LA and I have been oggling over this site for a couple of months now, and I just had to share in case some of you hadn’t seen it yet. Handmade Ryan Gosling is a major win in my books.
I’m not much of a person to set New Year’s resolutions, but am always one to reflect on the things that I experienced on a year, and what sort of affect they’ve had on me. This year, I thought that it would be fun to share some of my favourite things that I discovered in 2011!
1. M83 “Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming” – This album took me a while to get into, but once I did I just couldn’t stop listening to it! The track “Midnight City” is one of my favourites of the entire year. Click here to listen!
2. Beirut “The Rip Tide” – This has been one of my favourite bands since 2008 and each album they come out with is more stunning than the last. This summer I went to their show with two of my dear friends, and it was just perfect! They also just posted dates for their upcoming Canadian tour, and I’m definitely planning on going again. Click here to listen!
3. Arctic Monkeys “Favourite Worst Nightmare” – I know that this album didn’t come out in 2011, but it’s critical to include for me. I had never really been into Arctic Monkeys before, but Kyla and her husband ended up getting free tickets to one of their shows and invited me along, and it was so much fun! I love how high energy they are! Click here to listen!
4. Crystal Castles “Crystal Castles (II)” – Again, I had a hard time getting into the album, but once I gave it a fair chance I just couldn’t get over how good it was! The song “Year of Silence” featuring Jonsi from Sigur Ros is one of my favourites. Click here to listen!
5. Said the Whale “Taking Abalonia” – I discovered this band by going to one of their shows in Vancouver, not having any idea how big their fan base was, or knowing that they were even local. But from their first song to their last, they were so much fun to watch! I ended up going to 3 of their shows this year, and would’ve gone to more if I had the chance! Click here to listen!
Want to play along? Post your favourite music of 2011, or comment below! I always love hearing about new music!
I can’t believe it’s been more than a month since I was last on here. It’s crazy how time flies by, and how life can get so busy sometimes. Here’s what I’ve been up to since December!
♦ I went to Vancouver and stayed with my very good friend, Natalie. It was a surprisingly quiet trip that consisted of a lot of Buffy watching and staying in, but it was lovely. I got to see my parents and one of my closest friends, Shay, who was able to make it to Vancouver from Hawaii at the same time as me!
♦ I’ve been gearing up to start looking for a second job… meaning, staying at home reading and watching TV as much as possible while I still can! I am terribly unmotivated to even try to find a copy of my resume that’s somewhere on my computer, but I’ll get to it soon.
♦ Eating more balanced meals and planning to sign up for the gym, which is across the street from my house. Really, I have no excuse!!!
♦ Trying not to get frostbite in this -25 degree weather! It can be really brutal some days!
♦ Planning on having a new roommate for March 1st! A friend of mine from Vancouver moved to Winnipeg in August as well, and we’ve decided to move in together since we have so much fun when we hang out. I’m excited for a never ending movie night, and to have more of a communal space than I have now.
Now, enough about me.. how the heck have you been?!
This past weekend I finally started watching all of my favourite Christmas Movies! A few friends came over to my apartment and we watched Home Alone 1 & 2, drank beer and ate ice cream with marshmallows. It was just wonderful! I always love the few weeks leading up to Christmas and have made it a tradition to get in as many holiday flicks as I can. These are my must sees every year!
Okay, I know that Hook isn’t really a Christmas movie, but it’s set during the holidays! Who would be against a little Peter Pan holiday cheer, anyways? Do you have any favourite holiday movies? I’d love to hear them!
When I was younger I used to hate Christmas. Trying to be a teenager with opinions about capitalism (and secretly being jealous of other people’s presents) I hated that everyone was just getting sucked into the marketing of Christmas and were obligated to by presents for one another when they were broke enough as it was. Maybe it’s because my family started some pretty awesome traditions, or because I started asking for less expensive things, but I absolutely adore Christmas now!
The last few years I’ve gone home to my little town in the mountains to spend time with just my parents. We’ve made traditions of making Russian baked goods, watching Christmas movies on TV, sitting by the fire with a warm mug of anything, and occasionally going for a drive in the mountains. The snowy ridged view is always so magical to me.
Each year when people ask me what I want for Christmas I always feel like it’s such a challenge to answer. This year, since I’m travelling halfway across the country with not much room in my suitcase, I’m asking my family for money. I’ve been making a list for the last couple of weeks of what I want, and am hopefully going to be able to get these little treats for myself!
2. Teapot – I had this same teapot from Vancouver and it’s one of the only possessions that I miss.
3. Kindle – I borrowed Kyla’s kindle for a while to see if I would like it, and it turns out that I really do!
4. Lantern lights – With trying to decorate my new house, I have been dying for a few of these to put around to make it feel homey.
I’ll be leaving for BC in 2 weeks, and I can’t wait to see everyone! I can’t believe that I will have lived in Winnipeg for 4 months!
What are you getting up to for the holidays?
Last week was super crazy busy with work, and I didn’t even get to post once! It was a weird feeling, but it was for the best because I wouldn’t have been able to get everything done that I needed to if I had. After the craziness of the week, I definitely just needed a little quiet me time. I’ve been keeping a list of books I’ve been wanting to read for quite some time, and on Saturday I took the plunge and went to the used bookstore by my house. They ended up having about 6 that were on my list, and I happened to find an awesome dress form in their antiques section! For about $40 I left there with a bag full of books and a dress form under my arm. It was like walking out of a gold mine.
For the rest of the weekend I bundled up, wandered downtown, did a bit of Christmas shopping, enjoyed a massive poutine, caught up on sleep and read lots! Although it feels like the weekend was too short, it was so nice to just take a little time to myself.
What did you get up to this weekend?
I know that I’m getting on the boat a little too late to say I’m part of the crew, but I thought it would be fun to do an A-Z of me! I ran into this from Steven Andrew, who got it from Miss Indie, who I’m sure got it from someone else, but hey! That’s what the internet’s for. Sharing! If you do an A-Z of you, let me know!
A. Age: 24
B. Bed size: Double
C. Chore that you hate: I’m not really a fan of cleaning in general, but if I have to say my least favourites are mopping, putting laundry & dishes away.
D. Dogs: I love them!
E. Essential start to your day: Cereal and FuckYeahTattoos. It’s a must for me.
F. Favorite colour: I’m big on favourites, but right now I’m loving warm orangey browns and hunter green
G. Gold or Silver: Gold
H. Height: 5’3″
I. Instruments you play: None, really. I know a few chords on guitar, though!
J. Job title: Customer Service Maven Extraordinaire
K. Kids: Eventually
L. Live: Winnipeg, MB
M. Mother’s name: Lynn
N. Nicknames: Awmber, Awmb, Amb, Ambee, Queen Bossy Snot (it’s an oldie, but still running!)
O. Overnight hospital stays: I can’t recall any, but I think I may have when I was about 4
P. Pet peeves: Too much information at once, people who are openly conceited
Q. Quote from a movie: Oh I have so many… “Well.. we’re back.. in the car again” -Jurassic Park // “Have to fly, have to fight, have to crow, have to save Maggie, have to save Jack… Hook is back.” -Hook
R. Right or left handed: Left
S. Siblings: None
U. Underwear: Yes, I wear those
V. Vegetable(s) you hate: Mushrooms, zuccini.. anything squishy or slimy really
W. What makes you run late: My bed
X. X-Rays you’ve had: Teeth, hand, back, ankle, knee, leg
Y. Yummy food that you make: Burritos, borscht
Z. Zoo animal: Oh I can’t decide! Polar bears, tigers, lions, foxes, wolves
Living in a new city in a different province than where I grew up has been a really interesting experience so far! It’s funny, but there are all of these small things that I catch sometimes that are just a little different than back home. When I notice the little things I usually exclaim about how bizarre it is, but never get as much of a reaction as I expect. Maybe it’s because I’m a known over-exaggerator. I guess you have to be in my head to get it. Anyway, I thought I’d share my list of stuff that I’ve noticed to be different. Maybe some of you will get it.
Driving – Driving here is different, but not too much. People don’t get winter tires in winter, which is a bit strange to me and I sort of feel like I might die without them. And when you’re driving by a bus that wants to get into your lane, it’s not mandatory for you to stop for them so we just keep on driving by. Which is nice because then you don’t get stuck behind the bus!
ID Cards – In BC when you get your ID card it’s all fancy on plastic with cool holograms and things. But here, it’s just plain. Apparently they only recently moved over to plastic instead of paper ID cards. And the heath card that I got is still a little piece of paper rather than a card. Weird.
Health Care - In BC you have to pay a premium for health care depending on what your yearly income is. In Manitoba, it’s free!!! Woohoo!
There is pizza everywhere – I don’t know what brought there to be so many pizza places here, but a friend and I ended up seeing 5 in 2 blocks. And it’s ridiculously cheap! In Vancouver, a large multiple topping pizza is between $15-20 but here it’s like $10! And if you like only cheese like me, then it’s cheaper! Hallelujah! Little Caesar’s $5 pizza FTW!
Eating out is pricey – If you’re getting anything other than a large pizza, eating out is really tricky for those on a budget. The cheapest food that I’ve found has been around $11-$13 for lunch, and if you’re going for dinner it only goes up from there. In Vancouver, there are tons of places that you can go to get super cheap food, and tons of variety. I miss going for $8 dinners!
Blue skies – When I first moved here in the summer, I realized just how much sunshine Vancouver doesn’t get. With 3 weeks of pure blue skies, I was convinced that it was too sunny here. But now I’m more used to it, and am glad for the light during such short days.
The cold, obviously – Everybody knows that it gets ridiculously cold in Winnipeg, but I just thought that I would reiterate it. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced weather under -10°C in Vancouver, but here I’ve already lived through -20ºC and that’s not even the worst of it!
This weekend was the time for me to get rested up from a long week, and it was so good! I got to venture out into the snow a couple of times, and managed not to die in -20° weather, stayed in my pyjamas for the majority of the time, read a whole book and part of another, and had delightful breakfasts! Kyla recently lent me her kindle to try out, and I’ve been really happy with it! It’s so nice to have a selection of books to read and to have them all at your fingertips! Although, I must say that not holding a physical book takes some getting used to.
What did you get up to this weekend?
I’ve always loved the style of the 50s. It was the time when rock and roll was first coming into pop culture, and I feel like the first teenagers were really born in that era. For once, there was a sense of rebellion amongst groups of people, and it was just so badass! I love the leather, the curls, the greased back hair, poodle skirts, pin-ups and class.
I always say that if I was born in any other period in time, it should have been in the late 30′s so I could have been a teenager in the 50′s. I would’ve been Elvis’s biggest fan.
Elvis Presley // Anne Francis // Lenore // Truman Capote
