Monthly Archives: November 2009

Merry Christmas! …wait, too soon?

Posted on November 13, 2009 by Shop Girl| 12 Comments

(via: http://dvdmedia.ign.com/dvd/image/NATIONAL_LAMPOONS_CHRISTMAS_VA-7.jpg)

Forty-three sleeps.

In forty-three sleeps I’ll have eaten entirely too much, will be entirely too excited and will shuffle off to bed to anxiously await Santa’s arrival (I’m still five inside, so sue me. haha). I’ll be (almost) Christmas-caroled out, will already be missing Gingerbread and will have enjoyed Christmas lights for many, many sleeps. But how many is too many?

I taught an early morning class for my church last week and as a result was out in my car before 7am. While I love mornings, being awake, showered and out before 7am isn’t typically how I like to enjoy them. However, I happened to catch an interesting blurb on the radio that I might have otherwise missed. For all you Ontarians / Torontians, if you are not already listening to Virgin Radio, get on that train right now. I love it. It’s a lot of AT 40 music and music that makes you want to get off your bum and DANCE. I also really, really like the hosts, and on this one particularly very early morning they were doing a call-in show about Christmas decorations and how early is too early to put those babies up.

I have to admit, I was shocked to hear how many people called in to say that they had already completely decked out their house for the holidays, complete with tree, garland, bows and lights–inside and out. We’re what, November 12th here? And this was at least seven days ago. Now let me be clear: my mother raised us to be complete Christmasaholics. Christmas is like a high for my siblings and I, especially my sisters. Peeah has already Christmasafied her home–tree and all–while I don’t personally do decorations this early, it seemed normal enough, and I assumed that this was confined to my Christmas-addicted family.

Umm… no.

Call after call after call came into the hosts describing their newly decorated homes, all ready for the holiday season, which is still forty-three sleeps away.

So it made me wonder–how soon is too soon?

As much as I hate the stuff, I need snow for things to feel Christmasy and (thankfully) Pretty City hasn’t seen any yet. It just doesn’t feel right for me to hang snowflakes or reindeer in my window while the sun shines brightly down on the green grass on our lawn. I usually try to wait until after December 1st before breaking out the decorations or listening to Christmas music. Last year I started the music way too early and I was so sick of it by the time the holiday actually rolled around.

So I wait… but it appears I might be in a bit of a minority here.

What do you think? Are you a Christmasaholic, or is it still too soon? When do you dust off the holiday boxes?

Posted in My thoughts*

Just A Blurb*

Posted on November 11, 2009 by Shop Girl| Leave a comment

(image found at: http://media.dorks.com/content/pic/d5282007/too_ashamed.jpg)

So, remember that time when I used to write blog posts on a regular basis? Haaa… I almost can’t because it’s been like A WEEK. I’m terrible, I know.

Life has been… exciting! Last week was full of work and volunteering, but I ended up with a four day weekend and it was SO nice. The Hubster and I decided to make good use of it and took a little road trip to visit my cousin and her husband. To put it simply, it was fabulous. We laughed, ate way too much, talked, shopped and let the boys duke it out on some NHL PlayStation game. It was the first time in a long time that we’ve been able to hang out with another couple and it was SO nice. I now understand Lily and Marshall’s search for couple friends! haha

I also got to meet up with some friends from teacher’s college and it was a much needed and thoroughly enjoyed visit. While it sucks that I don’t have close girlfriends here in Pretty City, I know I have wonderful ones just a bit down the road who remind me that just because I haven’t found a real job yet, I’m still a good teacher and a job will come. Some day. (Hopefully soon!)

So, I’m sorry for my MIA-ness and my total fail on the Shop Girl Shares post for this week–I have a great one in the wings for you! Right now I’m utterly exhausted and need to sleep but I shall be back soon with some gloriousness for you… and I promise, promise to catch up on your blogs as I see all you Nablopomo’ers have been busy! :)

Much love,

Posted in Daily Junk*

Shop Girl Shares Girl With The Red Hair & Lowercase L

Posted on November 2, 2009 by Shop Girl| Leave a comment

(image found at: http://runninginheels.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/carrie.jpg)

So everyone and their mother started Nablopomo yesterday… (Nablopomo = National Blog Posting Month)

…except me.

Normally I’d be all over this stuff, especially since one of my New Year’s Resolutions for 2009 was to blog every day for a year. Yeeeah. About that… (oops.) I’ve been busy. LIFE has been busy… and I find that when I feel like I have to write, I write less. Weird, no? I don’t like the pressure. This is where I come to relax, not to stress about word counts or daily posts.

That being said, that doesn’t mean I won’t be participating in my own way. Today was not a good day at work. It took everything in me to get through my shift and I have every intention of kicking the job search into high gear this evening. It’s not that it’s not a good job, it’s just definitely not me. I’m not cut out for mindless physical labour. I need to be creative. I need to be challenged. I need to use the knowledge I spent five years cramming into my brain. (I need to wear my fabulous collection of shoes!)

To sum up, I need a better job.

So, today I decided that enough was enough. I need a plan. I need to act. I need goals. I may not be participating in Nablopomo, but November WILL be a month for writing. This is what’s going to happen in the next 30 days:

1) Begin writing my book. That’s right. It’s time. I’ve been hemming and hawing about whether or not to do it for months, and I’m done. It’s starts now!

2) Become a freelance writer. I’ve done some review work here and there, and I love writing for ‘fun’ here–so why not try and make something out of it? I have a list of online magazines / websites to contact and submit articles to. I’m really excited about this, and I hope it works out. Wish me luck!

3) Write my yearly Christmas letter! This is one of my absolute faaaaaavourite things to do and I look forward to it ALL year! You can read our past letters here and here!

I would also really, really like to get on a supply teaching list… but I’m also actively looking for a new job. I’m educated, AND I have great shoes–hire me please?

Anyway, enough of my ramblings… it’s Monday! Which means it’s Shop Girl Shares day! (WOO! WOO!) We took a break from our regular programming last week as I participated in my first Blog Swap and it was, well, an… interesting experience. I like the concept, but I think they need to ask a few more questions before they match people… namely, ‘what time do you normally like to post new entries’? I am definitely a late afternoon / evening writer, and they paired me with a morning person, who panicked and found a new blog swap partner when my post hadn’t been received by noon. (in my defense, my oh, so lovely apartment decided to leave us without power for much longer than I felt necessary and I couldn’t send my post any sooner than I did. *sigh*) I’m not sure if I’ll do it again, but we’ll see.

SO. Today I am sharing two more of my favourite sites with you… and I hope you’re excited. I’M excited. Let’s get this show on the road!!

1 – Girl With The Red Hair

(image found at: http://girlwiththeredhair.com/)

Meet Amber, a 20-Something journalism student / crazy marathon runner who inspires me daily to get my butt into shape. Seriously. She recently completed a race of like, a bazillion miles (or maybe 13) that made me want to run marathons. (The spandex kinda scares me though. I don’t know if I’m ready for that. haha)

Amber’s blog is wonderfully thought-provoking and she often asks the hard questions we’re all thinking about but have been too timid to bring up ourselves. It’s a great place to voice your opinion and feel like you’re really having a conversation with someone, and her other readers. If her blog is any indication, I know she is going to be a fabulous journalist some day and I look forward to reading her work. In short, Amber is marvelous. Go now, and love.

2 – Lowercase L

(image found at: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2023/2241122263_d07e271b78.jpg)

I have a confession: I love when signs are wrong. LOVE it. I look for them ALL the time. For example, for months we had Mark’s Work Warhouse in Senior City, as well as a Price Chooper and a Pub*c Library. (I’m not ready to have that as a search term to find my blog just yet. haha) It makes me laugh when letters go missing or lights go out making the sign read as something else.

So, already being an avid reader of signs, Lowercase L opened my eyes even further. Have you ever noticed how many places use lowercase “L”‘s in places they shouldn’t? Sort of like Crummy Church Signs, this blog is devoted to exposing the fact that when “people create handwritten signs, they sometimes choose to capitalize every letter except the letter “L”. Using some lowercase letters like “i” and “y”, to stylize the handwriting is understandable. But why confuse matters by using the only letter that, when lowercase, is identical to an uppercase “I”?” What the L is up with that?

Now I see them everywhere. I really should just bring my camera with me so I can submit some photos to the site… have you seen any lowercase L’s lately?

Posted in Shop Girl Shares*

Trick or Treat?!

Posted on November 1, 2009 by Shop Girl| Leave a comment

When I was 13, my mom told me it was time to stop trick or treating. At the time I was devastated… how on earth could I survive November without a pillow case of candy hidden in my closet? Sad, I know.

Eventually I got over being the voluntold candy-hander-outer and for years Halloween wasn’t really a big deal. I learned that sneaking candy out of the family’s candy bowl was kinda fun and I didn’t really need all the dress-up stuff, and didn’t bother dressing up until my first year of university (on the night the Hubster and I first saw each other!) and I became the “Lady bug Girl”.

(The night before I wore it out and first saw the Hubster)

Since that time, I haven’t really bothered with Halloween, and if it weren’t for all the decorations that adorn store windows I’d probably completely forget about it… in fact, the first year the Hubs and I were married, I did. haha! He had to work that night so I was alone in our apartment and as soon as it got dark out I kept getting these sporadic knocks on my front door. Having seen entirely too many episodes of CSI (I hadn’t fallen in love with Law & Order: SVU yet) I was convinced it was a serial killer coming to take my life. (*sigh* I know…)

After the 5th knock or so, I crept to the door and yelled “WHO ARE YOU?!” through the door in a panicky voice (trying to sound brave. and tough.). Preparing to hear Vincent Price’s laugh in Thriller I was a might set back when I heard two timid, tiny voices cry, “Trick-or-treat?!” in utter confusion. Unable to muster the courage to face their parents and tell them I was convinced their children were serial killers, I collapsed on the floor in ~~relief~~ shame and told them I didn’t have any candy. Through the door. Which was locked. And bolted.

I think the Hubster laughed for an hour when I told him later that night.

Anyway.

Halloween and I aren’t really great friends. I think it’ll probably be more exciting when we have children of our own and candy to ~~steal~~ inspect for danger, but until then, forget costumes and candy–I have a whole new use for Halloween: SHOPPING. Seriously. Shopping on Halloween night when everyone is out trick or treating is magical. It’s SUCH a well-kept secret! I had to work until 7:30 last night, then the Hubster and I had to run some errands. I normally loathe shopping at Walmart due to the utter chaos that is always inevitably waiting when you walk through the front doors, but last night it was… peaceful. We were able to get in, grab everything we needed and get out in record time. No line-ups. No screaming children. No mess. No fuss. Love.

It was the same at the grocery store… I think it shall be my new Halloween tradition. Next year I’ll try the mall and let you know how it goes. Be excited.

We did try and honor the spirit of Halloween by renting a horror-ish movie to watch last night. I don’t really “do” scary movies as hey, let’s be honest, my imagination is HUGE. HUGE. And that stuff stays with me for days after I watch it. For example: the first time the Hubster introduced me to the Alien movies I was so scared I made him stay up until 3am watching Bambi with me afterward so I wouldn’t dream about having my face sucked off.

*sigh*

However, I wanted to try. I’ve been trying to make peace with scary movies lately by trying to watch more of them. In the past year I’ve watched The Shining, The Strangers, and then last night, The Exorcism of Emily Rose. To my surprise, I didn’t have to cover my face nearly as often as I thought I would, and I actually really liked the storyline. However, the Hubs has been informed that if I ever, ever wake up at 3am he will be joining me. Now that’s love. :)

We also had a good laugh remembering our trick-or-treating days after I saw a very tiny, very cute ballerina prance past our car. After fondly recalling at the best / worst treats (who gives out pop?! I mean really. Way to drag a kid down. haha) we started talking about some of the funniest / most bizarre ones we ever received. There were always a few homemade ones that made their way into my pillow cases, as well as the treats meant to “inform” the children, like toothpaste or pencils.

However, we each had a winner… when the Hubs was little he was given Dairy Queen coupons instead of candy. I’m sorry, but unless you are handing me an actual blizzard, then I’ll just take a Reeces cup, please. :)

My all-time favourite was the year I got 5 lucky pennies–not just any pennies, lucky ones–from a cute little old lady that lived up the street from my old house. Sad as I was not to add to my ever-growing chocolate collection, I kept those babies for ever. Or at least for a day. You know.

Did you ever get an weird / funny / interesting treats as a kid? I sometimes think I want to be that person who gives out bizarre things on Halloween just to give people funny stories. The Hubster’s suggestion was to give out squares of toilet paper (we had just restocked at Walmart. ha).

…or maybe I’ll just give out suckers. haha

So lovelies, that was our little Halloween… and now on to Christmas! WOO WOO! Fifty-four sleeps!