No Robots

No Robots from YungHan Chang on Vimeo.

Food Rules by Michael Pollan - Animated

RSA Short film competition entry by Marija Jacimovic and Benoit Detalle

Happy Friday (number 2)! Tired of Winter Edition

It's Friday! Are you as tired of winter as I am? We haven't even had a bad winter - yesterday it was like, 7°C here - but I'm still tired of it. I want to sit on my deck in the sunshine and drink refreshing drinks, surrounded by lilacs.

That lovely looking thing is a Raspberry Beer Cocktail. Click on the photo for the full recipe. Doesn't it look glorious? Let's all drink these and pretend it's spring time.

Sounds like a plan to me.

Happy Friday! How about a Drink?

I'm not sure if today's drink sounds incredible or horrifying. It has Vodka, Kahlua, Tequila, Milk and Coke. Yes, coke and milk, together at last. Sounds terrible. I kind of want one. Watch the video and judge for yourself.

Music Monday: Who You Are

Don't lose who you are in the blur of the stars!
Seeing is deceiving, dreaming is believing,
It's okay not to be okay.
Sometimes it's hard to follow your heart.
Tears don't mean you're losing, everybody's bruising,
Just be true to who you are! -Jessie J

Today is Don't Cry Over Spilled Milk Day!

Shit Happens. Life is full of spills, crashes, falls and failures. No use crying over it. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off. Get a rag and wipe up the mess. While you're at it, have a bit of a laugh at yourself. It's no big deal - just a little spilled milk. Today is a day to recognize that everyone spills a little milk now and then. It's a day to think positive and find a little good in everything that happens. Face today with a smile. And if you spill a little milk? Well, I think you'll be ok.

Happy Friday! How about a Drink?

I love amaretto sours. I never drink them, but every time I do - wow! They are incredible. Sweet and sour - together!

Music Monday: Three Primary Colors

This Semame Street/OK Go collaboration is a stop motion extravaganza that's both informative and catchy. Seriously. It's been stuck in my head since I first heard it on Thursday past. Listen and watch, you'll find yourself singing, "There are three primary colors..." at random times throughout the day.

You're welcome. Why should I be the only one to suffer?

Seriously, though,  it's pretty good. Aside from the earworm thing.

Happy Friday! How about a Drink?

Have you ever had a Grasshopper? They are incredible. Minty and creamy and chocolatey - how could that be bad? FACT - It can't. Plus, I didn't know how easy they were to make. Let's all have Grasshoppers!

What will you Celebrate Today?

Almost one full month ago, we were ringing in the new year. Didn't everything seem so fresh and new and exciting?

Those feeling have a habit of fading so fast...


That's why it's so important to find something to celebrate everyday. The world is so full of things to delight in, you just have to open your eyes! There is new music to dance to, ideas to explore, people to meet!

Why not go out to dinner because it's Tuesday, and that's awesome?

Get excited about rainbows. Raise your glass of OJ and propose a breakfast toast to a brand new day. Buy flowers for yourself (or your significant other). Or helium balloons. Play. Dress up for yourself, not an event. Dress down - put on your favorite pjs and snuggle up under a blanket. Take pictures. Laugh.

Make new goals - and reach them! When you do, don't forget to celebrate it in your own special way.

Be thankful for everything good in your life and tell those that are important to you how much they mean to you.

What will you celebrate today?

Music Monday: Push

I always forget how much I love Matchbox 20 until I'm listening to them.

Review: Imagine: How Creativity Works

I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

Imagine: How Creativity Works by Jonah Lehrer is the first non-fiction book I've ever reviewed. Please forgive me if it's terrible. Also, in case it is terrible, sorry to Penguin Books Canada and Goodreads, who got together and gave me this book for free. It showed up unexpectedly in the mail one Wednesday. Unexpectedly because I don't check my e-mail enough. An awesome surprise!

Imagination and creativity can seem like elusive beasts. Mythical creatures that come into our lives as a flash, and disappear just as quickly. Is that really how it is though? There are tons of beliefs and myths surrounding creativity that actually interfere with imagination. This book explores these myths, presenting scientific studies and real life examples to show that these beliefs are just plain wrong.

This book is full of science, statistics and studies. It's full of stories about real people and companies. It's full of surprises. Whenever I picked it up, I didn't want to put it down. It was easy to read, but never boring. In short: I loved it. Even when the research it presented was surprising, I never once found myself thinking, "What? I don't quite believe that..." because everything is backed up by examples, from Bob Dylan and Shakespeare to Pixar studios and the guy who created masking tape. I learned why ideas should be shared, why you should talk to more people and that you should fail - a lot - if you want to be innovative. 

This book should be read by everyone, but especially...no, just everyone.

Happy Friday! How about a (Hot) Drink?

I don't know about where you are, but here in Nova Scotia it can't decide if it's winter or not. One day it's negative ten with a windchill of what feels like negative a million, the next day it rains and is like, plus fifteen. Strange. It might be signaling the end of days, or at least that climate change is about to be a lot bigger deal then it already is. Anyway, this post is called Happy Friday not depressing friday, so lets change the topic. If it's deciding to feel like winter today in your neck of the woods, why not warm up with a Hot Toddy? Seems like as good an idea as any, right?




Last weekend, I was battling a cold, and made this, only with spiced rum. It was pretty excellent, and you should try it. It made my throat feel better and didn't taste as terrible as hot buttered rum.

Review: Timeline

Timeline by Michael Crichton...let me say: Michael Crichton has never disappointed me. Granted, this is only the second book of his I've read (the first being  State of Fear) but still. I was not disappointed in the least. Excellent book.

So basically, this book is about time travel. Well, no, not time travel. That's impossible. It's actually travel to another universe that the same as ours. And now it's the past. It's kind of complicated. There's quantum mechanics and science involved. Anyway, the book is full of science and history and sword fighting and flaming heads in the street. Yeah, that happened. Actually, it was just something that happened in passing, but seriously - flaming head! The other thing the book is full of - suspense. Even the boring parts were good because you just knew they were leading to better parts.

Was this the best novel of all time? No, of course not. But it was incredibly enjoyable. On a scale from Totally Awesome to Horrifically Awful, I'd give it a Pretty Excellent. If you like science and history and sword fighting - definitely check it out.

Things that are Awesome: Hilah Cooking

If you like cooking shows - which I do, I could watch them all day - and quirky girls that laugh at their own jokes, you will love Hilah Cooking. I found it in a quest to find a video on hot buttered rum (which I did end up trying and it was...ok. I mean, it wasn't terrible, but I would not making them again. If you're on the fence - skip it. You really aren't missing much). That video was my favorite so far, but I already have it in the hot buttered rum post, so I begrudgingly decided not to post it again. BUT! Check out these instead (and then click on the hot buttered rum link to watch that one).











Awesome, right? I told you so.

Do you have a favorite YouTube chef/cooking show? Let me know! I'll waste a good chunk of my day watching if you do.