Things Thursday

1.I just saw Gaga's new video.
mixed feelings, but I know the song is going to be stuck in my head so I suppose she's done her part successfully.

2. My puppy, Toby (fine, he's 9. Young at heart!) has an infected something-or-other on his shoulder.
He's not happy about it and keeps biting at it.
We've had to get him a cone.
I think he looks ridiculously adorable (or adorably ridiculous?).
He hates my guts.

D'awwww

Tell me I'm wrong. 

3. I've been to the gym almost everyday this week.
This semester I lost any muscle I had fought for last year.
My cardio is pathetic & I start spinning again next week, so that'll definitely be a test of my willpower.
Separate note: I go to a No Frills-esque gym, so the equipment is very basic. I miss my AMT dearly.

4. Photos I'm loving of this n' that.

Food porn?

so.much.want. 

light & summery & lovely

5.  I'm looking into TESOL/TEFL classes. I think I'll be choosing TEFL, but I was wondering if anyone had any knowledge of the programs that I wouldn't? Or if you've had experience teaching abroad?

6. Carley, a fashion blogger and fellow Canadian I met living in France last year, has returned this week to work in Paris. Reading her recent entries and browsing through the posted photos, I can't help but feel slightly homesick. What's hit me more are the the travel photos.
Airports & luggage & plane food - it just became so frequent (and annoying at the time) - that I didn't appreciate what a ritual it was before & after each trip. The excitement and curiosity before hand, and the  closure and replay of memories on the way back. <33
The thought of terminals warms my heart, who knew?

7.  I've been packing my own bags this week, in preparation for a 100th birthday party this weekend.
A first, but I'd hope not a last. I find aging lovely, to be honest.
The nice part is that it's up in Muskoka!

 It'll be my first time back up since August and I can't wait to see the lakes.

=] I hope you all have lovely weekends ahead
x

Things Thursday: move-out edition.

That time of year again,
packing up & heading off.
But there's more drama to packing than one might think...

1. I just spent 2 hours, in the wind and rain, being told that every store in Guelph was out of boxes.
My favourite was my arrival to Shoppers Drug Mart where I watched a father and daughter walking out with at least 10 huge boxes, folded down. 

I smiled and asked jokingly 'Oh wow, are there any left?'

To which the girl replied 'Actually we cleaned them out, maybe go to No Frills' as she climbed into her car, conveniently parked right in front of the entrance. 

No Frills would be great. But No Frills is across town.
How about I take those boxes off your hands and you take your little car, with it's fancy little gas pedal, over to No Frills.

I may have been extremely bitter. Not explicitly. But my laugh disguised my absolutely drenched, cold and shivering contempt.

Let's just say I'm not a fan of car-less rainy days.

2. Enough with the melodrama. aha my anger was about a 15-second glitch on the radar.  Rather, the majority of the day was spent in desperation. I went to the mall as a last resort and after a few more rejections, decided to find out if Dollarama sold cardboard boxes.
Upon entering the store my heart jumped and my eyes darted from one bin to the next of old cardboard boxes, being sent out to the trash.

I'm telling you: I grabbed as many as I could, as fast as I could.

If you had seen me it probably would have looked like I was fighting off a hoard of people the way I was tearing through that bin.

3.From now on I will take move-out (and cardboard) very seriously.

No more last minute box-hunting!

4. Packing is much more enjoyable when your routine involves a bottle of red wine. 

My unsuccessful trip to the LCBO for boxes was not an entire waste.

making things bearable since 4000 BC.

5. I'm currently listening to The Hunger Games audiobook while my packing chores are completed. I was very reluctant. The plot reminded me far too much of Battle Royale (any movie-nerds reading?). But I've heard good things, and it's enjoyable enough to listen to, so I won't be pretentious, and I'll give it a fair shot.

6. Yesterday I baked cookies. I'm bringing them in to work tomorrow to share. It is taking a lot of effort not to tackle my tupperware container the way I tackled the cardboard-box bin. Chocolate, Cranberry, Oatmeal Cookies.

Omnomnommm.

Am I alone in the dislike for packing-up and moving-out?
Anyways, now that I'm in from the cold, I plan to be productive. I've got my audiobook, I've got my wine & I've got chicken in the oven.
On a final happy note, I really am excited to get home and see friends and find a job and figure life out again. Even if it means moving back in with my parents.
grumble grumble.

Do you have any packing tips??
If not, baking recipes will suffice!
Also - Hunger Games readers, does the series continue well enough? Should I bother downloading the rest of the audiofiles?

Things Thursday

So I've decided that this'll be a weekly thing.

I made a similar post 2 weeks ago and called it a friday run-down. This is just things - however many I want - and will be recurring every thursday.  Much less pressure.

1. I changed my blog name. It seems I've veered very far of my original movie/tv/social media topic choice. This one says more about me. personal? perhaps. But I'm happy with it.

2.  King's Speech is finally out and I still haven't seen it. My parents aren't happy with me. They're both speech pathologists, aha their whole office saw it like the day it came out. Anyways I've only heard good reviews and obviously the Oscar's made their opinion clear...
I'm a litte ashamed that I haven't gotten to it yet, but I have it now and plan to watch it tonight!

3. On that note, I've had a sick obsession with popcorn lately and will definitely need to make a stop at the grocery store prior to enjoying Colin Firth's stammering. Running low in the kernel department!

4.Aha so speaking of food (oh this post has awesome segues!!!), I will admit to my love for kitchen appliances. Small ones. Stovetops are nice and all, but what about food processors or  toaster ovens. Oh I love just talking about them. Aha anyways, I have a blender but it really hasn't been doing the trick lately. Just not enough kick in the kitchen!
The current items on my wish list?
There are three....

George Foreman Grill

Juicer

Food Processor

G'uhhh those are good looking machines.
Is that weird?
aha, I need opinions people! I might end up caving by the end of the month... yes, yes, terrible self-control. Which ones are the most useful? favourite meals to make?? Help?

5. I've written 5 exams in the last 9 days, one to go. German on Monday, cannot come soon enough!

6. TV is back after a few weeks off. Cougar Town, House, Gossip Girl and Glee have been watched. Still on the fence about all of them. I'll give them all a general rating of 'meh'.

I'm holding out for Criminal Minds. 

7. I bought a curling iron last week. I don't know if anybody does that anymore... aha I'm that annoying girl with the pin-straight hair... Anyways, I've been abusing it. Love it, though curly hair does tend to make me look like a 5 year old, and I've already got the babyface ... bartenders will not be pleased with me.

What, I need ID?

So happy it's the weekend, off to a dinner date with long-lost friends!
I think the majority of you are finished your exams now, so congratulations, and happy celebrations/move-outs/home-town-reunions!
Wish me luck for German!
and your two cents on appliances would be greatly appreciated!

Auf Wiedersehen!