Week in Review, Week Ahead

Happy Sunday and Happy Halloween! Last week I had plans to get in some exercise and cut out sugar. I thought I'd be ok with the sugar thing, since it's only for a week and Halloween is today - technically a new week. Also, we didn't buy any Halloween candy because I have to work tonight so I wont be giving out candy. The Fiance is going to hide out at his parents, because no one wants to give out candy alone. So, that means no candy that I can sneak into before or after the night in question. So...no sugar. That was the plan. It was a huge failure, though. mega. Better luck next time, I guess. The exercise - I did pretty well on that front! I went for several walks with the dog. I at least got half way there

Links!
Yes, it's Halloween, but it's also Increase your Psychic Powers Day!

Pumpkin Pi - cute pun!

10 Bizarre Allergies Can you imagine being allergic to water? Crazy!

umm...yeah. That's it. pretty sad set of links, if you as me.

This week, I start another round of night shifts. Two weeks of nights, to be exact. Yuck. So I'll be lucky if I get anything done while I adjust to that change. Things may be pretty quiet around here this week.

Farewell October

Tomorrow is the last day of October! How time flies! I posted an update halfway through the month. So, what did I accomplish with the rest of my month?

I installed a new template for this site, which I got from BTemplates. It makes everything look all clean and spiffy and....right. Ya know? Should have done it a long time ago. I also got on top of posting regularly and hope to keep it up in the future.

I not only got caught up on my photo editing (up to this week), but I've gotten them all posted to flickr too! This is an enormous feat, considering that at the end of August I was still posting May's photos. I've also taken a ton of Scavenger Hunt photos. Update post coming soon!

I got my first Moleskine. Actually I got this set of three. I really like them. I suspect that I'd like a regular moleskine better, but these are what I got. I'm using the first one as sort of an art-ish/inspiration journal. I'm drawing inspiration from Wreck This Journal, How to Be an Explorer of the World and Living Out Loud - three books that I hope to buy at some point, but for now I'll have to be content with Amazon's Look Inside! feature. I'm more of a writer and a collector then an traditional artist(i.e. I can't draw), so it's mostly writing and found objects.The Second one is being turned into a day planner, and I already like it way better then any day planner I've ever bought or seen in a store. The third one is thus far blank.

I learned that pealing and slicing avocados is not as difficult as I'd imagined. It wasn't even any more difficult then my regular method of scooping it out with a spoon. Plus, it's prettier. On the flip side, pealing and slicing kiwi fruit is just as annoying as I remember.

    Two Other Things I Learned: 

1. Dancing is the best activity to ward off dementia 
2. The most expensive cow ever sold went for 1.3 million dollars at auction.

New things tried: Trader Vick's Macadamia Nut Liqueur (AWESOME), Curried Squash Soup (My mom made it and it's excellent), Fuzzy Duck Dark and Stormy (it was ok. Wouldn't buy again.),  Vex on The Beach(liked it, tastes like peach juice), and a Propeller Pumpkin Ale (kinda weird, but good. Has a pumpkin pie-ish aftertaste). Although most of the new things I tried were alcoholic, I did not actually do that much drinking this month.

Best Halloween costume story I heard this week: a girl at work has a daughter who is about 4 or 5. Yesterday she says "For Halloween, Phoenix wants to be Cinderella, Snow White, AND a Fireman."  made me lol



Did you have a productive October?

 

A Quote for Halloween Weekend

photo by clevercupcakes

Eat, drink and be scary.  ~Author Unknown

Things I Love Thursday

1. may swaporama: rusty orange & teal, 2. Holy Colors!, 3. Untitled, 4. 14/365... Haters!!

Coffee, pork chops, rice, cheese and sausage pizza, routine, sleep, slowly getting over my cold, popcorn, Grey's Anatomy Season 1, Waking up at 2 am and realizing that I still have HOURS left to sleep, taking lots of photos, kiwi fruit, sales (44 cent Avocados!), clearance bins, good news (involving surprise bonuses and extra $$!), The Fiance, My kitty and puppy, funny co-workers, laughing, teal, green, purple, pink, learning, accomplishing things, getting books in the mail, my new moleskines, pay week, photo editing, long long walks, dogs in costumes, getting my fingers covered in marker & pen & paint, surprises, dinner out, Irish cream cheesecake, my family.

Halloween Candy

Ah, Halloween candy. Who doesn't love it? "Nothing on Earth so beautiful as the final haul on Halloween night."  -Steve Almond. Little tiny chocolate bars, teeny bags of chips (or cheezies!)...I never really had a favorite Halloween candy/treat. Is that weird?

Photo Credit

You know what I hated, though? Rockets.

Photo Credit

Gross. Tastes like chalk.


Did you have a favorite Halloween candy? What did you hate the most to find in your Halloween haul?

  

Halloween Flickr Picks

1. BOOkeh, 2. Pwease Don't Eat Me, 3. pumpkin, 4. trick, 5. Julie & The Halloween Night, 6. Dread Spread 2008, 7. Boys in costume, 8. Sweet Clown, 9. it started out with a kiss..., 10. Aviator Amy (Mia & Wasabi, too!), 11. little Devil, 12. Halloween bento 10-14-06, 13. saint paul minnesota heads, faces, masks

Halloween Costume Ideas

It's almost Halloween! Are you dressing up? I generally don't, and I don't imagine this year will be any different. That doesn't mean I can't admire other people's amazing costumes! Maybe I'll help you out by giving you an idea or two.

Rob at Cockeyed.com has had a plethora of incredible costumes, but my favorite has got to be the his paparazzi costume:

Paparazzi!

The flashes actually go off when he pushes a button.

Ok, so maybe you're looking for something a little more store bought. That's cool. Don't think that makes you resigned to a pirate or a witch or a sexy nurse! With a quick search I found Halloween Costumes 4 U, where you could be a Giant Zombie Biker:

Or a Scary Renaissance Queen:

Want something funny and vaguely disturbing? How about this:

Yeah, that's creepy.

Board Game Fan? Great! Dress as  Twister:

And if you really had your heart set on sexy nurse (and who doesn't?), you can at least be a little original and go as the Negligent Mad Nurse:

Are you all ready for halloween? Are you dressing up? Got your costume all planned out? Do tell!

Week in Review, Week Ahead

Happy Sunday! Last week, I was dealing with an awful cold and getting back to work after my vacation. I'm still fighting this cold. It's really hanging on. What's really annoying is that The Fiance got it way after me and he's already almost over it. I tried to get lots of sleep, but that's easier said then done. 

Links!

THESE SHOES ARE AWESOME.
The Story of a Fluke is an awesome story about flickr, whales and scientific research.
Deep-Fried Halloween Candy - I love the internet.
Dancing Makes You Smarter - very interesting study about dancing and reducing risk of dementia.
30 Habits that will Change Your Life
6 Romantic Movie Gestures That Can Get You Prison Time

This week, I plan on getting some exercise in, despite the cold that just wont let go. And also despite the weather. Look at this:

Yeah, those are snowflakes in that picture. Gross. I'm also going to try to cut out sugar for the week. We'll see how that goes.

How was your week? Have you seen any snow where you are yet? What do you hope to accomplish this week?

Change is a measure of time

photo by life is good (pete)

Change is a measure of time and, in the autumn, time seems speeded up. What was is not and never again will be; what is is change.

         - Edwin Way Teale

Brighten Up Midweek

Feeling a little down because it's Wednesday? Does the weekend seem like an eternity away? Maybe this will make you feel better:



....I know it made me giggle wildly.

Giant Photo Scavenger Hunt Update

Another update for my Giant photo scavenger hunt!

(Previous updates here and here)

#64 - Reflection

#4 - Big Rock

#30 - Dog

#35 - An amphibian or reptile

#118 - A pile

#43 - A Church

#16 - An Empty Parking Lot

#272 - A Clock

#97 - Skull

#23 - A Blue Sign

Incredible 3D Pumpkin Carving

Recently it came to my attention that my most viewed post is last year's Three Awesome Pumpkins. At first I thought it was just that there was a recent surge because, ya know, it's October. But no, that is my most viewed post of all time. It's had almost a thousand pageviews. For perspective, the next closest has 64. It's kind of insane. So, since it is October, I might as well give the people what they want: More Pumpkins!

Something I just found out about is 3D pumpkin carving. I don't know, maybe I'm late to the game Whatever. They really are amazing. I can't even do the standard jack-o-lantern (seriously, my pumpkins are terrible), so of course I'm impressed. These take some real talent.
 

 These first two I found over at Band Of Cats and they were carved by master pumpkin carver Scott Cummins. Isn't Puss in Boots perfect? And the tiger...the detail! Love it. Speaking of Scott Cummins, click on the link to see his 2007 gallery, and explore the site to see more of his amazing work. Like this turtle pumpkin from last year:

There's also photos of them all lit up, which are super cool too.

If you like your pumpkins a little more gruesome, check out Ray's Pumpkins.



He's the two time winner of the Food Network's Outrageous Pumpkin Challenge show and he has a tutorial on 3D pumpkin carving.

Have you ever attempted a 3D pumpkin? What's the coolest pumpkin you've ever seen? Share in the comments!

Week in Review, Week Ahead

Happy Sunday! I've been on vacation for the last week. Back to work tomorrow! I wanted to get lots of cleaning done, relax, eat healthier and go on some major walks. Relax -check! Walks -check! Eat healthier...uh, half a check? ditto on the cleaning. I developed a pretty awful cold towards the middle of the week, which made getting anything done even more of a battle. Plus, when I have a cold (unlike most other sicknesses) all I want to do is eat. It's weird.

Links:

Today is Wear Something Gaudy Day. Do with that what you will.

As you may or may not be aware, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This past Friday, in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia a group raised $20,000 for breast cancer research when they attempted to break the world record for the longest ever soccer match. They didn't make it due to wind and rain (leading to five players getting injured) but they made a great effort and I'm proud to say that this was attempted in my home province. Way to go!

Here are a whole bunch of links to cupcakes in jars. 

(accurate) PI necklace - too cool!

XXX family feud - it's not really xxx, but the video may be NSFW. SO FUNNY. "I said the medical terminology!" lol

9 Spooky Halloween Party Treats My fav are the eyeballs for martinis!

20 Wet (and not so Happy) Kitties - Awwww! Wet kitties!

Speaking of kitty photos, this one is awesome!

I've been looking at way too much wedding stuff online recently. Even if you're not into that sort of thing, you should check out this wedding profile, if only to see a mustached VW Bug. Total coolness.

LOLCat Link - Ew. Goggie Jirms. Also LOLturtles: Impostors will be NOMMED

How to Spread Happiness from Basic Instructions webcomic. 

And finally 20 Life Lessons a Wise Man Would Share

This week, I'm going to start off with lots of rest to kick this cold while at the same time go back to work after being off for a little over a week. That should go well.

What's up with you this week?

It's Saturday! Looking for a Reason to Celebrate?

It's Saturday, and that's reason enough to celebrate, but are you looking for a better reason? Well, I might have just the thing! Today is Dictionary Day! It was created in honor of Noah Webster, who is considered to the father of the American Dictionary and was born this day in 1758. Today is a day to emphasize the importance of dictionary skills, and seeks to improve vocabulary.

An only somewhat on topic personal story: When I was in grade 6, we had silent reading time, where in, as the name suggests, we would sit and read quietly for awhile. At one point, I attempted to read my dictionary. I actually found it pretty fascinating. However, my teacher made me stop and pick another book to read, because she said "you can't learn anything by reading the dictionary!" A puzzling statement, for sure.

Anyway, back to Dictionary Day! Now, I'm not suggesting you go an read the dictionary (unless you're into that sort of thing). But how about you take some time to learn a new word or two? Here, I'll help you out:

Cockaigne (kaw-KAYN): noun; An imaginary land of luxury and idleness. (full definition)

Check today's A.Word.A.Day.  Dictionary.com has a Word of the Day too. And then gather your friends and family for a rousing game of Scrabble. Sounds like a good time to me.

What will you celebrate today?

The Month is Halfway Through!

It is October 15th! The month is about halfway through. I'll tell ya, this year has been flying by. So, what's been happening in October so far?

I went on Wolfville's Gravely Ghost Walk. I learned some great local history and it was very entertaining. I wish I could have taken more pictures, but it was dark and I didn't want to disturb the atmosphere with my flash. I'd recommend it though, and there are few more shows (Thursday October 21st, Friday October 29th & Saturday October 30th) if you're in the area. There is a cost, but it's only $10 ($5 for children) and it's worth it!

I went wine tasting at Gaspereau Vineyards with a huge group. My mom got a wine tasting package for her birthday, so we went on the Friday before Thanksgiving. I'd never been wine tasting before. It was fun. I found some wines I really enjoyed (and I few I didn't). My favorites were the ice wines. They're really sweet, so you only want a little at a time, but oh so good. My absolute favorite was the maple wine, and I think second would probably be the Chardonnay.

Thanksgiving was the second weekend of October. I LOVE Thanksgiving. We go out to a camp on an island and have a huge party, more or less. There was pumpkin carving, deep fried turkey, family, friends...it was definitely an eat, dink and be merry type of event. It was crazy cold but it might have been the first year ever that it didn't rain on us at all.

New things I've tried/done: Went wine tasting, ate an Asian white pear (they're really good. Juicy and crunch and sweet, but not too sweet.) and ate deep fried turkey.

How's October going for you?

  

Things I Love Thursday

1. Peacock Feather, 2. Autumn colour at Westonbirt Arboretum, 3. ~ BLUEish Monday~, 4. 007/365 Peacock Face

Coffee, my cape like sweater with a built in scarf(very cozy), long sleeves, free food, crisp fall air, vacation!, seeing my brother & sister-in-law, Thanksgiving!, deep fried turkey, wine tasting, ghost walks, avocado and sea salt (my new favorite snack/treat), watching movies (especially documentaries), sleeping in, frozen yogurt, hot beverages of any kind, fall colors, bright red maple trees, long walks, sore muscles, photography, pumpkin people, pheasants in my backyard, a cardinal at the bird feeder, doing things that make me uncomfortable, teal, brown, dark purpley blue, Chinese food, sandwiches, the fiance, the kitty, the puppy, peacock feathers. 

Week in Review, Week Ahead

It's a new week! I'm way late posting this week, because I was away for Thanksgiving and I had no internet access. We were out to camp, on an island, with no electricity (ok, well, we had a generator). It was a blast. Last week, I was going to do all the things I'd been putting off for awhile. And I didn't. I made excuses. They weren't even particularly good excuses. I didn't even come close to getting half of what I wanted to do done. Last week was a write off, productivity wise. Now, the week was pretty awesome towards the end (got to see my brother and sister-in-law, I ask my two bridesmaids if they'd be my bridesmaids, went wine tasting, went on a ghost walk, had thanksgiving...), so that makes up for it.

Links!

Learn To: (click this link. It's worth it, I swear)

These peacock cakes are totally amazing. I'm on a huge peacock loving kick right now. Also, I learned that a group of peacocks is called a muster.

In response to this article at The Guardian, Cory Doctorow writes, "The Real Cost of Free".

Read How to Rock at Blogging. Or Life. Or Both. over at yes and yes. There are several points that I know I'll be taking to heart.

Very cute kitty photo

This week, I'm on vacation! So, that means I'll be able to make up for the non-productivity of last week. I want to get lots of walks in and get all of my cleaning done. I'm also going to get back on track with my healthy eating and find some time to relax.

It's Thanksgiving Weekend!

Happy (Canadian) Thanksgiving Weekend! I love this holiday. It is my absolute favorite. My family doesn't have a lot of traditions. That's not to say that we don't do lots of awesome stuff together, but there are few things that we do (almost) every year. For Thanksgiving, we have traditions. We go out to Waterloo Lake, to a camp on an island. It's my family, a bunch of family friends, sometimes some extended family, and other random people that happen to show up on any given year. It's different every year, but it's kind of the same too. And it's always a blast.

Picture of the camp from this past summer.

This year, we're deep frying a turkey. How awesome is that? Sadly there will (probably) be no Good Eats esq. safety apparatus (starts at 3:16 or so...there is a flashing light. It's incredible), but it should be interesting. There will also probably be pumpkin carving. There usually is.

There's never a bad time to think about all the things you're thankful for, but if you're not in the habit of doing it regularly, why not start this weekend? I am lucky to have so much in my life to be thankful for. Including, but not limited to: My fiance, my family, friends, a steady job, my own home, my snuggley hound dog and my fluffy kitty. I know I'll be thinking about those things this weekend. While stuffing my face with deep fried goodness and drinking too much home made wine.

My weekly review post will probably be mega late, but it will definitely be up by Tuesday, at the latest.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

Be Thankful

Photo by J. Star

Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough.

   -Oprah Winfrey

Hey, Lets Celebrate!

Looking for a reason to Celebrate? How about one of these holidays:

Today, October 6th, is Mad Hatter Day. It was created in 1986 by a group of "computer people" as a day to be silly and celebrate silliness. Think about what silly means to you, and do that.

Tomorrow, October 7th, is World Smile Day. Take some time out to do an act of kindness and make someone smile! While you're at it, throw a smile on your own face.

This Friday is the second Friday of October, meaning it's World Egg Day! Cook up your favorite egg dish (Eggs Benedict? Poached Eggs on Toast? Green Eggs and Ham?), or maybe fry up some bacon and eggs and have breakfast for supper.

Saturday is Fire Prevention Day. Actually, it's now Fire Prevention Week, but the 9th is a particularly important part of the week, as it's the anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Check the batteries in your smoke alarms, make sure you know your fire escape routes and know where your fire extinguishers are. If those things are not celebrate-y enough for you...I don't know, throw a party and don't light anything on fire. Or do. But do it safely.

Monday is Thanksgiving here in Canada. I'm going to camp and we're going to deep fry a turkey (which I am very excited about). Normally, people celebrate by eating lots of food and gathering with family. It's also National Angel food Cake Day, if that's more your style.

What are your celebrating this week?

 

Week in Review, Week Ahead

Happy Monday to all! Oh wow, this is late. Oh well, better late then never, right? Yeah, we'll go with that. Anywho, Last week, I was determined to be ultra productive. And...I...well...I was semi-productive, I guess. I got some things done. Not as much as I'd hoped, but...yeah. Things were done.

Links!

20 of the Weirdest Canned Foods

Deep Fried Beer - From what I understand, it's a deep fried ravioli, made from a pretzel-like dough, filled with beer. I think the beer is still liquid. Sounds weird. I'd try it though.

Red Eye - "A visual diary documenting a flight from New York to Berlin (with a layover in London)." - totally cute.

5 Fictional Stories You Were Taught in History Class

This made me laugh. Because my mind is in the gutter. Want to buy some neon letter? "I have the letters “T”, “C”, “N” and “U” available".

What it means when you say "literally" - My love of The Oatmeal knows no bounds. or something.

These peacock cupcakes are full of epic awesome.

Styrofoam is not recycleable and is horrified that you think it is.

This is Your Life.

22 Incredible Photos of Faraway places

This paper gift topper is fantastic! I couldn't make it, since I can barely tie a bow around a present, but they make it look really easy!

This week, I've got four days (counting today) untill my Thanksgiving Vacation! I've finally got July's photos all posted to flickr, so I'll be working on getting August edited and posted. I'm also going to be cleaning my house top to bottom, because I've been putting it off for much too long. It's not that my house is dirty or messy, per se. It's just things like the baseboards, and the curtains and cupboards. Plus all my everyday regular cleaning. That I didn't get much done of last week. So that should take up pretty much all of my time. 

Giant Photo Scavenger Hunt Update

So, you may have thought I abandoned my photo scavenger hunt, since I haven't said anything about it since April. Really, though, I'm just really behind in my photo editing ('m just finishing up posting July to flickr), and there were a few weeks where I didn't check anything off the list. Anyway, here are the new pictures I've taken since the last update!

     

         

    

That's it for now! More to come, for sure.