Spring is in the Air ... No Wait, That's Cigarettes I Smell

Photo courtesy of SukiScoop

I used to live with smokers – my parents smoked ‘til the day I moved out at 25, then thankfully quit a few years later – so I guess you could say I’m used to the smell. If I can smell it, you know it’s bad.

For a few weeks now, whenever I come home from work I end up walking thru the stench of cigarette smoke. And I’m not just talking about someone having a few. It seems to be the last 4 units on the main floor at the east end of the building, and the smell is so bad there must be 30 people chain smoking between the units. It seriously smells like an old dirty nightclub. And now it’s making its way into my own apartment … 2 storeys up.

I can deal with the occasional cigarette no problem. Normally I don’t even notice it. But I should not be able to smell your bad habit IN THE HALLWAY outside of your apartment, yet alone deal with it in my own space. I’m pretty sure these ignorant assholes are the reason why I wake up with a sore throat and stuffy nose every day for the last few weeks – I don’t know what else it could be since the issue seems to magically disappear when I get to work in the morning.

My building is supposed to be smoke free, but I guess SOME people don’t give a shit about rules or respect other people. C’mon … it’s not even your property! If you want to break the rules, for Pete’s sake at least crack a window!! Better still: since you live on the main floor near the stairwell to go outside, just take it outside damnit!!

If you want me to respect you and your habit, how about you start respecting me and my health!

I’ve informed the landlord and the super, both of whom seem to be aware of the situation. Here’s hoping they’re trying to do something about it, and not just ignoring the fact. It’s incredibly disgusting.

Grr …

Update 09: 30 Things To Do Before The Big 3-0

Photo courtesy of Vocal Training Secrets

So I checked out my first opera the other night.  Verdict: not too shabby at all!  It was called "La Calisto." A sex comedy based on an Ovid myth, the plot focuses on the complications and confusion that arises as the chief of the Gods, Giove, lusts for the virginal and naive Calisto.

What does that mean? .... here's the Coles Notes breakdown.

Boy meet girl.
Boy wants to sleep with girl.
Girl want to die a virgin, so resists advances by boy.
Boy decides to go undercover as his sister and try his luck as a woman.

... yes, apparently opera has lesbianism in it.

Girl finds out about boy ... they fall in love anyway.
Boy's wife finds out what he's doing.
Wife banishes girl to mortality to live her remaining days as a bear.

And spread some funny bits in between when other players confuse the male and female version of Boy.

(for a more accurate description, there's a decent one available on the BBC website.)

It was funny and moving at the same time, and the performances were fantastic. It was performed by students at the Glenn Gould School, part of the Royal Conservatory of Music. I'll have to check out another performance!!

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

Update 08: 30 Things To Do Before The Big 3-0

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Red Cross CPR Certification

I’m certified!!

Not crazy, but in CPR!

I completed my Level C CPR/First Aid certification this past Friday.  This feels like a huge accomplishment for me. Ever since my dad started experiencing heart problems years ago I felt this was a necessary thing to have. Better late than never, right?  :)

So the next time you're dying, give me a call  :)

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

Update 07: 30 Things To Do Before The Big 3-0

Photo courtesy of Well.ca

Scratch the cleanse off the list, cuz this bad boy is done! I did this in August before a wedding to help get rid of some bloat, and it totally worked! I chose a Jillian Michaels one, thinking that it would be easier on my system … and it was—no b-lining for the ladies room. The only thing I wish it had was a dietary guide. The instructions said to follow a healthy diet and exercise program, which was nice knowing I could eat things as long as they were healthy, but a guide would have been better. When I hear “cleanse” or “detox” I think really restrictive eating: throw away sugars (even healthy ones, like fruit), carbs, etc … Nevertheless, this one was still good. And I’m game to try another one in a few months, after the holiday binge is over :)

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

Update 06: 30 Things To Do Before The Big 3-0

I’m now a Toronto Library cardholder.

Photo courtesy of Toronto.ca

I’ve recently discovered a love of celeb biographies, so I figured I’d save myself some bucks and borrow titles instead of buying them. I was so intrigued by Portia de Rossi’s book Unbearable Lightness that I kinda want to read it again.  Rob Lowe has a new bio out called Stories I Only Tell My Friends – he did an interview on Oprah earlier this year, and the book sounds really interesting.  Tina Fey of SNL fame has one out called Bossypants that, from what I hear, is absolutely hysterical so I will be checking that one out as well. I’d also like to get my hands on Slash’s self-titled bio – I can't imagine the stories this former Guns n' Roses guitarist has to share.

You may not understand how huge this is for me, but it is. This chicky is not an avid reader at all – some months I find it hard to get through my Lou Lou magazine.  I blame all the boring titles I had to read in school.  “The Stone Angel” in high school really was the last straw for me. THAT was painful ... Hey, English teachers!! Start pulling titles that are INTERESTING to read!! I know I'm not the only one who has lost an interest in reading due to shitty book reports in high school.

Oh! Something I learned last night when getting my card. Every Saturday each branch of the TPL has family passes to some of the major attractions around the city. Places like the Royal Ontario Museum, The Bata Shoe Museum, Black Creek Pioneer Village, and the Art Gallery of Ontario to name a few. All you have to do is show up with your library card and you get a family day pass ... for free!! How cool is that?!? It's first come, first served so show up early and wait in line if you have to. You can get more information on the program here.

Hopefully this is the start of a new interest in reading.  Do you have any fave biographies? Celeb or otherwise?

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

Friendships are tricky ...

... but they shouldn't be ...

I have people in my life who have been around for 15+ years; that’s half of my life!  Kinda scary when you think about it actually.  Who knows you better than those people?  They can probably read your mind and know things that you didn’t even know about yourself.

My bestie, Amy.  I think we’re sisters from another mister … and missus :)  I cannot thank Carrie Houston enough for being a bitch to me the first day of Grade 10 Advanced English class and making me switch seats. After Carrie basically told me to f-off, I pulled up a chair beside this fellow geeky-looking chick (we both had BIG glasses, long hair, and hadn’t quite grown into our womanhood yet – can you say tomboys?) and we’ve been stuck together ever since. We can chat for hours about the kind of toothpaste we’re using or the colour of our lunchbags.  When we do talk about the more serious things in life there is never any judgement, just honesty.  She’s one of those 15 year veterans, who is (thankfully) still in my life. We may not see each other very much, but I always know that she’s there.  Always.

Unfortunately, the world is not a perfect place.  Distance puts strains on relationships, beit family ties, friendships, or partnerships.  No matter how hard you try there are still moments when you struggle to connect with people, which may eventually turn into weeks, months, or years of silence. This has been my struggle since moving out of the mothership and to the big city, and 2011 has been a particularly difficult year.  It’s becoming more and more difficult to connect with people, which is weird in this age of technology.  With wireless devices comin’ out the wha-zoo, you’re constantly connected with people through Facebook, Twitter, BBM, email, text messages … shall I go on?  I know people change and so do their lives – babies, marriages, relationships and whatnot change your priorities a lot – but why would that affect friendships?  Why do people seemingly push the people who are closest to them so far away?

Maybe the problem is me.  Maybe I’m stuck in the past.

Let’s face it: being alone SUCKS!!  Yes, it has its perks: no one fighting over the bathroom or the TV remote, no accountability to anyone but yourself, no sharing the bed and ending up with cold feet cuz your partner stole all the blankets.  And roomies??  Been there. Done that. Never doing it again. I do not enjoy living in a pig sty thankyouverymuch. Most days it doesn’t bother me that there’s no one waiting for me at home – I have devices to take care of certain urges, and as previously mentioned roomies = bad.  I can deal with not coming home to someone. But not having friends to go out with or chat with?  … As far as I know there are no battery operated devices to fix THAT problem.

This super shy gal doesn’t make new friends easily – do you know how hard it is for a shy person to start a convo with a stranger … without copious amounts of alcohol?  And dating?  Pff, impossible. Throw low self esteem and no self confidence on top of the shyness and that’s a recipe for the undateable. I think I take after my dad.  He likes to be a wallflower, which is great but it’s not at the same time: no one notices you, but sometimes you wish they did.  Sometimes I wish I had a bit more of my mom’s outgoing spirit. She deals with people all day long, so she has to be able to talk with strangers.  And Amy, the bestie mentioned above, she can talk to just about anyone.  I envy her so much for that … Oh I dunno.  I guess I’m just destined to become a crazy cat lady.

(And before you start judging, this isn't me looking for sympathy.  Just an outlet to get a bunch of crap out that's been brewin' for a while.)

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.