Thursday, March 28, 2013

Thursday Confessions

With tomorrow being Good Friday, I thought I’d jump the gun a little and post some confessions today instead… It’s been awhile since I’ve confessed, I’m due!!

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I confess… that yesterday was a really good day.  When my head hit the pillow last night, I had a smile on my face, and I wondered, “How often does this happen – that you go to bed smiling, thinking, Today was just a great day…?”  Not often enough.  It felt good!

I confess… my happiness yesterday was largely due to reaching that 30 lbs. goal of mine.  I debated on whether or not to post about it on Facebook, because I often worry that people are either bored or annoyed by my weight-loss-Facebook-posts.  But I made my “30 Before 30 Project” public on Facebook (and here on the blog) to keep me accountable, so I figured I needed to share my victory – not because I needed the pats on the back, but because I figured I should follow up on what I’d started.  I was absolutely overwhelmed and grateful for all of the “likes” and comments my status garnered during the day.  I really do have the best cheerleaders a kid could ask for!!  Thank you to everyone for supporting me on this journey!! Y’all are the best :)

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I confess… that while it was nice to soak up the satisfaction of reaching that goal, my sites are already set on a new goal: Can I lose another 20 lbs. before I turn 30 on July 28th?  That would make it the “50 Before 30 Project”… I’m ready for the challenge!

I confess… that I went to Fit Club last night, even though I was scared of the workout.  It was the Kenpo X workout from P90X, and I have always shied away from P90X (and Insanity, too) – thinking they were too hard-core for this kid.  Turns out? I loved it.  Punching, kicking, blocks – felt like I was back at Karate, and it felt great!!

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I confess… that I have only one more episode of Prison Break left to watch. The finale.  And it makes me so, SO sad.  Like, devestated.  But I have to know what happens, so it’s probably going to be all over tonight. *sigh*

I confess… that the good news is my brother can stop telling me I’m insane once I stop talking about Michael Scofield.  Yipee.

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One more picture of Michael… Just for you, Lukey.

I confess… the one thing I hate about my life right now – aside from the fact that Prison Break is almost over - is the fact that I have to pee every half hour.

I confess… that if the two worst things in my life right now consist of Prison Break ending and me peeing a lot, then I guess I don’t have much to complain about, do I?

I confess… that while everyone else is super-pumped about the long weekend, it’s more bittersweet for me, just as it is every year.  Thanks to my winter hours, I’ve had Mondays & Fridays off for the past three months.  I usually return full-time after Easter, which makes this my “last long weekend”.  I hate to see my long weekends come to an end…

I confess… despite that last statement, there’s something exciting and rejuvenating about the buzz around the office this time of year.  The snow is melting, the grass will be growing soon, the phone is ringing more, and everyone’s getting geared up for the new season.  Bring it!!!

I confess… that I’m looking forward to this Easter weekend.  Spending time with family – especially my favourite little monkeys – always makes me so happy, and I can’t wait to spend the day with the on Sunday!!  There’s also a chance I’m going to make it to the movie theatre (aka My Happy Place), and that will just be the icing on the cake. :)

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I confess… that I’m not even really worried about the Easter eats this weekend.  I’m going to enjoy my food, but keep up my workouts & shakes, maybe get out and enjoy the warmer temps and sun on a few walks - and I’m confident I’ll be just fine.

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter weekend!!  It’ssss BUNNY TIME!!! :)

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Wednesday, March 27, 2013

WWTKW: The Anti-HDTV girl.

*EDIT* after posting this, my friend Sharon sent me a note to tell me it’s HGTV, not HDTV.  HA!  I’m such a doorknob sometimes!!!  So anyways… HGTV, I don’t do.  HDTV, on the other hand… I am a fan of. LOL

So.  Remember yesterday when I vented about how my weekend of too-much-food resulted in me missing out on hitting my 30 lb. weight loss mark yesterday morning as I’d hoped?

I must’ve had a REALLY good day yesterday.  Because I weighed myself again this morning (against the rules, I know, I’m only supposed to weigh once a week - but curiosity always gets the best of me!), and I had dropped over a pound since weighing yesterday morning.

And I was officially at 30 lbs. lost.  EXACTLY 30 lbs. lost since I first weighed in on January 7th.

I’m not gonna lie.  Feels good.

Let’s hope it’s not a fluke.  The next step is surviving Easter without a major set-back.  If I’m successful, that celebratory “HOLY SMOKES I LOST 30 LBS. I’M SO HAPPY AND HERE’S HOW I DID IT!!!” post will be on the sched for next week. :)

But for today… It’s We Want to Know Wednesday, hosted by Scriptor & Kenzie!!

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This week’s questions:

{no. 1} What is your favorite room in your house? (Bonus if you share a pic!)
{no. 2} How organized are you?
{no. 3} How did you find inspiration for your home?
{no. 4} What is/was your favorite DIY project?
{no. 5} Share your favorite website for ideas for your home?

My answers:

{no. 1} What is your favorite room in your house? (Bonus if you share a pic!)  I’d have to go with my living room.  It’s where I spend the majority of my time at home – watching TV, movies, working out… It’s a nice spacious room with a big window facing out to main street, and since getting my new furniture last year, it’s really become one of my favourite spaces.  I’d like to paint it someday (the white walls are boring) but overall, I love it!

28775_10152353522765554_1971352533_n This is a pic of all the girls & kiddos at our annual Christmas Potluck – not the best pic of my living room, but the only one I could find this morning!

{no. 2} How organized are you?  I like to think I’m an organized, A-type gal, but fact of the matter is… I’m not.  I’m a procrastinator, and I may go on an organizing bonanza once in a while, but most of the time, it’s more like organized chaos. ;)  Just ask my Canada Day Committee pals, who have laughed at me for the past few years because I’ve been planning to “organize” the big, falling-apart, messy file holder we use to keep all the important paperwork in.  For the record – Susie finally gave up on me last week and did it herself! ;)

{no. 3} How did you find inspiration for your home?  There really hasn’t been much inspiration, to be honest.  I just kind of do what looks/feels right to me.  I ended up working with a lot of hand-me-downs, especially decor and furniture that I inherited from my Grandma, and I like those special touches.

29551_10152353519390554_1440320218_n Another picture from Christmas Potluck – the guys hanging out in the dining room, which is a room infused with my grandmother’s things – the dining room table is hers (with the chairs re-upholstered by my sister-in-law’s father), and that credenza on the wall is filled with the little dogs Grandma used to collect!

{no. 4} What is/was your favorite DIY project?  Ohh… I’m not much of a DIY’er!! haha!!  I’ve gathered many wonderful ideas from friends via blogs and Pinterest, but haven’t actually put anything into action yet. (Procrastinator, remember?!)  I spent almost all of last night just changing up the photos in my frames around the house, and I was sick of it by the time I was done! lol!

{no. 5} Share your favorite website for ideas for your home?  I’m really not one to seek out ideas for the home – although, I should!  I don’t watch HDTV, and while I wish I had more of an interest in DIY projects and ideas for my home… I just don’t.  I don’t get excited about that stuff.  I wish I could just afford to pay someone to come in and decorate for me! haha!!  But if I were looking for home decor or reno ideas, I’d definitely be going to Pinterest first.  I think the ideas people find and post on there are AMAZING!!

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This is a home decor idea I’ve always loved – but never had the ambition to tackle it!!

So… I’m not a DIY’er, I’m not organized, and I don’t really have that burning desire to be a home decorator…apparently this WWTKW wasn’t made for me! haha!

Side note:  I’d like to take a moment to point out that back in the first question, I used the words “Watch TV”, but did not elaborate.  You all know that I WANTED to talk about my favourite show, but I didn’t.  Why?  Because yesterday I got a text from a certain member of my family  telling me that I had to stop writing posts about my favourite TV show, because he “along with everyone else” thinks I’m insane.

I thought everyone already questioned my sanity pre-that-TV-show, but whatevs.

I only have two episodes left.  Hang in there, folks.

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

I had big plans for today…

BIG plans.

You see, last week, with my weight creeping ever-closer to my first goal of losing 30 lbs before my 30th birthday, I had a comment from my good pal Nicole, suggesting I do a post on what exactly it is that I’ve been doing to lose weight over the past few months.

Admit it, Nicole.  You were just sick of the Prison Break stuff, right?  (You and everyone else.  I know.)

Regardless.  I liked the suggestion, and I had high hopes of hitting that 30 lb. mark when I weighed in this morning.  To celebrate, I was going to share the tips, tricks, secrets, and philosophies that have carried me through these past 11 weeks.

But then… the weekend happened. 

In all it’s foody glory.

If there’s one thing about me that has NOT changed since I embarked on this weight loss/healthy living project, it is my willpower when it comes to food.  I keep mostly healthy, clean foods in my home now, because if the snacks and junk are there… I will seek them out.

When they are right in front of me?  I can.not.resist.them.

I am a food addict, plain and simple.  Recovering.  But still an addict just the same.  That will never change.

I had my little Brittany’s 19th birthday dinner (and all the treats that went with it all day long) on Friday; I went out to dinner with my mom on Saturday; there was a delicious fundraiser brunch hosted by the local Lionettes on Sunday; Mom made a mouth-watering stuffed pork tenderloin with all the fixin’s for Sunday dinner'; and then we had lunch out yesterday at a Tex-Mex place in Renfrew.

Oh, and Easter Eggs.  My mom has peanut butter Easter Eggs floating around her house.  Just try and stop me.

So of course, all of this was reflected back at me when I stepped on the scales this morning.

The good news:  I didn’t gain weight.  In fact, I actually still lost a few ounces.  Phewf.

The bad news: I’m still over a pound away from reaching that magical number of 30.  And Easter Weekend is on the horizon…  *sigh*

Now, all this being said… here’s a little sneak peak at one of the biggest “tips” that I’ve carried with me thus far on this journey:  When you have a bad day, just let it go.  Don’t carry it with you.  When you wake up the next morning, act like it never happened and strive to do better today.  Treat each day as a clean slate.

In this case, it was kind of a whole weekend issue. Weekends in general are more difficult for me to stick to a healthy eating plan, but this one was by far one of my worst to date. 

And yet, I got up today, and even with the discouragement on the scales, I just brushed it off.  Today’s a new day, and another chance to get it right.

I also reflect back on what I ate this weekend, and can’t help but note that even though it’s been one of my worst weekends so far with food, it’s still LEAPS & BOUNDS better than my old eating habits.

For one, I’m still not allowed to have french fries due to my Lenten promises, so while I did have several meals out, I made sure to have salads instead of those delicious golden deep-fried delicacies.  I also made sure to have my Shakeology each day, and I didn’t miss a work-out, so I had that going for me.  My portions were moderate (except when it came to the almonds on Brenda’s counter Friday afternoon… and the Birthday Cake Oreos that I woofed into me, leading Britt’s boyfriend to ask me, “How’s that diet going, Jill?”  Smartass.)

You win some.  You lose some.  By and large, the progress is still there.  I was well aware of what I was doing as I shoved the yumminess into my mouth this weekend, very conscious of the fact that I would pay for this, and then begrudgingly logged it all in my food diary at MyFitnessPal, even though it pushed my daily caloric intake way higher than I like to see it.

Three months ago, I was just eating with wild abandon, not caring about the calories, and stowing away shocking quantities of junk.

So yeah.  It’s progress.

But the celebratory “I LOST 30 LBS HOLY SMOKES AM I EVER HAPPY AND HERE’S HOW I DID IT!!!” post?

It has to wait.

In other news… I hardly watched Prison Break at all this weekend.  I only have 2 discs left of the final season, and I’m seriously starting to panic.  I don’t want it to end.  It’s like I’ve called a complete halt to it all, because I’m not ready to let it go.

I really don’t know what I’m going to do without Michael Scofield in my life every single day.

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See?  I clearly have bigger problems than a weekend of binge-eating, don’t I?

Happy Tuesday, friends. :)

Linking up with Impulsive Addict & Shawn for Talk To Us Tuesday!!

Talk2Us

Thursday, March 21, 2013

I have a problem. And you all know what it is.

I seriously can’t think of a SINGLE THING to write about today… other than Prison Break.

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And precious few of you care to hear any more about it.

I’m obsessed.  Absolutely, 100% obsessed.  I watched all of Season 3 last weekend, and I think there’s a very good chance that I could be done Season 4 before this coming weekend is over.

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And then it will be all finished.

It frightens me to think of a future without Michael Scofield in it.  I have no idea what I’m going to do with myself.

I’m trying to stall, but I’ve been unsuccessful.  I watch three – sometimes four, even five – episodes every evening.  I’ve started skipping Sens games in favour of my favourite ex-cons.  I even missed the big comeback win the other night.  I hustle through my exercises after work, using Prison Break as my reward… “Stick with it, almost done – then you get to spend time with Michael…”

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It’s more than a little ridiculous.  I’m well aware.

And it’s never more apparent to me than when I sit down to right a blog post and I can’t think of anything else to write about

I also can’t really even discuss what’s happening right now (and OMG so much is happening right now!!!!  I feel like my head might explode!!!), because my dear friend Lindsay is watching it too, and I can’t spoil any of the surprises for her.  At one point, she was a full season ahead of me, and I was begging her to slow down so I could catch up and we could talk about it.  And she did.  I think we were on the same page for, like… a day.

Now?  I’m a full season ahead of her.  And if she asked me to slow up so that she could catch up to me?  I’d tell her to go fly a kite.  I just.can’t.stop.

Bad friend.  I know.

Seriously in need of an intervention.

Help.

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

WWTKW: I know it’s only rock ‘n roll, but I like it…

“Music is God’s bones creaking pleasure, amusement, even occasional approval…”

I remember my friend Priscilla sharing this quote with me when we were in high school.  I’m not sure, but I think it’s from Billy Corgan from the Smashing Pumpkins.  The words have stayed with me over the years, and it was the first thing that came to mind when I realized this week’s We Want to Know Wednesday Q&A is all about one of my most favourite things in the world… music.

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Linking up with Scriptor and Kenzie today! :)

The questions:

1.) What was the last song you listened to?

2.) If you had to choose one (ok, or two) all time favorite band(s/artist(s), who would it be and why?

3.) What is the first concert/show you ever went to? What was the best and why?

4.) Why type of music gets you out of a slump?

5.) Do you let your kids listen to any kind of music or limit them to kid stuff? (If you don’t have kids, would you?)

My answers:

1.) What was the last song you listened to?  I’ve got a mixed CD playing in my car right now, and the last song that came on before I pulled into work was “Hard Sun” by Eddie Vedder.

2.) If you had to choose one (ok, or two) all time favorite band(s/artist(s), who would it be and why?  Oh my gosh, that’s almost impossible.  … But I’ve always considered The Tragically Hip one of my all-time favourites, so I think I’ll go with them.  Good Canadian lads with a vast & epic catalogue of songs and albums… one of our country’s greatest treasures.

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3.) What is the first concert/show you ever went to? What was the best and why?  Appropriately coinciding with my answer to #2, my very first concert was The Tragically Hip in Ottawa.  I think I was in Grade 10, my sister got me tickets and I brought Priscilla with me!  (PKB, you’ve clearly been a musical influence on me over the years!!!) – I saw The Hip again in Toronto at the ACC several years ago, and I’m going to see them again this summer at Bluesfest!  They’re amazing!

To pick a best concert… Well, that’s pretty tough.  I honestly don’t think I’ve been to a concert that I didn’t really love… Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, Our Lady Peace, Kenny Chesney, Bon Jovi, Blue Rodeo, Chad Brownlee & Dallas Smith, Kid Rock, AC/DC (just to name a few)…  But that first Hip concert was pretty incredible, and I remember my brother-in-law saying afterwards that it would be a hard one to top. 

4.) Why type of music gets you out of a slump?  Pretty much anything that I can dance around to or that makes me smile!  I like all different genres.  One of my favourites to listen to when I need a little pick-me-up, though, is Bob Marley.  It’s just really hard to stay down when you’re listening to reggae, y’know? :)

5.) Do you let your kids listen to any kind of music or limit them to kid stuff? (If you don’t have kids, would you?)  heh… This is kind of a funny question, I was just thinking about it not long ago.  I don’t have children, but if I did… While I don’t think I’d restrict them to “kid stuff”, I’m sure I would censor the music I listen to around them, at least a little bit.  That being said… when Brittany & Cowan were little and I used to take them on trips to the movies, they used to LOVE it when I let them listen to the song “Who the F*ck is Alice?” – but I always made them promise not to tell their mom! haha! (hi Brenda!)

A few weeks ago, I took now-teenaged-Cowan with me on a trip to the movies with my 7-year-old-nephew Caden and his little buddy Brodee.  I left the boys in the car when I ran into Wal-Mart, and while I was in there, Cowan was going through my CDs and landed on one that was a mostly country mix.  I didn’t realize it until after, but the first song on the disc he’d put in was “Come Pick Me Up” (Zac Brown Band’s version), and when I was listening to it, I realized one of the line’s was kiiinda inappropriate for the little boys in the car.  I have no idea if they actually heard it – there’s a good chance Cowan had changed the song before it got to that particular line – but I would have been jumping to the next song pretty quickly if I’d been there! haha!

At the end of the day, I definitely don’t think I’d limit my kids to “just kiddie songs” – I’d want to infuse them with the music I love, too – but I’d probably be a little cautious about what I was letting them listen to.

Wow.  A whole post without mentioning you-know-what.  Apparently this has been a great diversion, because now I just want to put on my iPod and listen to great music all day long!! 

Happy Wednesday, friends!! :)

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

The Tuesday Random

It feels like all I do is ramble randomly on the ol’ blog these days, but that’s just the way she goes, I guess.

Here I go again!

  • Tuesday mornings are when I do my official weigh-ins, and as of this morning, I had lost 28.2 lbs from what I weighed on my Day 1, January 7, 2013.  My initial goal of losing 30 lbs. is looming… Will I have accomplished my “30 Before 30  Project” by this time next week???  Fingers are crossed!
  • I’ve been digging out my smaller-sized clothes over the past few weeks, and finally starting to feel comfortable in them again.  Phewf!
  • Yesterday, I did a little shopping at Old Navy with Lindsay, and my goal was to pick up some new work-out clothing.  Aside from my uniform, I spend more time in Old Navy Activewear than anything else, and a lot of it was starting to get too big on me.  It was a real treat to buy some better-fitting yoga capris, tees, and my favourite – the compression jackets!  I also picked up a few new pairs of pants for work, since my old ones are getting pretty sloppy-looking, and I was super-excited to purchase one pair that was TWO sizes smaller than the current pants I’d been wearing!  Woop woop!!

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  • After hitting up Old Navy, Linds asked if I minded heading down a few doors to the Jacob Outlet store.  I said sure, of course, even though Jacob is a store I never go into because I just don’t fit into their clothing.  Yet, once we were in the store, a short-sleeved pink knit cardigan caught my eye, and so I dug out the largest size they had and tried it on… and it fit!!!  And I loved it!!!  And it was on sale!!!  :)
  • OK.  So.  I’ve just gone, like, what, 5 whole minutes without mentioning Prison Break??  I didn’t think I could do it.
  • There was a REAL attempted prison break in St. Jerome, Quebec, a few hours away from where I live.  Like, a serious one.  These guys hi-jacked a helicopter, flew over the prison, dropped a rope, and two inmates climbed up it and they took off.  When I heard it on the news yesterday morning, I got all excited about it.  And then I was sad to hear they got caught.  You know something’s wrong whennnn… You end up ROOTING for REAL LIFE CRIMINALS to ESCAPE FROM PRISON.  Too.much.Prison.Break.  !!!!

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  • I argued with my mom and my sister this morning that maybe these guys were NICE, like most of the Prison Break characters.  Lincoln was framed; Michael fired a gun in a bank to get into the prison to break his innocent brother out; Sucre was incarcerated for a minor convenience store robbery (he just needed money to buy a ring for his girlfriend); Tweener was in there because he stole a little ol’ baseball card.  They weren’t really bad guys!   So maybe these guys who tried to break out in St. Jerome were nice guys too!  My sister’s reply:  “It was a TV show, Jill.  Of course they were all innocent.”
  • On the weekend, I changed the wallpaper photo on my Blackberry from a picture of my nieces and nephew to this:

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  • And then I got concerned for myself.  For real.
  • I’m going to try to restrain myself from any further Prison Break talk today, other than to say this:  Something bad is going to happen.  I just know.  I can feel it.  I’m a few episodes into the final season now, and I’m starting to get very panicky.  This isn’t going to end well for Michael, is it, guys?  Is it???
  • One of my most favourite pictures recently is this one, that our minister Nancy sent to me this morning.  She took this picture of my niece Danica and I on Saturday at the Irish Tea at our church!  Thank you, Nancy!!

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  • One year ago today, my mom and I had lunch on her patio because it was so beautiful out.  As I recall, the temperature was in the mid-20’s, the snow was all gone, and it was a gorgeous sunny day.  Today?  Well, I don’t think we got as much snow as they were forecasting for our area, but we have some fresh new powder on the ground, and temps are hovering around freezing.  What a difference a year can make, huh?

I seriously have nothing else to talk about other than Prison Break, and I know that nobody cares about it but me, so I’ll wrap this up before I start talking about it again. ;)

Linking up today for Talk To Us Tuesday with Impulsive Addict and Shawn.  Also joining in with Stacy Uncorked for Random Tuesday!

Talk2Us

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Thursday, March 14, 2013

Thoughts on Thursday

I have bad news for you guys.  I just have a random smattering of crap to share with you today, which means you’re bound to be hearing more about my love for Prison Break in the next few minutes. 

I apologize in advance for my obsessive personality.

  • So.  Prison Break.  I don’t know if I’ve ever watched a show that I love as much as I’m equally frustrated by, as this one.  Last night, I managed to squeeze three episodes in around a walk, supper, and the Sens game.  While the night before the episodes had me squealing and clapping my hands, last night’s had me on more of a roller coaster of aggravation.  Gah.  These brothers just can’t WIN! (Please note:  the episodes that make me squeal and clap my hands are the ones in which Michael and Sara kiss.  So far, they have been few and far between.  And this disappoints me.)

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  • I think I’ve made a terrible mistake.  In all my Prison Break googling, I think I’ve ruined a few “surprises” on the show for myself.  One of the spoilers I’ve stumbled across in particular is really worrying me.  And I’m trying to put it out of my head, but it keeps creeping back.  Dammit.  I should never google things.
  • Horror of the day:  Getting the last two seasons of Prison Break in the mail from Amazon yesterday, and discovering that Season 3 only has 13 episodes?!?!  Wahhhhhh!!!  That must’ve been the year of that pain-in-the-arse writer’s strike or whatever the hell it was.  I don’t know.  But what I do know is that I thought I had at least 44 more episodes of Prison Break after Season 2 is over (one more disc), and now I only have 35.  And this breaks my little heart.  It’s like it’s already almost over!!!!

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  • Thing I need to keep reminding myself of as I watch this show:  Every time I fear Michael and Lincoln are  in serious danger and might die, I have to stop and tell myself, “Their pictures are on the cover of each season.  Relax.  They can’t die.”
  • OK.  So.  The big bloggy news of the week is that Google Reader is going to be disappearing as of July 1st.  I didn’t really believe it at first, but this morning when I logged into my Google Reader, I got my official warning.  And I was severely displeased.  I hate change, and I hate techy stuff, and now I have to figure something out or lose all the blogs I follow. Gad dammit.
  • Rock of Ages!!  I never re-capped for you guys!!  See how Prison Break has taken over my life?!  I almost forgot to tell you about Rock of frigging Ages.  Yikes!!  Anyways… Rock of Ages was a total blast.  I went with my sister & her husband, and my brother and his wife, and I think I speak for all of us when I say… What a FUN night!  We went out to dinner first at Johnny Farina’s, a wonderful Italian place just down the street from the NAC, where we enjoyed a delicious dinner, delicious drinks, and laughed so hard we almost peed our pants over stories about people peeing their pants (specifically, me.  But that’s a story for another day.)
  • After dinner, we walked back to the NAC and found our seats.  The next few hours were filled with even more laughs and AMAZING music that’s right up the alley for this child of the 80’s!  I already sort of knew what to expect, being a fan of the movie, but the live show was so so awesome.  Even the guys – who were a little hesitant at being dragged to a Broadway musical – seemed to really enjoy it.  It was pretty incredible and I’d highly recommend it!

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  • Following the show, I started getting texts and blurry photos from a group of friends who were there in a different level and section, and whom had run into Chris Neil at the NAC bar.  Naturally, I was insaaanely jealous, because I LOVE Chris Neil!  My sister told me to text them back and tell them, “Yeah, SO!  We saw Max Keeping!”  HA!  While I do love Max Keeping as well, it wasn’t quite the same thing… But needless to say, it was just a local celebrity bonanza at Rock of Ages on Saturday night!!

chris and max

  • I’m already looking forward to another fun Saturday night ahead, as the local C Kidz Kan group is hosting a Yuk Yuk’s comedy night & dinner fundraiser, and I’ve got my tickets reserved.  I really enjoy live comedy shows, and don’t get to see them often enough – so how could I resist when they’re going to be right there in my own little hometown?!  Such a fun night out, I can’t wait!
  • The only problem with having weekend plans?  It means I have to actually leave the house, and leave Michael behind.  This is becoming increasingly difficult.  Guys, I’m so obsessed.

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  • You should all know that my mom is not a fan of my new obsession.  She totally tunes out the Prison Break stuff.
  • Oh, and once again on the “obsessed” topic… I watched two Mariah Carey music videos on Youtube yesterday.  Why?  Because my fanatic research on Wentworth Miller led me to discover that he starred in two Mariah Carey videos in the mid-2000’s.  I don’t even like Mariah Carey, but I favourited both videos on Youtube, and now I’m sharing this one with you.  He’s so hot.  You should also know that I haven’t even listened to the song, I watched it with the sound off.  I just needed the visual. Wentworth, in a suit & sneaks. That is all.

  • I really am sorry about the excessive Prison Break stuff.  But I just can’t help myself!!!

Doin’ the Thursday Happy Dance… :)

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

WWTKW: Leisurely Activities

It’s Wednesday, so you all know what time it is!

WWTKbutton-1-1_zps2077872a 

Time to link up with Scriptor & Kenzie for We Want to Know Wednesday!  This week, we’re talking leisurely activities.

Here are this week’s questions:

1. What is one thing you are never too busy for?

2. What is/are your favorite show(s)?

3. Would you rather get a pedicure or a manicure?

4. How do you spend your day when the weather is sunny and warm?

5. When is the last time you went on a picnic?

Bonus. What is your favorite thing to eat/bring to a picnic?

My answers:

1. What is one thing you are never too busy for?  This is probably going to sound seriously lame, and it’s only been in recent months, but I’ve come to realize I have to make time in my day for some form of exercise.  I feel so much better about myself after a work-out or a walk – I feel more calm & refreshed, clear-headed & happy.  So making time in my day for TurboFire, or some other form of exercise, has become imperative.  And I won’t allow myself to be “too busy for it”.  (and yes, I know that’s easy for me to say, being that I’m single and have no children… lol.  But I feel it’s really part of my “routine” now.)

Exercise to have fun

2. What is/are your favorite show(s)?   Now, see, I was going to try really hard today to not bring up anything Prison Break-related, but now I have official permission.  PRISON BREAK.  Oh my God, I love it.   I can’t believe I didn’t watch this show when it was actually on the air, but I’m so glad I’ve discovered it.  I’m totally – TOTALLY – hooked.

Prison_Break_Season_2

Other favourites would have to include Friends, The Big Bang Theory, Friday Night Lights, The Vampire Diaries, Sex & The City, and Grey’s Anatomy.  Although, at this time in my life, I honestly don’t think any one of them holds a candle to my absolute and utter adoration for Michael Scofield right now.

wentworth miller

3. Would you rather get a pedicure or a manicure?  Pedicure, please!  I try to keep my nails pretty on a regular basis, but I put off doing the toes as long as possible.  It’s so nice to have someone else look after them for me!  The foot soak, the scrubs, the massage, the special attention that I don’t always give my tootsies… I only wish I could get pedicures more often.  They are a rare treat.

pedi

4. How do you spend your day when the weather is sunny and warm?   When the sun is out and the weather is warm, I love to get out for a walk around town, and then relax, either on my back deck or my mom’s patio, with a good book, some tunes, and a cold drink.  As much as I love winter, I’m looking forward to those days!

Jill & Neve Last summer, hanging out pool-side with my niece Neve

5. When is the last time you went on a picnic?  Can’t say I’ve gone on many picnics in my lifetime! LOL!  Probably our church’s Sunday School Picnic last June would have to be the most recent one!

Sunday School Picnic 2012 026[1] Tanner & I at last year’s Sunday School picnic

Bonus. What is your favorite thing to eat/bring to a picnic?  Picnics make me think of sandwiches and salads – cheeses and pickles – chips and lemonade.   I remember making Stacie’s Grape Salad for a church picnic once and it was a hit!  Yummy!

grape salad 

What are your favourite leisurely activities?  Go link up and let us know! :)

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Celebrity Head-to-Head: Channing Tatum vs. Wentworth Miller. Yes, they are fighting for my love.

OK.  So.  We all know I’m obsessed right now.  With Prison Break, and Wentworth Miller, and a whole bunch of ex-cons. 

No one knows this better than my friend Lindsay, who is partly to blame for all of this - for encouraging me to watch the show in the first place, and who now has to listen to me ramble on and on each morning about how much I love Michael and Lincoln and Tweener and Sucre, and maybe even T-bag a little bit…

PRISON BREAK: Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller, second from L) is a desperate man with a plan to save his brother's life, Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purcell, L) who is on death row in PRISON BREAK in a special two-hour premier Monday, Aug. 29 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) and will air in its regular time period begining Monday, Sept. 5 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. Front row, L-R: Dominic Purcell, Wentworth Miller, Marshall Allman, Robin Tunney, Stacy Keach.  Back row, L-R: Amaury Nolasco, Peter Stormare, Robert Knepper, Sarah Wayne Callies, Wade Williams, Paul Adelstein.

I talk about Michael Scofield, like, a lot.  My friends and family are probably a little sick of it by now.   So are all of you, I’m sure.

It was during a text conversation with my friend Sharon on Friday evening about Prison Break that I found out she’s also a fan of Wentworth Miller’s.  She even went so far as to suggest that perhaps he’s even more attractive than Channing Tatum.

This gave me pause.  I had to stop and think for a moment.  I mean, Channing Tatum is my boyfriend.  And I’ve been cheating on him for weeks with Wentworth Miller.  And it has been a fabulous affair, but really, am I being fair to my Channing??

I really had to think this through.  List the pros and cons for both. 

So I presented myself with this entirely beautiful and perfect situation:  Both Channing Tatum and Wentworth Miller are standing at my doorstep, asking me to marry them.  I mean, they’re frigging fighting over me.  And I have to choose.

chan vs went

Who do I pick?!?

Let’s weigh the pros and cons.  Just for fun.

CHANNING TATUM

channing_tatum

PROS:

  • He’s so damned hot.  Like, Sexiest Man Alive kind of hot.
  • The smirk.  God, I love the smirk.
  • His chuckle.
  • Brother can dance.
  • He’s in the right age bracket for me. (Age 32)
  • He’s in about 100 movies, so anytime I need a Channing fix, he’s available in many different makes, shapes, and forms. ie – Romantic sweetheart, young rebellious dancer, Magic Mike…

 Channing-Tatum-channing-tatum-30603973-409-516

CONS:

  • He’s married and is expecting a baby with his wife Jenna Dewan-Tatum.  (which is actually pretty awesome, but it means he can’t marry me in real life.)
  • He’s a former stripper, which is kinda grody.
  • He kind of looks like a penis with big ears and arms and legs, as my fellow blogger Jenny has pointed out in the past.
channing-tatum-2-435

…And now for…

WENTWORTH MILLER

wentworth-miller-383629

PROS:

  • He’s so damned hot. So so so so SO damned hot.
  • He’s at his hottest when he’s wearing aviators.  I die.
  • He’s SMART.  He’s a Princeton graduate, and also a writer.  And you can just hear the intelligence oozing from him, both on the show, and in real-life interviews.
  • He’s a “third”.  As in, Wentworth Earl Miller III.  AND he’s kind of British.  Which I find downright sexy.
  • He has many different nationalities and races mixed in him, but one of the main ones is Jamaican.  Which I also find downright sexy.
  • He has the best smile in the history of the world.
  • I love love love his brooding stare.

wentworth_miller_01

wentworth-miller

CONS:

  • There are gay rumors.  Which would totally ruin it all.  Not that there’s anything wrong with being gay, as far as I’m concerned, but it would just dash all the sex appeal for me if he really is.  However, from my Internet research, it would appear Wentworth denies the rumors.  Phewf.
  • He’s kind of too old for me.  (He’s 40!?!?  WTF!??!  I know, I know…the episodes I’m watching him in right now, he’s like 34 or 35.  This is why 40 seems outrageous to me.)
  • I’ve also read that Wentworth gets fat in Season 4?!?!  Can someone please disprove this for me??  It’s impossible, right?!?
  • Aside from Prison Break, he has very little out there that is readily available for me to watch.  Since Prison Break ended in 2009, he’s been writing more, which I think is awesome – except that he’s out of the spotlight.  I feel like I’m totally late arriving to the Wentworth Miller party, and I missed out on it during it’s prime. :(

wentworth-miller-vest

So there we have it.  The pros and cons.  Both very worthy opponents.  Both very handsome, delicious men.

But I think we all know who’s going to win here today, for me….

wentworth-miller--large-msg-119676831891

I mean, it’s almost not a fair fight.  I’m totally in Wentworth Miller lockdown right now, and Channing never really stood a chance, did he?

I know.  The Sexiest Man Alive, and he didn’t stand a chance.  What is this world coming to.

So?  How about you?  Who wins in the Channing vs. Wentworth Showdown??  Channing, because he’s more current?  Or are you a Prison Break fan and Wentworth wins hands-down, even if he is maybe a little bit 5 years ago?

Also, suggestions are welcome for the next Celebrity Head-to-Head.  This is a game I could get used to… ;)

Linking up today for Talk To Us Tuesday with Shawn & Impulsive Addict!

Talk2Us

Thursday, March 07, 2013

The Thursday Random

It’s Thursday, and I’m feeling random, so let’s go with it.

  • MICHAEL KISSED SARA!!!!  LAST NIGHT ON PRISON BREAK!!!  EEEEEEE!!!!

michael-sara-kiss-prison-break035

  • I only have two episodes left in Season 1.  Which makes me excited, but also sad that I’m almost one-fourth through the show.  Yes, that is just how addicted I am.  Already dreading the end, before Season 1 is even up.
  • Last night, I should have just kept watching Prison Break instead of tuning in to the Sens/Leafs game.  I would have been happier with the end result, I’m sure, if I’d stuck with Sexy Scofield. -_-

Michael-Scofield

  • I know.  This is getting ridiculous.  I’m sorry.
  • Song that I like to belt in the car right now:

  • I’ve been lovin’ on this song for a while now, but I JUST realized this morning that I’m like the voice twin of Christina Aguilera.  You should hear me when I’m singing with her, and how I can hit those high notes.  It’s amazeballs.
  • Yes, I do realize that I’ve also called myself the voice twin of Sheryl Crow and Adele in the past.  What?  I am.
  • And people question my self-confidence level.  Pfft.
  • The big St. Paddy’s Day party is this Sunday at Gavan’s – the kick-off to the Irish celebrations in the Valley.  And I’m trying to decide if I want to go or not.  Part of me is like, meh, stay home and watch NASCAR and spend time with Michael, but then the other part of me knows I’ll feel like I’m missing something if I’m not there for even just a little while.  *sigh*  Decisions, decisions…
  • I miss french fries.  Like, a lot.
  • I’m starting to count down the days  to Rock of Ages… I’m going to see the live performance on Saturday night at the NAC with my siblings, and I can’t wait!!  I loved the movie, but friends who have seen the live show tell me I’m going to love this even more.  So excited!!!

Rock-of-Ages

  • It made me a little sad last night to hear the news that one of our greatest Canadian icons, Stompin’ Tom Connors, had passed away at age 77.  Immediately, I thought back to that legendary Shawville Fair in 2005, when a reported 40,000+ packed the fairgrounds to watch Stompin’ Tom perform.  I was one of them.  I may have very well been the most nervous person on the grounds – I’ve never considered myself claustrophobic, but I literally felt trapped amid the throng of rowdy, drunken fans, and my biggest fear was of a stampede starting and getting trampled to death – but man, what an experience.  And a memory that is now very dear.  Rest peacefully, sir.

new-stompin-tom