Uninsulated Lobsters

Happy Friday Everyone!

We went to a puppy birthday party last evening! Yup, we had to rsvp that our two animals would be attending and they were even given loot bags! Our pitbull buddy Diesel turned 1 yr old, what a big silly goose he is. Here's a picture I lifted off of Julia's fb of her and Diesel. (If you or Phil are reading this, hope you don't mind me showing off your little boy! hehe)

I was really happy with how well Remy did. In the past I think she found Diesel a little intimidating and spent alot of time cowering with her tail between her legs. However, we've been working really hard to socialize her and this time she was in the field with probably 8 or 10 full sized, very hyper big dogs and she had her tail up almost the entire time! Because she was the baby, she didn't really jump into the roughhousing but she wasn't hiding or scared either. I was so proud! Bear, on the other hand, ended up in the truck. It was just a little too overwhelming and rough for him and he was getting stressed out.

I didn't bring my camera because I felt like it was an event I'd be better off having two free hands for.

Oh, and the new knee brace is alot more comfortable. Thank goodness! So we will see how it all works out but at least it doesn't cause me physical pain to wear it, unlike the last one. I'm sure you will agree that the white is a whole lot nicer than the flashy blue, too!

We ate our first lobsters of the season last night! Oh man, they were so tasty. I do feel bad for the fishermen out there not getting much for their catch these days but at the same time, it's cheaper than chicken! And it is probably better for you, there are no pesticides or funky feed being used on the bottom of the ocean. Although, they are awfully rich. I ate too much honestly, over indulged. It hurt after. Did I learn my lesson? Probably not.

Last night while I was getting ready for bed guess what? The sun came out! Better late than never. So I decided to grab a couple photos in between brushing my teeth, getting the dogs settled etc. As you know, the view from our deck is the best part of our little house!

Now I know you may be looking at that last photo and saying to yourself  "3 suns" ? Well you see, it was taken through glass, not a camera glitch. I had already officially gone to bed, but had to hop out of bed to go do something right quick before I forgot. As I was streaking past the patio doors I saw the almost-end of the sunset and just HAD to take one more photo. So I grabbed my camera out of the case on the table and removed the lens cap to snap one more. Now, here I was with no clothes on trying to take a sunset picture. I felt like I just couldn't open the patio door, although in hindsight standing up against it probably wasn't much improvement to my neighbors' potential viewpoint. Also, it was cold out and I wasn't properly insulated. Either way, that's why you'll just have to accept the flawed photo as it is.

As I was crawling back into bed, my wonderful boyfriend never made one comment about the fact I had just done something slightly off kilter. Nope, he's used to my quirkiness by now (although I'm sure if I were looking in the room at the time I would've seen massive eyeball rolling). I told him that the way I see it, there's a Naked News show, and a Naked Chef show, maybe they should have a Naked Photographer show! Although, the Naked News you have to pay for and I'm pretty sure the Naked Chef actually wears clothes. Haha

Well, speaking of no clothes, I just came across this picture and have decided it's going to be my blog friday gift for the ladies out there. Heck men too, if any of you are so inclined. Hope that everyone has an absolutely lovely weekend!

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Happy Thursday to Everyone!

I've decided to go blogging in a different direction this morning. Try something new today, since we are rumoured to get a little bit of sunshine later (and that's a fun new thing for us too!). You're going to require sound to get the full effect, so I apologize in advance if you aren't prepred.

I love lists. Some of you may already know how much I like to write them, probably Peggy from having to put up with me at work so much. Rob, maybe, although he probably really hasn't noticed.

What you may not know is that since we got our house, we now have satellite. To put this in perspective for people, I haven't had cable for tv in about 8 years. So here I am, relearning what I like to watch. I'm sure most of you can guess I spend a fair bit of time on the History and National Geographic channel. What you might not expect is that I'm developping a love for commercials.

I really don't remember television ads being anything other than a pain in my butt when I was young. I always changed the channel when they came on, and then flicked back when they were over. Ads were lame and dumb. Not anymore people!

A good television ad today is like the perfect pair of sneakers. If they are well done, they are sooooo nice - but if they are done wrong it basically just hurts.  

So I have compiled a list of my current favorite television ads. Now I don't watch alot of tv, so I am probably missing tons of fantastic commercials out there. Yet, from what I've seen these are the ones that are complete little pieces of art. They tell a story, but end quickly - like a great joke. I will start with the HM:

Honorable Mention: E*Trade

I will watch any E*Trade ad, I love them all! I have never seen one on tv, but I've stumbled across them online (because they always make a superbowl ad).

Best Current Ad #5: Axe

Anyone who knows me at all is going to see why I think this ad is just freaking hilarious!

Best Current Ad #4: Knorr
I don't know if it's the Michael Bolton, or the sad little salt shaker but this ad just gets me all emotional



Best Current Ad #3: Quaker Crispy Minis
This ad just makes me smile and so happy, I can't believe it's for mini rice cakes! haha



Best Current Ad #2: Doritos
All I've got to say about this is: Hahahahahahahahaha Brilliant!!



Best Current Ad #1:
Everytime I watch this it gives me goosebumps!

CLICK HERE
(Sorry everyone, I searched everywhere but couldn't find an embeddable version)


As for regular blog news, I have a confession. I ate two cupcakes yesterday. They were tiny people! I mean it was only half of the big one in the middle! And they were going stale! Ok, I know all excuses but there you go. I had two teeny cupcakes instead of just one. I admit it. Guilty.

Strawberry Rain

Welcome to Wednesday!

Overall, I gotta tell ya, yesterday wasn't all that thrilling. I'm pretty sure you can all guess what my sweet treat of the day was.... a cupcake! I mean, they have got to get eaten before they go stale - that's my theory. Although I'm happy to report I still ate only one. It was awesome! I caved a little too early in the day though, should've waited until closer to suppertime before indulging. Here she is! (was!)

Weird - Blogger has changed the picture upload feature. When I just clicked on "photo" it brought up a gallery of every single picture I've ever uploaded to my blog. I've got to tell you, that's alot of pictures. My question is - why bother? I'm not going to repeat the photo if I've already posted it. Odd.

I stayed up WAY past my bedtime last night. Generally, I go to bed around 8:30 (on average) but last night I had to pickup Rob's Dad in Deer Lake at half past midnight. Rob went on to bed at 7:30pm, and I was stuck awake all night attempting to keep the animals quiet so he could sleep. As if THAT's not a test in patience! Have you ever seen a deserted airport in the middle of the night? Cause it looks something like this...

EMPTY

And in a play by play update, Bear is definitely winning the current wrestling match taking place in the middle of my living room floor. Although, that move there looks a bit more like submission, so perhaps this is more Mixed Martial Arts style - think I should call UFC with a submission video? LOL

So after getting to bed after 1:30am, and Rob waking up at 4am to get ready for work, I was gung-ho to start my day at 6:50am. After physio, I did cut up strawberries this morning! The other day I picked up 3 x 1lb clambshells because they were only $1.97 ea! That's cheaper than apples, oranges or grapes! I can't wait to dig into these babies later!

What is with facial hair nets? If you work fulltime in a deli, and are required to put a hairnet over your face (cause come on, facial fuzz in your food is nasty) is it honestly worth it? Wouldn't you just make your life easier and shave? 40hrs per week with a net over your face can't feel very sophisticated. Especially because you're dealing with the public. I honestly don't have enough facial hair to be concerned, and I don't wear nets on my face, but if I had to everyday I'm pretty sure my priorities would change!

Oh. P.S. I was wrong, all the good shows do not come on late at night. Apparently I was incorrect about that, cause I was bored last night. I did however lose my "Glee" virginity, and I'm not sure what to make of it. Perhaps just a tad flighty and musical for me. Hard to judge, but it didn't have me giddy that's for sure.

Well, that's all she wrote folks. I'm heading into physio again in a little while to pickup the new brace. I'm expecting this one to be more successful than the last one. Hopes are up! Don't let this week of rain get you down. There's sun on the other side of the clouds!

Cupcake Popcorn

I really do love cupcakes, I have to tell you. I know they have become a bit of a fad, and I've heard that cupcake shops have opened up like coffeeshops in bigger cities. When we were in Halifax to pickup Remy, we went to Cinnabon (because cinnamon rolls are Rob's favorite treat ever) and I saw they were also carrying fancy cupcakes. No, I didn't bother to have one. But fancy, expensive cupcake popularity seems to be on the rise! This has come up because of a certain cupcake incident last evening that I feel the need to tell.

I make my hunny's lunches for work on the days he needs one, and each week when I get groceries I try to pickup something fun and different. This way he has something new to look forward to every week. Well, this grocery trip I picked up cupcakes at Sobeys. They were fresh and bright and pretty, what can I say! They are laid out like a flower, there is one big cupcake circled by little cupcakes. Mmmm.

Fast forward to lunchtime yesterday. I was hungry, and we were in visiting Peggy when I realized I could have a snack. Conveniently, she works right next to Brewed Awakening - what a perfect opportunity! So I decided to grab a green tea and a treat. It was yummy! However, there is one serious downside to having my one a day sweet at lunchtime.... I can't have anything else to rest of the day. Boo. So when after supper Rob says "I'm going to have a cupcake for dessert, would you like one?", I'm forced to let out a little whine sounding something like "No thanks, I can't, I had that shortbread at lunchtime". Then what does the bugger do? Not only does he take a cupcake, sit down in front of me and proceed to moan about how yummy it is, but he took the huge cupcake out of the middle! I mean, this thing is like the size of 4 cupcakes combined. There he was, with that evil smirk on his face, enjoying every crumb. WHAT A BRAT!

The other night when we were feeling snacky and I was going for something healthy, not sugary, we decided on popcorn. I only recently found out it's even possible to pop popcorn on the stovetop. Apparently this is common knowledge, but we always had a popcorn popper growing up or used the microwave stuff. Now, I have to admit, I can cook alot of things but the last two times I tried to make it on the stovetop it burnt. Bad. So this time I volunteered Rob to come and help me! (Actually, to do it while I watched with an anticipatory smile and chuckle). Sure enough, he popped the textbook perfect potful and it was delicious! Whattaman!

Here's a question I need to ask everyone. In the grand scheme of my one a day plan, where would you put a cup of frozen yogurt? I'm thinking it's definitely a sweet treat. I purchased some Cherry Vanilla to put in the freezer, but afterwards realized that if it's a sweet chances are I'm not going to eat it very fast. I'd much rather waste my one on something like a cookie. What do you think? Should it count?

Wow. Talk about a food focused blog. Yikes!

In the past, because of Remy's skittishness of so many things and newness to walks we have always taken her off the beaten path. Usually woods trails, or gravel service roads, closed campgrounds.. that sort of thing. Once or twice, when she was younger, I tried walking her around the block and it was a test. Poor thing was so startled at every noise that she lost all ability to focus on the walk. I've been trying hard to accustomize her to sounds and situations of everyday life. So last evening, Rob and I decided to try a walk around the neighborhood. He took Bear, who has become an on-leash walking champ in the recent past, and I took Remy. It went so well! I was so impressed! Whenever she got anxious and began to dart or pull, I would have her sit. Quite frankly I'd rather she got into the habit of sitting when she's flighty, instead of pulling me (cause she's gonna get bigger and stronger). Plus, this way she has to relax before we keep moving. Once she gets more confident we will end the sitting habit, but one thing at a time. I really was proud of how well we did, and I thoroughly enjoyed the outing. When we got back, Remy even let me comb out her ears for a little while, instead of trying to squirm away to play with her brother. Wizard!

Hahaha, Bear is a fluffy, wooly beast! Haircut anyone?

Oh and on a final note, yesterday I tried out the makeshift knee brace until the more correct one arrives. Tommy (my physio) fit it to me, and advised me to wear it for one hour yesterday. So I decided to wear it for the early in the day walk, where I was more likely to twist because it wasn't on pavement. OUCH! Talk about super uncomfortable. I suppose that's because it's doing its job, but every step was like having the side of my knee slam into a brick! I haven't decided what I'm doing about this morning's walk yet. I know I have to get used to it, but I'd rather walk on pavement at this point I think to avoid the agony. lol

Hope everyone has a really superfantastic tuesday! Hopefully will get to the craft store later...

Seed Awakening

Happy Monday!

Something very exciting is happening! There is life inside the mini greenhouse! I really wasn't expecting it already but sure enough, last night when I opened up to spray the soil I saw green sprouts!! Welcome to life little seedlings, I'm really super happy to have you in my kitchen!

We had a sick little Remy last night and this morning. I saw it coming though, the animals and I were over on the beach waiting for sockboy (my hunny) to finish up in the office yesterday afternoon. Remy has a habit of putting things in her mouth, chewing them up and spitting them out. I attribute this to her being 4 months old. The downside was that yesterday she found some algae seaweed and started chewing on it. So salty I could smell it from feet away, I assumed she'd spit it out. No way man, that'd be too smart. She was swallowing it down as fast as she could eat it! BLECH.

Now that's called a guilty face if I've ever seen one!

Bear just having an adventure

Oh and just as predicted yesterday, I decided to spend my one a day treat yesterday on an oatcake from Brewed. Now, I know that alot of you may not know what that is - it's my favorite coffeeshop in town!

This is the interior of Brewed Awakening, home of awesome Green Tea and Milk Steamers!

(I'm sure other beverages are fantastic too, those are just the ones I like the best)

And this is the super delicious oatcake I had for my snack! Oh man, it was heaven:

Which takes us round circle, because I was enjoying my milk steamer and oatcake while out with the dogs on the beach - probably leading to part of the reason I didn't notice the little baby girl ingesting seaweed. OOPS

 

Oh, I also got a brace to try out today for my knee! We've been waiting for it to arrive, and one arrived for me last week that wasn't actually 100% right-on. It would appear that perhaps the plaster was too soft in the leg cast we sent in, and the resulting brace wasn't a perfect fit. So, we immediately remeasured everything and send in the request for another (in a slightly less-flashy color I might add), and in the meantime we've decided to try to make this one work. I seemed to have hurt my knee dog walking on sunday, so I'm open to trying this one today.  Although I have to tell ya, it's definitely going to take some getting used to.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful monday! Peggy and Amy came through on the used scrabble game for some crafting later in the week. That's going to be fun and I promise to keep you posted on it!

I'm going to leave you with a quote that I came across last night:

"Great minds talk about ideas; small minds talk about people" - Eleanor Roosevelt

Arctic Donut

Happy sunday everyone!

I realized that I forgot to mention in yesterday's post about how my "one sugar per day" challenge is coming along. Friday was the first day, and would you believe I actually never ate my treat? It was, in fact, an accident. I had ample opportunity, especially because we spent time at Rob's Mom's and she has a houseful. The issue was that I knew if I ate something that treat would be my last. So I was putting it off, it was a golden egg that I got to look forward to all day friday. Nope, not going to have that now, I'm gonna have my sweet later. Then later came and it just never happened. Hehe, oops! Not a bad thing at all.

Then came saturday. Now I didn't go over my "one per day" limit but I definitely fulfilled it. I finally caved and splurged on an item that I'd previously seen but avoided like the plague. In my defence, I didn't eat the entire thing. Rob wholeheartedly agreed to split it with me. I was pretty sure that eating a full one would definitely constitute more than "one". Before we devoured, I had the self control to take a picture with my blackberry so I could show you how rediculous it was. Hello Candy Bar Supreme Donut:

Yes there's actually a donut under there, and fresh enough to fall apart if we lifted it off the bag too. Donut, chocolate fondant and crushed M&Ms. How rediculous?! It was my April Christmas present to me, and I only would touch half! (So proud of me!). I haven't had today's sweet gift to me yet, perhaps when we walk the animals later I will grab an oatcake from the coffeeshop.

While I was scrubbing the bathroom a little while ago, I was thinking about the high depression rates up inside the arctic circle. Here in Corner Brook it's not unusual for us to go weeks without seeing the sun. It has to do with the way the island is positioned against the Gulf and how the wind brings us cloud. I was trying to describe to my friend how after weeks of no sun, and cold weather it can be difficult to motivate yourself to go outside and get stuff done. I think if this is something you've never experienced, you wouldn't realize how much we depend on sunshine to bring life, both to the earth and in our hearts. There is a high depression rate where I live, and from here north I belive the levels go up. I still saw snow this morning out walking the dogs. Instead of us going on an outing this afternoon we decided instead to lay low a little. I popped in some tunes and scrubbed a bit while the hubby went down and split some wood for fire kindling. It's a nice cozy alternative, even if I feel slightly guilty because I feel like I should be doing something outside on a weekend. Here's a picture I just took from our kitchen, typical day in Corner Brook!

See the light sky over the mountains? Alot of times it a nice tease for us here in the bay, because the clouds don't always cover the mountains and we can often see nicer skies farther away... hehe.

How do we combat this dinge? Well, when I was cleaning I was listening to music and using my new Scrubbing Bubbles cleaner. Now, generally I'm not much of a chemicals person, but there is something about this product that I just love. It could be the adorable little mascots, the pleasant smell or maybe even the lack of elbow grease it requires of me. But how silly is it that I actually enjoy using the little Scrubbing Bubbles? Nothing wrong with making a tedious chore a bit more fun! We find little things to enjoy all the time, neverending. For example, this weekend I bought a few lbs of strawberries that were on sale and we sliced em up to keep in the fridge. It has been a fun snack all weekend! Or yesterday for supper we had a bbq, and although it wasn't nice enough to eat outside it reminded us of warmer times. We go out and walk the animals twice per day at least, this gives us our fresh air quota and luckily enough it'll be in the woods so we can have some peace and nature. It's not hard to find things to love, you just have to make a point of recognising the little great things in your life. They are there! I promise! Here's my hunny out on the new deck with Bear, bbqing.

I was starting a book I really wanted to read but I'm wondering if perhaps I will bring it back to the library for something a little bit more positive. It's called Catherine Snow and is the story of the last woman hung in Newfoundland. Hmmm.... Maybe it's a good time for a little romance. LOL

Spring Facelift!

Good morning!

As you can all see, the blog has undergone quite the spring facelift. What do you think? I'd love for you to leave comments and give me your thoughts on it. I'm quite happy with it actually!

There is also going to be a bit of a change in posting. Generally, I posted every morning from monday to friday and usually before 7-7:30am. The problem with this schedule is that generally felt obligated but not so inspired. So I would sit in front of my laptop trying to wake up enough to come up with a witty blog entry. Then usually later in the day I would think of things I'd love to blog about, stories from my daily happenings, and I wouldn't bother because I wasn't due another blog entry until the next morning.

That's all going to change! Blogging is now going to be based on inspiration, fun on a whim, because I feel so inclined. Say goodbye to scheduled entries of nothing and hello to Leslie literary fun! This doesn't mean I won't be writing first thing in the am, but don't be surprised if nothing is here until later in the day.

I tried to pickup a new filter today for the camera but they are out, so I'm debating whether to order one or wait and see when they get one in stock. Hmmmm what do you think I should do? They didn't know when the stock would be arriving, only that they usually carry what I was looking for. Time for some strawberries!

It's gone quirky!

Why hello there happy readers! I just wanted to share with you the funniest thing has occured to me - I've entered a whole new level of blogging and I'm not sure that it's a positive thing or not... hehe but of course knowing me I'm going to interpret it as happy anyway. I'm blaming it on too much time on my hands the last little while...

I've become a follower of blogs written by people I don't know. They aren't even friends of people I know. How did this happen you ask? Well it's the darndest thing... Rob and I had an hour to kill this afternoon and I had possession of the computer. What to do with that eh?! Well, I didn't want to look at things I couldn't afford because quite frankly I'm in cutback watch the funds mode. So I decided to go blog surfing.

What is blog surfing you ask? Well I have no idea if that term actually exists, but it does now! It's when you randomly look at people's blogs. I don't know about other hosting sites but on blogspot you can click a little "NEXT" button up in the corner and it randomly brings up a blog for you. Now I've done this before a couple times but never came across anything of spectacular entertainment value. Until today! I stumbled across three blogs that I was so very happy to read, I enjoyed their conversational flow and pictures. Even the topics were lovely! They were all connected because the first girl I stumbled across is away on vacation and asked these other bloggers to guestpost for her while she was away. How cute an idea is that?! I guess she didn't want her readers getting bored.

So there I go scrolling and reading, even doing a little commenting. Know what? I loved it! I was thrilled to read each of those ladies' wonderful blogs. I on the spot decided to become a follower. This means that whenever they are updated, I get a notification in my dashboard that there is a new blog entry. I figure, if I enjoyed reading them so much today I'm certain that trend would continue in days to come. I was not the only follower, I noticed one of them had over 800 people doing the same thing (Ha, I guess that's why she had guestposters - what alot of people to keep entertained while you're on vacation!). Personally, I only have 2 followers. But that's ok, I'm a blogger newbie!

Rob asked what was I up to so long on the computer (usually I don't have much of an attention span for time killing on the internet) and I told him I was blog surfing. He got a chuckle out of that. I'm pretty sure he was completely uninterested, and I'm quite certain he reads mine only out of a loving respect and not from a personal desire. haha.

Well I must run, my two silly goofball animals are having a wonderful time peacefully playing and supper is on the bbq. Every friday evening we go down to Robert's mom's and we bbq steaks for supper. It's a wonderful tradition and I look forward to it every week! (although, maybe just because it means I don't have to come up with supper myself). Oops, Rob is running off - apparently we forgot the only salad dressing he likes and that's just not acceptable. My cute string of cursewords might've been the reason he didn't suggest I go grab it for him. Tehehe

Have a great weekend every one! I'm going to hopefully grab a new filter for my camera this weekend and I'll be able to take more pictures for you all. The polarized filter I have I think has somehow turned and it's effecting my pictures pretty badly. I think I'll go for a regular UV one this time. Cheers!!

Martin Montage

Yesterday was my brother Martin's 29th birthday. He lives in Nova Scotia so I didn't get to see him, but I did get to talk to him on the phone last evening! And my gift arrived in time so I'm in the clear!



I was thinking yesterday while I was looking over the mini greenhouses, how does it not go moldy in there? Does anyone know? Because to me moisture, heat and lack of air circulation makes for mold. Maybe because of the light?

I decided that when I woke up this morning I'm going to make a cut. Somehow, with being off work and perhaps some key dates on the calendar I've begun consuming more synthetic sugars than ever before. It doesn't seem to matter how much water I drink I just constantly feel bloated from this. It's not worth it. So I'm cutting back. I will permit myself only one sugar based product per day. So this is probably going to be one cookie, or one hot chocolate. I know that to try to cut things out 100% might be unrealistic at this point. But I want this scheme to work, because I know I've had to do similar tasks in the past and in the end I felt much better for it. Just takes will power. So I told Rob of the plan last night, and asked him not to encourage me with sweets cause I'm only so strong... hahaha. And it just tastes so good....


Oh and as for those Bran Buds... there's a box of them up in the cupboard minus the 3 packs I honestly did try. Blech. Anyone want them?

I finished "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest"! It was more political than the other two books, but it was a great way to end up the saga. It came together so well in the end, just be prepared that this third entry is a bit slower paced than the other two. I was actually a bit sad when it was over. Now that the author is deceased so suddenly there will never be another Lisbeth Salander story, and what about Mikael and Lisbeth? I know it ended so that you can interpret how you will but I would LOVE to read another novel with these characters. Do you think zombies can write ? haha

It's amazing how many people I know that are job hunting right now. I mean, I realize some people are just looking all the time, but in general I know alot of people currently searching for employment. I thought that the economy was getting better? The recession is supposed to be over? Newfoundland is supposed to be growing? And it's the same story over and over, applying for positions you are qualified for and getting no response. It's interesting don't you think? And if you look at the positions that are available they are extreme ends of the spectrum. Gas station or Grocery store clerks are available, oh and the assistant director of the city needs to be filled. I'm not sure what to make of this new employment phenomenon.

I hope that everyone has a really fantastic weekend! Yay it's friday! I've decided that although this entry is short, I'm going to end it with a photo montage of me and my big brother - in honor of his birthday. Hope they bring you a chuckle!

Seeded!

Rob took these pictures while we were out walking the dogs the other week, and since I rarely end up in pictures myself I figured what the heck - postem!

Meanwhile, guess what I did yesterday? Planted my seeds! (Well, I did alot of other things too, but planting seeds is what I wanted to tell you about). Now, we need to consider that this is the first time I've done this on my own. When I was a kid, we had a garden each year but my memory recall of that is pretty selective... what can I say. From what I have read, you generally plant your indoor seeds 4-6wks before you plan on moving them outside. Well, just over a month from now is May 24th weekend and I think that we are usually in the frost clear by then. I've gone with peas to go in potters, and then onions, carrots, lettuce and spinach for in the garden.

Now, I'm admitting that I'm a newbie so any advice would be greatly appreciated. Please feel free to comment with suggestions - yay new hobbie!






I had two very curious helpers for the entire process. I'm a lucky girl!

I can't wait to see little green growth, it's so exciting!! Now maybe this weekend I will talk to Rob about building our garden ..... it is supposed to be sunny afterall!

Keep Smiling!

Puppy Brooches

There are 35,000 stray dogs in Moscow, and they ride the subway system to get around town! The scientists are talking about their ability to adapt, how they've peacefully integrated themselves in with society. Yes, alot of people don't like it but the zoologist interviewed on CTV was saying how it seems even the dogs know when in confined spaces (like subway cars) they have to act very tame and loveable. They are implying the dogs know when to get on the subway and when to get off. I'm not sure they are purposely getting off at a certain top like they were implying but heck, it's a cute idea! The video footage was enjoyable as well.

I was chatting online with Gail yesterday morning, telling her about my latest interest in antique jewellery. I even warned Rob should we, ahem, I mean when we win the lotto I would like to become a collector LOL. Meanwhile, this brought up the topic of brooches. Do you wear brooches? I remember my mom owning some. Yet, I really wouldn't know what to do with one myself. Gail suggested that she's seen elderly women use the brooch to hold a scarf together, which makes sense. I've seen in movies where they used brooches as clothing jewellery, for example where clothing folds come together in the bosom area they would put a brooch there. And yet, if I owned one would I wear it? I mean, I'm not aiming for attention in the bosom area, and I don't wear scarfs. I suggested that perhaps you could adapt it nicely to put in your hair? But then again, we wouldn't call that a brooch I don't think. I'm pretty sure if I had a brooch I'd spend too much time being indecisive about where exactly to tack it on my shirt.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------A new gadget has been released that I find chuckleworthy. I love my Kindle, it was such a fantastic present and it makes me happy ALL THE TIME. Well, in response to the popularity of the Kindle (which is an Amazon product), the Indigo/Chapters team have introduced the Kobo. Now check out these photos, because I'm not sure if it's obvious that the kobo seems an obvious ripoff of the kindle. It doesn't have all the features of the kindle, but it's cheaper. Hmmmmmmm........ not cool, they couldn't come up with something more original? Or at least make it a different color? Come on!

Great news yesterday! The library called me and a book I've been waiting for was in! YAY!! Now you might be wondering, if I wanted to read the book so badly why didn't I just go buy it. Well, my friendly fellows, it's not available yet in bookstores. I'm thinking our library must have somehow capitalized on the earlier release date in the USA, which is why I didn't mind putting myself on the list at the library to get it when it became available. Even waiting a few weeks, I'm still getting to read it sooner! It's the final installation in the "Millennium Series" which started with "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo". AMAZING BOOKS.

Speaking of which... I think I'm going to go grab it and read a bit!

Popcorn Please!

(Mom! You woke me up, stop taking my picture already!)

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Of all the things I had in my head that I could write about this morning, they went right out the window the minute I saw this headline on my homepage. It's the 100 movies you must see before you die 1990-now version! Finally, because I'm not going and renting movies from the 40s-80s. Ok, maybe one from the 80s but that would be pushing it, and it would depend on how big the hair was. I know if you're bored today you'll enjoy this list, consider it a gift from me to you on this nice tuesday morning! (Don't you hate it when you know you've seen a movie but can't remember it? That's me going through the list this morning... lol)

1990

Goodfellas
Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Starring: Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci
Why You Should See It
Misery
Directed by: Rob Reiner
Starring: James Caan, Kathy Bates

1991

Beauty and the Beast - yes the Disney version .. LOVE IT!
Directed by: Kirk Wise, Gary Trousdale
Starring: Paige O'Hara, Robbie Benson
The Silence of the Lambs - Such a fantastic book! Don't judge, READ IT!
Directed by: Jonathan Demme
Starring: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins
Why You Should See It
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Directed by: James Cameron
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Robert Patrick
Thelma & Louise
Directed by: Ridley Scott
Starring: Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis

1992

Hard Boiled (Lat sau san taam)
Directed by: John Woo
Starring: Chow Yun-Fat, Tony Leung Chiu-wai
Malcolm X
Directed by: Spike Lee
Starring: Denzel Washington, Angela Bassett
The Player
Directed by: Robert Altman
Starring: Tim Robbins, Greta Scacchi
Raise the Red Lantern (Da hong deng long gao gao gua)
Directed by: Zhang Yimou
Starring: Gong Li, Ma Jingwu
Supercop (Ging chat goo si 3: Chiu kup ging chat)
Directed by: Stanley Tong
Starring: Jackie Chan, Michelle Yeoh, Maggie Cheung
Why You Should See It
Unforgiven
Directed by: Clint Eastwood
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, Gene Hackman

1993

Dazed and Confused - Are there people that have not seen this?
Directed by: Richard Linklater
Starring: Jason London, Wiley Wiggins, Matthew McConaughey
Groundhog Day - I'm pretty sure this is cable's favorite movie
Directed by: Harold Ramis
Starring: Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, Stephen Tobolowsky
Schindler's List
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes

1994

Chungking Express (Chung Hing sam lam)
Directed by: Wong Kar-Wai
Starring: Brigitte Lin, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Faye Wong
Why You Should See It
Ed Wood
Directed by: Tim Burton
Starring: Johnny Depp, Martin Landau, Sarah Jessica Parker
Forrest Gump - my momma always said life was like a box of chocolates awwww!
Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
Starring: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Directed by: Mike Newell
Starring: Hugh Grant, Andie MacDowell, Simon Callow
Pulp Fiction - visions of the dance swirl in my head
Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
Starring: John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis
The Shawshank Redemption - Classic!!! So good
Directed by: Frank Darabont
Starring: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman
Red (Trois couleurs: Rouge)
Directed by: Krzysztof Kieslowski
Starring: Irene Jacob, Jean-Louis Trintignant

1995

Babe
Directed by: Chris Noonan
Starring: James Cromwell, Magda Szubanski
Before Sunrise
Directed by: Richard Linklater
Starring: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy
Clueless - pretty sure every female member of the planet has seen this gem!
Directed by: Amy Heckerling
Starring: Alicia Silverstone, Paul Rudd, Brittany Murphy
Heat
Directed by: Michael Mann
Starring: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer
Living in Oblivion
Directed by: Tom DeCillo
Starring: Steve Buscemi, Catherine Keener
Sense and Sensibility
Directed by: Ang Lee
Starring: Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant
Toy Story - I can't wait for #3 to come out!
Directed by: John Lasseter
Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen
The Usual Suspects - one of those fantastic mystery movies
Directed by: Bryan Singer
Starring: Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne, Chazz Palminteri

1996

Big Night
Directed by: Campbell Scott, Stanley Tucci
Starring: Tony Shaloub, Stanley Tucci, Ian Holm
Dead Man
Directed by: Jim Jarmusch
Starring: Johnny Depp, Gary Farmer, Lance Henriksen
Fargo
Directed by: Joel Coen
Starring: Frances McDormand, William H. Macy
Why You Should See It
Ghost in the Shell (Kokaku kidotai)
Directed by: Mamoru Oshii
Starring: Atsuko Tanaka, Akio Otsuka
Lone Star
Directed by: John Sayles
Starring: Chris Cooper, Elizabeth Pena, Kris Kristofferson, Matthew McConaughey,
Scream - I actually did watch this, believe it or not
Directed by: Wes Craven
Starring: Neve Campbell, Drew Barrymore
Why You Should See It
Secrets & Lies
Directed by: Mike Leigh
Starring: Brenda Blethyn, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Timothy Spall
Sling Blade
Directed by: Billy Bob Thornton
Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Dwight Yoakam, Lucas Black
Swingers
Directed by: Doug Liman
Starring: Jon Favreau, Vince Vaughn, Heather Graham
Trainspotting - really didn't like this movie
Directed by: Danny Boyle
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Jonny Lee Miller, Robert Carlyle

1997

Boogie Nights
Directed by: Paul Thomas Anderson
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Burt Reynolds, Julianne Moore
Eve's Bayou
Directed by: Kasi Lemmons
Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Lynn Whitfield, Debbi Morgan
L.A. Confidential
Directed by: Curtis Hanson
Starring: Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kevin Spacey
The Sweet Hereafter
Directed by: Atom Egoyan
Starring: Ian Holm, Bruce Greenwood, Sarah Polley
Titanic - you know you were singing the song on the radio
Directed by: James Cameron
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet

1998

The Big Lebowski
Directed by: Joel Coen
Starring: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore
Fireworks (Hana-bi)
Directed by: Takeshi Kitano
Starring: Takeshi Kitano, Kayoko Kishimoto
Out of Sight
Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
Starring: George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, Catherine Keener
Saving Private Ryan
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Tom Hanks, Tom Sizemore
There's Something About Mary - is that hair gel?
Directed by: Peter Farrelly, Bobby Farrelly
Starring: Cameron Diaz, Matt Dillon, Ben Stiller

1999

All About My Mother (Todo sobre mi madre)
Directed by: Pedro Almodovar
Starring: Cecilia Roth, Marisa Paredes, Penelope Cruz
American Beauty - risque topic at the time but a really good movie if I remember
Directed by: Sam Mendes
Starring: Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Thora Birch
Being John Malkovich
Directed by: Spike Jonze
Starring: John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, Catherine Keener, John Malkovich
Election
Directed by: Alexander Payne
Starring: Matthew Broderick, Reese Witherspoon, Chris Klein
Fight Club - watch for the naked gorilla, although you won't see it
Directed by: David Fincher
Starring: Brad Pitt, Edward Norton
The Matrix - first time I saw this in theatres, my mind was BLOWN away
Directed by: Larry Wachowski, Andy Wachowski
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne
Princess Mononoke (Mononoke-hime)
Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki
Starring: Yoji Matsuda, Yuriko Ishida
Run Lola Run (Lola rennt) - cute movie but you'd only watch it once
Directed by: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Franka Potente, Moritz Bleibtreu
The Sixth Sense - watched this and almost died of fright
Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan
Starring: Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette
Three Kings
Directed by: David O. Russell
Starring: George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Ice Cube

2000
Almost Famous
Directed by: Cameron Crowe
Starring: Patrick Fugit, Frances McDormand, Kate Hudson
Best in Show
Directed by: Christopher Guest
Starring: Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Wo hu cang long) - definitely worth the subtitles
Directed by: Ang Lee
Starring: Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Ziyi Zhang
Yi Yi
Directed by: Edward Yang
Starring: Wu Nien-jen, Issey Ogata, Elaine Jin

2001

Amelie (Le fabuleux destin d'Amelie Poulain) - one of my favorite movies of all time!!
Directed by: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Starring: Audrey Tautou, Mathieu Kassovitz
Donnie Darko
Directed by: Richard Kelly
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Drew Barrymore, Patrick Swayze
In the Mood For Love (Fa yeung nin wa)
Directed by: Wong Kar-Wai
Starring: Maggie Cheung, Tony Leung Chiu-wai
The Lord of the Rings - everyone can appreciate this trilogy, it's such a good story
Directed by: Peter Jackson
Starring: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen
Memento
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano
Mulholland Drive
Directed by: David Lynch
Starring: Naomi Watts, Laura Elena Harring,
The Royal Tenenbaums
Directed by: Wes Anderson
Starring: Gene Hackman, Ben Stiller, Gwyneth Paltrow

2002

The Pianist
Directed by: Roman Polanski
Starring: Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann, Emilia Fox
Y Tu Mama Tambien
Directed by: Alfonso Cuaron
Starring: Maribel Verdu, Gael Garcia Bernal, Diego Luna

2003

City of God (Cidade de Deus)
Directed by: Fernando Meirelles
Starring: Alexandre Rodrigues, Leandro Firmino De Hora Phellipe, Seu Jorge
Elephant
Directed by: Gus Van Sant
Starring: Alex Frost, Eric Deulen, John Robinson
Finding Nemo - just keep swimming, swimming, swimming
Directed by: Andrew Stanton
Starring: Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres

2004

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
Directed by: Adam McKay
Starring: Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Directed by: Michel Gondry
Starring: Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet
Shaun of the Dead
Directed by: Edgar Wright
Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Kate Ashfield
Sideways
Directed by: Alexander Payne
Starring: Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen

2005

The 40-Year-Old Virgin
Directed by: Judd Apatow
Starring: Steve Carell, Catherine Keener, Seth Rogen
Brokeback Mountain - get over it and see it, it was really good
Directed by: Ang Lee
Starring: Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal
A History of Violence
Directed by: David Cronenberg
Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, Ed Harris
Oldboy
Directed by: Park Chan-wook
Starring: Choi Min-shik, Kang Hye-jeong

2006

Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
Directed by: Larry Charles
Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen, Kenneth Davitian
Children of Men - great concept but found it disapointing
Directed by: Alfonso Cuaron
Starring: Clive Owen, Michael Caine, Julianne Moore
The Lives of Others (Das Leben der Anderen)
Directed by: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Starring: Martina Gedeck, Ulrich Muehe, Sebastian Koch
Pan's Labyrinth (El laberinto del fauno) - always was curious about this scary looking flick
Directed by: Guillermo del Toro
Starring: Maribel Verdu, Ivana Baquero, Doug Jones

2007

4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days (4 luni, 3 saptamani si 2 zile)
Directed by: Cristian Mungiu
Starring: Anamaria Marinca, Laura Vasiliu, Vlad Ivanov
The Bourne Ultimatum - who doesn't love Jason Bourne?!
Directed by: Paul Greengrass
Starring: Matt Damon, Joan Allen, David Strathairn
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Le scaphandre et le papillon)
Directed by: Julian Schnabel
Starring: Mathieu Amalric, Emmanuelle Seigner, Marie-Josée Croze
Michael Clayton
Directed by: Tony Gilroy
Starring: George Clooney, Tom Wilkinson, Tilda Swinton
No Country for Old Men
Directed by: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin
There Will Be Blood - Listened to this with James post eye surgery lol
Directed by: Paul Thomas Anderson
Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Paul Dan

2008

The Dark Knight
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart
Slumdog Millionaire - actually saw in theatres and we thought it was cute
Directed by: Danny Boyle
Starring: Dev Patel, Anil Kapoor, Freida Pinto
WALL-E - love cartoons but couldn't bring myself to watch this one
Directed by: Andrew Stanton
Starring: Fred Willard, Sigourney Weaver, Jeff Garlin

2009

Avatar
Directed by: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver
The Hurt Locker
Directed by: Kathryn Bigelow
Starring: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty
Inglourious Basterds
Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
Starring: Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Melanie Laurent

SOURCE: http://ca.movies.yahoo.com/feature/100-movies-to-see-before-you-die-modern-classics.html