Ramblings Rarely Read by Others....by Lizamo

My Top 10 YA Books of 2011

2011-12-28T20:46:00.000-08:00

This is a much harder list for me to make than the one I did for books for adults. I am always worried that I'm hurting peoples feelings by not including them. But here goes. My top 10 YA books read in 2011, not in any order. Please note I read Divergent in 2010 or it would totally make this list (although I didn't include advance reading copies on last years list so it has fallen through the cracks of my inconsistent rules).

1. The Big Crunch by Pete Hautmann - gorgeous book of a teen relationship.
2. Annexed by Sharon Dogar - basically a fictionalized story of Peter van Pels who with his family hid in the annex with Anne Frank and her family. Thought provoking.
3. Shatter Me by Taherah Mafi - a book that made me feel empowered, like I could join an underground resistance and kick an army's ass! Also new book boyfriend - need I say more?
4. Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley - this book felt like a classic the moment I read it - and I mean that in a good way. It was like Holes plus A Separate Peace plus the best of John Green plus The Catcher in the Rye all put together - and yet completely original (Vikki -that comment is for you)
5. Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler, illustrated by Maira Kalman. A must read for teens and adults -if you've ever been in a relationship you have to read this book. Especially if you've suffered teen heartbreak. I am dying for more people to read it so that we can talk about it!
6. Incarceron by Catherine Fisher. Lisa D had been urging me to read this for ages and when I finally did I was hooked! Such an excellent world Fisher has created - there is a prison called Incarceron, and then their is "outside" which is the future (from today) yet they act like its the 1800s or something crazy like that. Like some sort of crazypants steampunk reversal world!
7. The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen. - my favourite Sarah Dessen book featuring my favourite character - Monica. Love her. And of course Wes.
8. The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson. I accidentally bought this book twice - I do this a lot - I think I don't own it so I buy it then when I finally read it I realize I have two copies. Loved this book -poor Lennie is so messed up and makes bad decisions and it all felt so real!
9. This Dark Endeavour by Kenneth Oppel - An amazing story of young Victor Frankenstein, his brother and the girl they both loved. Exciting and swoon-worthy!
10. Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier - again I resisted this for some crazy reason. So amazing. Time travel, intrigue and romance. I can't wait for the next one!

I just realized I have enough Middle Grade books to do a Top 10 Middle Grade list - will do that tomorrow.

My Top 10 Books of 2011 - Books for Adults

2011-12-28T20:15:00.000-08:00

Why hasn't everyone read this?

This year I have a list of 63 books that I've read - however I don't always count manuscripts or advance reading copies - especially if the book isn't coming out in the year I'm reading it. So here are my Top Ten Books for Adults that I've read this year. That doesn't mean they were published this year, just that this is the year I read them.

(not in any order)
1. Talking to Girls About Duran Duran by Rob Sheffield. The chapter on Hall & Oates had me in hysterics.
2. Roseanna by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo (published in 1965) - an amazing mystery novel. It took forever to make international long-distance phone calls back then, read this book and you'll understand!
3. Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay - this book broke my heart.
4. Started Early, Took my Dog by Kate Atkinson - for some reason I read this book before reading the books that came after Case Histories (which I read ages ago) but it worked out fine.
5. The Baby Catcher by Peggy Vincent - this non-fiction about a midwife in California - it made me appreciate how completely midwives give themselves to their patients. So many amazing stories of births - mostly happy, but some sad.
6. Bossypants by Tina Fey - I keep finding myself referring to this book. Like "Remember in Bossypants when Tina Fey did this....or said that...." it's like the new Seinfeld for me - every situation somehow leads back to Bossypants.
7. The Postmistress by Sarah Blake. I have to admit I did not read this book, I listened to it on audio, unabridged. It was awesome! I could never have done the voices in my head the way the narrator did. I would get home from the car, grab my ipod and then go listen to more in my room because I didn't want to have to wait til the drive to work the next morning to find out what happened next!
8. The Soldier's Wife by Margaret Leroy - this should be a huge bestseller. People LOVE stories of forbidden love - Romeo & Juliet, Edward & Bella, this has that! It's like Water For Elephants meets The Guernsey Potato Peel Pie Society meets Summer of My German Soldier. So good.
9. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese - I had this on my shelf for so long before I finally cracked it open to read it. What on earth made me wait so long?! I will never forget the characters. I tried to find a comparison but the best I can come up with is The Poisonwood Bible meets A Fine Balance.
10. Catherine the Great by Robert K Massie - I'm still reading this right now. It is like an amazing soap opera and every day I'm so excited to find out what happens next. I have very little knowledge of Russian history so honestly I don't know how it all ends!

Hall & Oates and The Guy in the Blue Pantsuit

2011-06-25T18:05:00.000-07:00

Last night Leanne's dreams came true: we saw Hall & Oates in concert at Casino Rama. They were fantastic performers - Daryl Hall still has a great voice, although he modifies songs to avoid some of the falsetto notes that an aging voice might find troublesome. John Oates (sans mustache) does all the harmonizing, barking, ooh-yeahs as always. There was a saxophonist with long hair and a royal blue pantsuit that had more solos than I ever dreamed possible and a guitarist who did lots of that intense playing of guitar high notes that people other than me find impressive.

Leanne & I found ourselves in people-watching heaven. Oh the mom jeans, dad jeans, velour pants, leopard prints, matchy-matchy couples, fishnets with cut-offs, rats tails and lots of age inappropriate outfits.

My favourite was an woman who might have been in her 60s who had a orangey-brown tight perm with a bow right in the middle of it like Nancy, Sluggo's friend. She was wearing a cardigan with cats & mice, lots of glittery stuff and had white stirrup-type leggings on with high heels. Her purse looked somewhat like Duran Duran's Rio album cover. She approached me and asked if I had an extra concert ticket to sell. Clearly my city clothes marked me as a "scalper". Fun!

Needed something sweet today

2011-04-29T14:38:00.000-07:00

I've been feeling kind of stressed out lately. So I went to Indigo today and bought myself two picture books. And they helped.

I had read The Quiet Book before and knew I loved it so it was a no-brainer when I slipped that one into my pile. Then I found a table of picture books and picked up A Sick Day for Amos McGee. After it's Caldecott win and all the great reviews I knew I'd love it too.

Back at the office I sat and read them both. Felt much better.

Favourite Books of 2010

2010-12-28T19:48:00.000-08:00

Of course not all the books I loved in 2010 were published in 2010...but here are my favourite books that I read this year (not including books that aren't out yet that I read as ARCs). Also not in any order.

I'm going to do a YA list and an adult list simply so I can cheat and list 20 books:

Y/A

1. Matched by Ally Condie
2. Half Brother by Kenneth Oppel
3.It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini
4. The Forest of Hands & Teeth by Carrie Ryan
5. Nothing Like You by Lauren Strasnick
6. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
7. Sorta Like a Rock Star by Matthew Quick
8. The Boyfriend List and all the sequels in the Ruby Oliver books by E.Lockhart
9. Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway
10. Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

ADULT

1. ROOM by Emma Donoghue
2. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
3. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
4. The Good Daughters by Joyce Maynard
5. Secret Daughter by Shilpi S Gowda
6. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
7. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
8. One Day by David Nicholls
9. The Truth About Delilah Blue by Tish Cohen

Where do I count the 6 Scott Pilgrim graphic novels? Do I need yet another list? I have read a bunch of graphic novels this year...maybe I'll do a list for 2011.

I'm sure the second I hit "Publish Post" I'll realize I've forgotten something great that I read. Oh well.

Duets (not featuring!)

2010-11-12T20:51:00.000-08:00

Lionel & Diana

Back in the day, in my youth, duets were duets. Now they seem to be called a song by one artist featuring another. Like Eminem featuring Rihanna. To me, that's a duet. I get that sometimes one person is doing most of the singing and someone (like, say Akon) is just oohing and aahing in the background - that to me deserves a "featuring" credit. But if you take turns singing parts then sing some parts together = duet.

My all-time favourite thing about duets (and some songs from Broadway musicals) is when the two singers sing different things at the same time. I'm talking about me belting out "Hamburgers with cheese and pickles are delightful" while you sing "Why does it take to get service in this place?!" or something like that.

Some of my favourites old and new:
1. Fozzie & Kermit - Movin' Right Along (everyone was happy to see this one on my facebook page earlier this week. It's a classic from the amazing Muppet Movie)
2. Kenny Rogers & Kim Carnes - Don't Fall in Love With a Dreamer - sure some people prefer Kenny with Dolly or Kenny with Sheena Easton but this one is my favourite. He's stay if she'd just ask him one more time! OMG!
3. Lionel and Diana singing Endless Love. When I sing this one I have to do Lionel's part because Diana is too high and breathy for me.
4. Andrew Belle and Katie Herzig - Static Waves. I wake up in the middle of the night with this song in my head!
5. Court Yard Hounds and Jakob Dylan - See You in the Spring. This has Emily and Jakob doing my favourite singing two different things at the same time thing. LOVE IT. I actually had to stop listening to it because I was becoming obsessed and worried I might start to dislike it from overexposure.
6. Joshua Radin and Ingrid Michaelson - Sky. Lovely.
7. Joshua Radin (again) and Schuyler Fisk - Paperweight - she is an actress and a singer, who knew? I know she's Sissy Spacek's daughter and Sissy sang in Coal Miner's Daughter so maybe they're just a talented family. I can neither act nor dance nor sing so clearly I'm not going into show business.
8. James Morrison and Nelly Furtado - Broken Strings. Mostly because of James Morrison who is amazing and has a great name. I would have loved to have called one of my kids James but was always worried they'd get called "Jim" (which is my favourite name ever) and that would have made him Jim Morrison and well that would be weird, right?
9. NPH and Felicia Day from Dr Horrible's Sing-Along Blog doing My Eyes - they sing the same things, they sing different things, they sing different lines at the same time then overlap a bit. It is awesome. I love NPH.
10. Elton John & Kiki Dee - Don't Go Breaking My Heart - because it reminds me of being a kid. And I loved it when Elton sang it with Miss Piggy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OX2WErOvD4

Dear Car (aka Quest, aka Baby)

2010-10-28T17:46:00.000-07:00

Dear Car,

I'm sorry that I was following too closely behind that brown Saab on October 13th. The rain should have been a warning to me to stay back a bit but I made an error in judgement and you (and my insurance company) paid the price. I was distressed that I smashed in your front end, your front light and your special Kingscross Hyundai license plate holder.

It was very exciting to be reunited with you yesterday after almost two weeks apart. I admit I was tempted to hug your shiny black hood in the body shop parking lot. Forgive me for restraining myself. I do have something to admit, however: I kind of liked the rental car. Just a little bit.

At first I found the rental uncomfortable. It had nowhere near the space for my gigantic size 10 feet. I had to be so careful about keeping it clean that I felt awkward putting a Diet Coke in the drink holder and felt weird chewing gum. I found that the first week I couldn't get used to the clock being in the wrong place and the speedometer being on the wrong side - oh and the trunk closed on my head and gave me a bruise. You know what helped eased the trauma of our separation? The CD player showed me the name of the song that was playing! I know! Isn't that awesome?! It was especially helpful as I was playing a CD of mixed songs from my itunes playlist and had basically no idea what they were. And I did like the way the doors locked when I put it into D for drive.

Anyway it took me about a week to get used to the Toyota Corolla from the rental place and now I am finding it a bit of an adjustment getting used to you again - you're bigger and you smell like air freshener (ick) and someone at the body shop found a sock and a toothbrush in the car and put them in the place where I would normally put my Diet Coke. This has been very traumatic for both of us. I promise to NEVER ever crash you again. Ever.

Were there morals being taught in Judy Blume books?

2010-09-03T19:25:00.000-07:00

I guess there probably were - like don't judge people by their appearances and stuff like that but did I notice when I was reading them? Did I finish "Blubber" or "Deenie" or "It's Not the End of the World" (my personal fave) and think to myself "Wow, I learned a lot" or "Gee I'm never going to look at a girl who is overweight or wears a back brace in the same judgmental way ever again"? Maybe I did, but I don't think books have an obligation to teach something. One of my bookstore pet peeves were customers who wanted to buy books for their kids/grandkids/nephews/etc that "taught a lesson". Seriously, did these same people think the Berenstain Bears were quality literature? (no offence to the BBears, they have their place). I just think there is something to be said for reading for the love of reading and reading to encourage the love of getting lost in a great story.

So there's a reason I'm pondering this all of a sudden. I have been on holidays for two weeks and have spent a big my reading time devouring YA - most of it aimed at girls: "Audrey, Wait:" by Robin Benway, "The Boy Book" by E Lockhart, "Nothing Like You" by Lauren Strasnick, "The Treasure Map of Boys" by E Lockhart, "Gingerbread" by Rachel Cohn - you get the idea. The question nagging at me is - if I had read THESE books 28 years ago when I was 14 would I have made different decisions the rest of my life? Would I have felt more empowered as a girl? Would the situations the main characters in these books suffered through have made me more guy savvy? Would I have more confidence to be different?

Girls today can read about kick-ass girl characters like Katsa from "Graceling" or Katniss from "The Hunger Games" or about girls like Frankie Landau-Banks who challenge the status quo - I don't remember ANY characters like that from the books of my youth. I read lots of mystery novels where girls wore sweater sets, books set in boarding schools or in large families. I loved the books by Jean Little when I was in junior high, then after the requisite "Flowers in the Attic" stage I found Mary Stewart and Phyllis A Whitney - sure young women solved mysteries but they didn't kick anyone in the head or tell a guy off.

Is it just that we can write about these things in books now - that it's more acceptable because as a society we've come to accept females as fighters or as equals to men (ha, I know not everyone thinks that way) that these books are popular now? If someone had written "The Hunger Games" in 1982 would it have been published? Would anyone buy it? Would the 1982 me read it? I guess I'll never know.

What to Read (and what NOT TO) after Mockingjay

2010-09-02T17:03:00.000-07:00

I, like bazillions of others, recently finished Mockingjay & I thought I'd see what the experts are recommending for fans to read next. I saw many of such lists post-Harry Potter and I always found them interesting. True, I no longer work in a bookstore so maybe I don't need the info to help my customers, but I'm always looking for great YA to read.

First: this list is garbage:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/peter-steinberg/just-for-hunger-games-fan_b_686850.html#s128939

AMELIA BEDELIA? I am all for people buying and reading Amelia Bedelia but it's for kids learning how to read!

Here's my list:

1. Graceling by Kristin Cashore

2. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

3. I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

4. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

5. Sabriel by Garth Nix

6. Airborn by Kenneth Oppel

7. The Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

8. Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

My obsession

2010-08-04T20:16:00.000-07:00

Every night before bed I like to play Nine Hole on my Nintendo DS. It is one game on "Touchmaster 3" - it is the only game I play. In the past I've been obsessed by Dice King on Touchmaster 2 and by something on Touchmaster 1 that I've forgotten for now.

I crawl into bed most nights with the intention to read. Sometimes I actually do, mostly I do not. Tonight I found myself negotiating with myself like the opening scene in "Sense and Sensbility" - I'll read for half an hour, no I'll read for 15 minutes then play my game and then perhaps I'll read some more. Ten minutes ought to be enough. Hmmm if I read on the TTC tomorrow I can go staight to my game and that's that.

I'm Liza and I'm addicted to Nine Hole.

TTC/Reading update

2010-07-27T17:20:00.000-07:00

I'm attempting to blog via Blackberry. I've already lost one draft.

So far I've taken the TTC two days in a row. I finished one book and will likely finish a second tonight. If I can get one more done by the weekend I may just let myself read a non-work book. I know - I'm a rebel! Not.

Must read. So bye bye car, hello TTC

2010-07-22T18:16:00.000-07:00

As I have mentioned in the past, I LOVE MY CAR. I love driving. I've only been driving since 2006 so perhaps if I had started way back in the 80s when I was a teenager I would be sick of it by now. But no. I love it. However....

I have to sell my books and to sell some of them (not all of them) I need to read them. Buyers want to know what kind of "content" there is -i.e. is there sex, smoking, drugs. Does the dog die at the end? What is it comparable to? I need to know what I'm selling.

The problem is, I'm not finding much time to read these days - I drive to and from work, talk to friends at lunch, have stuff to do at home (laundry, weeding, raising dudes, ironing, watching The Bachelorette) and fall asleep pretty quickly at bedtime. When oh when am I supposed to gain my valuable product knowledge? So I'm making a serious personal sacrifice.

For the next two weeks, starting Monday, I'm going to try to take the subway to work. That way I'll get an extra hour or so of reading time everyday (more if there are delays! Hooray! And we all know there will be). I'm not sure WHEN I am going to have my sales appointments but 2 weeks of reading plus a bit more on my vacation will surely prepare me. Let's hope I can stand 2 weeks of delays, B.O., etc.

Why aren't you working? I am!

2010-07-18T11:40:00.000-07:00

I am lazy and take my car to work most mornings when I could easily walk to Woodbine and take the subway. One of the main reasons I don't take the ttc to work is that people irritate me in the morning (and at noon and on the way home) and the trains are full and unpredictable and I would rather be sitting in my air-conditioned car listening to the radio or a CD of my choosing.

Driving to work last Thursday I was struck by how many people seemed to be out on (the) Danforth walking around wearing shorts. My first thought was - "hey losers, get a job" but then I decided to force myself to be kind and think of why these people weren't in semi-dressed up work clothes going to work all bleary eyed before 8:30 am.

So this is what I came up with:

-they are *(@$&(* bloggers who think that what they do is work

-they are part-time workers who don't start til the afternoon or later in the morning or til midnight

-they are doctors currently on their day off

-they are professional dog walkers on their way to pick up some pooches

-they are kept men/women whose sugar-daddies/mommas have sent them for coffee

-they are unemployed people desperate for work on their way to buy more printer ink to print more resumes

-they are hard-working people currently on vacation

-they are teachers/professors who get summers off

-they are ill people currently on medical leave (get well soon!)

So I am trying to have an open mind and not run them over with my car.

Top 20 Under 40, etc

2010-06-16T07:56:00.001-07:00

Google Top 20 Under 50 and all you get are gift ideas for under $50....

I am starting to feel really old. I know 40s are the new 30s and grey is the new black and you're only as young as you feel, etc but what's with the constant lists celebrating young up & comers? There are constant lists posted online and in newspapers and magazines of Top this and that under 40, under 35, under 30! You never see lists of top Whatever under 50. No, by 50 (or any number over 40) you are supposed to be successful and if you're not you're a FAILURE. If you are, well it was expected of you so don't ask for any attention.

Not that I am worthy of any accolades - unless there is a Diet Coke Consumption Top 10 under 50! Top 20 People who need to do their laundry Under 45. I'm sure theres a top 10 Under 43 for something out there that I can qualify for before I'm too old if I can only find it...

Rock of Ages - a musical for people who like Two & A Half Men, perhaps

2010-05-03T18:21:00.000-07:00

Those who know me know I'm not a snob and I'm not a prude. In fact, I'm very often accused of saying "inappropriate" things at work. So I was surprised at my reaction to the musical Rock of Ages, which I saw with my friend "S" on Saturday night.

What I Liked:

- the narrator was generally like-able and reminded me of people I went to high school with.

- the songs were almost all familiar

- the llama's appearance at the end made me laugh

- I appreciated the Canadian touches

- Franz-y

What I Didn't Like

- too many crotch shots

- if your job as a waitress doesn't work out, be a stripper! Really? Really?

- low-brow humour geared towards the lowest common denominator - so sex jokes, bathroom humour, etc

-plot clearly contrived to link together the songs they had rights to.

Overall it was fun but I really wish it had only cost me $40 instead of $100. I've seen lots of musicals in my life and sure, some are better than others (Drowsy Chaperone YES, Cats NO) - part of the experience is going, seeing the crowd, cramming into the teeny tiny seats, waiting in the endless lines for the ladies' room so no regrets.

Is it really enough?

2010-04-14T11:44:00.000-07:00

Is using hand sanitizer in the washroom REALLY as good as washing your hands with soap and water? I know that some people definitely skip the washing and just use the sanitizer but I'm not sure that's enough for me. Personally I wash my hands, dry them then open the door with one hand, getting sanitizer from a dispenser beside the door with the other hand then rub them together. Am I being overly clean?

I had a boyfriend a long time ago whose mother turned the taps on for me in the washroom at a wedding reception. Why? Did she think I wasn't going to wash my hands? Did she used to be one of the fancy washroom attendants? Had she always dreamed of having a potential daughter-in-law to bond with over personal hygiene? I don't know. It seemed weird but whatever. I washed my hands and we went on our way. Maybe she had suspicions that I was going to flounce back out to the wedding reception with peed on hands! As if (as if I pee on my hands and as if I wouldn't wash them.) And remember there was no hand-sanitizer back in the day a long time ago!

My thought is that there are lots of germs out there and if my hands can get a good wash 3-4 times a day that's not a bad thing. I don't have confidence that the hand sanitizer is getting under peoples fingernails. Would you eat a meal prepared by someone who had only used hand sanitizer? Would you let them operate on you?

Charo is a CRAZYPANTS

2010-04-05T18:03:00.000-07:00

Seriously, how old is that woman? I just saw her on Dancing With the Stars wearing an outfit suited to a 4 year old, and sporting the same old I Dream of Jeannie hairdo she's had for 40 years! Duncan asked me who she was and what she's been on in the past. My only answer "The Love Boat". Perhaps I should investigate...

Hmmmm, not impressed by her resume. She seems to be the latina Paris Hilton of an earlier generation - famous for being famous. On lots of variety and talk shows. I remember her singing and playing guitar but mostly just shaking it and saying "cuchi cuchi." Whatever.

There seems to have been some disagreement about her birth year -some say 1941, others 1951. I always felt that Ginger Spice was older than she said she was too - either the heavy make-up makes some people look old (and the tanning) or I'm not a great judge of age (very possible).

Any Idea How the Credit Crunch Has Affected Porn

2010-03-07T12:30:00.000-08:00

Until I recently changed the settings on this blog I would occasionally get a message that someone had posted a comment on my blog and when I checked it it was the message above "Any idea how the credit crunch has affected porn?" Uh, no. No idea. Don't care. What kind of crazy spam program is that? I no longer get that message and sadly have not received a comment on this unread blog ever since.

For Lisa

2010-01-06T08:44:00.000-08:00

A picture of R-C's new and improved doo:

http://www.nypost.com/r/nypost/blogs/popwrap/200912/IMAGES/08/celine.jpg

SO MUCH BETTER.

I'm sorry, don't hate me!

2009-12-24T11:54:00.001-08:00

Hilarity at www.thesuperficial.com about Kevin Jonas' honeymoon. I know, I know, we should give the guy some privacy. But this is funny:

"Honeymooners Kevin Jonas and Danielle Deleasa were spotted in Mexico yesterday, and for a guy who lost his virginity just a few days ago, he doesn't seem too excited. I understand he saw things his dad warned him about. Things that only babies should come out of and you should never stare directly at "for 'tis the eye of Satan." But that's no reason to mope around and cry all day. Clearly it didn't bite you like Nick said it would at your Gummi Bear Sundae bachelor party."

House vs Home Improvement

2009-12-18T08:58:00.000-08:00

So seriously, I'm sure someone other than me has noticed it but House is based on exactly the same framework as Home Improvement. Even their names make it obvious!

House, as you know, is a doctor who deals with patients and his staff and solves medical mysteries. When he has a problem he can't solve he goes and talks with his friend Dr Wilson and next thing you know he has an epiphany and he figures it all out.

Home Improvement - basically the same premise. The main character Tim Taylor works on a tv show and has a wife and kids. The kids squabble like House does with his staff. House banters with his wife the way House does with Cuddy. The kicker - when Tim needs to sort things out he goes to the yard and talks things over with his neighbour Wilson. Then he too has an epiphany and sorts everything out.

Coincidence? I think not....

Thank You Celine!

2009-12-05T15:49:00.000-08:00

My mother and I have spent some quality time in our lives doing fun things - trips to Manitoulin Island, shopping for bargains, taking my boys for picnics,etc. But one thing that stands out is our time discussing the awful hair of Rene-Charles Angelil - aka Celine Dion's son. He's a cute kid, don't get me wrong, he looks like he'll be a handsome adult but yikes, his hair in the past was awful.

Confession: sometimes I think hair is kind of gross. Especially if it is so long that it tapers into a little point at the bottom - as if the person hasn't had a proper trim in forever. I also have an aversion to fingernails. They're fine if they're short but long ones - pointy, long, sharp ones - ick poo. And don't even get me started on toenails.

So what a relief to see this weekend while perusing some celebrity trash magazines that RCA has a lovely new haircut. One that makes him look less like a feral child and more like a regular boy. Not that being the only child of Celine and Rene Wet-lips Angelil can be a regular life.

No regrets...

2009-11-10T14:17:00.000-08:00

I went to Chapters at Bayview Village this morning with Cory & Charidy for the five minute meeting before the store opened so that they (C&C) could discuss Indigo specific marketing strategies, the Indigo Insider, etc. Seeing all of those pale faces, wearing shapeless vests and dusty pants, I felt pity. And relief. Thank god it wasn't me that was there at 7 am for cycle counting. Thank god it wasn't me that had to listen quickly to when my 15 min break and measly half-hour lunch was.

When I worked at Indigo if you didn't bring your lunch you were screwed - there was rarely a place you could get to, order, eat and return within 1/2 an hour.

No wonder the poor soulless people there barely mustered one iota of enthusiasm for our visit.

How I know my kids are back...

2009-08-13T10:07:00.001-07:00

10. all the food is gone

9. there are food wrappers and dishes everywhere

8. noise in the basement has increased from dehumidifier + air-conditioner to dehumidifier+air-conditioner+swearing+game cube+computer+laughing

7. everyone at my house is talking about sports again

6. my shopping list includes such essentials as popsicles and cheese strings

5. my wallet has less cash in it

4. the phone is ringing

3. there are no clean spoons

2. the front porch smells like shoes

1. there is pee on the toilet - between the lid and the tank & I didn't pee there!

CLEAN IT UP DUDES!

Toddler Divas?

2009-08-08T19:01:00.000-07:00

Can a baby be a diva? Do toddlers and pre-schoolers really care about fashion? I know lots of little girls go through stages where they want to wear dresses, etc but do they care about fashion designers? I have been reading this weeks gossip rags (People & US) and feel sick at what I'm reading. THen I made the mistake of watching Toddlers & Tiaras (no comment).

Tori Spelling (who I try to like, really I do) says that when her husband does "boy" things with their son, she goes into her closet with their daughter (just over 1 yr old) and they play with her shoes. WHAT? Apparently Stella is such a girly girl and loves shoes. Then I was reading about some Housewife from Somewhere and how her daughters are all little divas, into fashion, etc. Makes me sick. Blech. Take the girls outside and throw a ball around with them. Play with them in the living room, not the closet. Get them non-pink toys.

"The name of the song is 'This Lullaby'"

2009-08-05T16:48:00.003-07:00

Title of this post is the first line of the book I'm reading right now...

Okay, what's up with "More to Love"? I have been indulging in some really bad reality tv this summer so thought i'd give it a try. OMG, the women can't seem to talk about anything other than their insecurities about their weight - I know,I know, this is all edited so maybe they DO talk about other things and it's simply edited out but whoa, get over it already ladies. Speaking of "ladies" it really bothers me that they call each other girls. Luke (more about him in a moment) talks of finding the perfect girl. That's creepy, dude. Girls are under 18. Also, I can't believe that some of the women contestants are a mere 22 and think they're ready to settle down - my attitude is if you're 22, have never been on a date before and are a nanny or work in retail - hmm...maybe you should get some more life experience before settling down with a guy you meet on tv. There are "girls" on the show who are "falling for" Luke already! Really?

Don't even get me started on the non-stop crying.

Okay, Luke. My husband calls him Bland or Blank. The guy is so boring. He doesn't seem to have any opinions or preferences or variety of expression. He says practically the same thing to every single contestant. AND then last night when one of them was being mean about the older ladies he voted the older ladies off and kept the nasty back-stabber. Trust me older women, you could do so much better than Blank.

"What kind of food do you like Luke?" "Oh, I like all types"...that is his outlook on life. It's great that he likes women who are voluptuous and curvy but just because the women are on the show doesn't mean that ultimately when they get to spend more than 5 minutes with him that they'll actually enjoy his company.

Off topic: Bernie (Burny) was working in the kitchen at the Spotted Dick today. The flat Diet Coke has been a problem for months but with this the experience is no longer enjoyable. Our time is done. There are better lunch spots.

Testosterone Overload

2009-06-30T18:51:00.000-07:00

How after spending a childhood with three brothers did I again end up living with three guys, surrounded by constant sports -talk and stinky socks? It's like deja-vu but it's real! At least when I was a kid I had my mom to hang out with. Now I am the mom!

No one seems to want to discuss celebrity gossip or nail polish or family history. Sure Dave will discuss books (thank goodness) but we don't read the same types of books so that only goes so far. My favourite times are when Liam watches the news with me & comments on every single story and makes fun of the weather guy. Good times.

I guess I shouldn't complain. I have a great family but do wish sometimes that my nieces lived a bit closer so we could go shopping for accessories.

10 Worst Movies of All Time (that I've seen)

2009-01-02T21:02:00.000-08:00

I try to avoid seeing movies that suck. Rarely will I pay for something that has had bad reviews or stars Adam Sandler or someone of his ilk but with two boys in the house, both with questionable taste there is crap I've been unable to avoid, even in small doses.

Not in order of horribleness:

1. Weekend at Bernies II

2. Encino Man

3. Baby Geniuses

4. Kangaroo Jack

5. Anger Management

6. Untamed Heart

7. Autumn in New York

8. Big Momma's House

9. Spice World

10. Little Man

Happy Birthday John Denver

2008-12-31T13:26:00.000-08:00

Some of my friends thought I was kidding when I said the greatest tragedy of 1997 was the loss of John Denver. I guess some were more upset by the death of the Diana. Oh well. We can disagree.

John's music makes me remember being a kid. And it reminds me of the Judester which makes me happy and sad at the same time.

So if you're ringing in the New Year tonight drink a toast to John Denver before midnight.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkGS263lGsQ

Towelhead - DONE! One down, 7 (at least) to go!

2008-12-28T14:07:00.000-08:00

Can't blog, reading.............

Under Pressure

2008-12-27T20:15:00.001-08:00

You know those dreams where you show up at school naked? Or where you have a test but you haven't gone to any of the classes or read the books? Why am I having those lately? Mind you in my naked dreams I'm going to work - not at my current job but I'm usually starting back at the bank or at the bookstore after years of being away - I am taught how to use the computer systems, how to swipe in for payroll purposes, etc. And usually I've forgotten my pants. Or I'm wearing something inappropriate - like a floral shirt.

I am feeling some pressure lately in regards to reading - I keep agreeing to read books that are recommended to me. I often have these books at home (being an obsessive book buyer) so access isn't an issue - time is! I read so much for work - books that I have to sell in upcoming weeks plus manuscripts that we are considering acquiring. Plus I feel the need to read teen fiction put out by rival publishers so I know what else is in the market and what kids/teens are into. Reading all those books takes time away from my pleasure reading and definitely from my family/friend obligation reading!

I have 8 more days off and way too much to read before I have to go back to work - two manuscripts that are saved on my laptop, the Birth House by Amy McKay, Slam by Nick Hornby (for bookclub), Towelhead (because I promised my sister ages ago that I would read it), Too Close to the Falls (so I don't feel so left out when my mom and sister talk about it in front of me)...plus more. I can put off the 3-4 fantasy novels that the cottage cousins are expecting me to read because I won't see them til the long weekend in May. And I can delay book 3 of the fantasy series I'm reading because I find reading too many books by the same author in a row doesn't work for me. So I'll mix it up a bit and squeeze some obligation reading in before starting book 3! And finally I have Dreams of My Father - the only book I actually rec'd for Xmas this year (thanks Liam) which I want to read but doubt I'll get to before the inauguration!

Dreams - Trust me I know you don't want to hear them...

2008-12-21T11:58:00.000-08:00

What is it with dreams? They are these little movies in our heads yet are impossible to remember. I can wake up briefly have a finger on the edge of what I was dreaming about and then slip, it's gone. So weird!!

Don't you hate it when people corner you at work & tell you way too much detail about the dream they had last night? "...and then I was in this room and my mom was there, no wait it was my Aunt, and she was wearing clown shoes and suddenly, oh this was weird, my brother turned into a baby"....um, no one cares about anyone else's dreams. They're boring. I don't know why they're boring - maybe because there is no plot, we can never see them ourselves and we have our own weird dreams to think about if we can remember them.

I have a harder time remembering my dreams lately than I used to. I also can't keep peoples names in my head anymore. If I'm introduced to someone - BOOM - their name is gone a second later. Unless I see it written down. And if I'm introduced to two people that's even worse. I can sometimes remember one name but not which person it belongs to. Yikes.

Celebrity Look-alike?

2008-12-15T11:43:00.000-08:00

Is it just me or does this look a bit like Paula Abdul?

Half a Christmas Tree

2008-12-14T19:31:00.000-08:00

Our living/dining rooms are smaller at the new house so we've only put up 1/2 the Christmas tree. You can't actually tell because we've pushed it up against the dining room wall. It was David's idea and I think he's going to be one of those annoying guys like you see in movies - he's going to ask everyone that walks in "notice anything about our tree?". Of course no one will notice.

We've had a to adjust a bit by not using all of our decorations and it already seems kind of full under the tree where I've been putting gifts for the nieces and nephew, etc already. There will be significant overflow by the 25th, that's for sure.

We're hosting 19 for dinner on the 25th - I have the Christmas playlist made on my ipod, dinner planned, a tablecloth purchased (do I need to iron it?), napkins taken care of. I will have to plan a trip to the beer/liquor store before the last minute because I can't stand lines....Okay time for me to go make myself an actual list so that I don't forget anything.

When did being the birthday girl get to be so embarassing?

2008-12-12T14:32:00.000-08:00

I'm not embarassed about my age but I feel so self-conscious when it's my birthday and everyone is paying attention to me. I guess I've always been most comfortable having attention paid to me when I do something to make it happen. Sure I make jokes in meetings and everyone turns and looks at me like I'm crazy or funny or about to lose my job - but that's my choice. It's weird to have people wishing me happy birthday simply because I successfully navigated the birth canal oh so many years ago. My mom really did all the work, not me.

Not that it isn't nice, having friends and coworkers take a moment to wish me well. It is nice. And I guess since it only happens once every 365 days it isn't something that I will likely get used to...especially since I'm still finding it odd after 41 years!

Maybe I'm still on Denver time....

2008-11-15T23:38:00.000-08:00

It's almost 3 am and I can't sleep. And as I lay there (lie there?) trying to get to sleep I keeping rehashing things from the past that I'd rather not think about. I used to be so proud of myself for being someone who kept a journal, someone who confronted her own thoughts and fears. Now, I push so much to the back of my mind because I don't want to deal with it. I'm constantly saying to myself "I'll deal with that tomorrow" and then I say the same thing when tomorrow comes. I wonder what happened to the introspective me? Did I simply become weary of my own self-indulgent navel-gazing? The last thing I want to do is go back and read the 20+ years of journals that I kept until perhaps 1999 or even later but I'll hang onto them.

I'm lucky no one actually reads this blog so they won't have to deal with this boring post. Going back to bed now. Maybe I'll read a book.

Sidewalks are there - use them!

2008-09-26T13:48:00.001-07:00

I've heard from runners that they run on the road, not the sidewalk because the road is easier on their knees...but what's with all the people I see walking on the road when there is a sidewalk? And pushing baby carriages on the road when there is a sidewalk? Know what belongs on the road? My car! And bikes...those are way too often on the sidewalk! Do we need a refresher, people?

Bad! Bad Driving Man! Bad!

2008-08-06T15:02:00.000-07:00

Okay, picture this scenario: There I am driving home in my sporty black car, listening to tales of Mormon strife in the 1800s on my CD player. As I drive north on Bayview past Sunnybrook I notice a black BMW SUV kind of shifting a bit closer to my lane just ahead of me, to my right. So I keep my eye on this gas-guzzler and proceed cautiously. Then I pass the SUV, not because I've sped up, but because it has slowed down. As I pass I glance to my right, the guy at the wheel has his hands on the wheel with his blackberry in his hands, texting madly - his eyes totally on his blackberry. I move on, frustrated, yet keep my eye on him, as he falls into traffic behind me, still in the lane to my right.

Eventually we end up side by side again. I notice again that he's slowing down because he is texting and is not looking at the road at all! So I slow down a bit (first making sure no one is right behind me) and honk frantically trying to catch the jerk's attention. Does he react in any way to the sudden blast of honking? Nope. Either his music was up to high or he just chose to ignore it. Didn't check his rear view, didn't look sideways at me, nothing (unless I missed it when I looked forward)...so I had no choice but to drive on. And you know if he crashes into someone he's likely to come out okay in his monster-mobile.

AWKL 223 - that's his license plate in case anyone knows the jerk.

Judy Coull March 2 1969- May 20,2007

2008-03-01T21:51:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Judester, I miss you.

Townhouse Hunting

2008-03-01T21:39:00.000-08:00

I admit, I did exactly what I warned my kids not to do. Last week we went to see a beautiful townhouse that is for sale in our neighbourhood. Being new to house hunting I warned the kids in advance to not make comments about the decor and to focus their attention on things that would remain when the current owners moved out - the size of rooms, the fixtures, the closet space, etc.

I was pretty impressed by the window treatments, oh and they had this great bench in the basement. And what a flair for decorating! Faucets? I forgot to look. Appliances? No idea but I do remember their fridge magnet!

So today David & I went to see another place - this time I kept myself in line and looked first at floors, space, closets, faucets, even pipes (even though the only thing that would worry me about pipes would have been rust or leaks). And I loved this place too. Someone else was making an offer tonight so my heart is broken.

But I'm not ready just yet to take the plunge & buy a place. I need more time to save and more time to sort out what we can & can't afford. So I'm thinking maybe I should stop looking for a bit. It's like taking me to a purse store making me fall in love & then dragging me out bagless. Or worse - letting me play with puppies then not letting me take one home.

In the meantime I'm doing a big purge of stuff we've got cluttering up our place. It's hard to get rid of books but some are going. Clothes we never wear are on their way out. Goodbye to plastic bottles, old tupperware containers and mismatched socks. Why do I hang onto this stuff? I hope that when we finally do move we'll only have stuff we actually use. (Ha! like that'll ever happen)

What I've Missed by Being a Snob...

2008-01-24T19:39:00.000-08:00

How could I have known?

I consider myself a fairly educated reader and try to avoid trash. That isn't to say that I don't delve into drugstore type books now and again. I will admit (gulp) that in the past I have read Nora Roberts, Maeve Binchy, Robert Ludlum and Dan Brown among others. But something was keeping me away from Chick Lit. Maybe it was because I work selling children's books and that tends to be what I read. And when I do read a "grown up" book I go for literary fiction - award winners, Canadian authors, etc. While working in the bookstore I mostly read adult books that had teen-crossover potential so I tended to stay away from books that were geared towards sexually active women! Okay, so here's what my years of staying away have done - they've deprived me until now of the joys of the Shopaholic series!

Why didn't anyone tell me? I'm listening to the first book on audio CD in the car & I LOVE IT! It is absolutely hilarious. Mind you it is making me simultaneously want to shop and want to cut up all my credit cards!

I did listen to "Good In Bed" on cd as well, which qualifies as Chick Lit. I did enjoy it but not to this extent.

So to all of you Shopaholic fans, I am sorry. You were right. Actually I never said they weren't good books or disuaded anyone from buying them, I just didn't get on the bandwagon myself until this week. And now I'm hooked.

Anna Karenina and Scrabble

2008-01-11T19:51:00.000-08:00

I've been listening to the audio book (unabridged) of Anna Karenina on my computer at night while I obsessively play Bejeweled. I was doing alright for a while, even after having a brief confusion between Vronsky and Ablonsky's names. But then suddenly we were in the country or something with Levin and I was confused. So I rewound (which I hate doing) and will relisten (ugh) to that part again. I think I'm a fairly smart person and can follow complicated plots but here's what I think happened to confuse me: Scrabulous. Okay I am obsessed with this Facebook application. Totally obsessed. So obsessed that I sometimes calculate word scores while lying in bed thinking of possible words to play. I know how pathetic that sounds.

I had played a bit (poorly) before Xmas but it was in London at Christmas time when we played an actual game of Scrabble that suddenly I couldn't get enough. So now we play Scrabble at home, I played tonight at my mom's and the entire family is fighting to use the computer to put in their latest word on Scrabulous. How did this happen? Is it improving our vocabularies? Hmmm..I know that xi is the 14th letter of the Greek alphabet but that doesn't mean I'll ever use it that except when playing Scrabble or perhaps if I do a crossword puzzle.

It's like when we had Sim City on our old computer. I was so hooked - I'd stay up til the wee hours of the morning working on my city, raising taxes, laying pipes, etc. Then I'd think of it everywhere I went - pipes, road curves and industrial smokestacks in Toronto would seem so much more obvious to me. I'd drive through Scarborough with Dave & make comments about "Low Density Commercial", etc. It was insane. Same thing when I played too much Tetris. Or Solitaire or handheld Boggle (where oh where is that game?). I clearly have an addictive personality. Why don't I get addicted to doing my dishes? Or getting up early for work? I wouldn't be at all surprised to come home one day from work & have my family in my living room waiting to have an intervention.

Final Random Thoughts of My 30s....

2007-12-11T20:20:00.000-08:00

So many thoughts race through my brain during the day & at night when I'm falling asleep ...I should have one of those Agent Cooper voice-recorders at my side or at least a pen and paper but I'm not that organized . Anyway I'm remembering a few things at the moment so here goes:

1. I really admire Terri Irwin. I think she is well-spoken, smart and she seems like a kind person. I know it was a tragedy to lose her husband, Steve the Crocodile Hunter dude but why oh why do her poor kids always have to dress in safari clothes? Sure, they're from Bindi's clothing line and the money goes to the Crocodile foundation or whatever but it drives me crazy that poor Bob is always dressed the same way. I've seen Bindi once or twice in slightly different clothes but generally she, Bob (Terri tends to call him Robert now that Steve is dead. If my husband called our kid Bob I'd hate that & would call him Robert asap even if I was going against what my poor dead husband wanted)...okay where was I? Yeah, the clothes. Terri wears them too. I think maybe with so much work on Terri's shoulders - raising the kids, hunting crocs and all that its easier for her if the kids wear a mix and match wardrobe that can all go in the same load of laundry. She's simply a practical mom raising her children to not be brand-conscious....and I'm picking on her. I'm mean!

And Bindi, step away from that crimping iron.

Okay, that was mean, but I'm done.

2. Mr Rochester. How's this for a complete change of topic? I recently listened to an abridged audio book of Jane Eyre. I distinctly remember sitting on the roof of my apartment on Queen West, during my days as an English undergrad at U of T, reading Jane Eyre and thinking it was awesome. I do not, however, remember thinking Mr Rochester was a manipulative, creepy, misogynistic control-freak. And yet, that's what I found him to be this time around. When Jane says "Reader, I married him" I yelled in my car "No! Jane! No! Run away!!" ...she didn't listen.

I mentioned this to some of the lovely ladies at my bookclub and one of them said she never liked Mr Rochester, even as a younger person (I was convinced age and two marriages had made me wiser or maybe just bitter). She (Barbara, the wise one) also didn't like - GASP - Wuthering Heights! So now I'm afraid...I've been enjoying listening to classics in my car on CD - but I can't do Wuthering Heights - what if Heathcliff is no longer steamy and sultry and alluring? What if it all seems annoying? I'd have to give up the Kate Bush song too & I'm just not going to do that. So I'll avoid any re-reading of Wuthering Heights.

After audio I still do love Mr Darcy, never fear.

So low maintenance...

2007-11-06T18:21:00.000-08:00

I am the anti-Sally. I would rather scrape the pickles and onions off my Quarter Pounder with Cheese than have one specially made - I don't want to be a bother. Serve me a warm beer and I'll probably drink it, give me a hotel room with a toilet that doesn't flush properly and I'll take the lid off and pull the chain. It's not that I'm a door mat, I just pick my battles carefully and let the rest roll off my shoulders. Confrontation makes me uncomfortable. I do not return things to stores. I regret them or re-gift them.

Last night at dinner Sam, one of my lovely dining companions, asked for the server's recommendation as to what to order. I don't think I'd ever do that - would part of me worry that they'd try to get me to order the most expensive entree? Or the one no one else was ordering and they had lots of? No, probably not...but I like to be unnoticed except when I chose to make myself noticed. Hell, I didn't want people staring at me when I got married so I refused to walk down any "aisle"...is this low self-esteem? Probably. But I also think it's about control. The same reason I don't downhill ski or bungee jump - I want to be in control of things whether its racing down an icy hill at top speeds or not having people pay attention to me when I'm feeling vulnerable.

So you won't be seeing me on reality tv or asking a waitress to reheat my burger (at McDonalds I might ask my hustband to take it back)

Boobs, Bums & Bad Baby Names!

2007-10-24T14:45:00.000-07:00

Maybe I should change the name of my blog! Those who know me, know my slight obsession with the world of celebrity babies. Why? I have no idea. I find the idea of being a child in Hollywood fascinating & I like babies....who knows.

I remember being shocked by Fifi Trixibelle, Scout and even Apple. But really are those names any worse than Dakota or Tiffany? Is it better to have a weird name or a tacky stripper name that sounds like your mom watches too much daytime tv?

Recently Bridget Moynahan named her son John. Wow, what a breath of fresh air. So normal, so old-fashioned! He'll probably be the only John in his class, whereas in my childhood there were often 3 in each classroom.

Some of my favourite wacky baby names: Jason Lee's son: Pilot Inspector, Penn Jilette's daughter Moxie Crimefighter, Jermaine Jackson's son Jermajesty.

The other day Gretchen Mol had Ptolemy - what are these crazy people thinking? Is weird the new normal? Is Ptolemy the new John? Actress Kelly Rutherford has a baby named Hermes. Not my favourite. Oh and don't get me started on names that are popular in the UK - very different than in North America (Jemima does not work on this side of the ocean).

I know Ava is in 2007 what Lisa was when I was born in 1967 or Jennifer was maybe 3 years later or Emily in the 1990s. My parents gave me a slightly unusual name & I hated it, I still don't like it so I'll be interested to hear what these celebrity babies say when they're all grown up.

Was Eclipse good? Not so much....

2007-09-14T21:11:00.000-07:00

A year and a half ago when I read Twilight by Stephenie Meyer I was pleasantly surprised. I had heard about the book months before it's publication due to internet buzz and a great marketing campaign. So when Madeleine, from Indigo's JAB, recommended the book to me, I listened to her because Madeleine has great taste. She got me into Joan Bauer, and I will be eternally grateful to her for that. And I liked Twilight, I really liked it!

New Moon was a bit of a let down after Twilight. It seemed like not much happened until the last third of the book, then suddenly the author woke up and added a bunch of plot and then it ended. I wrote this off as a typical middle book. You know - book one introduces the problems, book two extends them, resolves a few things, introduces a few new issues and then wham in book 3 everything comes together.

Complication! Meyer signed a longer book deal and suddenly book 2 wasn't just a middle book, it was one of many middle books....seems she has to stretch out her story to keep us entertained and in suspense for more books - until book 6.

I'm not sure if the sudden lack of an end in sight is what went wrong with Eclipse, or if I was somehow influenced by my new knowledge that Stephenie Meyer is a Mormon (I'd like to think this isn't the case) but what I really think is that her editor copped out. Once authors get really big it's amazing how timid and useless some editors become! The book deal is signed people, she's not going anywhere for 6 books - so edit her work, damn it! Don't be afraid to tell her to cut back, let's say 200 pages and that totally long, boring First Nations legend. Snore! ZZZzzzzzzz.

So will I be reading book 4? Maybe, maybe not...I guess it depends on what else is out at the time. If it's less than 629 pages, I'll consider it...

Why Clive Owen seems even more attractive than before....

2007-09-06T19:45:00.000-07:00

Gotta love Clive Owen & Pierce Brosnan. Both are married to non-Hollywood type women. Both of their wives are successful and attractive & I'm sure they're probably lovely mothers. But I'm happy because they aren't super skinny model types.

I feel the same way about Cate Blanchett's husband. He is not Hollywood-handsome yet she seems happy and in love - YEAH! Such a relief from those Hollywood types who are obsessed with looks and jump from relationship to relationship. I know relationships don't always work out - hey, I've been married twice, but some people in Hollywood seem to change their partners more often than I change the sheets on my bed. If you can't act like you're in love with your co-star in a movie, and you constantly fall in love with them, maybe acting isn't for you!

Speaking of Hollywood love - I've figured out what the kiss of death to any Hollywood relationship is! I originally thought it was the blessing of my friend Kim. If she said a relationship was "rock solid" they usually broke up within a week. It got so bad that she was forbidden to discuss certain Hollywood couples at all lest she inadvertantly give them her seal of approval (SJP & MB are one couple she CANNOT talk about). We even tried a test to see if she purposely said a couple were a sure thing would they break up - we tried it on Melanie & Antonio and on Harry Hamlin & Lisa Rinna -but alas it only seems to work when its unintentional.

Well it turns out the kiss of death isn't Kim's stamp of approval after all! All any couple has to do is tell the media that they are "soulmates". That's it. So watch out Tori & Dean - I know you've said it. As have many others who now avoid each other at awards ceremonies!

Overrated or Not?

2007-09-05T17:17:00.000-07:00

I'm one of those people who resists the popular, the trendy, the often overrated shows, movies, books because ...okay because I'm a snob. I don't want to be seen as a mindless sheep who can't make an independent decision & justs does what everyone else is doing. So I refused for years to see Titanic and held off reading The DaVinci Code. Was I wrong? Did I miss out on some super amazing thing? No, but honestly I am glad that I have seen the movie Titanic and that I did read The DaVinci Code because they are a huge part of our world - pop culture wise & it is very important for me that in say 10 or 20 years I can still kick butt at Trivial Pursuit. So I need this knowledge!

Ok, Overrated or not?

Titanic - tremendous let down. What on earth was Victor Newman doing there? And that whole Billy Zane plot? Useless! I found on my 12" tv screen it was like watching an episode of Theordore the Tugboat. And the music? So manipulative! I only felt sad when music was playing! When it stopped I was strangely indifferent. Let's not discuss the ending when Jack was dead & Celine was singing. Don't go there.

The Rolling Stones - don't shoot me but they're totally overrated. And gross.

Grey's Anatomy - here's a show I thought I would hate & I don't! Strange because I find the main character irritating - yet she's more real than most tv characters so I'll forgive them. So not overrated in my opinion.

Jennifer Aniston - why is she still famous? Friends is over - she was great as Rachel but she is clearly a one note actress. OMG, can we get her off the cover of magazines please? I don't care.

The Dave Matthews Band, Jeff Buckley, other musicians I can't think of - I just don't get it. Some people act like "whoa" I've found my messiah - me, not so much.

I'm rambling. I felt the need to post a new entry. It's a rambler, folks.

So many books, so little time

2007-07-18T19:52:00.000-07:00

I have the worst habit of buying books to read when I already have stacks and stacks and stacks at home waiting to be read. The problem is that the books I already own aren't necessarily the ones I feel like reading when I'm ready to start a new book - they're just the ones I felt like buying when I bought them! Basically I know that I'll read a book eventually & I don't want to forget about it or have it (yikes)go out of print so I buy it. Or put it on my list and buy it eventually (often when it's in paperback). I read book reviews pretty much daily so I'm constantly finding out about new books that interest me. I think my wishlist at indigo.ca must be worth thousands of dollars (they used to list a $total$ which I liked...)

So today I rec'd a package in the mail - books I've ordered and HAD to have. When will I read them? Who knows? Will they show up in the bargain books at Indigo for $4.99 before I've even cracked the spine? Perhaps. But its about the integrity of my shelves (we used to use that phrase at Indigo - the integrity of the section)...certain books need to be represented whether or not I'm going to read them in the near future.

So I end up with piles of books. When I'm done a book (I finish one every couple of days on average) I love that feeling of "What's next?"...then I usually walk around my apartment & think about what I'm in the mood for: petticoats?post-apocolypse? modern teens? fantasy? non-fiction? Then I grab 4 or so and start reading first lines. Whenever the urge to carry on past that first sentence grabs me, my book is chosen. So I never know what I'm going to want to read when.

I do, however, notice in myself a certain type of book that I prefer: books about people who are struggling against something - either oppression, being different, whatever. The Holocaust, Slavery, being a conjoined twin - these types of books - fiction or non-fiction, where I can put myself in their shoes (or lack of) and say "how would I survive this situation?" and often I realize that I would be useless in the same situation - I said if I were Susanna Moodie or Catherine Parr Traill I'd have curled up in a snow bank to die- so its all the more fascinating reading how others find strength & carry on. Boy, I'm rambling.

Right now I'm in the throes (spelling?) of sales conference reading - trying to read as many books as I can from our upcoming Winter list so that I can present them to the sales reps and ultimately to my customers. I really don't like selling books I haven't read. Or I need someone who's opinion I trust to read them. Ick to some books that just aren't my style - but I do what I can and therefore end up reading pretty silly looking stuff on the subway. Right now I'm reading a great book called "The Mysterious Case of the Allbright Academy" but once again I'm sure people who see me reading it think I'm a little simple. The cover is pretty child like. But then again so am I in some ways!

Pet Peeves for Pocampo

2007-07-02T19:07:00.000-07:00

1. People who clip their nails on the subway.

2. The non-use of directional signals when driving.

3. B.O. - if you're taking the TTC, deodorant is a must.

4. People who stop at the top or bottom of escalators to look around & decide where they'll go next - totally oblivious to the crowd of people crashing into them from behind.

5. People in malls who just STOP. With no warning, no veering off carefully to the side.

6. People who use their cellphones while in line, or at a table in a restaurant (Mr Most!), or while being served by cashiers, etc. How rude!

7. Litterers.

8. Elevator starers and farters.

9. Anyone who's favourite book is The DaVinci Code (sorry if that's mean).

10. When someone's favourite book is obviously something they read in high school, which always makes me think they haven't read a book since.

50 Artsy Things in One Year

2007-06-18T20:34:00.000-07:00

Since I like to copy Art Slade's actions I joined this facebook group for Canada Council for the Arts - where Cdns are challenged to participate in 50 artistic activities this year. Okay, let's be honest, I can't do it alone so I'm seeing what we as a family can come up with.

So far:
1. Went to that crazy tap-dancing play with the kids
2. Saw Corinne Bailey Rae & John Legend in concert
3. Saw Lemony Snicket perform at the Symphony
4. Wrote limericks with my sister-in-law at a wedding
5. Liam recently went to the McMichael gallery in Kleinburg
6. We went to the Marvel exhibit at the Science Centre
7. Liam & Duncan post photography on their flickr sites
8. Liam is participating next week in a lip-sync contest (does that count?)
9. I wrote some book reviews on http://www.wwhr.ca/
10. David took pretty pictures of mountains in Jasper

11. My co-workers & I did our best to interpret the bizarre paintings at the inn in Niagara-on-the-Lake

12. Janet & I photographed a lone hot-dog.

13. I made my family's photos into colouring book pages for David's 40th birthday.

Okay so there must be more....I'll think about it. Poetry? Pottery? Art? Home-made cards? Even Paris Hilton made her dad a home(prison)-made card for father's day! Yikes.

What makes us cringe...

2007-06-06T14:53:00.000-07:00

After an entertaining conversation with some co-workers I've changed the name of my blog!

We were talking about our book pet peeves such as unrealistic dialogue: "Mom, can I invite my best friend Susan Jones for a sleep-over?" as well as words that just shouldn't be used. Especially "bum" in an erotica story. That totally cracks me up and laughing is not what I'm looking for if I'm reading erotica.

Someone I know really dislikes the new trend in children's books where the narrator talks to the reader too much (I thought this worked in Despereaux, but then was totally overdone by others). My brother is irritated when he's watching a movie & the title of the movie comes up in a line of dialogue. Funny what makes us cringe. See I just tried to do it there with the title of the blog...good thing he'll never read this!

Theatre Review - I Think I Can

2007-05-05T21:06:00.000-07:00

Today, the Dudes, my mom & I went to Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People to see "I Think I Can" - a tap dance show about bullying. I wasn't sure what to expect but it was pretty entertaining. It certainly had me tapping my feet. The Dudes had mixed opinions - with one liking it better than the other. I think they both appreciated that the dancers were incredible and that it was an interesting way to tell a story.

I do wish that people would read the age recommendations for things like this. If it says 8 and up, please don't bring your 6 yr old, no matter how advanced you think they are. There were kids in theatre who clearly didn't understand what was going on so they kept talking to their parents.

I would definitely take my kids to another play at LKTYP. It was an inexpensive way to give us all a theatrical experience.

Subway Rage

2007-05-04T15:05:00.000-07:00

I admit it, I'm guilty of subway rage. I get on at Bloor on my way home & by the time I get off, many stops later, I am ready to stomp on people's insteps, punch heads, etc. I think there should be constant messages on the intercom or whatever like: "If the pole is in your ass crack, you're standing too close", or "Guys, if you can't sit with your legs together, maybe you should stand", or " No nail-clipping allowed! And no french fries".

I love driving to work & luckily I do get to do that most days next week.

Newbery Challenge

2007-05-01T20:02:00.000-07:00

I found a challenge on one of the many book websites that I visit - it was to read 6 (I think) Newbery books. So after perusing the list here are the 6 I am going to tackle in the next 2 months:

The Higher Power of Lucky (2007)

A Single Shard (2002)

Amos Fortune, Free Man (1951) - can't wait to see how this stands the test of time

Invisible Louisa (1934)

Kira-Kira (2005)

Criss Cross (2006)

I can't guarantee what order I'll read them in, but I'll start one tonight!

John Legend, Corinne Bailey Rae Concert Last Night

2007-04-18T16:41:00.000-07:00

Maybe I'm getting too old for concerts. It's not like I was at some young top 40 concert but I felt like a curmudgeon & I hate that. I know some people are only interested in the headlining act but HELLO? some of us actually want to see the opener. I went to the concert mainly to see CBR and there were people sitting near us who talked through the whole thing! And the lateness - what's up with that? If your ticket says 8 pm, try getting there at 7:45 not 8:45. I find it difficult to enjoy live music when the people in front of me are standing up to let latecomers get to their seats. See, I am too old for concerts, I sound like a nag.

Great concert though. CBR was very low key, mellow, laid back. John Legend seemed like Liberace compared to her - all glitz and energy. It was fun

Music at Blue Jay's game

2007-04-15T14:43:00.000-07:00

We went to the Jays game today & they showed this cool video on the big screen before the game began. Anyway the music was somewhat familiar - in a classical music/movie trailer sort of way. It is driving me crazy! It was the sort of music that would be on a trailer for a Lord of the Rings type movie. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe it's from some lame Cirque de Soleil commercial.

Easter - who will get the dirt egg?

2007-04-13T15:02:00.000-07:00

So every year we have this Egg Hunt at someone's house for Easter & "the Uncles" hide an egg filled with dirt or grass. This year Keenan, far left, got the prized dirt egg.

First Post Ever

2007-04-13T13:25:00.000-07:00

The idea of this blog is very exciting but the idea of writing a first entry is totally intimidating. Like the first page of a new journal. Such pressure.