stepford wives.

The third photo in my last post got me thinking about the style of 1950s housewives. I love this!


(Once you click on it, press CTRL + to zoom in).

obsessionn.

I love this woman. That is all I have to say.

i could be in road house.

I wish hair like this was still in style.


My hair does this naturally. All I'd need is a little teasing and some hairspray.

saturday!

Hey look!

I'm a runner!

..well.. sort of like how 5 year olds with Timbits hockey jerseys are pro hockey players. I'm a baby runner. Also, need advertising space? I'm renting out my forehead.

When I started running in high school, I used the Galloway method, and after a few months could run 5k without stopping. I haven't run for a really long time now, but I've been getting inspired by reading lots of healthy living blogs. I didn't want to regress to walking again, because even though that worked for me in the beginning, I feel like a failure if I walk during a run.. and I use the word "run" loosely, I've seen 80 year old men run faster than I moved today. REGARDLESS. I'd rather run a shorter distance without stopping than longer with walking breaks.

Stats
Time: Just over 18 minutes; cool down, 5-6 minutes
Length: 3.75 km (I used Gmaps Pedometer to track it afterwards)
Weather: 3-4 degrees C, overcast, drizzly
Feeling: Dehydrated, no energy (that's what I get for running on empty)

Superstore had a sale!


And then I went and undid all my good work this morning and had lunch with my Mom at Cora's. Yumm!

Now I'm watching Housewives.. obsessed!

adventures in hali.

Funny story: Sunday I was complaining that my life is boring.

Moral of said story: Be careful what you wish for!

I will spare you the details, but basically, it is spring break for all of the universities in this area, and I can only imagine that being able to drink on a Sunday night was the catalyst for this:

At least I hope so. Who would do that sober? Seriously.


I woke up at 3:30am Monday morning to the sound of glass shattering, and no wonder I woke up, because that was my bedroom window. At least the window is double paned, and they only broke through the first pane, so I didn't get hurt. Also, the police officer I spoke to was so nice, he didn't even mention that Tyra would kick my butt for greeting the world in leggings, rubber boots, and a nasty old hoodie.. even if it was 3:30am. I at least brushed my teeth for him.

On another note, I'm looking into working part time in addition to my full time job. Why not? I have loads of free time, and my job status is shaky right now (federal funding, bleagh). I also need to finance my date with Michael Bolton, because I can't see him as a MacDonalds kind of guy. At least I hope not. I should know in about a week if this is a go or not. So far it looks promising!

Speaking of work, I've made it my policy to not accept "friends" on Facebook who I work with. I think this is a good policy, if even just to keep work and home separate. I think I've insulted people before because of this (oops) but I think it's for the best. Also, I don't have any "friends" under 17, but that's just so that their parents can't accuse me of trying to corrupt them with my bad influence. Plus, I remember realizing that people I looked up to were in fact, regular people, and I'm trying to keep the dream alive as long as possible! Or at least until they can vote. Then they're ready for the harsh reality of real life. The harsh reality that is rocks landing in your window at 3:30am. Aaaaand we've come full circle..

oh em geeeeeee!

AAAAAGDSFHSDHFKSKGJHFKDAHGKFGN

MICHAEL. BOLTON. IS. COMING. TO. HALIFAX!!!!!!!!!!!

Go ahead. Judge me. I don't care. Because when my adolescent obsession with baby-faced long haired boys (see: Hanson) subsided, it was replaced with an obsession with bad 80s long haired men who wrenched my tormented teenaged heart in a big twisted knot with their soaring love ballads and terribly catchy pop songs.

The curly hair gets me every time:

Except now he looks more like this:

Which, I mean, I'm alright with.

In my Google firestorm of searching for photos for this post, I found out that Michael Bolton and Kenny G did a duet together (possibly more than one) and my head promptly exploded:

The hair! The hairspray! The tapered jeans! The glasses! The leather!

It's too much. It really is.

The part I love most is that he is STILL TOURING. Forget having meltdowns à la Mariah worrying about becoming a has-been.. Michael is living in a world of denial and ladies and gentlemen, it is a BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL EDEN.

And if you don't like it you can stick it in your Lady Gaga.

I HAVE NO WORDS. Just capitals, apparently. These two gorgeous creatures are collaborating on a song on his new album. I am not lying. I would also like to ironically point out that in that article I linked, he is so old that he didn't even know who she was.

I am off to sell my body. I have to pay for these tickets somehow!

day off.

Today I had my first ever snow day from work! Loveeedd it.

The whole mood of my day was kind of like this:



I didn't accomplish much, more like I dreamed of warm climates and starting thinking about running again. I miss it.

Since the view outside my window looked like this (finally plowed clean):


I didn't plan on stepping outside. I did lots of exciting things that didn't involve snow, including:

getting high off of tanning lotion..

dreaming of the beach...
counting the change in my Travel Fund ($11.45. Now accepting donations!)...

and cooking warm country food for cold country people. Spicy African Peanut Stew recipe from Peas and Thank You. It's not quite vegan because I used chicken stock instead of vegetable stock, and not exactly low fat because I used full fat coconut milk. Oops.

I also spent a lot of time thinking about developing a running plan for the next few months. I am out of shapppeee and while I'm not obese or anything, I just feel gross. There's nothing like a good endorphin rush, and not only is running cheap, it's a relatively quick cardio workout (versus swimming for an hour and driving back and forth to the pool).

The Bluenose Marathon is the weekend of May 21-23, and while I can only dream of completing a full 42 kilometers at this point, there is a 5k, 10k, and half marathon race as well. I also think the half marathon might be a little too ambitious for me at this stage in the game (read: my couch addiction). There are 13.5 weeks until this thing, and I think I could finish a 10k by then.

My strongest deterrent in this whole process is my mind. I'm in a cold weather funk, and I loathe winter.. after Christmas, that is. I;m a huge baby and I shudder every time I have to leave my apartment to go to work, and I drive the 2kms to work because I can't bear to be outside for more than 5 mins when it's below zero. But I don't have a dreadmill and I'm not joining a gym just to run inside when I can run outside for free. I'm still working on this plan, but I'll post it here when I have it completed and hopefully blogging about it will keep me accountable. Heaven's knows I've been reading enough healthy living blogs lately that I know it's possible to do.. even if I live in Canada! Here are a few of my faves:

Healthy Tipping Point

MegaNerd Runs

Running, Eating, & Living in the Real World

I think I like them because they are real young women, about my age, blogging about life after university. There's no book for this part, and it's almost like I'm looking for something to measure up to now that I don't have profs marking me on assignments and exams. On another note, it's crazy to think that because of the internet, I am able to track someone's diet who lives in another country! It's taking creeping to a whole new level..

jersey shore crosby.

Sweet sweet guidos.. and some guidettes I guess.

L to R: Mike, Pauly, Ronnie, Vinny, JWoww, Sammi, Snooki, and Angelina

Jersey Shore. I am drawn to it like a moth to a flame - it is destructive, mind-numbing, and I makes me embarrassed to admit I am part of the same generation ... but then I am conflicted because I LOVE IT SO MUCH. JWoww is HOT. I like it so much so that after watching a few episodes tonight I looked in the mirror, decided I was pasty white, and went to a tanning salon.. where I promptly had a small panic attack in the tanning bed ("WHAT AM I DOING PEOPLE GET CANCER FROM THIS") but then forgot about it when I saw my freckles timidly emerge from hiding, and I bought a package. They had a sale, okay?

Also, tonight I will dream of Jerome Iginla and Sidney Crosby. Together. In my room. With me.

Dreamy..

first guest post!

..can be found over at Pink Robots Need Love Too!

Amanda is a fellow blogger who I met through my boyfriend, an adventurous soul who loves trying new things and seeing new places. She loves traveling and is my inspiration for many reasons, largely because she is currently planning a wedding in Canada (where her boyfriend is) while living in Korea and teaching English for a year.

Pre-Korea. Aren't they adorable??
P.S. Yes Amanda, I stole this from your Facebook site..

From her "About" section:

"This is a blog about fashion, pop culture(by which I mean the same junk that we all read on Perez Hilton), art, writing, food, wine, do-it-yourself projects, thrifting, and delicious food."

Thanks Amanda!!

j & a

Okay. I love TLC. And I love the Duggars.

Now that we have that out of the way, I was curious about the timeline of Josh and Anna Duggars relationship, so I did a little research from their website (which is sickeningly sweet, fyi):

Early 2006 - Josh and Anna meet for the first time
June 2008 - Josh proposes
September 2008 - Josh and Anna get married
October 2009 - Josh and Anna have their first baby, Mackynzie Renée Duggar (yeah I said first.. you know they will have like 67 of them)

Can we just focus on these dates for a second?!

They only knew each other for a year and a half.. before he proposed. PROPOSED. As in, MARRIAGE. FOREVER. Guaranteed they did not spend any time alone together before that.. and even after they were engaged, they only hung out alone with a chaperone (a family member over the age of 15). No wonder they had such a short engagement.. if all I did was hold hands, I would not want to wait more than three months either!

And then, 5 months after they get married, they get pregnant. WHAT THIS IS CRAZY TALK

They are just getting used to being in a room alone and now they have to share it with another crying, pooping, helpless human being.. when all poor Josh wants to do is get laid. Might cause you to rethink the birth control situation hey there JD?

Photo obviously taken after the wedding night, because more than their palms are touching.

I really do not see the difference between this and an Indian arranged marriage. You base your decision on the family this person was raised in, the trust instilled in you from your religion, you do not spend much (if any) time alone with them prior to the wedding, get the sex talk a few weeks (or days) before the wedding, and trust your parents to make most of the decisions for you. And then, you promise your ENTIRE LIFE to someone you barely know.

The whitest, most Christian kids on the block are the same as two brown Hindus. Really, the world is smaller than we give it credit for.

P.S. Anna is the cutest girl ever. EVER. She is so innocent you can not help but love her.
P.P.S. I have not used a single apostrophe in this post because my keyboard is French today and my apostrophes look like this: è

I take back my comments about the LC being boring freak shows

AWWWWWW. I just watched this video

http://tlc.discovery.com/videos/the-little-couple-before-the-show-the-wedding.html

and I like Bill and Jen more when they're real and not so scripted...

sticky topic.

This might be a little controversial, but I've never been one to shy away from issues because they might ruffle a few feathers.. so here goes.

I used to be staunchly pro-life.

Now that I'm out of my teens I'm more aware that life is not black and white.

I'd love to believe that every embryo has a soul and is a person upon conception. But with statistics like this:

"Between twenty and fifty percent of pregnancies end in miscarriage. The vast majority of spontaneous abortion cases occur during the early weeks of the pregnancy. In most cases, signs of miscarriage during the initial stages of pregnancy are undetectable, and the woman may not even be aware she was pregnant, or that she had a miscarriage."

..how is it possible to mourn the loss of a human you didn't even know existed?

Which bring me to this question.. how do right-wing conservative Christians view vanishing twin syndrome, if every embryo is a person? Cannibalism?

I'm stumped.

freak shows.

Today is better. I found my wine at a different liquor store on Friday night! Woohoo!

I love weekends because I don't have to be anywhere. I love not waking up to an alarm (who doesn't?!), and savoring the feeling of a nice cozy bed, with the sun streaming through the blinds.

When the phrase, "reality tv" first came out, it was introduced right around the time "Survivor" debuted, which, believe it or not, I have never watched a full episode of.

There are shows about shopping. About budgeting. About cooking, acting, organizing, clothing, rich people, poor people, millionaires, people in debt, everything!

The shows that get me are programs that highlight specific disorders that people have. On one hand, it's good in that the world is getting smaller, and families who are coping with a loved one dealing with a genetic disorder or rare illness no longer feel so isolated. My concern arises because I find myself watching these shows for entertainment. I watch them like I would watch a freak show, a circus act, a movie... it makes me wonder if the good doesn't outweigh the fact that these people are being exploited so that tv networks can make money.

This came around because I'm watching "Hoarders". This show is such a freak show.. crushed rodents, 80 thousand cats, feces everywhere.. they're not all like that, but the ones that are .. like how do you deal with a disorder like this when it just looks like laziness? I don't blame these people's families for not staying in physical contact.

Another thing I'm wondering is .. what is it with TLC and midgets?! I'm sorry, I know that's not politically correct.. they love their little people.. Little People Big World, The Little Couple, The Little Chocolatiers, and I've seen several specials on primordial dwarfism. They are capitalizing on people's obsession with little people. I'm going to be straight up here: I don't watch these shows to identify with the troubles they face. I watch these shows because I am SO GLAD I am 5'7", and it's funny to watch them toddle around and climb in cars and on counters. I know that sounds harsh. I'm sorry. Karma is going to get me. I used to watch LPBW, but then was turned off when it looked like the Roloff's marriage was deteriorating (they should be on Til Debt Do Us Part.. I'd watch that!). I watched all the Jon&Kate shows and saw their marriage fall apart... and that's not something that should be viewed by millions. And The Little Couple is just a boring show. I don't find those two funny or interesting at all. NOW, on the other hand, if they adopted a kid with primordial dwarfism, ratings would fly through the roof, and I'd schedule it in for SURE.

TLC has shows on excessive obesity, families with multiples, families with a bajillion children. Freak shows are on every day at suppertime. And I watch them.

Thoughts?

ffaaacckk.

Warning: This post is filled with an excessive amount of capitals

My friend Josh came over for supper tonight, which was lovely. I made my version of cashew chicken (which I made up on the spot, but apparently came out alright.. or else Josh is up for an Oscar!), some veggies, and enough rice to feed Haiti.* That will teach me to "eyeball it". I like hanging out with him, we each get to vent and bounce ideas off each other - we always manage to have interesting conversations.

Once he left, it all went downhill. My batch of cookies bombed, right when I was craving chocolate (and didn't have eggs in the house, which means I tried a new recipe.. boo). I then braved the cold outside to hunt down some Jost white wine (specifically: L'Acadie Pinot Grigio), and the teeny tiny liquor store didn't have it. SO I was going to settle for a Riesling, until I remembered that my debit card was in my coat pocket from getting gas (a traumatic experience in this arctic environment**). I never carry cash, 1. because I'm lazy and 2. so I can honestly tell bums on the street I have no money when they ask (which is a whole different post in itself). I decided to use my credit card. WHICH I have only used once in a non-online transaction. One that did not involve the clever use of this new "chip" technology, that means you have to stick your credit card in a debit machine and enter a PIN. WHICH I DO NOT HAVE. Which means I went out into the cold, for NOTHING, and made the poor guy at the liquor store think I stole the credit card, or was a rather spry 93 year old woman ("Can't you just swipe it and check my ID? I've never used the PIN before, I don't know what it is.")

I promptly called said credit card company upon returning home and they apparently MAILED me the PIN when I first got the card, I don't know, back in the fall sometime. How the HECK was I supposed to know what that was for back then, for all I knew people swiped credit cards and signed the receipt. Forgive me, I'm a late bloomer in the credit department. The only way to get the PIN or change it is to get them to send it to me again (3-5 business days) or call them, and they flip a switch and give me 12 hours to get to a BMO bank machine. GAH. All I wanted was Grey's and some Pinot. That is all.

*Too soon?
**The cold is doing me in. I'm one step away from booking a vacation on my line of credit and "forgetting" to book a return flight.

nasty.

Nothing is grosser than finding a pube on a work toilet seat. Ewww..

dutch tupperware.

OH I WENT THERE. This is so embarrassing, it's hilarious. I totally thought I was taking a trip to the store this weekend to find containers for all my bulk barn goods, but apparently I had enough clean yogurt, cheese, and salsa containers in my cupboards to get the job done. I've been taught well..


Left to right, top to bottom: rolled oats (x2); ground flaxseed; cashew pieces; dried kiwi; dried cranberries; unsweetened coconut; poppyseeds; and granola. The only things that I couldn't find containers for were a handful of the granola, a big bag of flour, and some *ahem* chocolate. Nice Rachael, nice.

Note: When I poured the oats into the containers, the powder got everywhere.. that's why there's stuff sticking to the container. Amateur!

I took some of these ingredients and modified a recipe that I found on a blog, for Homemade (Re)Fuel Bars (I would like to take this time to mention that implies I need something to (Re)Fuel from... hello Gym, how have you been?). Here is my version:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup oats
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup ground flax seed
  
• 1/2 cup liquid egg whites (4 egg whites)
  
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup craisins
• 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut
• sprinkle of flaxseed (full seed) and coconut for top

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350F.
• Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
• Spray a loaf pan (8 x 4?) with vegetable oil cooking spray.
• Spread batter into pan evenly (I used a spoon to flatten evenly).
• Bake for 15 minutes.
• Allow to cool before cutting. I didn't, and started cutting them before they were cool - and they were sticky and didn't cut well. Wait at least 20 mins before cutting!
  

I cut these into 6 bars (1-1.5x4) and covered with tinfoil, blatantly copying Tina.. which got me to thinking.. what is more environmentally friendly? Disposable plastic wrap? Or disposable tin foil?


I only ended up wrapping five... because I had to taste one! They are dense, but really good - the craisins and coconut made them sweeter than the original recipe, I'm sure. Yum!

office etiquette.

In an open-concept office, is it polite to participate in a webinar (over an hour) with no headphones on? Allowing everyone around you to hear the content of the webinar, and forcing everyone around you to be quiet for the duration of the presentation?

I'm just asking.

whaaat?

So sue me, I was reading stories about child birth and THIS popped up:

"Time to End Pelvic Exams Done Without Consent"

Does this actually happen?!!!

More and more I am rejecting the idea of Western medicine, and articles like this sure don't help me...

Also, for the life of me, I can't figure out if the person in the picture is a man with an earring or a woman with a beard...

bab(ies).

I figured out how to embed Youtube videos into my blog! Google is a beautiful thing..

I'm soo excited for this film. It takes several of my favorite things (babies and different cultures) and makes a whole FILM about it!

From the Film In Focus website:
"A visually stunning and joyful new film that simultaneously chronicle the lives of four of the world's newest human inhabitants - in Mongolia, Namibia, San Francisco, and Tokyo, respectively - from first breath to first steps, on a journey at once universal and amazingly original."

It comes out in 2010. Which means we'll get it in Halifax.. in about four years. On the back shelves of Blockbuster.

rich bride poor bride.

I love this show and yet I yell at the tv every time it is on. Those girls are bitches! I don't know how or why they ever got proposed to in the first place, and after planning a wedding, their husbands are completely going to regret it. Wild spending, unwillingness to compromise, yelling at their fiances, belittling them.. I don't know how they make it down the aisle, to be honest. Yet I can't look away!

heaven.

WHOEVER THOUGHT OF THIS WAS A GENIUS.

My obsession with coconut is fast eclipsing my love of chocolate.. which I never thought would be possible.

It's like a little slice of paradise .. when the reality is snotty, -20C weather.

miss america.

I watched part of the Miss America pageant on Saturday night (and then filled in the parts I missed.. on Sunday night).

I don't know what's happening as I get older, but I'm getting girlier. When I was in high school, I could have cared less about doing my nails, getting my hair done, and wearing heels - I wore some makeup, but was much more concerned about my grades and playing sports than dressing up. Now, I can't get enough of it! Housewives of the OC, watching pageants, getting my nails done on a regular basis, shopping... it's bad. I've started telling people to prepare themselves, because I'm going to be the grandmother with layers of gaudy jewelry and bright red lipstick.

I know that pageants are superficial. I know that. And I realize that Toddlers&Tiaras is made up of moms living vicariously through their daughters, but I still LOVE watching that show. I could not get over how quickly the Miss America pageant went - they decided who Miss America was from 53 contestants in 2 hours, based on four categories - swimsuit, evening wear, talent, and an "interview" (one question that took max 20 seconds to answer). Regardless, I was transfixed. These women were my age, and masters of their respective fields - in the top 12 there was a pianist, two opera singers, numerous pop singers, a ballerina, and a jazz dancer. [Sidenote: Could we pick some more stereotypically female talents please?] These women didn't just perform though.. they were outstanding at their talents, I thought the pianist was going to break the piano she was so insane (in a good way) and glamazon Miss District of Columbia could resurrect Pavarotti.

The winner, Miss Virginia, totally deserved it - she was beautiful, had an important (if not stereotypical) platform - AIDS awareness - and is studying broadcast journalism, with the hopes of someday becoming a news anchor.

The best part of this, and the most ridiculous part, is that instead of being bitter and cynical about this whole competition (see: me at 15 years old), I am actually inspired to go get involved in some more activities. I want to be interesting and inspirational! Oh, and I really should go get my hair done...

P.S. I LOVE CLINTON KELLY. My gaydar is all out of whack with him and I can't figure him out. But I would let him dress me any day.