101 List: Launched

For those of you who haven't yet made it over to the new Blog that is going to follow my 101 List, I'm going to post the list here too.

Started: September 30, 2010
Scheduled to finish: June 28, 2013

1. Eat egg rolls from the Golden Palace

2. Make a dinner from scratch for my friends

3. Learn to knit a dish cloth or scarf

4. Take a trip down South

5. Cook a turkey

6. Make a scrapbook for Danica

7. Write a song and play it on my guitar

8. Host a poker tournament party at my home

9. Lose 20 lbs.

10. Get another fish for my tank

11. Write a novel (at least a rough draft)

12. Have a girls night/sleepover

13. Dabble my toes in the ocean

14. Organize a Schock cousin dinner out

15. Go for a ride on a snowmobile

16. Make spider-dogs over a bonfire

17. Go one whole week without logging on to Facebook

18. Plan a “girls day” with my mom & sister

19. Read 10 books in one year

20. Complete a song on Hard on Guitar Hero

21. Try a food I’ve never tasted before

22. Pull an all-nighter

23. Sing a song on-stage at Gavan’s

24. Organize a Young cousin dinner out

25. Make a dinner from scratch for my family

26. Make an iTunes playlist of my 101 favourite songs

27. Go to a drive-in movie

28. Visit my relatives in TO

29. Have a sliding party

30. Watch 26 movies I’ve never seen starting with each letter of the alphabet

31. Take my first plane ride

32. Make a Gingerbread House with Caden and Danica

33. Attend at least 3 Senators games per season

34. Go for a minimum half-hour walk each day for a month

35. Go to a real Spa

36. Spend a day baking with my mom

37. Do something significant (to be determined) in memory of Jeff and Troy

38. Organize my photos

39. Attend a midnight movie premiere

40. Up my PAR (pre-authorized remittance) givings at church by $5/month

41. Wash my own car at least once

42. Spend a day at the beach

43. Take a road trip

44. Make something from every section of my Betty Crocker cookbook

45. Get a DVD player for my room

46. Take a train somewhere

47. Organize my closet in a way that it STAYS organized & doesn’t go back to mayhem a week later

48. Go one whole week at work without complaining

49. Paint a picture

50. Walk for a cause

51. Go to a museum

52. Buy myself a lottery ticket

53. Go for a boat ride

54. Don’t hit snooze for one whole week

55. Go a whole day of speaking (or attempting to speak) French

56. Plan my dream trip to Ireland

57. Go up the CN Tower

58. Buy my own (artificial) Christmas Tree

59. Go to the local trout farm and actually CATCH a fish

60. Bake a birthday cake for someone

61. Go Zip-lining

62. Get a tattoo

63. Go on a Haunted Walk

64. Give blood

65. Get back the 2 dresses that I loaned to someone a long time ago

66. Build a snowman

67. Complete a 1000-piece puzzle

68. Drink a Guiness

69. Donate to a food bank

70. Write a letter to myself to open in 10 years

71. Go camping

72. Watch a classic movie I’ve never seen before

73. Read Wuthering Heights

74. Carve my name in a tree

75. Dye my hair a dark colour

76. Organize my recipe collection

77. Spend an entire dreary day watching movies

78. Pay off at least half of my line of credit

79. Get an updated photo taken with my family

80. Fall in love

81. Buy a new-to-me car

82. Go to an Imax movie

83. Acquire a taste for red wine

84. Go a whole week without swearing

85. Spend a day with my grandma touring her stomping grounds

86. Be on the Christmas House Tour

87. Go for a hike in the Gatineau Park

88. Buy a laptop

89. Write a blog entry for Jill’s World or Jill’s 101 Adventure every weekday for a whole month

90. Carve a pumpkin for Halloween

91. Go to High Falls

92. Order something wacky off the menu at The Works

93. Plant my yellow rose bush outside

94. Spend a day being a “tourist” in Ottawa – on the Market, Parliament Hill, etc.

95. Drive on the Queensway

96. Get a psychic reading

97. Rake leaves and put them in big pumpkin bags for Halloween

98. Wear a bathing suit in public without putting shorts on over it

99. Direct a Murder Mystery that someone tells me is “the best one ever”

100. Come in 2nd in the Car Rally

101. Donate $5 to charity for each task I don’t complete

From here on in, I'm keeping track of the list over at Jill's 101 Adventure so be sure to check it out!!

Day Zero

Today, after reading some Lists of 101 Things to Do in 1001 Days that my friends have created (and have blogs to follow them), I was inspired to create my own.

Strangely enough, up until today, I've never been interested in creating my own list. I figured that I couldn't afford to do the extravagant stuff, and the little stuff...well, I'd get around to doing it without a list.

But today, something changed. I don't know why. Like I said, the urge just hit me. I visited the Day Zero website for ideas and within a few hours, I had created my own account and list of 101 Things. Basically, for those of you who are wondering, it's just a list of goals and and tasks that I've often thought, "Hey, I'd like to try that..." but never have. This list is my motivation. It will be interesting to see how many of them I can accomplish in the next 1001 days!

To keep up with my list, I've made the decision to create another blog, seperate from this one, on which I will publish my list and as I check things off the list, I'll blog about them, and hopefully post some pictures too.

Today is my Day Zero. Tomorrow the list will go up and the adventure will begin.

Feel free to check out the new blog at : http://jills-101-adventure.blogspot.com/ ...come along for the ride! :)

The Mighty Fall...

On September 24th, Wade Redden and his wife Danica welcomed their first child, a healthy baby girl, into the world.

How did his NHL employer congratulate him?

The NY Rangers put him on waivers. He cleared them and has now been assigned to their farm team in Hartford. He has also been given permission to seek other options, for instance playing in Europe.

After discussing this sad news with my mom & dad at breakfast this morning, I sighed dramatically and said, "Thank God I didn't end up with that guy..."

They laughed at me, which was the whole point of saying it - just a joke. But seriously. I keep thinking of Danica Redden and wondering how the wife of a fallen NHL star deals with this sort of thing. I suppose you sign up for an uncertain future when you choose to marry someone like him. And I suppose there are enough positives to outweight the negatives.

Everyone knows Wade's been making big bucks the past few years while his on-ice production has slipped miserably, turning him into one of the biggest laughs in the NHL.

It hurts my heart just to think of how his star has fallen.

So that's why my thoughts turned this morning, not necessarily to Wade, but to the woman at his side. The woman who just gave birth to his daughter, on the same day he lost his job in the NHL and was told he might be able to find work across the pond.

The dream career, over. The applause & cheers, long faded. The spotlights & high-life, done.

But maybe, this is when real life for the Reddens begins. Maybe, just maybe, Mrs. Redden is glad to watch the door close on her husband's high-profile roller-coaster career as a hockey player so that can be a normal little family now.

Just speculation. But it makes me wonder.

On a much happier note:

...Huge Blog congrats to my friends Sara & Graham, who welcomed their own adorable baby girl on September 21. Charlotte Elizabeth weighed in a 9 lbs 2 ozs, and she's as cute & cuddly as can be! Best wishes to the new family :)

AWESOME!

Awesome.

It's one of my favourite words. I probably use it way too much.

How did your lasagna turn out last night? Awesome.

How are the Flyers doing in the playoffs? Awesome.

Did you hear that new Eminem song? Yeah, it's awesome.

How are your fish doing? Awesome.

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about the word and how awesome it is. Just say it. Makes you feel good, right?

After the two tragic deaths in my family this past summer, my friend Sarah got me a "cheer up" present - The Book of Awesome by Neil Pasricha. On the way to Midland, Amanda and I passed the book back and forth and read some of the chapters out loud to help pass the time (and oh, how long the time was on that trip...) It was amazing how many times one of us would exclaim, "Oh I've done that!" or "I know exactly what he means!"

Basically, it's things like wearing underwear straight out of the dryer, finding money you didn't even know you'd lost, the fantastic assortment of drinks left in your fridge after hosting a party, getting high fives from a baby, hitting a bunch of green lights in a row, or my personal favourite (and the entry Sarah had marked for me)- hearing a stranger fart in public.

You know. The little things that happen during your day that aren't all that major, but just make you smile and say...AWESOME!

The Book of Awesome actually has stemmed from Pasricha's very popular Blog, 1000 Awesome Things, which I now check every day. And you know what's really awesome? When you hit an entry that you completely relate to.

Like today's. "Trying on your new clothes as soon as you get home from the store." I totally do that!! And it is absolutely AWESOME! Nothing more fun that coming home from a day at the mall, totally exhausted and jittery from the buyer's remorse, then going into my room, putting on everything I just bought and relaxing because, yes, it does look as good as I thought it did in the store. Yes, it still fits. Yes, my mom's going to freak when she finds out I bought jeans that came with holes in them, but I don't care. Because they're awesome.

Both the blog and book have given me reasons to smile at times when I didn't think it was possible. So if you ever need a pick-me-up or just a great way to start the day, check it out!

It's ...AWESOME!

From Fish to Puppies...

Don't worry, guys - I'm alive and well. And so are my fish.

Jackson and Marley seem to have adapted well together and happily share the tank now. Bringing Jacksie home was little nerve-wracking, as my partner-in-crime Brittany discovered shortly after leaving the pet store (and shortly after they locked the doors behind us) that there was a leak in the bag that he had to live in for the next few hours while we did groceries.

He was a trooper though. Not only did he survive and make it safely home, but he & Marley both survived my over-dosing the tank water with a purifying treatment last week. I put in 10x the amount of treatment that should have gone in, but aside from swimming fast for awhile and acting kind of crazy (maybe they were high?), they're still kickin'. In their extra-clear water.

Now maybe it's because I've successfully kept fish alive for the past few months, or maybe it's because so many people I know are having or have had babies lately, but now I've got this new itch to get a puppy.

I have no idea why. My parents had my pet dog Jake put down when I was about 10 years old, while I was away at camp - (and people wonder why I think I'm the scarred middle child) - and since then, I've never had a desire to have another dog. And I think my friends with pets would tell you that I'm not much of a dog person.

But after I stumbled across the picture of a puggle, I fell in love.

Puggles are a cross between a pug and a beagle. According to my Google research, they are a smaller dog (usually never get to be bigger than 25 lbs) and they are very friendly and playful. They have lots of energy and love to go for walks.

I think the puggle is made for me. And I really, really want one.

I keep reminding myself that I don't really like dogs. They are needy and whiny and make messes. When you want to go somewhere for any length in time, you have to find someone to watch them. They bark and jump and annoy me.

Still, I find myself searching Kijiji and other websites for puggle pups for sale in the Ottawa area.

I must be losing it...

My Fish Babies

As many of you already know, I became a mommy this summer.

A mommy to two beautiful little goldfish.

The day I met my new fish was the day of our annual Mountainview Golf Tournament. I wasn't having the best day, and I couldn't wait to leave the golf course and get to the ball field in Carp, where the Flyers were playing in a tournament. But first, I had to stop in at home and pick up Sue, Sarah & Brenda.

Little did I know they had a surprise waiting for me - my birthday gift was a tank, already decked out, with my little Presley and Marley swimming happily away in it!

I was so happy I almost cried.

Finally, I had my fish that I'd been wanting for months. And they were so pretty!

Unfortunately, Presley didn't seem to be doing so well. Each day, he got more and more strange. He stopped swimming around quickly (and he'd been pretty zippy that first day, so I knew something was wrong). He kind of just floated in a corner behind one of the little fake plant thingys. When I put food in, he didn't seem interested. And he just looked bad - he always seemed to be gasping or something.

But I've never had fish babies before, so I wasn't sure. After a few days of watching the fish hide in the corner, I thought, "Maybe I need to shake him up." So I stuck the net in the water, scooped him up, shook him a little, and dropped him back in.

Worked like a charm! He swam around like a maniac!

The next day? Not so much. He was kind of dead.

Apparently, signs of fish distress are hiding, not eating, and gasping for air. Ways to avoid distressing your fish? Don't net them.

Ooops.

So that left just Marley, the bigger, heartier looking goldfish. I worried about him quite a bit those first few days after Presley's death, but he actually seemed to start doing better. He swam around more and got really excited when I put food in the tank. Marley was thriving.

But still, I worry about him being all alone in there. Okay, I know - fish only have 3-second memory spans. He doesn't even notice that he's alone in there. He doesn't care.

Even so, I've been wanting to get him a new friend. And that's exactly what I'm going to do tonight. Tonight, I'm going to pick up Marley's brother, and I'm going to name him Jackson. He's going to be a black goldfish with big bulgy eyes. Ugly little mofo. But that's kind of how I've been feeling lately, and I think Jackson will make a lovely addition to my fish family.

Hopefully he lasts more than a week.

Get-Away to Midland

After the sadness and unexpected good-byes that the end of July and early August brought my family, there was nothing I needed more than a get-away.

Time to just go. Leave Quyon. Get as far away as possible, and do things that occupied my mind and made me forget, just a little, about the horrible weeks that had just passed.

Thankfully, I already had my holidays booked to accompany the Quyon COMBAT Flyers on their trip to the ISC Tournament of Champions in Midland, Michigan. We left early the morning after Troy's funeral, and even though my worry-wart heart was burdened at the thoughts of leaving home and family so soon, it was exactly what I needed.

For a full week, I had nothing to do but hang out in the hotel room, sleep in til 10 AM every day, go swimming, shopping, eat junk, drink Mike's Harder Lemonade, and watch some pretty amazing fastpitch softball.

The Opening Ceremonies

It helped that during the week I was surrounded by great people who made sure we all had lots of fun. The Flyers are a tight-knit group, and when all together, you can count on a good time. There is photo evidence of a hotel room party and a parking lot flip cup competition to back that statement up! Along with the girlfriends, wives, and kids that came along, it made for an awesome crew, and I think I can speak for us all when I say it was a memorable trip.

And on the field? A not-too-shabby result. The Flyers won their first game in the tournament, but then dropped three in a row, and were bumped to the ISCII bracket. Once there, they handily beat a team from Frankenmuth, Michigan, the Kitchener Outlawas, and Maccabi USA, bringing them to the semi-finals vs. the Wellington Sox. It was there that the Flyers bowed out of the tournament, losing 6-1 to the eventual ISCII Champions. They ended up in third place in the ISCII and improved upon their #29 ranking heading into the tournament, as they moved up a few spots to #27.

Overall, it was a wonderful week spent with great friends at the ball park. Thanks to the Flyers for letting the girls tag along this time - it was exactly what I needed!

Tonight, the Flyers will be heading to Carp to continue their semi-final series in the GOFL against the I4C Victory. The Flyers lost a close one on Tuesday night in Quyon, 1-0. It's do-or-die tonight.

GO FLYERS GO!!

The Day the Music Died

I can't believe I'm doing this again.

Two weeks to the day that I got the call from my mom to tell me about Jeff's accident, I received word that my cousin Troy passed away in his sleep, on August 8th. He was 36.

It feels surreal. To have lost two cousins, so close together, so young, so tragically...It's inexplicable. It's unfair. It's the summer from hell.

Troy wasn't the life of the party - he was the party. Where he was, there was music. His guitar and his voice were at the centre of many great times in my life. Young Family Christmas Eves are legendary because of him. The Coconut Song, American Pie, Free Fallin'...those songs will never be the same again without Troy leading the sing-along.

One of the memories of Troy that I will hold dearly is the year I decided to follow in his footsteps and learn to play too. That summer, after hearing that I was trying to learn, he came to Mom & Dad's, and we all sat out in the garage one warm August evening, and he played the guitar with me for hours. He gave me tips, showed me songs that I loved that were easy to play, and teased me about having to learn more than just D-chord. In fact, he called me "D-chord" for months after - until I finally branched out and learned some new chords.

I also have great memories of Dog Bone at the Luskville ball park. For a few years, I kept score for the mixed ball league there, and he was always making people laugh, especially with the game reports he wrote on-line, which he called "The Dog Pound". Troy was an entertainer. Where he was, there was laughter.

I still can't even wrap my head around this. I can't imagine Christmas Eve without him. I can't even imagine picking up the guitar again - most of the songs I knew he either taught me, or I learned because he inspired me to. My heart aches for Aunt Brenda and Uncle Garry, Scott and Jim. As we prepare ourselves for the wake and funeral, all I can hope is that the love and support pouring out from our families, friends, and neighbours will carry us through this.


I hope Jeff's showing you the ropes up there. We'll miss you, Dog.

Troy Turner Young ~ 1973 - 2010

Remembering Jeff

My cousin Jeff was one of the good guys.

He was quiet, but he had a dry sense of humour that could literally have you busting a gut laughing. When he was around, life was never dull. He always had ideas of things to do - boat rides, games of pool, fishing, snowmobiling, 4-wheeling, swimming, golfing... He was always doing something. There were many times when my brother and I were younger that Jeff made sure we were entertained when he was around us, whether we were at Grandma's, at Aunt Marion & Uncle Eric's, at our place, or at the camp.

Jeff was a hard worker. He got his BA in Science taking Environmental Engineering and worked for SNC-Lavalin. He also learned a strong work ethic from growing up working with his dad, and older brother Dave. Last year, Jeff built his own house for him and his girlfriend Haleigh.

Jeff also loved to play. Along with a group of his high school friends, they competed each year in their annual KAK cup, a fishing and golf tournament which Jeff won for the first time in 11 years, earlier this month. He surrounded himself with wonderful friends - a group of guys so tightly knit they were like brothers.

My cousin Jeff passed away last Monday, July 26, after sustaining severe head injuries in an ATV accident. He is the first person I've lost this close to me, and this tragically. He was only 28. Last week, as we attended his wake and funeral in Arnprior, and then burial back in Shawville, I struggled with how to deal. I've had moments of intense sadness, anger and denial, feeling this is completely not fair. But I've also had moments of peace. I have faith that Jeff is not gone, but that he is looking down over all of us, our own guardian angel above.

Last week was the hardest week of my life, but happy memories ease the pain. I'll think of Jeff often. There are countless pictures and stories to look back on. I'll think of him when I hear the song "Lost Together". I'll think of him when I see the green ribbon - the donation of his organs saved five lives last Tuesday. He'll be in my heart when I think of the empty stair step above me. I'll think of him when I see fireworks. I'll remember him at Shawville Fair. At Christmastime and all other family gatherings, his presence will surround us.

Jeff may be gone, but he will never be forgotten. We'll miss him always.

Jeffrey Roland Draper ~ 1982 - 2010

Crazy Heart Captures Mine

Remember back in the winter, when I did my Jeff Bridges post? (If not...here it is: http://jills-world.blogspot.com/2010/01/with-age-comes-appreciation.html) At the time, I was reminiscing about his White Squall days, and a little shocked when I saw how he had transformed to play the leading role in a critically-acclaimed movie called Crazy Heart.

15 years had changed the man. Drastically.

A few nights ago, I finally had the chance to rent Crazy Heart, in which Bridges plays the aging alcoholic former country star Bad Blake. Traveling from town to town, playing in bowling alleys and hotel bars, Bad is a shadow of the star he once was, struggling to make ends meet, barely able to afford the liquor that he craves and loves most.

Until he meets Jean. A lovely young journalist, played by Maggie Gyllenhaal, divorced and raising a 4-year-old son on her own, she interviews Bad Blake, and the two end up unable to resist one another. With Jean's love buoying him, Bad attempts to turn his life around, by trying to make amends with his own son whom he's been estranged from for 24 years, and by trying to help out with Jean's son Buddy as much as he can. However, alcoholism doesn't just go away overnight, and their relationship is put to the test when Bad can't stop drinking and puts Buddy's safety in jeopardy.

So what did I think of the movie? Meh. Kind of slow-moving. And I had a hard time believing someone young and pretty like Jean would fall for an old soak like Bad, no matter how desperate she was, and no matter how famous he once was. (And yes, I do remember how hot Jeff Bridges was in White Squall. But he carries none of that in Crazy Heart. He looks like the kind of old drunk you might find sitting on a bar stool at Gavan's at noon. On a Monday.)

But the music...Oh, the music. I looooove the soundtrack. I downloaded it the next day, and can't stop listening. Bridges does most of the singing - and who knew he had such a smooth, earthy voice? But the bigger surprise was Colin Farrell. That's right, Colin Farrell! Lookin' kind of goofy in a long pony-tail, but sounding amazing, Farrell plays Tommy Sweet, Bad Blake's protege who's star has risen above and beyond his mentor's. One of my favourite scenes in the movie is when Bad is forced to open for Tommy at a huge festival, and Tommy joins him on stage for one of his songs. Both actors could have a singing career too if they wanted!

The concert scenes in the movie were my favourite parts. The songs are a throwback to the days of Haggard, Jennings, Kristofferson, and Jones (the character of Bad Blake is based loosely on some of those very legends), and they are really catchy country tunes with an old-school flavour. Because the audience hears Bad's "hits" several times throughout the movie, by the end, "Hold on You" and "I Don't Know" are instantly familiar, and just try to get "Fallin' and Flyin'" out of your head - it's impossible.

As you all know, musical discoveries are one of my biggest thrills, so of course I was ecstatic to find a new favourite in Ryan Bingham. He has a small part in the film, playing Tony, the leader of one of Bad's back-up bands as he rolls from town to town. While on-stage at that show, Bad has to stumble off to be sick, and Tony picks up singing "I Don't Know" for him. That scene stood out to me - I loved the guy's voice. After doing some research, I found out that not only does Bingham play the role of Tony, he also sings that song on the soundtrack, along with the movie's theme song and Oscar winner for Best Original Song, "The Weary Kind". In the movie, it's the song Bad eventually writes, and calls his best song ever.

In real life? Ryan Bingham wrote it himself. So cool.

(PS - Yeah. He's hot.)

The songs alone are worth seeing the movie for. And Bridges is excellent as Bad Blake, highly deserving of his Academy Award for Best Actor. If you like old country, it's definitely worth checking out!

Mike...Honeymooning...*sigh*

Still no wedding photos from Mike & Carrie's big day (People hits the stands on Friday), but there's a lot of honeymoon shots popping up on the web. Apparently they're in Bora Bora right now - Mike's special surprise that he planned just for her.

Warning: These pics will probably make you wish you were in Bora Bora with Mike Fisher right now....

Dear LORD!!

Mike & Carrie: Done Deal

This past weekend, at the Ritz-Carleton Reynolds Plantation on Lake Oconee in Greensboro, Georgia, Ottawa Senators fan favourite Mike Fisher was married to country superstar Carrie Underwood.

That's right, ladies. It's a done deal. Mike is off the market. For serious.

As a Sens fan - and a Fisher fan - well, mixed emotions, I guess. Happy for him, as she seems like a super-sweet girl, and they seem to share a lot of the same values and spirituality. Hopeful that they share a long, love-filled life together.

There's a bit of jealousy, for sure. I mean, the little witch did take away from us Ottawa's most eligible bachelor. They don't grow too many Mike Fishers around here, y'know. Boys like that are few and far between. And she broke a lot of hearts when she made him a kept man.

But I'll get over that, because I already had to "get over" my main (former Sen) squeeze, two years ago, when Wade Redden got married.

If I could survive that, I can survive anything.

But speaking of Wade...Guess what? He was at the wedding! So far no pictures of the actual wedding have surfaced (apparently we have to wait for People magazine to hit the stands), but sneaky little photogs captured shots of him (along with Shean Donovan and Nick Foligno) lounging by the pool at the resort prior to THE wedding of the summer.

(Yes, that's him wearing the dorky little white fisherman's hat...I love it...)

*sigh* These pictures made my day!

10 Things About Me

So yesterday, I was challenged by my friend Lindsay via her Blog (check it out at http://smalltowngirl-lindsay.blogspot.com/) to share ten things about myself.

This is the kind of game I just loooooooove! I did something similar on Facebook a few years ago, a list of 25 Random Things About Me...So this one's a little easier, it's only 10. But I am going to try and make it different than my original list of 25. Heeeeeeeere we go...

1. In recent weeks, I've come to the very sad conclusion that watching your parents' parents get old sucks. Watching your parents get old sucks. Getting old yourself...well, it sucks. So yeah. 27 is looming, and that SUCKS.

2. I'm in love with a teen vampire. And a teen werewolf. And I don't care if that's not normal behaviour for an almost-27-year old.

3. My 4-year-old nephew and I fight all the time. He calls me names. My 1-and-a-half-year-old niece doesn't even like me. I've barely even held her since she was old enough to shake her head "no". Despite that, I adore them...they are two of my favourite people in the world.

4. I'm terrified that someone close to me is going to name their baby one of the names I've had picked out for years. I'm even more terrified that I'm never going to get the opportunity to use the names I've had picked out for years.

5. Despite the fact that I'm planning a trip down south next winter, I can't stop eating. People talk about getting "bikini ready". I just want to be "bathing suit ready". At this rate, I'm going to have to wear a tent the whole week.

6. There's nothing I enjoy quite as much as a hot summer night at the ball field. The mosquitoes don't seem that bad, and even the beer tastes good. And I hate mosquitoes. And beer.

7. I miss Wade. It's been 2 years since he left the Ottawa Senators for the New York Rangers, and I may be one in a very small minority, but I'd take him back anyday. I don't think my team will ever feel right without him.

8. I love downloading new music and listening to it on my iPod. My latest purchase? Lukas Rossi's new album, "Hollywood". It's awesome.

9. Some of my favourite things: Banana popsicles, my guitar, chips & dip, good books, lip gloss, guys who look good in ball pants, Skittles, my crappy DVD player, friends, floating on a pool noodle, pictures, baby smell, strawberry daiquiris, Saturday mornings, my Blackberry, playoff time, McDonalds, dancing all night...

10. I really want goldfish. I've been wanting them for months now. I don't even know why. Since my dog Jake died when I was 12, I never wanted another pet. And if I did, I certainly didn't want goldfish. I thought goldfish were stupid. But now I want them, and I'm going to name them after dead singers, because that way when I have to flush them, I won't feel so bad. If I ever get them, my first two will be named Presley and Marley.

So there we have it. 10 things about me. Some of them, I'm sure some of you already knew. I'm also supposed to pass this on to 5 other people, but I know a few of you that read my blog and Lindsay's have already posted them in Lindsay's comment section. For those of you who haven't already, please feel free to leave your list of 10 in my comments section!

An RPattz Lovefest

Brace yourselves. This blog is all about Rob Pattinson and how much I love him.

Ah, what a breath of fresh air he was to me over my 4-day long weekend! I'd been craving me some RPattz. And I was fulfilled.

My Canada Day was spent with a group of great friends at the Kanata AMC watching the latest installment of the Twilight Saga, Eclipse. I was so grateful to have some new vampire and werewolf visuals to sink my teeth into.

Seriously, is there anything more beautiful that Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner? Together, in one movie? It should almost be illegal.

Eclipse is when the love triangle between Edward, Bella, and Jacob really explodes. Edward wants to marry Bella, but she thinks she's too young and doesn't have a whole lot of faith in the institution of marriage, having grown up in a broken family. She wants Edward to change her so that she can live immortally alongside him. Edward is against the idea, and is refusing to change her unless she marries him first. Jacob disapproves of the whole thing - the marriage, the changing, everything. He wants Bella all to himself, and threatens to never stop fighting for her, as long as her heart is beating.

Geesh. Is there a luckier girl in the world?

I loved Eclipse, for so many reasons.

I loved that we got to see more of the Cullens, as they rallied together with the wolves to protect Bella against Victoria and her army of newborns. I loved seeing the back-stories of Jasper and Rosalie come to life.

I loved the scene where Edward must sit by during the snowstorm, helpless to Bella shivering in the tent because of his cold body temperature, and having to watch toasty-warm Jacob lie with her to keep her from turning into a popsicle. I loved their conversation, and how they almost grudgingly became friends.

I loved the meadow scene at the very start of the movie, when Edward and Bella are alone and happy and smiling. Those moments are few and far between in the movies. It was nice to see them just looking like a pair of normal, love-crazed teens.

I loved Riley and his vampire army. The scene where they rise up out of the water as they descend upon the Cullens and the wolves? Spine-tingling awesomeness.

What did I not love? Well, Bryce Dallas Howard in the role of Victoria. She didn't fill Rachelle Lefebvre's shoes very well. She was too wide-eyed and innocent. Like a little damsel in distress. Which I know she was supposed to be, to lure Riley into her evil, vengeful plan, but it was a little over the top. Not the Victoria we're used to.

And I didn't love the Jacob-and-Bella kiss atop the mountains. I know the Jake fans were squealing with glee, but despite my finding Jake to be absolutely adorable, I'm still Team Edward at heart. And that kiss just made me sooooo mad. " Kiss me Jacob! Kiss me!" ... "I don't know what happened, Edward...I'm sorry..." Oh you little hootchie!

*sigh* I can't wait to go see it again.

I spent all weekend thinking about the movie, and by Sunday, I needed me some more RPattz. So I headed to the local video store to pick up Remember Me, recently released on DVD. The non-Twilight movie Rob has made between Twilight flicks.

I'm not sure what I expected. I knew he wasn't going to be Edward, and I was prepared for that. But I was not prepared for this absolutely stunning film that literally took my breath away.

I can't say a whole lot about it, because it's one of those movies that you can't know anything about or it will ruin it. A twist ending that floors you, and the build-up to that point is a rollercoaster of emotions - filled with laughter, tears, and heartache. It's a love story, but it's also a family drama, and at the end of it all, it seems so unfair.

But it will make you think about things that you probably haven't thought about in a long time. And it will shake you up.

If you're not a Twilight fan, or not a Rob Pattinson fan, don't let his being in this movie stop you from seeing it.

He's worth it.

Canadian Pride!

Everyone knows Christmas Eve is my favourite day of the year. Followed closely by Christmas Day. And then my birthday. (Although, now that I'm moving past the mid-twenties, that day is slowly becoming one to dread rather than celebrate...)

But right up there on my "favourite days of the year" pedestal is our beautiful country's birthday.

JULY 1st!! YEAH!!

(The sight of the Canada Flag going through the crowd at the Sens games always sends shivers down my spine...)

It has become a highlight on the calendar for me especially since I joined Quyon's Canada Day Committee, about 5 years ago now. We spend the year planning & fundraising for this one special day. In recent years, we've switched our celebrations to the evening of June 30th, as everyone has the next day off work leaving them free to have a good time, and also frees up Canada Day for people to take in other festivities, such as the ones close-by on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

But tonight, Quyon is the place to be!! The Lionettes will be hosting their annual Teddy Bear Hospital at the Lions Hall, with all proceeds going to the Shawville Hospital. There will be a community BBQ, followed by the parade which ends with a flag raising ceremony down by the Ferry docks. Continuing into the evening, the band Catalyst will be raising the roof of the hall and getting everyone pumped up for fireworks down by the Ottawa River.

Sound like fun?? It ALWAYS IS!!

(The Committee ladies on-stage with the band last year.)

For those of you who live in town, hope to see you there!

Everyone have a safe & Happy Canada Day, wherever you may be!!

I Survived the Great Earthquake of 2010...

...Okay, so it sounds like everyone did.

No fatalities, no major damage.

But holy sh*t, DID YOU FEEL THAT?!? I'm not sure I've ever been so frightened in my life!

Here at MVT, when the office started to shake, I think we all had the same idea: someone was driving past the office in one of the big trucks. And they were going far too fast. Then, after realizing it was going on too long for a tractor trailer to be whizzing by, I thought for sure one of the trucks had accidentally hit the office.

It wasn't until I looked over at Claire and said, "What the hell is that?" and she was already jumping from her chair and heading for the door saying something about an earthquake that I realized what was going on. I was right on her heels, heading for the exit!

Lindsay stopped us and made us stand in the doorframe - which seemed ridiculous to me, when the outdoors was only a few feet away, and out there I would not have to worry about a building collapsing on me.

But apparently Lindsay was right to make us stop in the doorframes, because apparently you're not to go outside during an earthquake. Go figure.

In any case - I couldn't believe it when they said the 5.0 earthquake with the epicentre in Val-des-Bois, Quebec that hit at 1:40 PM only lasted 20-30 seconds. Felt like it went on for minutes. And for about an hour afterwards, it felt like my legs were made of Jell-O.

In Ottawa, apparently it caused an even bigger stir as buildings were evacuated and examined for structual damage. Emergency services said their phone lines went haywire until evening. It was chaos as many were sent home early, and the mass exodus of downtown Ottawa was a traffic nightmare.

After living through my first major earthquake? (Alright, so they're calling it a "moderate" one...whatever...it was major in my world!) I hope I never have to feel that again. Makes me very grateful that I don't live in an earthquake zone, because that panic I felt is not something I want to feel again. Ever.

Earthquakes are not my thing.

Here We Go Again...

Another summer...Another off-season of Ottawa Senator angst.

I was so looking forward to the summer of 2010. Well, for many reasons, mostly related to hot weather and daiquiris and nights at the ball field and vacations.

But also for the fact that as a fan of the Senators, I wouldn't have to go through the infuriating debacle that was Dany Heatley's demand to be traded out of town last summer.

A stress-free off-season as a Sens fan. A fairly decent run this past year, an okay showing in the playoffs, and confidence that, going forward, this team is headed in the right direction.

Phewf.

Oh...Oh, but wait! What's this? Now Jason Spezza wants out?

Seriously!!!???

It started a few weeks ago. Rumours bubbling up that Spezza wanted to follow in his ol' pal Heater's footsteps and get the hell outta Dodge. He didn't like that he was getting booed on home ice in the playoffs. Nope, little Chuckles didn't like that at all. So he had told Ottawa GM Bryan Murray that he wouldn't be opposed to a trade.


Jeepers creepers.

Does it really bother me to think of the Sens being Spezza-less next season? Not really. Not the way it bothered me when Heatley ran for the exit. Because, quite frankly, Jason Spezza drives me insane. His blind drop-passes and dipsy-doodling that hardly ever works is enough to make me want to scream and pull my hair out. And I do believe, after the Sens were ousted by the Pens in the playoffs, I actually said that I hoped he found a new home this season.

What does bother me is our supposed stars - this is two in a row now, folks - asking to be dealt. Doesn't paint a real nice picture for this city or this team. Are we really the next Edmonton?

What's going on here? What happened to the team that, a few years ago, players were clamoring to be on? Back then, guys wanted to be here. They wanted to proudly wear the Sens' colours and be a part of this team and community.

Is it Bryan Murray? Living fairly close to the town where Murray was born and raised, and still comes back to every summer, we aren't encouraged to speak ill of the man. He's a small-town success story, and he's held up on a pedestal around here. But why does he keep going to the media with in-house affairs? He's doing it with Spezza, he did it with Heatley, he even did it back with Wade Redden. I'm not quite sure it's a smart approach, and I have to think players coming in to this organization have to be wary of his tactics when it comes to sharing information about their private conversations.

Is it the media? In Ottawa, hockey takes centre stage almost year-round, and the Sens are always the hot topic on sports radio and in the newspapers. Some of the local hockey scribes have a reputation for being able to actually run players out of town. They take a dislike for a player, publish enough bad press that they get the fans on-board, and the next thing you know, said player is gonzo. Don't believe it? Ask Radek Bonk. Ask Joe Corvo. Ask Wade Redden. And now, ask Jason Spezza. The media love to find whipping boys. But I sometimes wonder if it's justified...

Is it the fans? We've been criticized for being too disparaging. For being fickle. For booing our own players. For being bandwagoners. We've also been complimented, like most Canadians who watch the game avidly, for being very knowledgeable fans. When things are going well, we cheer loudly & proudly. When things aren't going well, everyone becomes an armchair GM and they burn up the lines to the local sports radio call-in shows with their whining and complaining and big ideas. Unfortunately, when a player isn't living up to expectations - à la Jason Spezza - the boo birds come out. We make our feelings known, whether they like it or not.

Probably a combination of all three - the GM (and all team management), the media, the fans...It ain't easy being a player in the Nation's Capital, in a Canadian hockey hotbed. You have to have tough skin to play up here. I always thought Spezza handled it pretty well.

But I guess everyone has their limit. And he's had enough.

It should be interesting to see what transpires in the weeks to come. As of July 1st, his no-trade clause kicks in and he receives a $4-Million dollar bonus. But moving him will also be a challenge, as he carries a $7-Million per year price tag and he's bound to long contract terms. How many teams are willing to take a chance on a defensive liability like him?

Ugh. It's already giving me a Heatley-like ulcer.

Man, I Love That Song

You've just discovered you have only 5 minutes left on this Earth.

And during those last 5 minutes, you get to listen to one last song. It's the last thing you're going to hear. You gotta make it a good one.

What tune do you pick? Something nostalgic? Something that fills you with memories and makes you want to cry? Something that makes you smile? Something with beautiful lyrics, beautiful melody? Something that makes you feel?

If it's me - I'm thinking it's got to be something that makes me want to dance.

You know that song. The one that as soon as you hear it, whether you're at the bar or in your car, you just want to let loose. You want to sing along and jump around and get it all out.

I'm sure, at different times in my life, the answer to this question would have been different from the way I'm feeling about it today.

But today? (And for the past, oh, year or so?) There's only one song that comes to mind that I would absolutely want to hear if it was my last 5 minutes alive.

Because when I hear just the first few opening chords, I burst into a huge grin and and it doesn't matter how crappy a mood I'm in, it makes me want to break out the air guitar right then and there.

Jesse is a friend...Yah, he's always been a good friend of mine...

And there it is. Jesse's Girl. That's my song.

I know, I know. Lame. Cheesy. Goofy.

But that's the one.

What is it about that song? Doesn't matter how many times I hear it. I listen the whole way through and never stop grinning from ear to ear. I demand bands play it when I'm out. I get mad at them when they don't know it. I even persuaded De'Mos (our new Gavan's "band of choice") to learn it for me. I have burnt it onto a dozen different CDs, and when it comes on in the car, chances are I replay it over at least a few times before moving on.

A few months ago, I was in the kitchen baking, and the TV was on in the living room, with the volume on quite low. Glee had come on the tube, but I'm not a fan (I know, I know - who doesn't like Glee?! ...Me.) , so had I not been working in the kitchen, the channel would have been changed.

It was like fate. As I was icing cupcakes, I caught the first distinguishable notes, and ran for the living room. The Glee cast was performing my song. So I stood in the living room, with icing all over my hands and a goofy grin on my face, and I danced.

There's just something about that song.

Rick Springfield should feel honoured.

Less Than A Month...

...til I get me some Edward & Jacob.

Eclipse is hitting theatres June 30th. And I. can't. wait.

I know, I know. Fans of the Twilight franchise shouldn't be so antsy. I mean, we were just treated to New Moon in November of '09, and the DVD release was just in March. Waiting til the end of June shouldn't be that difficult.

But, uh, yeah. It is. It still feels like an eternity away.

So to tide myself (and other vampire & werewolf lovers out there) over, here's a few images of Edward and Jacob.

I'm still Team Edward, but there's no harm in looking at the cute little wolf, is there?

humina humina... The next few weeks are going to drag by...

Most Intense Grey's Everrrrrr

I'm behind in everything. I'm behind in life. Should it be any surprise I'm way behind in my recaps?

But I haven't forgotten my Grey's. Oh, my Grey's. I didn't get to watch the season finale on it's regular night, like everyone else, because I was at the Taylor Swift concert. Reading everyone's statuses on Facebook afterwards about how intense and crazy it was? I was wishing I'd got to watch it that night.

After a jam-packed long May 2-4 weekend, I finally got to watch it on the holiday Monday. And might I just say...oh. my. GOD.

Grey's has a history of leaving it's viewers shocked and hanging at the end of the season. In the beginning, it was Addison showing up to tell Meredith that her McDreamy was actually McMarried. To her. We've had Burke getting shot and Denny dying after his heart transplant. We've had Cristina getting stood up at the altar by Burke. Oh, and how could we top last season's finale, when the hospital staff discovered their mangled "John Doe" patient was actually George, and just as they start to lose him, Izzie, suffering from cancer, collapses in her new husband Alex's arms? For most of the summer, rumours ran rampant as to whether both George and Izzie died.

Really, what could be more intense than that?

Oh. Okay. A shooter in the hospital. The angry husband of a former patient of Derek's, whom he pulled the plug on, looking for revenge. And shooting up pretty much anyone who crosses his path as he hunts for McDreamy.

Yep, that'll do it.

Within the first 10 minutes of the show, Reed was dead and Alex was wounded. Throughout the 2 hour finale, we lost Charles, along with many members of the hospital staff, and witnessed Bailey cowering before Mr. Clarke, claiming to be a nurse and begging for her life. We thought Lexie got shot, but as it turns out, the SWAT team shot Clarke instead, injuring him. We saw Callie make a deal with the devil - she gave him bandages for his wounds in exchange for him leaving her, Arizona, and their patients alone. We saw the Chief barge back in to the locked-down hospital to take it over again.

And we saw Derek get shot. That crazy mofo actually shot Derek!! In the chest!!

And he did it before Meredith could tell him that she was carrying their child.

All kinds of crazy ensued. With Cristina the only experienced cardiothoracic surgeon on-hand, she proceeded to try to save Derek's life, while making Meredith hide as she worked on him. I swear, the hairs on my arms and neck stood on end when Owen walked into the room where Meredith and April were hiding and gazed in to where Cristina was supposed to be operating on Derek. I knew right then that the shooter was in the room. Owen went in to try to diffuse the situation, and ended up getting shot himself. Meredith finally barged in, pointing out that Mr. Clarke killing her friends and husband was not his eye-for-an-eye. Killing her would be his eye-for-an-eye. Derek killed Clarke's wife. She's Derek's wife. "Kill me! Kill me!" she screamed.

Cristina and Avery to the rescue. They fake-killed Derek so that Clarke would bugger off, which he did, sending Meredith into hysterics, until she realized it was just a trick. They plugged Derek back in, and continued saving his life, while Cristina ordered Mer to get Owen help. "I'm saving your guy. You have to save mine."

Now here's the real heart-breaker. While working on Owen, April notices that Meredith's bleeding. But not from a gunshot wound. Wincing in pain, Meredith explains, very calmly, that she's having a miscarriage.

Dear Lord.

Could it get more intense, more horrifying, more sad than that?

Best season finale ever. Seriously.

What's in store for next season? I'd say some serious therapy. But at the end of it all, we knew that Alex was going to be okay, that Owen was going to be okay, and that Derek was going to be okay. Phewf.

If I'd had to wait all summer to find that out, I might've gone crazy.