Feeding an Addiction

As you probably know, when I find something I like I usually become very passionate about it. Well, I've found a new passion! This season I started watching Prison Break. It was quite by accident. I wasn't looking to add a new show to my roster. But, I happened to be at the cottage with my sister Jo-Anne when the season premier was on. She's a regular viewer so, of course, she wanted to watch. (so's my brother...must be a family thing) That's when I got sucked in!

The storyline is amazingly intricate and the characters are so well developed. The unfortunate thing is that I started watching at the beginning of season 2. After asking around, I found out that my friend Chris owns season 1 on DVD. YEAH!! For anyone that's watched TV shows on DVD, you know how great it is and how easy it is to become glued to the set! Example: an hour long show is shortened to 42-45 minutes with just dips to black where the commercials used to be. So, 2 episodes are just an hour & a half and three episodes are just over 2 hours. Well, I'm sad to say (especially after my last post about TIME) I've watched 14 episodes since last Wednesday! YIKES. But, it's SO good!! And, it makes stuff that's happening in season 2 make that much more sense.

Tonight, it's back to the future as season 2's next episode is on. And it doesn't hurt that my favourite con: Fernando Sucre (who it SO hot) is riding around on a big Harley. Sweet!

Time

A few weeks ago I heard someone say "where you spend your time is where you place your value". Seems like a simple enough concept, but it really hit me. I want to spend my time on things I value. Things like playing Candyland with my 3-year-old niece, having tea with my Grammie or making pie with my Mom. You can see a common theme... my family is important to me and I want to make them a priority. I also want to spend more time with good friends and learning new things. I'm going to try and say "no" more often to things that are not a priority and not worry about it.

Out of Africa

Last week my friend Sheri came over. She's just returned from 6 months in Africa! Yep, she was living my dream!! She travelled all over the continent, spotting every animal native to the region. I even saw a short video clip of an elephant chasing her car! There were so many pictures of beautiful scenery, adorable children and just a fascinating culture. I don't know if I'd be able to eat a "smiley" (sheep head) but other than that...I'm dying to go. Sheri is a Registered Nurse and was able to work in an orphanage and with Mercy Ships. http://www.mercyships.org/site/c.agLOI4OFKrF/b.1676795/k.2408/Flash_Main.htm She was captivated by the people and how generous they are. Sheri is definitely a free spirit and not afraid to take risks. She is solid in her faith and such a giving person. I love having her as a friend. She is inspiring.

A Wedding and a Yoko

On Saturday I headed to Toronto for the wedding of my friend Joe. The ceremony was at 11am at the UofT so I had to leave quite early. I made it with time to spare! Unfortunately it was looking like it might rain when I got there. I decided I better take my umbrella with me. This in itself is not unfortunate. The unfortunate part is that is a Scooby Doo umbrella. Carrying it in to a wedding doesn't look very chic. However, I think I pulled it off quite well. : )

After about a half hour delay, the ceremony started. It was absolutely beautiful. You could tell a lot of attention had been paid to details. A string quartet serenaded the bridesmaids down the aisle. Then, it was time for Karyn and her dad to enter. The music stopped and Joe strapped on his guitar and SANG her down the aisle. It was so sweet.

Between the ceremony & reception I was able to scoot over to Ryerson and see Yoko. Then back to the reception. I must say an hour of mingling with people I don't know in uncomfortable shoes for cocktails & hors d'oeuvres is not my idea of fun. But, I managed to survive. It was actually really nice, complete with a jazz pianist. The reception was about 10 courses long!!! There were lots of interesting things on the menu including shark fin! We were well entertained by multimedia presentations, stories, toasts, etc. It was a beautiful wedding and I wish Joe & Karyn all the best!

Be my, be my, be my, be my Yoko Ono, woah-oh-oh-oh.

Yesterday I spent the day in Toronto at a wedding. Between the ceremony & reception, I was supposed to get together with my friend Simon. However, since he's moving today, he decided he better stay home and pack. So, I decided that I would walk down to the Ryerson Theatre and try and catch a glimpse of Yoko Ono as she arrived for the premiere of The US vs. John Lennon. When I first got there, hardly anyone was there. However, that quickly changed. There was probably 60-70 people trying to get an autograph and a photo. I was lucky enough to get both. Don't get me wrong, she's not my favourite person...seeing her in person was pretty cool. I'm interested to see the movie when it comes out at the end of the month. While I was there I also spotted Christina Ricci & Michael Moore. cool.

Techno-Genius

I don't consider myself a computer geek, but today I completed a task I am most proud of. Well, I actually started on Sunday...

I finally bought a printer. Yes, I've been printerless all this time. My parents actually gave me money to buy one for my birthday, but I've procrastinated until now. On Sunday I was at Michael's and saw the Staples next door. I decided "back-to-school" would be a good time to purchase a printer. So I did.

I came home and started hooking it up myself! Surprisingly, it was quite easy. However, I didn't realize I needed to buy a USB cable until after I got home. That's why I couldn't finish until today. Anyway, I succeeded!

During the time I was setting up my new gear, I listened to The Ongoing History of New Music. It is an awesome radio show that I usually listen to on FM96. My friend Jeff informed me last week that you can listen to complete past episodes online! So cool. I listened to "What's the deal with The Smiths" "7 Mysteries of Morrissey" and "100 Top Moments in Rock History pt. 1" For a music-lover, it is grrreat! Check it out http://fm96.com/station/ongoing_history_of_new_music.cfm?ell=6743&pge=1

Long Weekend

It was a long weekend and I definitely packed a lot in...considering I worked yesterday! Friday night I headed down to Sarnia to see Beck & Carla Raes. It seems like I haven't seen them in forever and since Beck moved to Ottawa yesterday, I wanted to see her before she left. We headed to the Coffee Lodge...the local hangout in Sarnia. I got to hear all about Beck recent run of blind dates!

After that, I headed out to my parents. My nieces & nephew were having a sleepover and there was a note for me when I got home: Abby would like to sleep with Auntie Janice tonight. Well, Auntie Janice didn't get a lot of sleep...she twisted and turned all night long. More than once I felt a little foot on my back!! In the morning my mom made waffles, which for a 7, 5 and 2 year old, was VERY exciting!

In the afternoon, Mom & I headed into Sarnia with plans of doing some shopping states-side. Unfortunately, traffic was backed up to Christina St. so we turned around. Instead, we went to visit my Grammie. It's always fun going to Grammie's, but I particularly like it when my mom & Grammie are together...good times! We stopped in at Connie & Steve's on the way home, long enough to do the hokey-pokey with Madison. :) And then in the evening headed over to see my Aunt Peggy. Whew! What a whirlwind of activity!!

Sunday afternoon Jodi & I had an "end of summer ice-cream" at Marble Slab. She got Key Lime with fresh strawberries, I opted for the ultra chocolatey dark chocolate with Skor bits. Yumm. And, the cool thing was I got it for free...my frequent buyer card was full. :)

My friend Amy stopped by in the afternoon. It's hard to believe but we haven't seen each other since my surprise party! That was the same day she told me she's having a baby. Well, I got to see the evidence for myself. She has a very cute yet pronounced "bump". It was great to catch up and re-live some memories. I got to see photos of the nursery which is absolutely adorable. I hope we're able to get together again soon.