Boogie Woogie Sheep

I'm sure that if you've perused any entertainment section of a newspaper lately, or googled something, you are well aware of the fact that Sesame Street is celebrating its 40th anniversary.

I, like probably all of you who read this blog, am a total child of Sesame Street. Did you all go through the phase in grade two or so where other kids would say "Sesame Street is so lame" and you'd agree to keep your schoolyard cred in check, but then as soon as you'd get home you'd watch it? Well, schoolyard cred be damned, I'll admit to it now.

Anyway, since I was feeling under the weather this weekend (and we did have lovely weather this weekend), I spent a lot of time on my couch resting, and watching some vintage Sesame Street on Youtube. And I realized, man did I learn a lot from that
show.

Here are some of the important things that I learned from Sesame Street.

(Note: I don't expect you to watch these all now, but honestly, if you are having a bad day, watching will make you feel better. Maybe bookmark this post just in case.)

1) Eat your vegetables.



My fave part of this song is when Eddie says "What are you? Are you some kind of weirdo?" and Captain Vegetable says "Do I look like a weirdo?"

I noticed that in the comments, someone mentioned that Captain Vegetable would make a good Halloween Costume. I have noted this for next year.

Also, I saw that they made an updated Captain Vegetable with John Leguizamo playing him. Is nothing sacred?

2) It ain't bad to feel mad.



Goats are wise. And funny.

3) Co-operate



4) Own your eccentricity.


I love Bert 'cuz he thinks oatmeal, pigeons, and bottle caps are cool.

5) Don't be a know-it all. Listen when someone is trying to warn you of something. (Or, at least, don't keep going back to the same restaurant if you don't get along with the server.)



6) Culture is important. And, pipes are edible.



Note: I read that Alistair Cookie doesn't have a pipe in non-vintage Monsterpiece Theatre. Oh, thank goodness. I developed a pipe habit as a result of watching Sesame Street. Insert giant eyeroll.

7) Public transit may be imperfect, but it if it's good enough for Bert and Kermit and Betty Lou, it's good enough for me.



8) Dance yourself to sleep. Even if it annoys your BFF.



Anyway, if there's one thing I know, it's that Jim Henson is in heaven. What a great man.

Wild card inside.

I love when something fun happens spontaneously. Especially when it involves live music, of course.

Last night, I was up way later than I should be, and I notice a tweet from a friend saying that at the last minute *Feist* is replacing Kristen Chenoweth at the Holt Renfrew Holiday Window Unveiling on Bloor Street event tonight. (Holt's is Canada's most high end department store.) So yay! Twitter is good for something besides being silly! After a few more quick tweets, we made arrangements to meet up at the event this evening.

Anyway, it was awesome to have something to look forward as I slogged through another school day.

It's really cool that part of Bloor Street is closed down for this event. We had to endure a few minutes of commercials for ET Canada, then there was an opening band, whose name I forget, but they were basically the bluegrass version of the Jonas Brothers, as Jason noted.

After some chit chat from Holt's CEO, Feist was on. Oh how I love Feist. She hadn't played all year, so she joked that this show was her 2009 tour. It was a complete last minute thing: I guess she only found out last night too that she was playing. (I wonder how all of this was arranged? Were organizers stressing over who to call, and someone was like "let's call Feist!" And how does one get ahold of Feist at the last minute?)

Feist played about five songs, and they were all awesome. I love her voice. I love how she plays guitar. And her banter is funny.

It's funny to think that about a year ago, I saw her play at the Air Canada Centre. I remember the dude who went with me commenting after the show "it was all right, but I wouldn't want to see her every night." I thought that was stupid comment. (I'm not even in touch with that dude anymore, ha-ha.) Anyway, not only was it a dumb way to assess a concert, I'm pretty sure that one could see Feist every night. She's that awesome.

Oh, and as for this year's holiday window display, all I could see was badass looking giant penguins and snowmen tricked out in coiture. I forgot my camera (of course), but one day I'll walk by and get some pictures. Holt's windows are always all sorts of interesting.

And, I was home in time to let my feet thaw, drink hot chocolate, and catch The Office and 30 Rock. Win!

And, tomorrow is Friday. I'm being sent off to a workshop, but on the bright side, it means I can wear jeans, and be a little more passive during the working day than I usually am.

Happy weekends everyone!

Everyone else is doing it...

...talking about H1N1 that is. Most conversations that I have with anyone these days seem to go along the lines of "Hi, how are you? How about that H1N1? Are you going to get the vaccine?" It's even been a hot topic on the Group of 9 wall on Facebook.

One of my classes today was all worked up over H1N1. One kid was coughing a bit, and then someone asked me if I had any hand sanitizer, so I ended up walking around the room squirting everyone with some, which amused me more then anything.

They were also all abuzz over this Youtube video of a woman who had a negative reaction to the flu vaccine.



I don't watch much news on TV these days, and I'm glad I don't. The media isn't very good at fairly covering anything, and it seems like people are more confused and scared than actually informed about H1N1. The video above is good example. You have a one in a million chance of having such an adverse reaction to the flu shot, however people get so worked up once they see one person on TV to whom this has happened. Discussing this video with my class made me think of the availability heuristic that I learned about in psych class: basically, if we can bring something easily to our mind, most likely because it's extraordinary and memorable, we think that there's a greater chance it will happen.

I love Rick Mercer's rant on H1N1. We might as well accept the fact that comedians (the Mercers, Stewarts, etc.) are the people in our society who give the best criticism of current events. That's a giant fail to the "real" media.



So, everyone, are you going to get the H1N1 vaccine? I will, however, I'm not going to wait five hours in line to get it. Hopefully, the distribution of the vaccine will become smoother (it's a mess here). Either that, or it's time for me to join a professional hockey team.

But, provided that I can eventually get access to the shot, I will get it. Here's the rationale behind my decision:

a) My motivation is purely selfish. Taking time off in my profession requires advanced planning and organization. If I get felled by a flu that hits you right away, I'll have to scramble to put together lesson plans while feeling like death. Not fun. I'll take the sore arm.

b) Also, being that I work with around people, and take public transit, and I don't shy away from crowded places, I will most definitely come into contact with someone with H1N1. Don't want it, thanks.

c) I don't want to give it to anyone else either.

d) I'm not afraid of the "newness" of the shot. It's just a flu shot for a new strain of influenza. The seasonal flu shot is always tailored for whatever new flu viruses are going around the year. The only thing "new" about this flu shot is that the particular adjuvant in the shot has not been used in Canada before . Similar ones have been used in Europe. The adjuvant doesn't contain any new or revolutionary chemicals. Interestingly, it contains vitamin E and squalene (derived from shark liver).

So, how about everyone else? Are you afraid of H1N1? Are you becoming 80% Purell? Are you going to get the shot?

ps When I was thinking of writing this post, the title of the Cranberries' first album came into my head. So, as I've been writing, I dusted out my old Cranberries CDs from the 90s (they're not even on my iPod), and I've been listening to them. I feel sixteen again!

Just another door that won't open for me anymore.

First of all, thanks to everyone for cheering me up after I posted my list of annoyances last post. I think I'm less annoyed about most of the things. I've been getting plenty of compliments on my hair, the eyebrows will be taken care of tomorrow, I still miss Becca T, but I'm def going to investigate Skype, and I'll take a step back from the rest of it.

Here are some random going-ons from the last few days.

a) I've discovered the show "Intervention" on the internet. I don't get A&E, so I'd never even heard of it before. I feel guilty for watching it, because it is so exploitive, graphic, and disturbing, but I've been watching episodes like they are leftover Halloween candy. Soon someone's going to have to pull an Intervention intervention on me.

b) John K. Samson (of the Weakerthans) put out a solo EP that was released today. It's only three songs, but it makes me happy. A pal of mine from Winnipeg describes it as "so very Winnipeg" and is currently explaining all of the inside references to me.

c) I had a very long day (13 hours) at work today. On my way home, I treated myself to the next Sookie Stackhouse novel. (These are the books that the TV show "True Blood" is based on.)

d) I think I'm fighting off a cold. My throat's been just a little scratchy the past two days. I hope I can keep it at bay.

e) How did it become November?

f) Why do I always come home with an elastic band around my wrist? Rilo loves to chew them off of me, so I know she hopes that I'll never solve the elastic band mystery.

g) I had Portuguese chicken for dinner tonight with rice, potato balls, and salad. So good! I should have eaten more of it.

h) Can I interest anyone in a set of element posters to mark?

i) I had to take my rings off today at school 'cuz of a demo I was doing and I forget them there. My right had feels terribly naked, and my thumb keeps going to play with them, but it's strange that they aren't there. And I didn't realize that I had the habit of playing with my rings with my thumb as I think until they were gone.

Bed time. Week's almost half over. Phew.

Life is always hard for the belle of the boulevard.

So, I did have a good weekend. I did. All the Halloween activities that I worked so hard on for school were a success. My costume went over well. I had fun. I hung out with friends this weekend. I saw "Where the Wild Things Are" which was interesting. I listened a lot to the new Tegan and Sara, which is amazing. I read a fun vampire book (the first of the series that "True Blood" is based on). I got an extra hour of sleep. I went for an awesome walk where I got momentarily lost in the cemetery. It's good leaf crunching weather.

However, despite all of these things, I'm dismayed by a few things, and even though I've just complained to a couple of people about them, I think I'm going to vent them here and hopefully they will leave my system.

Here's the list of things I'm annoyed about:

a) A person who told me they'd do something, but is not doing that thing. Said person can still redeem themselves.

b) I had a hair appointment on Saturday, but it started half an hour late, which resulted in me missing my eyebrow appointment elsewhere. (It's rescheduled for Wednesday.)

c) I told my stylist I just wanted my hair trimmed in the back, and my bangs trimmed. He said "Oh, I thought you were growing it out." I said "no, not really." And suddenly, my hair is super short! Gah. I think it'll grow to a good length in a few weeks though. I'd break up with my stylist, but his cuts always grow out well, so I'll be fine I think.

d) I was in a bitchy mood on Saturday because of the hair, so I was annoying and whiny to a friend. However, I apologized to him, but he wanted to argue the fact. So I argued, when I really should have just stuck with the "I'm sorry", so I think I've made things worse, but if my apology was just accepted, I think I wouldn't have fallen in the arguing trap. So anyway, I'm annoyed that my apology just wasn't accepted, and that because I was a petty person, I now have to re-apologize.

e) I miss Becca T. I would really like to sit down and drink a bottle of red wine with someone, and she's my favourite person to drink with, especially when I'm in an "annoyed at ten million things" mood. Well actually, there are a bunch of other people who could stand in for Becca T, but they are in London England, London Ontario, Vancouver, Winnipeg, North Bay, Midland, or the greater St. Ratford area. All of my good Toronto wine-drinking buddies are breast-feeding now. :(

Anyway, I feel better now, I think. Well, I'd feel better if I didn't have work tomorrow, but let's hope the kids are well behaved. And, work takes my mind off of stuff too, 'cuz I'm too busy to think.

Happy Halloween!!

As promised, here's a picture of Rilo in her Halloween costume, as mailed to her by her friends Fern and Norton in Fargo. She actually doesn't care much for being a ladybug, as you can tell by her expression.

However, she discovered that her costume makes a great toy!


Happy Halloween folks! Eat lots of candy!

ps I just realized that it's not actually Halloween. I keep thinking that Friday is Halloween because I've been spending so much time planning Halloween for work tomorrow, and tomorrow is the day that I am wearing my costume, so it's essentially Halloween for me.

pps When I went out this evening, I drank a lovely pumpkin ale. Yum.

General Malaise

Argh. I just feel out of sorts today. I have a lot of work to do, but it's just not appealing at the moment. I think it's because the past two nights I haven't been able to sleep very well, so that is part of it. Well, lack of sleep, impatience, and self-doubt are the three causes of this yucky feeling I have right now.

On the bright side, I'm going out this evening, so that will help, I'm sure. Maybe I just need a good laugh.

And, I think going for a little walk to the mall right now to get a second coffee might help. Yup. I think that's what I'll do.

Update: I went and got a second coffee. Then, I made arrangements with a friend for a ride tonight, and decided that Saturday will be a day of pampering myself. I've booked appointments for my hair, eyebrows, a manicure, and a pedicure. So, I'm feeling better. :)

Feel the feathers of an arrow.

Things I should be doing:

a) Dishes
b) Laundry
c) General household upkeep.

What I am doing instead:

Sitting here blogging in my Halloween costume. I'm a dork like that. I finished getting all of the parts of my costume today, so I had to try it on. On top of the dress, which I ordered online since I thought would be an easy costume (wrong), I had to buy white socks, red shoes, nylons, a long brown wig, hair ribbons, a basket, and a stuffed dog. However, it's come together quite well even though my Toto is a black lab. I must say say I'm pretty Oz-riffic. The funny thing is that I haven't even seen the movie in years, and I can't remember much from it. This costume is a total whim, but I think the kids will like it 'cuz I look much different with long brown hair. And I usually don't wear blue gingham dresses with crinoline. However, the red shoes will be put into the regular rotation.

Halloween has taken over my life lately. I've been running around getting all of the pieces for this costume, as well as buying many pumpkin carving kits, pumpkins pies, and organizing pumpkin distribution at school. Oh, and buying candy to put in my basket along with Toto.

What's I'm listening to:

a) New Tegan and Sara album. It came out today. It's good. I really like it on first listen.
b) New Dashboard Confessional single. Oh, is my inner teenager happy right now. I have such an eternal crush on him.
c) Itunes free single: "The Second Time" by Carolyn Mark and NQ Arbuckle. It's fun and twangy.
d) Timber Timbre, who are on Arts and Crafts, are giving away their album for free. I've downloaded, but not listened yet. I intend to. It made some best of lists last year.

So that's what's happening in Christielli-land. This skirt and this wig are itching me, so it's time to change. I'm such a weirdo, blogging in my Halloween costume.

Oh! Rilo has a Halloween costume that was sent to her by some of her feline friends through AlieMalie. (Rilo's human got some neat-o skull and cross bone socks too!) I'll post a picture of Rilo in her costume on Halloween. That'll be your candy, folks.

Still hooked on cellophane.

This weekend has been enjoyably quiet and filled with friends.

On Thursday night, I got a call from one of my favourite people. We used to work together, but she got married and decided to move someplace rural. I miss her a lot; and not just because I have one less person to high-five in the halls. It's great fun working across the hall from a real friend, not just a co-worker. Anyhow, she called 'cuz I'd mailed her a book of Shakespearean insults. I'd book-marked various insults with people whom they reminded me of. It made her laugh. We had a great time catching up on the phone, which made me feel nostalgic for when we worked together (last year).

The weather on Friday was disgusting. Cold rain and wind. I made it worse for myself by forgetting my keys/metropass at work, and didn't realize this until I got to the subway, and had to trek back in the rain. However, this was fortuitous because I ran into one of my remaining friends at work. We've been trying to have lunch together all year (and it's the end of October now) and haven't been able to because we're both so busy. Remedial. And next week won't work either, 'cuz I'm busy during every single lunch. However, I hope we improve in November. But it was good to see her. And we're going out on Thursday with other people, so that'll be fun.

Once I had my keys/metropass I made my way to my work spouse's place (she's on mat leave still). We caught up, made our own sushi, and then stuff ourselves with food. Good times. She'll be back next semester and I'll have a friend in the desk beside me which will be nice again. And yes, *I made* my own sushi. That's exciting.

Yesterday was a pretty lazy day. I met up with a friend for coffee in the afternoon and then rented some episodes of "True Blood" and watched while knitting. I need to get my knitting groove back on. The pair of mittens I'm knitting is a Christmas present that I wanted to give someone last year. Remedial yet again. Anyway, something to watch on TV def facilitates the knitting. Also, Rilo loves to watch me knit which is pretty hilarious. She'll sit beside me and stare at the needles.

Today I'm meeting up with another friend from work on mat leave for coffee then I need to grocery shop because I'm almost at the point where all I have to eat is dry pasta, soup, old crackers, and freezer-burnt frozen yogurt. Yum.

Happy lazy Sunday to you!

And it's only a matter of whom, and it's only a matter of when.

Today I had to diametrically opposed thoughts within twenty minutes of each other. These thoughts were:

a) Tomorrow is only Thursday? Yeesh.

b) It's already Thursday tomorrow? Holy!

It goes to show you that time both inches and flies by at the same time. (I'm quoting my pal AlieMalie here).

This evening I did some chores around the apartment, and then Mathew dropped by and we hung out for a bit. He teased me a couple of times about how quickly I'm approaching the big 3-0 (must be nice to still be 27), and I told Rilo to attack him, but she didn't. She and I are going to have to work on that. I've given up on the hope that she'll ever learn to clean, so the least she can do for her free room and board is to defend my honour.

Speaking of time flying: can you believe I've had Rilo for a year? Our one-year anniversary was on Monday! It feels like just yesterday that I brought a scrawny cat home from the humane society. She's now doubled in weight and is even a little chubby.

Here's a question for you: how accurate are your instincts? How much do you trust your gut feelings? Right now, there is something that I have a gut feeling about, and I spent sometime trusting my instinct, but in the past couple days I've questioning myself. I don't think I have any reason to doubt my instinct, other than the fact I get nervous about stuff, and that I'm more comfortable with doubt than certainty. I think it's because if you are sure about something, and you're wrong, it's disappointing. However, if you are doubtful about something, and turn out to be wrong, it's a pleasant surprise. Soooo, maybe that's why I'm more comfortable with doubting myself, if that makes any sense.

However, I think it's just best to stay positive, but staying positive is easier said than done.

Anyway, and with that cryptic rambling, I'm out. Pleasant Thursdays everyone!

ps I paid back Tim Horton's for Monday's coffee.

Breaking news: people are nice!

This morning, a Monday, of course, I forgot my wallet at home. Why? Because I had taken it out of my purse to put my latest concert ticket stubs in my ticket stub diary. (Nerd!)

Of course, I realize that my wallet is at home while I make my daily stop at the Tim Horton's by work. Right as they are pouring my coffee into my reusable mug from Starbucks no less. Anyway, as I mumble "I'm sorry, I forgot my wallet" to the lady at the counter, the woman behind comes to my rescue and offers to pay for my coffee. However, the lady at the counter, who knows me since I come in every freaking weekday morning for my caffeine fix, says not to worry about it, I can pay tomorrow. I thank both women, and leave happily with my coffee. As I'm walking out the door, a third lady says "Don't worry, we wouldn't have let you go without your coffee - it's Monday!"

Anyway, it made me happy that two random strangers would have paid for my coffee. Strangely enough, there was no one in the store from my work (adult or teenager), because I think most mornings I'd be able to hit someone up that I know for the cash. But, it makes me way happier to know that random strangers will help. I love random acts of kindness. I need to do some. I'm going to keep my eyes peeled for people in distress. Anyway, rest of Canada, people in Toronto are nice, at least when it comes to forgotten wallets and Monday morning coffees. Take that!

In other news, I've been listening a lot to Regina Spektor's new album "Far" a lot lately. I'm addicted to "Dance Anthem of the 80s". I dunno why I never listened to her before; actually, it's 'cuz I was always waiting for Becca T to make me CDs of her stuff, but she never got around to it, ha-ha. Anyway, she's a little bit Tori-esque, but makes more sense than Tori.

Speaking of Tori, I just signed up for last.fm on the advice of my new indie-rock friend from Friday. (He also suggested I look into Regina.) You can download a tool called the itunes scrobbler (yes, scrobbler is now my new favourite word), which compiles all of your listening statistics into graphs. I love this, of course, since I'm both a music nerd and a math nerd. Anyway, it turns out my most listened to artists are:

1) Tori Amos
2) The Weakerthans
3) Stars
4) Sloan
5) Jack's Mannequin
6) Dashboard Confessional
7) Matthew Good
8) Hawksley Workman
9) Neko Case
10) Rilo Kiley

Now, Joel Plaskett is only #15, but if you add up my Joel Plaskett solo listens with Joel Plaskett Emergency listens, he comes in at number 5. But then I guess I'd have to go adding in Matthew Good Band with Matthew Good, Ben Folds with Ben Folds Five, Jenny Lewis with Rilo Kiley, etc.

All right, enough about that. I'm going to make some hot chocolate, read some more of "Her Fearful Symmetry" and I have a phone call to make. Later, y'all!

We're all waiting for the right moment to move.

What a beautiful, sunny, chilly fall weekend. I love it. Can I bottle it up and keep it forever please?

Anyway, I had a busy Friday, but the rest of the weekend was pretty chill. On Friday, I was supposed to meet up with Eric and a friend of his to see Two Hours Traffic at Lee's Palace, but Eric had to unfortunately skip out on the show because it was too late and he had too much work stuff on his plate. Luckily, he was able to meet up with me for dinner in the evening.

We decided to go to the Mexican restaurant where I had my birthday this year, but as we were waiting in line, we started to discuss our mutual love of The Pickle Barrel, so we decided to go there instead.

I love going for dinner with Eric because he always orders three plates of food and a giant milkshake (and he's really skinny!), so I don't have to feel guilty at all for splurging on a burger and fries. Anyway, we had a really fun dinner while reminiscing about our favourite Eric/Christy adventures and stories. There is nothing better in the world than old low-maintenance friendships.

Since Eric couldn't go to the show, I had to find his friend, who I'd met once in passing: coincidentally at a Two Hours Traffic show about a year ago. Luckily, I was able to spot him, and we had fun since we're both into pretty much the same bands. I'm always up for a new indie-rock friend.

The show itself was great. Two Hours Traffic are a super fun power-pop band from PEI (and their records are produced by Sir Joel Plaskett). They are a really fun live band where every song is sing-a-longable, and hands-clappable, and danceable and just a great time. Anyway, if you're looking for a fun new band, check them out.

On Saturday I slept in, since I didn't get back home 'til 2:30 am. These late night shows are hard on a girl of advancing age such as myself. I decided to take myself to anthropologie to pick up a wee besmirch (present) for my friend Sandee, and unsurprisingly, since that store is very dangerous for me, I ended up buying a new shirt. My Thursday plans of last week are rescheduled for this Thursday, and having new clothes always makes social plans better. This is how I justify the vastness of my wardrobe. Does anyone have any hangers they can give me? I'm running out.



Today I went to Starbucks and continued reading Audrey Niffenegger's "Her Fearful Symmetry". I'm a fan, but not an uber-fan, of "The Time Traveler's Wife" but this book really appealed to me, and it's unsurprising that it does. It has ghosts, possible evil twins, cemeteries, people tragically affected with OCD, family secrets, and all the stuff that appeals to a person with a well-developed inner goth such as myself. And, it takes place in London, which makes me all sorts of nostalgic and I want to go back since I never did explore a London cemetery. (Next visit perhaps Claire?)

Anyway, now I'm catching up on emails, and procrastinating tidying this hurricane zone. Hmmm, I think if I tidy the living room, then I can get back to my book. Good motivation!

I know you feel it too.

Yay! for the new Tegan and Sara song "Hell".

Boo! to ticketmaster charges. I swear I've handed over so much money to them in my life.

Yay! for the fact that you can buy gift certificates for other places at Shopper's Drugmart. It'll make someone very happy tomorrow.

Yay! for the new Matt Good album. It's great listening for subway rides and errand-running. My fave song is "A Silent Army in the Trees".

Yay! for vanilla-flavoured soy milk in hot chocolate. Yes, my fridge usually contains soy milk for solely this purpose.

Boo! to negativity. I find that I get more and more sensitive to negativity by the day. I understand the need to vent and complain, and I'm guilty of complaining way too much. I want to stop.

Yay! for concerts. I'm going to see Two Hours Traffic on Friday night with one of my favourite people in the world: my pal Eric.

Yay! for forgetting my marking at school. Aww shucks, that means I can't work on it tonight.

Yay! for new books. I'm a sucker, and I bought Audrey Niffenegger's new book "Her Fearful Symmetry". It's advertised as a "gothic romance" and fall is the time of year for gothic romances imho. I'm going to start reading it tonight since I forgot my marking at school.

Yay! for the fact one of my fave coworkers got good news. I'm very happy for the dude and the fact he's now permanent.

Yay! for bubble baths. I am so having one tonight as I start my new book.

Yay! for plans tomorrow that mean I'll have to tape my fave TV shows instead of watching them. Being busy means the power to fast forward commericals.

Boo! to my nails. I need a manicure and pedicure. Maybe I'll have time to treat myself this weekend.

Yay! for the fact that there are many more yays than boos going through my head these days.

Baby ain't it good to be back home.

Long weekend recap:

Friday - After the longest day of school in my life (it's not fun working when you are exhausted and it's pouring rain), I did a bit of shopping. I had a 30% coupon from the Gap, and well, I hate not using coupons, so I got this coat. I don't *really* need it, so I'm not sure if I'm going to keep it. Thoughts?

Then, I picked up sushi for myself, and went home and crashed while watching the big Office wedding on tape. Mathew called me to do something, but I was too beat, so I was in bed by 10 pm 'cuz that's how I roll apparently.

Saturday - I took the train to St. Ratford in the morning, hung with the 'rents in the afternoon, then my dad and I drove to Kitchener to see "Capitalism". The last movie my dad saw in theatres was the final Lord of the Rings, and before that was the Little Mermaid. So yeah, it's kind of a big deal when my dad says he wants to see something, and then actually goes. He's a bit of a happy hermit.

Anyway, we went and looked at books before the movie, then I treated him to a pumpkin spice latte, then we saw the movie. The movie was pretty good if you enjoy Michael Moore stuff. I usually do, 'cuz I'm on the same side of the political spectrum as he. My dad's complaint was that it wasn't polemic enough. (Note: my father considers himself the last true living socialist.) It was fun hanging out with my dad, and I wouldn't be surprised if he leaves the house for more movies, now that he's figured out that I'll do all the driving and planning if he asks.

Sunday - I slept in, then I did some downtown St. Ratford shopping, which I do enjoy. I went to my fave store called The Green Room, to stock up on funky tights. Of course, I ended up buying more silly stuff like...

a) a bird umbrella (here it is at home with Rilo nuzzling it). Hope I am not befalled by bad luck by opening it indoors for you all to see.



b) a sock monkey hat. Here I am rolling my eyes at the silliness of my purchase. It would go well with the new coat, eh? Hee-hee. I would have gotten the kitty hat instead, but ears on that one were too ridiculous. LOL I have standards.

Then Sunday night I had family dinner with the 'rents, and then had time to meet up with a couple members of the group of 9 for gossip and inappropriate discussions at Tim Horton's in Mitchell. (I think we might have shocked some of the older patrons if they were eavesdropping.)

Monday - I took the early morning train back to Toronto this morning then had a lazy day chilling with Rilo, running some errands and watching TV and movies. (I saw "Away We Go". It was okay.) I also got some important things done like ordering tickets for Tegan and Sara at Massey Hall in January (only crap seats were left, but I decided that's better than going to the godforsaken Kool Haus), and planning my Halloween costume. I broke down and decided to buy a costume 'cuz I've been a witch for 18 years straight (or so it seems). I got a Dorothy dress because it's appropriate for a school environment, and I figure all I need is red shoes, a basket, and a stuffed dog and I'm good.

All in all it was a great long weekend, and it's too bad that it's come to an end. I like vacay.

If you really wanna see me, check the papers and the tv.

Ben Folds with an orchestra was more awesome than I thought. His songs are just made for symphonic accompaniment. There was so much good stuff to listen to, that my ears didn't know where to turn.

My favourite song of the night was "One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces". But there were so many other good tracks too. He opened with "Zak and Sara" and did "Landed" and "Gracie" and "Jesusland" and "Not the Same" and "Lullabye". I could go on but I won't. He also played a couple new tracks from his upcoming album where Nick Hornby wrote the lyrics, and Ben the music.

Anyway, bliss. Yay. A life's goal complete.

The driving was okay. Thanks for the finger crossing! I made it to Buffalo in plenty of time to get myself good and lost. Luckily, when I phoned my pal Jason, he was able to figure out where I was from the description "ummm, I'm in a sketchy parking lot, I think blah and blah is the intersection."

Anyway, thanks for Ben for being awesome enough to get his songs arranged for orchestras, then finding in a place within driving distance. I'd still love him to join the TSO though. And thanks to Jason for talking me into going, helping be found, and taking me out for greasy pizza. Yay!

Unfortch, I gotta work tomorrow, so bed for me.

ps Happy Canadian Thanksgiving everyone! Even if you're not Cdn, you celebrate it up. I am taking off for St. Ratford on Saturday, and I've got lots of family stuff planned like a turkey dinner and I'm going to see "Capitalism: A Love Story" with my dad. Woot for left-wing family bonding!

I got my philosophy. (Keeps my feet on the ground.)

A random post in which Christielli is all excited about her upcoming roadtrip to see Ben Folds with an orchestra, and then starts to reflect upon how truly awesome life is.

a) Tomorrow is my Ben Folds roadtrip! I'm so excited. I've got my directions all printed, my passport packed, and I threw in some CDs for driving music. So, I just have to get through tomorrow's day at work, and hopefully nothing will keep me past the bell. Your job, dear readers, is to keep your fingers crossed that I encounter no car rental problems, no traffic delays, no border-crossing problems, and just overall safe driving. Thanks in advance!

b) I'm feeling better. Taking advantage of my crappy state and sleeping a lot helps. Sometimes I rather like being sick in the fact it gives me an excuse to be lazy and spend a lot of time reading in bed.

c) Lately I've been thinking about all of the things I've knocked of life's goals list. They include going to Paris, going to Versailles, going to London (twice even), going to SXSW, learning to knit mittens, visiting NYC and seeing a Broadway show (done that twice again), getting a cat, living in Toronto, and tomorrow I'll knock off seeing Ben Folds with an orchestra off the list. So I'm quite pleased with my progress, and all before my 30th birthday. Before I turn thirty, I'm going to have to update the list. I've never really had a list on paper (I never write things down), but these were all in my head, and they've happened and have all been amazing. (Assuming nothing keeps me from seeing Ben tomorrow, that is.)

d) There's also a bunch of things I've done that have never specifically been on my list, but fate and opportunity have taken me to these places. I'd never thought I'd dip my feet in Loch Ness, road-trip through the Scottish highlands, go to Australia, see the crumbling city of Havana, bike across the Golden Gate bridge, take a train through the Rockies, fly around the globe to Australia, or road-trip through the Maritime provinces, but I did all these things. Awesome. I'm glad life threw those adventures my way, and I was smart enough to do these things instead of, oh, saving money and staying at home.

d) I've also been thinking that two of the most important things in life is to take risks and to be generous. If I hadn't taken risks, I wouldn't have had money to do the above things. Most of my travel funds come from the money I saved when I was teaching up in Northern Ontario years ago. That was a freaking huge risk and scary, and I did it, and it made me a stronger person. Plus, if I hadn't have done that, I don't think I'd have my job now, and it boggles my mind to think where I'd be if I hadn't spent 5+ years in the wonderful and crazy school community I think of as home.

Also, being generous is one of the things that brings me the most joy life. Of course I like sending/giving mini-besmirches (Christielli-talk for gifts) to the awesome people in my life. (Note: I still have four packages to mail out. I'm so remedial.) But obviously it's not just material generosity that is important. I get so much joy and fulfillment from being as generous as possible with my time, support, and compliments to my friends, family, colleagues, and students. Of course, one can always be more generous, and I think I can work on that for sure.

e) I've been reading Oprah's latest book pick: "Say You're One of Them" by Uwem Akpan. All I can say is this book is amazing and really makes you appreciate life. It's a series of short stories written from the point of view of children in Africa. Last night I stayed up late finishing the story "Fattening for Gabon". The ending was so haunting and sad that it was hard to sleep, and it's hard to know what to do when you experience a story so powerful.

I ended up telling the story to a couple of students in one of my classes. I teach an alternative type course for struggling students and I love this course because it gives me a chance to chill with the kids and really get to know them. Anyway, today I was chatting with two students about how I love to read, and I told them the story that I just read. It's not a happy story, but as one of my students wisely pointed out, it's good to read stories like this because they give you perspective. I thought that so wise coming from a teenager, and it just was one of those little daily moments with my students that really touch me.

Anyway, read that book. Or at least the second story. Trust me. You'll be awestruck.

f) Speaking of books, I should go curl up in bed with that book, and sleep early since I've got a big day tomorrow. Woot!

But you're so contagious.

I have a very busy week planned.

Of course I get sick. Of course.

It's just a common cold. Not something nastier, thankfully. But, if I'm going to kick this thing in time for my Ben Folds roadtrip to Buffalo on a school night this Thursday, I'm going to have to commit to sleeping this mutha off.

Which I've gotten a good start on. I passed out on my couch for about a hour after dinner.

On my way home from work, I caught my reflection in the subway door. Usually when I do so, I think "oh look at that fashionable girl" but today I thought "Who's that beat looking person? Oh wait, it's me."

But yah, sleep will be the remedy. Even my horoscope today said to sleep more. So it's sleep, orange juice, hot chocolate, and tylenol cold for me.

Oh, also it was World Teacher's Day today. So I guess this cold is my gift. That and a sprinkle donut given to me by administration.

Pretty People Posing Questions

I had a pretty uneventful weekend, but I did have time while cooking tonight's dinner/lunch for part of the week to do this giant meme. Ahhh, memes. Godsend to blogger's block.

1. The phone rings; who do you want it to be?
Visa telling me that I won what I bought this month.

2. When shopping at the grocery store, do you return your cart?
I use a basket most of the time. But yes, I always return my cart. I’m a chronic rule follower.

3. In a social setting, are you more of a talker or a listener?
Both. It depends on the other people.

4. Do you take compliments well?
Give me some and we’ll see.

5. Do you play Sudoku?
Yes.

6. If abandoned alone in the wilderness, would you survive?
I’d be a goner.

7. Do you like to ride horses?
I’ve never rode a horse.

8. Did you ever go to camp as a kid?
Just day camp. And art camp, but that doesn’t count.

9. What was your favorite game as a kid?
Monopoly.

10. If a sexy person was pursuing you, but you knew he/she was married, would you go for it?
No. I’m a chronic rule follower.

11. Have you lied to get out of a date?
I haven’t. I hate lying, no matter what.

12. Could you date someone with different religious beliefs than you?
Yup.

13. Do you like to pursue or be pursued?
Be pursued. It's fun :)

14. Use three words to describe yourself?
Intelligent, considerate, talkative.

15. Do any songs make you cry?
No.

16. Are you continuing your education?
I’m done with the learning. Well, the “formal” learning. I’m always learning new things.

17. Do you know how to shoot a gun?
Of course not.

18. If your house was on fire, what would be the first thing you grabbed?
Rilo Kitty

19. How often do you read books?
My goal was to read a book a week this year. I managed to read two in the past month. So really, one every two weeks.

20. Do you think more about the past, present or future?
I think a lot about the past and the future. I need to live more in the present.

21. What is your favorite children's book?
From my childhood: The Twits by Roald Dahl. However, I really love Harry Potter, which I discovered in my early 20s.

22. What color are your eyes?
Brown

23. How tall are you?
5’6’’

24. Where is your dream house located?
In the neighbourhood where I live now, actually.

25. Do you have a secret fetish?
It would not be a secret if I shared.

26. Have you tried sushi?
LOL I’m not even answering this. If you don’t know the answer, you must be new to this blog.

27. Have you ever taken pictures in a photo booth?
Yup. But not since high school.

28. When was the last time you were at Olive Garden?
Last time I remember was when my pal Christa and I went on a shopping trip to Port Huron, Michigan after Christmas a couple years ago. We had a good meal there with breadsticks (!) and the waiter was really cute too.

29. When was the last time you were at Church?
About two weeks ago.

30. Where was the furthest place you traveled today?

The grocery store. It’s a lazy, rainy Sunday.

31. What was your favorite job?
Teaching, of course.

32. Do you like mustard?
Love. It was all I’d put on hot dogs as a kid.

33. Do you prefer to sleep or eat?
That’s a tough decision! But, given the choice, ummm sleep. Sleep’s where I’m a Viking, as Ralph Wiggum says.

34. Do you look like your mom or dad?
I think I’m a mix of both.

35. How long does it take you in the shower?
5 minutes.

36. Can you do the splits?
Nope.

37. What movie do you want to see right now?
Whip It! (Directed by Drew Barrymore, who is like the only actress I like.)

38. If you could fast forward your life, would you?
I’d like to see how certain things turn out, but I’d liked to rewind back to now to live through everything. But, I promise I’ll act surprised when stuff happens.

39. What did you do for New Year's
LOL Last year it was too cold to do anything fun, so my pal Mathew and I had the lamest New Year’s ever. It was like we were an old married couple, without being old, and we’d never marry each other in a million years.

40. Do you think The Grudge was scary?
Didn’t see it.

41. Could you relate to a character in Mean Girls?
Don’t remember it.

42. Do you own a camera phone?
Yah, but I don’t use the camera part. Why does everything have to have a camera attached to it these days.

43. Do you have an "ex box" with pics and letters from past lovers?
That’s what campfires are for.

44. Was your mom a cheerleader?
Nope.

45. What's the last letter of your middle name?
A

46. Do you like your middle name?
Yes.

47. How many hours of sleep do you get a night?
Usually 6, but I need 8.

48. Do you like care bears?
Of course. I had Funshine bear.

49. What do you buy at the movies?
Usually a ginormous diet coke.

50. Do you know how to play poker?
Yes, but my strategy is to pretend I don’t know how to play. Shhh.

51. Do you wear your seat belt?
Yup.

52. What do you wear to sleep?
At this time of year, I’ve broken out the fuzzy Ally McBeal pjs.

53. Anything big ever happen in your hometown?
The Queen once visited. They had to build her a special bathroom. Also, once a swan was beheaded by an owl. That was front page.

54. How many meals do you eat a day?
3

55. Is your tongue pierced?
Nope.

56. Ever meet anyone you met on myspace?
Nope… but I’ve met five bloggers that I count.

57. Do you read myspace bulletins?
I don’t have myspace.

58. Do you like funny or serious people better?
Funny. I think serious people don’t really like me ‘cuz I can’t really stay serious for too long.

59. Ever been to L.A.?
I have flown through LAX on my way to and from Australia.

60. Did you eat a cookie today?
No. Day’s not over yet. But alas, I have no cookies, so it's not going to happen.

61. Do you use cuss words in other languages?
Sadly not. This is something I’d like to improve.

62. Do you steal or pay for your music downloads?
I usually pay. Especially ‘cuz I listen to all indie stuff.

63. Do you hate chocolate?
Who hates chocolate? People with no souls, that’s who.

64. What do you and your parents fight about the most?
My parents and I will get into huge arguments about the stupidest things. So stupid I can’t really remember what they are.

65. Are you a gullible person?
I don’t think I’m gullible per se, but I do believe that most people are genuine, so I can be taken in ‘cuz I’m trusting, I guess.

66. Do you need a boyfriend/girlfriend to be happy?
Not at all, I have neither and I am very happy.

67. If you could have any job what would it be?
I really do like my job, but I’d love to write a great novel. Then have Oprah pick it for her bookclub. Then with the GG award. Oh, and have my book nominated for Canada Reads too. And then have a movie made of my book. Starring Johnny Depp.

68. Are you easy to get along with?
Very much so.

69. What is your favorite time of day?
After work, when I get to do me-stuff.

Early morning post!

So, last night I went to bed an hour earlier because I never get enough sleep. I want to improve this, but here I am awake an hour earlier. So, I feel that I've gained nothing. Boo.

Anyhow, a couple posts ago I wrote that Tegan and Sara are one band I've never seen live but I'd like to see them live. So yesterday, I get an email informing me that they are playing not one, but two shows in Toronto! Apparently someone out there is listening to me. Anyway, I'm going to opt for Massey Hall in January, I think.

Los Campensinos! I hope you are listening too.

This is one of those weeks where I need a weekend very badly. The end of the school day won't come fast enough.

Last night's Office was pretty funny.

It's now less than a week 'til my Ben Folds road-trip. I'm so excited.

Thanksgiving is soon. Yay! Pumpkin pie is the bestest.

I haven't done very well in my goals for this week. Boo. I've been doing all right about the housecleaning and the reading. Anyway, I still have the weekend to get some of the stuff done.

Anyway, have a great Friday and it's oatmeal time. Woot!

When hello just isn't good enough.

Today I gave my parents a ring, and my dad answered. He'd come up with a new telephone greeting.

"Oprah, please stop phoning me. How many times do I have to tell you I don't want to be on TV?"

This was a new one. My dad likes to answer the phone creatively.

His favourite is "Sylvester's residence" in the voice of the cartoon character.

Another: "Earth here. Homo Sapien speaking."

Then there's the old standby: "Buckingham Palace."

If he's in a political mood he'll use "24 Sussex Drive". Although I think he hasn't used this one since Stephen Harper's been PM.

He'll also use the American equivalent: "1600 Pennsylvania Avenue".

I've gotten used to this. In high school, I'd always be mortified at the thought of what would happen if my friends would call me when I was out of the house and my dad answered. Whenever I was home, I'd race to the phone to prevent as much contact between my dad and the telephone as possible.

Now, it makes me laugh. I bet he's been thinking about that Oprah one for awhile.

Tuesdays and Saturdays I'd walk you home...

Ahhh, autumn. Not to be confused with atoms. Yesterday, I was introducing a class to atoms, and a kid says "Miss, isn't it pronounced autumn, not atom?"

"No dear, you are thinking of the season."

However, autumn, the season, and not the smallest particle of an element that still has properties of that element, is my favourite.

I've started to feel the chill of autumn in the air, and it makes me very happy. I love when summer's completely out of the air. You can wear your favourite sweaters and hoodies again. The leaves start to turn and they crunch under your feet on the ground. There's that familiar autumn-y smell in the air. You can get your fill of pumpkin spice lattes. You put away your sandals for good and wear your favourite sneakers. Things start to feel a bit spooky and it's time to read your favourite ghost stories. (Mine being Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier.) Before you know it, you need to wear mittens and scarves at night, and things just seem crisp, clean, and make a whole lot of sense.

Of course, that's all how I feel about autumn. Maybe you're not a fan. I like all of the seasons, but fall is just so special to me.

I have my favourite fall songs, of course, and I think it's time to dust them off, plus add some new ones. Here's a list of list of songs that always make me feel autumn-y and remind me of autumns past.

1) Autumn's Here by Hawksley Workman - This is *the* autumn song, as you can tell by the title. It's brilliant. It'll always take me back to my autumn in Northern Ontario, where there were no leaves to turn (all conifers), but I'm pretty sure there were ghosts, and I could smell fires every evening.

2) Annie Use Your Telescope by Jack's Mannequin - The first line is "it started feeling like October" so this song is a pretty easy choice. However, the wistful feeling and sound to the song is also very autumn-y.

3) When You Were Young by The Killers - When this song was played on the radio endlessly, it was the fall when I was driving back and forth to London 'cuz my dad was in the hospital there. So it just reminds me of driving down colourful fall roads, and even though that was a stressful time in my life, it made things better.

4) Blacking Out the Friction by Death Cab for Cutie - This song mentions scarves, caps, and sweaters which I love busting out in the fall.

5) Happen Now by Joel Plaskett - This is just a simple guitar song that is perfect to listen to on a chilly evening.

6) Emaline by Ben Folds - Opening line: "I wish it was last September when we could lose ourselves in crowds every day." Reminds me of university.

7) Carried Away by Hayden - I was going to put the obvious Hayden song, "In September", but I like this crunchy singalong better.

8) Wake Me Up When September Ends by Green Day - September is a crazy month for me, so I take this song literally.

9) Left and Leaving by the Weakerthans - I love the line "Spring forward, fall back down." This song actually works at any time of year, but I like it best during the fall. It also reminds me of making the trip back home at Thanksgiving, and how home's not really home anymore because I left it.

10) Miss You Now by Elliot Brood - I just downloaded the album "Mountain Meadows" last night and I'm in love. It's got lots of banjos, guitars, and is a perfect soundtrack for this autumn. This is my favourite song so far.

Are there any songs that make you think of autumn?

Goals for the week.

I had a lazy, chill, and uneventful weekend. Shopping, housewarming party, and I dyed my hair hazelnut this afternoon.

Anyway, I got pretty much nothing accomplished that I wanted to, so I've decided to make a list of things I want to do this week in absence of having anything else to write about.

1) Go to two yoga classes during the week and at least one on the weekend. The health kick's been slipping. Time to get on track.

2) Do one item of housework per day. If I did this, I wouldn't be sitting in this hurricane zone.

3) Knit while watching "So You Think You Can Dance Canada" as opposed to doing nothing while watching the show.

4) Finish reading Christopher Moore's "Lamb". I've been reading it since Labour Day. My dad lent it to me. If I don't have it done by Thanksgiving, I might be disowned for being a slow reader.

5) Continue reading the book of African short stories that I bought on a whim. I started it while taking a break from "Lamb". I'm so bad at saying no to a shiny new book.

6) Mail off packages to Becca T and Claire. They're not quite finished, but they are sitting on my coffee table and Rilo keeps munching on the plastic envelopes.

Okay, I think that's ambitious enough. If I blog about something, I'm more committed to doing it. ;)

Great Success!

This summer, my favourite store, anthropologie, finally came to Canada.

I discovered anthropologie when I was SXSW-ing with AlieMalie in Texas, and we took a music break to do some shopping. I bought a pretty red dress.

My second anthropologie trip was when I was in San Fransisco with my friend Fea. She bought a lot of glassware that I ended up having to carry in my suitcase, and I got a coral Tshirt, and some ice cream bowls.

Fea and I reunited with antropolgie when we were in New York this February. I got a purple sweater.

Anyway, when we heard that they were opening a antropologie at the new outdoor mall in Don Mills, we made a pact that we'd go together. This summer, I was too busy travelling and she was too busy having a baby, but we decided we'd go once I survived a couple of weeks back at school.

I got a text this morning asking me if I wanted to go this afternoon and I was like "Yes!" It's also pay day for me, so there's so good timing.

Here's the damage:

1) Long black sweater. It's very flattering. I like black. Fea tried this on and decided it was too much like a sweater she already had so I scooped it up.


2) Neat-o Tshirt. I think it will go very well with the purple sweater I got in New York.

3) Black hoodie that closes at the side. It also has pockets in the side with a blue/green flower print that you can't see in the photo. Fea actually found it for me and knew I'd like it 'cuz I love hoodies.


4) Bird tea-towel. They have so much bird stuff that it would be hard for me to leave without something bird-related.

5) Monogrammed "C" tea-cup. It has my initial and a bird on it. How could I not? I can't wait to drink tea from this.

I think I'll have to stay away from anthropologie for awhile. I learned that they opened another one in Yorkville too. Now it's going to be twice as hard to stay away! I doubt I'll have another binge like this one. But still, it was much safer for me when anthropologie was safely contained to the U.S.

Anyway, the rest of my Friday is going to involve going to yoga, cleaning, laundry and sleep. Excitement. At least it's free though.

ps Rawbean, they have lots of neat owl stuff. Like tea-towels! And plates! I checked to see if they have one in Vancouver yet, but the only non-Toronto location is Edmonton.

pps Claire, they apparently have their first European store on Regent St. in the West End of London.

You know I always thought there'd be lots to talk about.

I don't have much to say, but I felt like posting.

Work's been kicking my ass. I'm not sure why. I don't have an especially heavy semester, but I was the last person in the building today, except for the caretaker, and the outside people who were using the gym for basketball.

For the past three days, I've not had enough time to eat my lunch, so I end up eating it for dinner. I don't know how I make it through the afternoon on no food, but I do.

I've been missing all of my yoga classes 'cuz I look at my watch, and it's yoga time and oh! I'm still at school or oops! I'm marking at Starbucks.

Ah, but pity party aside, the kids made me laugh a bunch of times today. They are so funny. Sometimes I can't believe I get paid for something that entertains me so much.

Tomorrow will be restful in that I have a workshop to go to, so I won't be running around so much. And, I'm all caught up on my marking and prep so I don't have any homework over the weekend.

But housework, I have a lot of, plus catching up on making CDs for people, a housewarming party, and I am going to make it to yoga, dammit.

Since I've been on a post-concert buzz, I've been thinking about what bands I've never seen that I'd like to see. The top ones that are on my to-see list are Tegan and Sara, Los Campensinos!, and Sufjan Stevens.

Oh, and I'm going to see Phoenix in December!

Oh, and the Ben Folds with an orchestra road trip to Buffalo is a go. Car rental is booked, tickets are purchased, and all kinks are ironed out. Woot.

Happy weekend!

Stadium Love

I'm just back from an amazing free show that I attended at the Mod Club courtesy of the XM Verge Awards. I won tickets a couple of weeks ago by quickly responding to an email from the Weakerthans mailing list. As soon as I read that not only the Weakerthans, but Hey Rosetta! and Metric would be playing, I could hit reply fast enough. But I did, and I won, and I was psyched.

All I have to say is that the show totally exceeded my expectations.

I was expecting, oh, maybe 4 songs from each band. However, I got a fantabulous Tuesday night show. Did I mention it was free? Did I mention it was at the Mod Club, which is pretty small, and wasn't even very packed?

I brought my friend Jane (also a teacher) with me, and we had fun laughing about being tired tomorrow at work, but we didn't really care. We rocked out. I also ran into a blog buddy at the show, which was very cool! I can't wait to see his pictures of the show!

Hey Rosetta! played first, and they played a good 6 songs or so, including one that I didn't recognize, which I suspect may be new, and it was oh so great. I've only seen Hey Rosetta! really once before, when they opened for Hawksley. This was a short set, but an excellent one, and I'm hoping they'll be in Toronto soon, so I can see a proper full Hey Rosetta! show.

Up next were my beloved Weakerthans, who, as anyone who has ever read this blog will know, are my very favourite band on earth. They played a great show as always, and it was a long set. It almost felt like a full Weakerthans show. Win!

I've seen the Weakerthans countless times and in so many different circumstances. I first saw them at a skeezy metal club on Queen St. Becca T and I once almost froze to death on the streets of Hamilton to see them. And of course, I flew to Texas to see them play at SXSW. (Well, I went for the whole SXSW experience, but the dream was to see them there. And I did.) I've seen the Weakerthans with so many of my favourite people in the world, that whenever I see them, I end up thinking about all of my good times that revolved around their shows, my friends, and how I've really grown in the past 8 years that I've been a Weakerthans fan.

Now, if the Weakerthans are my old buddies, Metric was the new friend that totally won me over. I've always liked Metric, and their last album really impressed me. However, I've never seen them before. I think it's because they play a lot at festivals, and I prefer small shows.

As soon as Emily came on stage and broke into "Twilight Galaxy" I thought "why have I not seen this band before?" Then she started head-banging over her keyboard while the background lights were flashing. She is mesmerizing to watch. I had so much fun dancing and pumping my fists along with their songs. Metric is such a great live band. And, I was so fortunate to see them in such a small place. However, they totally put on a stadium-caliber show despite the small venue.

I should now go crawl into bed so I have some sort of energy to work tomorrow. However, I'll probably be able to survive on post-concert adrenaline.

I'm just going to take a minute and let it breeze.

I had a really really good weekend.

Well, actually, it started on Thursday night, when I couldn't sleep, so I stayed up late making fun of a Conservative Party propaganda ad with a good friend of mine on MSN. I've been laughing about it all weekend, and even used it to prank-call my parents tonight. (Note: if you want to be creeped out, try out my real name, Christine, in the ad.)

Then, on Friday, I had a really nice day at work. My classes were pleasant, and a couple of kids in my third period made me laugh really hard. Two of my little punks were sitting at a table and were having a grand old time chatting and not doing their work. So I sat down at their table to help them get back on task. One of the kids said "Miss, you just KILLED the table!" I replied that it's my job to kill tables.

Anyway, I've taken to the saying "you killed the table" and intend to use it as often as I can. For example, I completely killed the table when I was in Ratford having drinks with friends and I shared with them that I came up with an algorithm to make it easier to calculate tips in my head. Note: they love me despite my nerdiness. Luckily, the table revived itself that time.

Also, Friday was a nice day at work 'cuz at the end of the day some of my former students who are starting their first year in U of T science dropped by. It was nice to see them, and it made me nostalgic for when I was in their shoes eleven years ago. I really enjoyed my uni days.

Speaking of uni, I went to see K'naan on Friday night with two of my friends who I met back in uni. It was a great time. I'd never really listened to K'naan before I was invited to the show earlier in the week. I downloaded his awesome album "Troubadour" and I've been listening to it ever since. K'naan's music is intensely powerful: he's a Somali refugee, and he raps a lot about his experiences, but he's able to retain some levity in some of his songs so that it's not too depressing to listen to. Anyway, the show was high energy, and his songs put your life into perspective. I'd really recommend listening to his songs "Take a Minute", "Waving Flag" and "Fatima" if you are interested. I'm glad that I tried something new that's out of my typical area. I think I should aim to try more new things in the near future.

I think I can't handle late nights as well as I used to, because I was exhausted on Saturday. I lounged for part of the day, then went to Starbucks to have a pumpkin latte and do some marking. When I came home, I still felt yucky, so I had a warm bath and went to bed early.

Thankfully, I felt better today. I had a coworker's baby's baptism to attend, so I went to that, and then had a really nice time at the after-party. It was a Korean BBQ held at her condo's party area on a balcony on the 27th floor. It was a bit windy up there, but it was sunny and the view was lovely, as was the food and the company.

Also, I got an email today from a friend of mine who's been in Japan for the last couple of years and has just returned to Canada. I've missed her a lot, and I'm very excited that she's back in the province, but unfortch, not in TO. The email was a sunny start to my day.

Anyway, now I'm watching the Emmys. I'm not liking some of their choices, and I kind of wish Kanye was there to correct them. Ha-ha.

I'm looking forward to next week. Even though work will be busy, I've got a concert to look forward to on Tuesday night. We've been having a record number of sunny days in Toronto (something like 22), and I think it's supposed to rain this week, but I don't think even a break in our sunny streak will dampen my happy mood these days.

This video made my day.

Warning: This post is mainly about cats, so skip it if you aren't a fan. ;)

Well, it was either the video, or the post-work pumpkin spice latte. That was pretty good too.

But honestly, next time I'm stressed out, I'm watching this.



Bonus: I like this one too.


I wish Rilo was this quirky. She could be a youtube superstar! Actually, maybe I should try to get a video of her carrying her toy duck around. That's pretty funny. But not superstar caliber, unfortch.

A funny side effect of my parents having taken care of Rilo when I was traveling, is that when my mom calls me the conversation goes like this:

Mom: "How's school?"
Me: "Good. Kids are nice."
Mom: "How's the cat?" Her tone perks up when she asks me this.
Me: "She's sleeping on a chair."
Mom: *chuckles* "Oh, she likes to sleep, that's for sure! When she was here, her favourite spot was under the gold chair in the living room..."

And on it goes. And that's just my mom. My dad will sometimes take the phone to hear about the adventures of Rilo and put in his two cents.

On the bright side, I'd rather hear my parents tell me about my own cat instead of complaining about how pitiful the Blue Jays were this year.

So yay for cats!

One thousand years in perfect symmetry.

I've been in a bloggy mood lately. I can't remember the last time I posted three days in a row. Anyway, this one's all about the random.

1) There's a new Los Campensinos! song that's rocking my world right now. You can download it here. It's called "The Sea is a Good Place to Think of the Future". True dat, double true.

2) I'm stepping outside of the indie-rock box to see K'naan with some friends on Friday. I've got his album "Troubadour" on my iPod to prep myself. I like it so far. I think the show will be good.

3) Last week I won tickets (via email) to an awards show that features performances by Hey Rosetta!, Metric, and (gasp!) The Weakerthans. I can't believe I didn't blog about it, since I'll get to see three awesome bands including my favourite band of all-time. And at a venue I like too.

4) I've got most of the logistics about my crazy road-trip figured out. It will involve me renting a car, which means I have to drive (good work stating the obvious, Christy), to Buffalo and meet up with my pal Jason there. Anyway, I will drive to fulfill my life long dream: seeing Ben Folds with an orchestra. The challenge is that it's on a school-night in Buffalo, but achieving life's dreams should always involve a bit of challenge and adventure.

5) As I walked home from the subway today, for some reason I was thinking about how often I am described as "nice". Whenever I hear kids talking about me in the halls, they always say I'm nice. A grade 9 came up to me yesterday to tell me someone he knows had me as a teacher and says I'm really nice. Growing up, I was always told how nice I was too.

Once someone told me that nice is the worst thing you can be called. I don't know who said this to me, or when, but it stuck with me, and I guess it always nags a bit at me when I'm called nice. I think the gist of this anti-nice conversation was that nice is sometimes used to describe people who are blandly pleasant,wishy-washy, and tend to let people walk all over them.

But, the thing is, I'm nice. I'm very pleasant, easy-going, and reasonable. If I have a problem with someone, I don't get angry, I work it out with them. If you ask for things nicely, you tend to get what you want. If people like you because you smile and say hello to them and take a genuine interest in them, they'll be on your side if you need them. When it comes to teenagers, very few of them disrespect me, because well, they'd look like assholes in front of their peers. If I was one of those teachers who lost her cool at the drop of a hat, they'd push me for sure. Also, I'm chatty; I'll ask them about their jobs, other classes, and other teenager-y pursuits. So again, they think I'm nice 'cuz I'm interesting in them as people.

I don't think I let people walk over me. Well, 99% of the time... I have to admit that there have been a couple of times in my life where I knowingly let a person walk all over me. But usually people don't even really try to walk over me, so I'm lucky there. And I'm definitely not bland nor wishy-washy. But I am very pleasant, caring, and considerate, so I get described as nice. And it's not a bad thing, damn it!

I realized that being nice is an asset to me, and has lead me to easily develop lots of awesome relationships with friends, colleagues, and students. I've decided to embrace my niceness and say a polite eff-you to any nice-haters out there.

6) Had an eco-posse meeting at school today. It was a full house. Lots of new members. Awesome! (Again, I think some kids join my club 'cuz they like me 'cuz I'm "nice" but it gets the job done.)

7) I'll admit it: I taped (yes, I still use a VCR) Oprah for the past two days so I could watch the Whitney Houston interview. Whitney Houston's "Whitney" tape (with "I Wanna Dance With Somebody") was my first pop tape ever, and I listened to it endlessly as a child. Of course, I abandoned her in the 90s for the realm of "alternative" music. I'm always interested in the stories of people who hit rock bottom and come back, and I was especially interested 'cuz I loved her as a kid.

The interview was interesting, and they she sang this song at the end where she was giving shout outs to people who knew she "wasn't built to break" and I got a little choked up. WTF? Great, now I've enter the club of people who've cried while watching Oprah. Argh.

8) All right, that was a bunch of random babble, but it's always nice to get the randomness off of my chest. Yay blogs!

Go on go on and disappear.

This weekend I was thinking about cover songs because my favourite cover song ever (In Between Days by Ben Folds) popped up on my iPod.

I like cover songs. It's fun to hear an old favourite song given a spin by another artist, or sometimes I discover new songs that turn out to be covers. Really, how else would I listen to Dr Dre, Dolly Parton or Harry Nilsson? Anyway, here's a list of some of my fave covers:

1) In Between Days (The Cure covered by Ben Folds)

2) I Will Follow You into the Dark (Death Cab for Cutie covered by Amy Millan)

3) Inside and Out (Bee Gees covered by Feist)

4) Rattlesnakes (Lloyd Cole covered by Tori Amos… from her interesting album, “Strange Little Girls”, that consists entirely of covers)

5) Handle with Care (Traveling Wilburys covered by Jenny Lewis and Friends)

6) Fast Car (Tracey Chapman covered by David Usher)

7) Bitches Ain’t Shit (Dr. Dre covered by Ben Folds)

8) In a Big Country (Big Country covered by Dashboard Confessional)

9) Lovers in a Dangerous Time (Bruce Cockburn covered by Barenaked Ladies)

10) Enjoy the Silence (Depeche Mode covered by Matthew Good Band… I like Tori’s version of this song too)

11) Fairytale of New York (Pogues covered by Pilate)

12) Strange Little Girl (Stranglers covered by Tori Amos)

13) Will He Be Waiting for Me? (Dolly Parton covered by Sarah Harmer)

14) Kids (MGMT covered by Ben Lee)

15) Don’t Forget Me (Harry Nilsson covered by Neko Case)

Are there any I'm missing?

Oh, oh, oh, oh.

Randomness from the weekend:

a) Right now I'm sort of planning a potential road-trip to Buffalo to see Ben Folds play with the local philharmonic orchestra. Ben Folds + orchestra has always been a life-long dream of mine, and if I were to pull this off, it would be great. The only trick is the car-less me figuring out how to get there...

(Note: I'd bet any money if I pull this off, he'll play with the TSO on the next tour.)

b) So, after thinking this weekend, I have decided not to apply for the position of added responsibility at work. Rawbean's question of "will it bring you joy and fulfillment?" helped, 'cuz the honest answer was "it would bring me stress and frustration". Also, I called my pal Fea (work pal on mat leave) and she told me I'd be crazy to do it, which is true.

c) I made chicken pad thai this evening. It was tasty.

d) I went shopping today. I ended up buying two shirts and a necklace, which made me do the whole drag out my entire wardrobe and play around with new outfits and such. Do other people ever do this (only girls, probably)? As I was doing this, I left one of my drawers open, and went to the hall closet to try on some shoes. I return to this in my drawer:



One day she's going to get accidentally shut in there.

Anyway, then I tried on a bunch of stuff and got distracted by the phone then email. So right now I'm sitting on my couch in tomorrow's work clothes, and there's a huge pile of clothes on my bed. But no cat in my drawer. She's sitting beside me.

e) There's also a pile of stuff on my couch 'cuz I started putting together some fun mail packages some friends who don't live here. However, I got distracted and didn't get far. Hopefully I can finish them tomorrow.

Huh. It looks like I could sum up this post by saying that apparently I'm easily distractable and my apartment's a mess, but at least I made a decision this weekend, and some good pad thai.

ps Also, Claire made my day by writing a super-sweet blog post about me. Awwww. Loves it.

What are you thinking?

I'm up rather early on a Saturday morning, considering that I actually worked this week. I'm sitting here in my pjs, streaming the new Matt Good album. Back in high school, I did not like Matt Good's music. However, in my first year of university (11 years ago! I'm so getting up there..), I started to like a lot of the songs from the album Underdogs and picked it up, and listened to it on my discman (what's that?) constantly as I studied furiously for the tricky-woo courses (physics, chem, calc) that I had in first year. So basically, I cannot hear the song "Apparitions" without feeling like it's time to whip out my calculator and work on some equilibrium calculations.

Matt Good music I've found is pretty good music for any sort of thinking (at least for me). Right now I have a lot of thinking to do. Mainly about how much responsibility I want to take on at work this year. An opportunity for me to apply for a position of added responsibility at work has arisen, and my first reaction to applying for this was NO FREAKING WAY! However, in the past week I've been wavering on this. Maybe I should try it? It would only be for a year, but could continue. I wouldn't necessarily get it for sure. Other people could apply and could be picked over me. (I'd be completely offended if I applied and didn't get it.)

But my plate is very full. I have a new curriculum to teach, my class of special students that requires me to plan individually for each student, eco-club (of course... they've already been knocking at my door and I have a brand new initiative planned), helping out new teachers in my department (that always falls to me), and well, I've been roped into helping with another extra-curricular activity. (It was children who begged me about that one.)

Anyway, so yeah, another thing on my plate? I dunno, I dunno, I dunno! I'm very shocked that the "NO!" voice in my head has quieted a bit to a "WHY NOT?" So yeah, I really don't know what I'm thinking.

I'm also afraid that if I do pour more into my job, I'll end up having no energy for other things. My health kick will go by the wayside. I'll go out less. My job will be the complete centre of my life.

Will I lose a year? Will I turn down the path of workaholism?

Then I think about people who seem to have just as much on their plates as I would, and still have lives, and I think that if they can do it, I can do it.

Maybe I need a huge challenge. Maybe I was unchallenged, and that's why I've felt I've been in a rut this year. I've always flourished in situations where I push myself, so maybe it's time to push myself a bit more.

What I am thinking? What do I want? Usually I know what I want, but right now I don't.

I'll just keep listening to music, and do a lot of exercise this weekend, and maybe things will be clearer.

ps My classes are good so far.

Home is hardly a word.

I've survived my first full day back. My voice feels tired from being used all day, and I'm pretty sure I've sweated off half my body weight because the AC isn't working, and the school is hot and stuffy. The kids are a bit cranky about it. Teenagers, learning, and sweltering heat are not a winning combination.

But, so far, so good. My brain is spinning from having to run at its old pace. Hence, I've been coming home and zoning to TV. Tonight was So You Think You Can Dance Canada's result show, and then I tuned into American's Next Top Model for the first time ever. If my brain was a little sharper, I could remember some of Tyra's deep words of wisdom that made laugh with their absurdity.

I'm still enjoying my new albums from Monday. Amy Millan's new album is relaxing, slow, and has a beautiful country twang to it. It will be a perfect soundtrack to lazy, chilly autumn nights. The new Two Hours Traffic is upbeat and catchy, and is good music for listening to as I get to and from work.

I've needed good subway music, because my first two days back have been fraught with lots of transit delays, and crazy people. Yesterday, I saw a crazy dude with a live lizard and a live turtle on the subway (I opted to take the next train). Today, some crazy lazy ran over my foot with her grocery cart. It hurt enough for me to yell "Ow!" very loudly. Usually, I'm all about loving the TTC, but this morning I actually thought maybe it's time to get a car. But then I'd experience traffic rage instead of transit rage. So either way I'll get pissed off from time-to-time; at least with transit I'll be richer, and more environmentally friendly.

Anyhow, I've gotta go wash some dishes, pack my lunch, and throw some gym stuff together so I can head there after work tomorrow. I've let myself be lazy and zone for two evenings. Gotta get tough on myself tomorrow.

My goal for tomorrow is to wake up early, and leave early, so I can get a pumpkin latte from Starbucks on my way to work. Transit delays pending, of course.

The night's too short to sit around and pout.

I had a fabulous, fabulous Labour Day weekend. Every single day was sunny and beautiful. Keep that in mind as I describe my weekend itinerary.

Friday - Packed my bags, gave Rilo a hug, and headed down to the Harbourfront to hang out with a couple of my maternity-bound colleagues (who are sleeping soundly tonight, I bet). Wandered by waterside with a couple of cute babies, ice cream, and hotdogs. Why did summer weather come so late?

Hopped on a train and made it to St. Ratford. Watched some Flight of the Conchords with the 'rents.

Saturday - I realized this would be my last day to sleep in for a while, so I took advantage. I went out for coffee in the afternoon, then had a great wine and patio night with Jolene, Sandee and Teresa. Classic moments from the evening:

• Teresa commenting: "Out of all of us in high school, I would have never picked you, Christy, as the one to become a lush." This comment was in response to me talking about enjoying a lot of wine during my trip. I showed her by polishing off a few glasses that night. (Sandee kept pace though.)
• We were talking about some dude from high school, and about half-an-hour later, who ambles along on the street? I love small towns.
• Some girls, all dressed up in fancy clothes and heels, walked by us and fill our area with the scent of someone's perfume. Sandee commented that "it must be Oscar De La Renta because it smells whorish". She then went up to them, and said "I really like your perfume! What is it?" And now I totally forget what it turned out to be. Oh, it was Dior Addict.
  

Sunday: I (the lush) called Teresa (the non-lush) to wake her up for the yoga class that I so kindly invite her to. I spent some good time at the gym sweating out the previous evening's toxins (but hopefully not the flavonoids and antioxidants).

I ran some errands for the 'rents, then met up with my Paris travel-buddy Heather, for some picture exchanging, coffee, gossip, and then we played St. Ratford tourists and wandered around the shops downtown. I love shopping downtown, because sooooooo many of the stores have been around since I was a kid, and it's fun to remember how I'd always get my mom to drop me off early for piano lessons so that I could browse in the The Green Room, which is an uber-cool vintage/contemporary fashion store. I got myself a funky pair of tights there on Sunday.

A bonus nostalgia moment came when I ran into my best friend (circa kindergarten through grade 6) in a shoe store. She switched schools, then moved, so we drifted off, and I haven't seen her in years. She recognized me right away, and we caught up on old times and reminisced about playing She-Ra at my house. She asked me if my parents were still living in the same place, and they are, which made me think about how it's neat that I can still go to my childhood home (and probably even dig some old She-Ra dolls out of the basement if I was feeling like it).

Monday - I hopped upon the morning train back to Toronto. I had a good sleep on the ride. I made it home to spend a lazy afternoon with Rilo, and downloading new music, most excitingly the new Two Hours Traffic album (produced by Sir Joel Plaskett) "Territory". I'm loving it so far. Finally, I met up with Mathew for coffee 'cuz we couldn't think of something better to do.

Sooooooooo, that brings us to the fact that it's a school night! Egads! Tomorrow's an easy day: we have super short classes, and then meetings in the afternoon. I'm going to wear my new dress that I bought on Oxford St. in London to make myself feel better. Anyway, tomorrow will be entirely easy: it's Wednesday where I have to teach full classes. Do I even remember how to do that anymore?

All right, I gotta pack my bags and make my lunch for tomorrow. It's been awhile since I've done that. I'm going to have to remember how...

ps I just downloaded Amy Millan's new album from Itunes. Right now, her cover of Death Cab's "I Will Follow You into the Dark" is making me happy to the power of infinity.

And we shed what was left of our summer skin.

I have returned to the world of the working. I've been at school for the past three days in a row. And I get a paycheque tomorrow, which will pay off my France/UK eating, drinking, and shopping bill.

On Tuesday, I got my beginning of the year photocopying done, so I've got my security blankets. Hopefully that will be the end of my back-to-school nightmares. The past two days have involved meetings, and a bit of personal time. I've had lots of time to catch up with old colleagues, and meet some new ones. My goal for this year is to STAY POSITIVE. I am going to chant that mantra in my head, over, and over. If you detect any work-related negativity on this blog, please throw my mantra at me.

Of course, I have to keep that mantra in all areas of my life too. I'm still feeling good because of my upkeep of a healthy eating and lots of exercise routine. I am going to focus on keeping that up once school gets into full swing. My 30th birthday is about 5.5 months, and I want to be in awesome shape by then.

I am so thankful that it's a four-day weekend for me. Tomorrow, I'm going to pack my bags, and take the train to St. Ratford for a couple days. On my way to the train station, I'm going to drop by my friend Paola's, to catch her up on all of the gossip from the past couple days.

I'm really looking fwd to meeting up with a couple members of the Group of 9 for snobby St. Ratford drinks on Saturday night. Oh, and don't worry - a night of drinking won't throw off my healthiness. I've scheduled a yoga class for myself the following morning, so I'll sweat out the toxins the next day.

And then on Monday, I come back to Toronto, and on Tuesday the kids are back! I'm glad though; the kids are all right.

Hope everyone has a really nice long weekend!