A Girl and Her Car: Part II

Ladies, when it comes to your vehicles, don't be afraid to get dirty. I'm not saying get up to your elbows in grease all the time, but once in a while, with regards to your cars, get grimy on occasion. You'll better appreciate your wheels.

Like every other time, today my dad and I changed the tires on my car (my winter ones needed to be swapped up for my summers). Granted, he's the one who busts out the jack, the air gun for the bolts, and lifts my tires off of and into their proper places. I normally take care of my hub caps, usually take the torque wrench and ensure my bolts are snug (he did that this time), and I make sure my tires go onto their tree in the shop.

My friend Omar is always impressed with me and the tire tree part. Sure, I roll the tires from the shop to the proper place at my car, and vice versa, but getting them to the tire tree is what impresses him. Getting to the tire tree is the next best thing to going through a maze as I have to navigate my way around small piles of stuff. As such, I have to carry my tires through the old shop. That's right. Carry. Because of this, Omar thinks I'm a beast. The sad part is, my tires aren't the heaviest things I've carried. Hay bails weigh a lot more.

Because I hauled my tires in and out of the shop, I was grimy and filthy, and you know what? I didn't mind it. Do I want to be that dirty all the time? No, not really. If I wanted that, I would have stayed in the blue collar world.

Side bar: I have a terrible sense of humour, as those who know me could tell you. When I came in the house, all covered in filth, I asked my mum to please take a picture. She looked at me strangely for a moment, and said okay. I told her I wanted to send it to my squeeze. She gave me an odd look again. Then I told her that if I send a photo of me all grimy to the boyfriend, he can't complain that I've never sent him a dirty picture. That's right. I'm awesome. And my mother was quite amused as well at my reasoning.

The dirty picture I sent to the boyfriend.

To make a long story short, my tires were changed, and I got filthy doing it. And yes, I do love my car that much more because of it. So ladies (and gents), fearlessly go out and get dirty, especially when it comes to maintaining your car. But if you want to take it to your mechanic, provided you have one who's awesome, like I'm fortunate enough to have, I totally understand that too. But at least do some maintenance to your car, or at the very least, get dirty loving it once in a while.

Summer To-Do List

The warm weather is upon us, a little sooner than usual, but with the advent of green on the trees and longer days comes one thing: the summer to-do list.

I had a few things in mind to do, and then a few more ideas occurred, and before I knew it, I'd figured I had best make a list. I don't want to go forgetting any of my ideas. Also, how would I keep track of how many items I crossed off?

I thought I'd share my list thus far with all of you. Who knows? Perhaps we have similar summer wants.

The List (Thus Far)
1) Hit up Hutch's on a Monday night when they have their classic car show
2) Go to the drive-in.
3) Go to the R.O.M (for those outside of Ontario, it's the Royal Ontario Museum)
4) Day trip
5) Road trip
6) Go camping
7) Beach trip
8) Hewitts for ice cream
9) Port Dover for an Arbor Dog
10) Go away for a weekend
11) Go to a festival (preferably music... there's always the Festival of Friends... I wonder who's playing this year?)
12) Mini putt at Adventure Village
13) Go to Wonderland, Cedar Point, or Darien Lake (Cedar Point is by far the best option... maybe closer to the end of summer)
14) Have a summer bash
15) See as many summer blockbusters as possible (so far, I've seen Avengers... I know it's not technically summer yet, but it's been so warm lately, it may as well be)

I'm certain I'll have more to add to the list before long, but it's a start.

What's on your list?

I Was Born in the Wrong Decade aka Job Hunt Tunes

Those who know me know that I'm a sucker for classic rock, particularly bands like Queen, or Aerosmith, but I also enjoy the ones that aren't quite as hard as well. Sadly, I wasn't born until the late eighties, and much of the stuff I enjoy came out before I was born, Still that doesn't mean I can't appreciate it.

While surfing various job boards today, I catered to my urge to listen to such music as I investigated various jobs. What can I say? Some days, all I require to make my hunt more positive are some good tunes to help keep me motivated. I'll be uploading a resume and singing along. I doubt I'm the only one who does such a thing.

Anyways, I thought I should at the very least share some of the tunes that I'd been listening to while job hunting, starting with Sweet.

Little Willy

Fox on the Run

And some Bay City Rollers, "S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y Night" (contrary to popular belief, I can, rock out, and have rocked out to BCR. That's right, Buttons, I'm talking to you).

And I had some Cheap Trick in there as well.

Surrender

I Want You to Want Me

I also had Mouth & MacNeil (hello, One Hit Wonder).

How Do You Do?

The list could go on, but I don't want to bog you down with too much stuff.

Should any of you be on the prowl for a profession, and need something to keep you going while you search, now you have something to listen to.

And now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get back to my hunt for employment.

Happy 2-4!

For those who are celebrating this wonderful Victoria Day long weekend in this fantastic country of mine, I hope you're having an awesome long weekend! Enjoy what's left, and don't drink and drive.

And now back to my bonfire...

Review: Oh No She Didn't!

Oh No She Didn't, written by Clinton Kelly, lays out the top 100 fashion crimes that we women commit, and how to bail ourselves out. The book is hilarious, but it really does ring true. And as I do enjoy the show What Not to Wear, which Clinton co-hosts, this book was extra amusing as he goes into greater depths with what you often hear him discuss on the television.

We females are riddled with fashion myths, and this book, for the most part, busts all of them. For example, the myth that black is slimming. Yes, black is very slimming when it fits correctly, and has been properly tailored. But if it's baggy, sloppy, or lacking shape? Not so much.

Also, other things were covered that people might not think about, such as what colour nail polish to wear (something a little more subtle for a high-end office job, or a burst of colour in a creative environment), or that even if your ensemble looks amazing, if your shoes are less than stellar, suddenly that awesome outfit becomes sloppy.

I highly recommend Oh No She Didn't for everyone who would like to know how to dress better. And even if you think you don't need to fix your wardrobe, read it anyway. You might just be surprised about the fashion crimes you didn't even realize you were committing.

A Quick Dessert for a Long Weekend

For those who are unaware, this upcoming weekend is a special one in Canada. It's the May 24 long weekend, also known as the Victoria Day weekend, which I believe started with celebrating Queen Victoria's birthday. The people of this wonderful country get an extra day off work, and yet another excuse to go out and party (but like we really needed one). Perhaps some of you will be like me, and headed off to a potluck this weekend. Don't know what to bring? Here's my tried and true potluck bring-along, and it's very easy to put together: Dessert puddings. Yes, I know that sounds rather pathetic, but before you judge me, hear me out. When I do them, I add alcohol. Sound better? I thought so.

First up, vanilla.

After you've determined how many people are going to be at your weekend party, go out and buy the boxes of Jell-o instant pudding mix, the ones were you add milk, mix it up, and toss the concoction into the fridge to set. As well, go out and buy a bottle of Baileys. When you go to make your pudding, see how much milk it calls for (I think 1 cup for every 4-serving box). Substitute some of the milk for the Baileys. For example, if the recipe calls for 1 cup of milk, make your pudding with 3/4 cup of milk, and 1/4 cup Baileys. Suddenly, you've gone from boring to a bit more elegant. Before you go to pour it into your cups or bowls (I like to get the plastic cups from the dollar store that you might use for champagne or martinis), I like to take butterscotch chips, and put some in the bottom of the glass. Not much, but just enough to be a bit of a fun surprise. After the chips, pour in your pudding. Because I'm awesome, I like to garnish my fancy pants vanilla pudding with some shredded Cookies n' Creme chocolate. Ta da! A fun and easy dessert.

And now for the chocolate lovers...

Very much the same idea as the vanilla, but with a few minor changes. I use Peppermint Schnapps with the chocolate pudding, and since the Schnapps is a higher octane than the Baileys, before I pour in the milk, I pour in a shot of the Schnapps first. So once again, if it's 1 cup of milk for 4 servings, pour in the shot first, and the top up the remainder of the cup with milk. I toss some chocolate chips in the bottom of the glass, and garnish with some shredded milk chocolate.

And there you have it. A fairly simple dessert that most people will enjoy. So if you were trying to figure out what to take to that awesome 24 party this weekend, hopefully this helped you out.  

Happy Mother's Day

To all of the mothers, grandmothers, and those who feel motherly towards other, this day's for you. Have a happy mother's day! Kiddies, be extra wonderful to your momma today. :)

Review: The Avengers

I warn you now, this is going to be a short review. It's not because I have nothing to say about The Avengers, it's a case of the movie being so incredibly amazing that I really can't put it into words.

For those who are the ultimate geeks, The Avengers will leave you in your glory. Those who weren't dorks beforehand certainly would be throughout the duration of the film, and after.

Every character gets his or her moment of glory. With something like this, there's the genuine concern of one character rising up or receiving more limelight than the other. Such was not the case with this film. Each hero was equally important. That being said, the Hulk totally (and unintentionally) stole the show. I'm not going to elaborate on how, but I will say that it involves his confrontation with Loki.

The Avengers was not only fully loaded with action and fight scenes, but it's humourous as well. A joke here, sarcastic statement there, and a bad attitude someplace else, both on and off the battlefield.

I went to see it last night with the boyfriend. It was his second time going. Given how awesome it was, I could definitely see why, along with also seeing how it's already managed to shatter records. C'mon, Avengers, dethrone the top-grossing films of all time (James Cameron's Avatar and Titanic)! Hopefully, I'll be seeing it for a second time tomorrow. 

If you haven't yet seen The Avengers, get your posterior to the movie theatre. Stat!

More Than Community

This weekend that just passed us by was when the Binbrook Agricultural Society held its annual craft and home show. I used to be one of the volunteers in the food booth when the kitchen was run by my aunt, but not so much anymore. However, I still showed my support for the event and the vendors when I attended on Saturday morning. Actually, I was really wanting strudel, and I was hoping beyond hope that the strudel guy would be there again this year.

Certainly, Binbrook has ballooned in every sense of the word. The population is insane now, and there are houses everywhere. Yet, I still managed to run into neighbours from the original community. I hadn't even entered any of the buildings, and I'd run into someone who lives two  minutes away from me. No matter how much a village expands, you can't escape originals.

Though I had the goal of strudel in my mind, I had to stop at the first table that caught my eye. It didn't have anything flashy, and it wasn't selling anything over the top like the guy trying to sell granite counter tops, or the person with the birdhouses that looked like dogs. What caught my eye with this particular table was the banner for the Canadian Cancer Society. On that table was a display board with an assortment of ribbon key chains. Every cancer imaginable was was represented on that board, including child cancer. As it turned out, the funds from the key chains were going to the Cancer Society. With the other products on that table, a portion of the proceeds were going to support the Relay for Life, a fundraiser put on by the Canadian Cancer Society.    

I'd asked the two ladies behind the table for the price of the key chains. $5 each. At that price, I asked for three gold chains. My nine year old cousin is a cancer survivor. Sure, I could have taken orange for leukemia, which is what he had, but why do that when I could get the gold instead? At that particular moment, they didn't have any gold ones made. Given how people usually want pink for breast cancer, I could understand how gold would be looked over. But, they got to work making my key chains while I perused the rest of the show.

I'm glad I arrived early. The strudel guy was there, and he had plenty to choose from. Blueberry, cherry, and apple. I bought one of each, and an extra apple to give to the boyfriend's family. Carrying around my strudel as if I were carrying a small child, I wandered through the rest of the buildings. Lucky me, I ran into more neighbours. A couple, I hadn't seen in ages. Others, I run into a couple times a year. Still, I enjoyed seeing them all the same.

When I returned to the table with the cancer key chains, mine still weren't ready, but that was no biggie. After wandering around again, and having something to eat, we came to the conclusion that I'd pay for my stuff, and they'd drop them off to me on their way back home at the end of the day, as they'd be driving right by my house anyway.

I'm certain that more often than not, people think of community as something small that consists only of those you know. That's definitely not true. Sure, I supported my community by attending an annual event. I can't not support an annual event, especially when it's one that I used to be a part of. By purchasing those key chains, and giving some extra money for their relay team, I supported another community: the one fighting cancer. My cousin survived because of that community. I wanted to do my part to do the same for other children.

Community isn't just something small with people you know. It's a support system, even if it is only by buying a few key chains. 

Purple Lilacs

People have said, "stop and smell the roses."
Untrue, for me, with the roses.
Right for this girl?
Purple lilacs are my preference.
Lightly scented and lovely.
Every so often, I stop and inhale their aroma.

Light, soothing feelings are in every sniff.
I can't get enough of them.
Lilacs really are my favourite flowers.
Always saddening, though, when their time comes to an end.
Couldn't they stay for longer than a week and a bit?
Sadly, they'll only ever be short lived.

To the Guy in the Jeep Who Tried to Take Out My Car

To the Guy in the Jeep Who Tried to Take out My Car,

I was considering making my left-hand turn when you came up behind me, and decided to blow by into the Fortinos plaza. I'm glad I was smart enough to take an extra half-second, and check my mirror. You do realize you came quite close to taking out part of my car, don't you? Believe it or not, I actually like my car. Not only did my own money buy it when I was 19, but it's a manual transmission, and the world knows I just love my standard vehicles. I know you were wanting to make an impression, however Sweet Cheeks, you really didn't impress me much. Actually, you didn't impress me at all. But, I guess you were in a rush. The supermarket being open late and all, you clearly needed to speed in and try to crash into people hours before it closed. Don't worry. I understand. You were just in a hurry to go nowhere fast.

I'm guessing no one ever told you the big rule about driving. No, it's not ensuring that your seat belt's fastened, which I doubt yours was, or understanding the right of way, which you clearly don't, oh no. The big thing with driving is that it isn't a right, but a privilege. It's more so an over-sized allowance. In your case, your allowance is a dark green Jeep Grand Cherokee with stickers all over the back window, and some ugly-ass hunk of junk tied on top. I'm still undecided as to whether or not that hunk of junk was extra crap or your brain (my money's on your brain).

Well, Jeep driver, that's about all I have to say to you. I can tell you have a thing for speed. Luckily for you, if your display earlier this evening is any indication of what the rest of your driving is like, you'll get to go speeding away to the nearest hospital in an ambulance. Or, if you're even luckier, you'll get a lesson in snail speed, and get carted of in a hearse. I know. Both options are quite exciting. Keep it up, and you'll get to experience either or both of them first hand!

Sincerely,

The Driver in the Blue Saturn SL Who Thinks Your Stupidity is Compensation for an Itty-Bitty Brain and Even Tinier Pee Pee.

May the Fourth be With You

It's the fourth of May, and if you're as geeky as I am, you'll know that today is Star Wars day.

When I was in high school, to everyone he would pass by, my science teacher would give a nod of the head, and say, "may the fourth be with you." Whether you were the epitome of geek or not, he would be certain to give you this greeting.

That teacher, Willis Hopkin, passed on back in October 2005. However, every year at this time, I give the Star Wars greeting with a very dorky, but totally awesome science teacher in mind.

And since it's Star Wars day, and I'm a total Star Wars dork, this post wouldn't be complete without some pictures from when Omar and I went to see Star Wars: In Concert a couple of years ago.

I know I don't look exactly like Princess Leia, but it was July, so I decided to make her ready to face the heat of Tatooine.

Every star Wars geek needs a good blaster by his or her side... Or a lightsabre...

Omar was in love with the Emporer's clothes.

Pose at the story board, Landomar!

Who doesn't love Yoda? As soon as I posed for this pic, there were, "awws" everywhere, along with multiple camera flashes.

Battle droids!

It's C-3P0! Or Anthony Daniels. But C-3P0 makes him even cooler.

"You don't know the power of the Dark Side..." 

Landomar with his walking Wookee likeness.

 And we dorks need our musical score. Starting with the theme.

Followed by the Imperial March.

And ending with the only good song from the new trilogy, Duel of the Fates.

And at last, a few of my favourite quotes.

"Mos Eisley Spaceport. You won't find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious." -Obi-Wan Kenobi

"Would someone get this big walking carpet out of my way?" -Princess Leia

"Do or do not. There is no try." -Yoda

"I am your father." -Darth Vader

"I want to learn the ways of the Force, and become a Jedi like my father." -Luke Skywalker

"Laugh it up, Fuzzball." -Han Solo

"Why you stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking... NERFHERDER!" -Princess Leia

"You don't know the power of the Dark Side." -Darth Vader

"IT'S A TRAP!" -Admiral Ackbar

"Aren't you a little short for a Storm Trooper?" -Princess Leia


And there you have it. May the fourth be with you. Always.

A Few of My Favourite Things: Rock Goddesses and Collaborations Edition

I was getting my Queen on earlier today. Not Elizabeth II, but the British band with the one and only Freddie Mercury. Don't know who he is? Shame on you!

This man put all other rock gods to shame. And now you know.

Freddie's long since passed. At least twenty years, but the music he made, the notes he hit, and his voice... Though I love many bands and musicians dearly, this man is the one to beat. Except for David Bowie. He's the only one I would consider to be on a level playing field. The notes he hits might not be as high, but Bowie's voice has a unique quality that gives me the same feelings and chills as Freddie's.

I didn't plan on listening to multiple collaborations in a row. How it all started was I was trying to find a live edition of Queen and David Bowie doing "Under Pressure". I was halfway successful. I found a live version of "Under Pressure," but it only had Queen. I suppose I shouldn't speak so casually about Queen that way, especially since it's one of my favourite bands, and I would give my soul to be able to go back in time just long enough to catch a Queen concert. But, the song was missing Bowie. Never fear, though, Freddie sure as hell knows how to hold his own!

I rest my case.

This started my quest for other collaborations, mainly Queen oriented. On Youtube, off to the side, was a video I hadn't seen in a very long time. It was still "Under Pressure," and instead of Bowie collaborating with Queen, he sang with Eurythmics powerhouse Annie Lennox. It was from the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert in April 1992 at Wembley Stadium in England.

Annie Lennox will never be Freddie, but I think she did one hell of a job!

I used to have the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert on VHS. I remember lending it to a friend, and then never seeing it again.  And before you ask, yes, I miss watching it. Thank heavens for the internet!

My "Under Pressure" quest led me on the hunt to find other musical hook-ups with awesome rock gods. Sure, there's Aerosmith, another one of my all-time favourite bands, with Run DMC doing, "Walk This Way"...

...which may just have saved Aerosmith's career as they were in a bit of a rut, and rock-opera god Meat Loaf's "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" featuring Ellen Foley will always be amazing...

... but I kept on finding myself coming back to Queen.

I never did manage to find a live version of both Queen and David Bowie doing "Under Pressure." But one can always hope and dream. In the meantime, I'll leave you with the studio version. Mariah Carey wishes she could hit notes as high as Freddie.

Long live the Queen (and David Bowie)!

May

May May is underway, the first is finally here.
With fields to sow, and gardens to grow
All that we love dear.