Update 05: 30 Things To Do Before The Big 3-0

Photo courtesy of DisneyClipart

So 30 is approaching fast (eek!) and I still have a lot to do on my 30-before-30 list.

Life has been a little crazy the last few months, so taking on new projects has been the last thing on my mind -- trying to keep my sanity has been at the top of the list :) And with the holidays right around the corner I'll be lucky if I can get any new things started before the New Year. So I propose the following: extend "the list" until my 31st birthday, so the list then becomes "30 Things To Do 'Cuz I'm 30." Yeah. I think I can live with that, considering I started the list in May with only 6 months to complete everything.

I can guarantee this though: I WILL learn how to crochet/knit before the year is over!!

Wanna see my 30-Things list? Check it out here.

Update 04: 30 Things To Do Before The Big 3-0

Photo courtesy of MyRecipes.com

So I KIND OF learned how to make bread.

A few weeks ago I took a stab at making some ham and cheese scones ... and they turned out perfect!! They were a bit bland, but after talking to a friend of mine I found out they were supposed to be like that. Phew!! Regardless, they got rave reviews from my family who won't stop asking me to make more of 'em. For the recipe, check out MyRecipes.com

I would STILL like to make an actual loaf of bread, but I can at least say I've crossed this off the list ... at least semi :)

Wanna see my 30-Things list? Check it out here.

Update 03: 30 Things To Do Before The Big 3-0

Chuleta con Queso from El Trompo

So Kensington Market ... rocks!!

I managed to (finally) get to Kensington Market this weekend and man am I ever glad I did! It’s such a neat atmosphere. I LOVED checking out the vintage stores – Courage My Love has great hats, kitschy jewels, and fabo Hallowe’en costume ideas amongst their vast assortment of other treasures. Discovered a super yummy Mexican restaurant called El Trompo – seriously, check.them.out. Found a wonderful bulk spice/candy store in Casa Acoreana. Bought some totally awesome cheese at Global Cheese.

Some Beatles matryoshka dolls found at
Blue Banana. They also have some for The
Rolling Stones, Elvis, and The Osbournes.
Cool gifts ideas!

Discovered Blue Banana Market, which you could kill a lot of time in. Lotsa great gift ideas for that hard-to-buy-for person in your life. I think I'll be heading back there in a few weeks to grab some Christmas gifts ... and maybe a lil' sumpin' sumpin' for my pre-30s self  :) Candles, kitchenware, clothing, jewelery, food ... all very unique and hard to find. I found one of my fave stores has a "booth" there: Le Petit Chapeau. The owner is from Barrie, ON and she makes the most beautifully crafted hats. Check out her store in Barrie if you get a chance -- she's a hoot!!

Oh ya, and I have to thank some lovely friends for accompanying me on my journey – thanks Di and Miyukes!!!  BTW, if either of you are reading this and know the names of the aforementioned stores let me know so I can credit them appropriately  :)

Wanna see my 30-Things list? Check it out here.

Communication is a 2-way street, right?

Photo courtesy of sitepoint

So I’m having a moment ...

Why is it so hard for people to return messages? Emails, text, voicemail ... doesn’t matter. If someone is taking the time to write to you there’s obviously a reason. Yes, there may be the occasional rhetorical question or “I’m bored” ramble which can be ignored to some extent, but for the most part there’s a reason for the communication.

You start questioning your means of communication ... Is my (brand new) phone not working? Is YOUR phone not working? Are the email servers crashing? Has Alex Bell decided to revoke his patent on the telephone and all phone service has been cut off around the world?

Then you start questioning their behaviour ...  Did I do something to piss you off? Did someone ELSE piss you off? Have you contracted some kind of disease that leaves your fingers immobilized?

... Or are you just being a douchebag?

I’m not asking for a novel in your response, just any response will do. Even if it’s a quick message like “I’m busy but I’ll get back to you later,” or even a simple “Yes” or “No” will suffice most times. I would rather have that then 3 weeks of non-response text messages. Seriously. You’re THAT busy that you can’t take the time to drop me a quick msg to let me know you’re alive?!?

Please, people of the universe, have the decency to return your messages. You have no idea how frustrating it is for the person on the other end to not hear a peep from you ... especially when all they’re asking is “How are you doing?” or “Wanna grab a beer?”

Oh, and for the record, that whole “I’m pissed at [insert name with expletive here] so I’m not going to talk to anyone” crap doesn’t fly ... Friends exist to help you when you need it, so knock it off and just talk to someone.

Update 02: 30 Things To Do Before The Big 3-0

I need a hobby something bad, so I was thinking about taking up crocheting ... Let's add that to the list!

Everyone will be getting dish cloths and scarves for Xmas this year.

Wanna see my 30-Things list? Check it out here.

Must-have Albums

So it's the 30th anniversary of the release of AC/DC's iconic Back in Black album. I absolutely LOVE this album. Who doesn't enjoy rockin' out to "You Shook Me All Night Long," "Back in Black," "Hell's Bells," or my personal fave "Shoot To Thrill." It's one of those albums that you can put on repeat and listen to all night ... especially around a fire with a cold beer in your hand :)

I commented on Facebook that the album was in my top 5 of all time, which prompted people to ask for the rest of my list. So ... here ya go!

In no particular order ...

Metallica (aka The Black Album)
Artist: Metallica
Release Date: August 1991

Metallica is one of my favourite bands ... which I guess goes without saying considering they're on this list :) It spawned hits like "Nothing Else Matters," "The Unforgiven," "Sad But True," and the all mighty "Enter Sandman." In my personal opinion, this was the last "kick ass" album the band released. Yes, they've had success with more recent albums and I've purchased those albums as well, but nothing compares to THIS one. Unfortunately the band left themselves some huge shoes to fill after the release of this monster. Still hoping they can top it, but it's been ... 10+ years and they haven't done it yet.

IV
Artist: Led Zeppelin
Release Date: November 1971

It's Led Zeppelin. "Black Dog," "When the Levee Breaks" ... oh ya and "Stairway to Heaven." That's all I need to say :)

Nevermind
Artist: Nirvana
Release Date: September 1991

I was never a huge Nirvana fan when the album was released; hell I was only 11 years old! And I wouldn't call myself a mega fan now. But the older I get the more this one stands out. It's unfortunate that the band was never able to really enjoy their success, and that their fans will never have the opportunity to see the band out do themselves.

Collective Soul
Artist: Collective Soul
Release Date: March 1995

Did you REALLY think you'd get thru one of my blog posts without hearing about Collective Soul? :) This was the album that got me hooked. Loaded with awesome songs, including the three #1s "December," "Where The River Flows," and my ALL TIME fave song "The World I Know," how can you go wrong? EVERY song on this album totally rocks, whether it was widely released or not. My fave CS hidden gem is on this album in "Bleed." And did I mention that it's gone 3x platinum in the US and 8x platinum in Canada?!? Follow 'em on Twitter, find 'em on Facebook. But whatever you do, make sure you listen to 'em!!

So what about you? What are your "can't get enough of" albums?

(photos courtesy of allmusic)

WTF ???

So I'm trying to figure out how to put my feelings into words ... Angry, frustrated, sad ... so this post might be all over the place.

As most Torontonians, I spent the better part of yesterday afternoon glued to my television watching the events unfold in downtown Toronto, my jaw on the floor for most of it.  I could not believe what I was watching. Looting. Vandalism. Violence. Cars on fire ... Hospitals and malls on lockdown.  Transit systems shut down. Thousands of police in riot gear ...  What the hell was going on?!? Was this REALLY happening in Toronto??

Photo Credit: Saul Porto, Reuters

It looked like a scene out of a war zone that, to be perfectly honest, scared the shit out of me.

Considering all the disturbing images I was seeing, nothing was more startling then what Mayor David Miller said during his numerous television appearances. He was stressing that the city is safe and to go about your regular day. Go out and enjoy the Jazz Festval events, the various soccer celebrations, and spend time with friends and family.

Huh? Excuse me?  Are we seeing the same things unfold, or are you in another dimension?  Had I gone about my "regular day" yesterday I would have been trapped in The Eaton Centre with no way to get home.  Mayor Miller: YOU take a look at the pictures from yesterday and tell me if YOU would feel safe going about your regular day yesterday, even if it was in a totally separate part of the city.  Would you want your children out and about last night?  How 'bout your wife?  Would you feel confident that you would be able to get home on the TTC?  Would you feel comfortable knowing that 4 of the city's major hospitals were on lockdown?  And what about today -- will you be out with your family "enjoying what our city has to offer?"

Now what I'm watching on CP24 is a huge police raid on the U of T campus.  A number of arrests have been made in connection with the violence yesterday and many bags of evidence have been collected. So tell me this: will this violent behaviour disappear when the G20 is over?  If this raid is happening at a major university campus, how can the Mayor say that the events that took place yesterday were caused by "outside sources?"  How can I feel confident that I can run errands downtown this week?

I know that everyone has a right to protest, and I would be the last one to disagree with that.  But what's NOT acceptable is the level of violent behaviour that took place yesterday. There were families peacefully protesting yesterday that were suddenly in this mob of violence.  Children people!!!! THINK before you ACT!!!

I'm from a small town where you don't see police in riot gear, cars ablaze, and "gas deterrents" being fired into crowds of people. I don't know about the rest of you, but this Torontonian will need some time before she feels comfortable again. I was already speculative of the safety in our city, and the events yesterday certainly didn't help.

Get On The GO ... Or is it Get it ON on the GO?

GO Transit has always been a reliable means of transportation. It gets me to and from "the cottage" on weekends quite nicely, beit the train or the bus. Comfy. Fast. Cheap.

Well it appears that GO has decided to charge its passengers by the hour ... or at least that's what happened to one couple last night. For the latter part of my trip GO transit became HOE transit. Yes ladies and gents, this lassie witnessed what could only be described as "bus booty." Out of the corner of my eye I'm pretty sure I saw thrusting ... or some other kind of body movement that would mimic that motion. Since I'm fairly certain there is no confusing the motion let's just call it what it is: SEX.

While I'm by no means a prude, and definitely believe that sex is supposed to be fun, there is a time and a place for everything. Public restroom? sure! Park bench? Why not! Sex on a bus with upholstered seats? How sanitary is THAT? Other people have to sit there later! It's not like someone can run a Lysol wipe over it, or wait for it to rain and wash the evidence away. Your mess is there for all the tots, twentysomethings, and other unfortunate souls to sit on.

Despite my best efforts to capture the adventure my attempts failed -- the lighting was too poor for the iPhone to capture anything. Since this is now the second time I've seen something to this nature, I'm sure there will be a third. When that happens let's hope for better lighting!!

Update 01: 30 Things To Do Before The Big 3-0

So I tried raw sushi last night at Momiji Sushi Bar and Grill ... and it was pretty good! I scammed some salmon from my friends sashimi plate; it tasted great, but the texture was weird. I don't know if I'll ever order it myself, but I always have the Momiji Dragon Roll, which was just as delicious as the last time I had it :)

Yum!!

Wanna see my 30-Things list? Check it out here.

30 Things To Do Before The Big 3-0

So this is the year. The year I turn 30. Ugh .... and to be honest, I'm absolutely TERRIFIED.

When you're growing up you kind of picture what your life will be like. Graduating high school with honours and a scholarship. Going to university, meeting a great guy, and graduating top of your class. Landing your dream job that makes you tons of money doing what you love. Falling head over heels in love and getting married. Raising a family in the country house on the lake with the white picket fence and a weinerdog named Oscar ....

Yep. That's my list of things I wanted to have by the time I was 30. And so far I have accomplished ... well let's just say considerably less than expected. When your life takes different paths your goals change, and not always because you wanted them to. I'm STILL trying to convince myself that this is, in fact, okay.

So when my gal pal sent me a blogpost about 30 things to do before 30 it kicked me in the ass and made me think "well why can't I do that?" I may not have the big house in the country, the hubby, the kids, or Oscar, but who's to say I can't add some other things to the list along the way. Hopefully by the time I actually turn 30 I'll have a few things crossed off my NEW list, and realize that I don't need those big ticket things to be happy.

Now I've given myself a tight deadline: I turn 30 in December. While I plan to add new things to my list, I will also add some things that I already had on my to-do list and have done already. Check back often to see new additions (and deletions!) from the list.

So ... here we go!

1. Take a kickboxing class
2. Make bread ... well almost done.
3. Learn to meditate
4. Get a tattoo
5. Be able to eat at a restaurant alone
6. See an opera (read about it)
7. Learn some form of self-defense (I guess this could be kickboxing, but we'll see)
8. See a whale in the wild; MarineLand doesn't count
   
9. Take a REAL vacation, not just a week at "the cottage"
10. Take a dance class (read about it)
11. Try sushi ... the raw kind (read about it)
12. Do a cleanse, (read about it)
13. Watch a ballet
14. Go to a wine tasting
15. Check out that Shakespeare in the Park thing ...
16. Kensington Market (read about it)
17. Eat all the yummy Toronto pastries in a "croissant crawl"
18. Learn French
19. Go skinny dipping
20. St Lawrence Market
21. Read "Romeo and Juilet" again
22. Learn CPR (read about it)
23. Take up crocheting/knitting
24. Get a library card (read about it)