kitchen. She had totally slept through the loud crash.

Anyhow, it was the most quality time I'd ever spent with my roommate at that hour of the morning.

I am never, ever, putting a jar of foodstuff or anything breakable on a wall-mounted shelf again. In fact, I may just steer away from this type of shelf if at all possible. A grisly scene like that scars you for life.

Pay attention to me, I don't talk for my health.

I make a point of watching two awards shows every year (even though I end up watching more, these are my two must-sees). The first is the Oscars which I watch for the glamour and glitz, and the second is the Junos (The Canadian music awards) which I watch for the Canadian music.

Well, tonight is Juno night, and after a big kerfuffle (CTV originally wasn't going to air them until like 11 pm here in Ontario as to not interfere with the Amazing Race. Thankfully, enough people got angry about that), I'm sitting here watching them. And like any good science-minded person, I like to make observations about what ever is happening around me, so here are my 2007 Juno Awards observations.

- Most things Canadian do have some sort of aspect of hokeyness to them. Could it be because hokey is one letter away from hockey? Maybe…
- Honestly, get Jann Arden to host these things every year. Then, we could do away with the hokey skits that are supposed to be funny, because that woman actually is very funny. But maybe that will never happen (see above).
-There is something strangely sexy about Gord Downie. Especially when he is performing or reading poetry.
- A string section makes Three Days Grace a little bit less worse. A little bit. Note: I did not use the word better, because I feel that implies that they have some sort of goodness.
- I figured out what awaits me if I am faced with eternal damnation. I will be locked away in a room with Ben Mulroney and Nickelback, hearing him ask inane questions like “Have you guys thought about running for office?”
- I hope Wes isn’t watching this, not because he hates awards shows, but because all of these commercials for Saskatchewan might make him homesick.
- I honestly do like Nelly Furtado. Even though her previous Folklore incarnation was more up my alley, her new stuff’s fun. And, I have nothing against her hosting, but really just get Jann Arden every year, please. Or even the Barenaked Ladies. They’re naturally funny too. Hosts with natural funniness will eliminate the need for hokey skits featuring Michael Buble.
- Sloan sooooo should have won Rock Album of the Year. Not only was Never Hear the End of It brilliant, it had the most tracks. If not Sloan, I would have liked to see The Hip win, but they don't give the old bands the awards.
- Awwww shucks, but Ben of Billy Talent (who won the above award) just shouted out Sloan and the Hip in their thank-you speech, so it's okay that they won the above award.
- The City & Colour/Alexisonfire performance was too short. Especially the City & Colour part.

Overall, this year's Junos were okay. I can't be too critical, because no matter what, it is a celebration of Canadian music, and there are always excellent performances in there with the bands I may not love so much.

I hope that next year there will be performances by two of my favourite bands, Stars and the Weakerthans, since their new albums are supposed to be released this fall.