Hello? Is It Me You're Looking For?

Hello Blogland,

If you read my last blog post, you'll remember that I was saying how I would try to be more on top of writing and updating here. Clearly, that didn't happen. I don't even know why. I just didn't feel like writing anything. I could give you some excuses like I was busy with work, or I was going out with my friends all the time... but they would be lies. Not real lies (I actually was busy with work and friends), but just lame excuses as to why I couldn't sit down and write a few paragraphs. There really is no reason for it except that I just didn't feel like it. That's about it. I just didn't feel like it.

That is how I felt about blogging all summer. I just couldn't bring myself to sit down and write, even if I had nothing to do!

The really crazy part is that I genuinely like blogging. I'm not a very chatty person IRL but I love writing here. I love having a space where I can say whatever I want, whenever I want. I love sharing things with you guys, even if it's something silly or goofy that probably doesn't make a difference in your day, but it makes a difference in mine. Trying to think of ideas, taking pictures of random things in case I can use it to blog about later... I was having so much fun with it. That's why it's so crazy that I just up and stopped.

But no more! I'm going to make a real effort to get back at it and stay at it. With dreary winter coming, it will hopefully give me something to be excited about because, lesbehonest, who doesn't need a pick-me-up in winter?! Unless of course, you live somewhere that has beautiful weather all year round, in which case I am so insanely jealous.

So stay tuned because I've got some ideas up my sleeve that you will hopefully find as interesting as I do!

Guess Who's Back, Back Again

In case you're a terrible guesser, it's me. I'm back. I didn't really go anywhere I've just been a little busy and haven't felt like blogging. I'm still trying to adjust to this whole "trying to be a blogger" thing and I haven't quite got a schedule figured out yet. I've just been writing posts whenever a weird little thought pops into my head. I suppose it's time to get more organized so things like this don't happen on the regular.

Have you heard of these little planners that are supposed to be amazing for bloggers to stay organized? I was thinking about getting one of those, but then I read some reviews about how they're not really worth it. Which I think I agree with. I don't really want to shell out my hard earned cash for some pretty pieces of paper bound together by a colourful little spiral and cover (no matter how cute the designs are).

So I've come to the conclusion that I'm going to just suck it up and be a big girl and blog every day after work no matter how tired I am.

Anyways, onto more exciting news: my weekend! I had a fairly busy weekend which was exhausting but so much fun.

Friday: I had to go to my bestie's mom's retirement party. I had to go right from work, which of course meant that I had to get ready in the morning before work, which obviously didn't turn out that well. By the end of the work day, my curled and styled hair resembled more of a poufball thanks to all the humidity. See exhibit A:

After the retirement party, we went to the Villages. Every year in the city where I live, they put on the Villages, which basically is a whole bunch of different halls and clubs that represent different countries or places around the world and they serve that region's food, play their music, and usually have a performance of some kind. It's actually pretty fun. There are food, drinks, and dancing. Where can you go wrong?!

We went to the Polish and Latin American ones this year, which I loved but for different reasons. I loved the Polish one because I am a sucker for perogies, mashed potatoes, and cabbage rolls. But I lovvvvvvvedd the Latin American one because of the dancing. They had people on the dance floor teaching you different moves which was so much fun. It was like being on a little mini vacation for a few hours. I'm definitely going back next year.

This is the Polish performance. It's the only picture I have of the night. Oops.

Saturday: So all week I had been looking forward to Saturday night, but because of Friday night's festivities, my liver wasn't really all that enthusiastic when the day came. But like the champ that I am, I summoned my wild and crazy early twenties go-out-on-both-nights attitude and made it out that night. What did I make it out to? A country bar!!! If you can't tell by all those exclamation marks, I love country bars! It's such a different atmosphere than a regular bar. Everyone is friendlier, there's not that air of "look at my top-of-the-line outfit". It's just way more relaxed and more fun in general. And to top it off (as if it couldn't get any better), it was for a pre-birthday celebration for one of my real life friends. So like the terrible blogger I have been being lately plus the terrible friend I am, I only managed to get two pictures of the entire night.

Neither of them happened to be of the pre-birthday girl, but dessert and drinks count for something right?! That cake was so delicious but I was proud of myself for not gobbling it all down by myself. That beer glass is just pure class. I loved it.

Sunday: Sunday was obviously spent in bed recovering. I ate a greasy breakfast which didn't help at the time, but I'm pretty sure helped in the long run.

Monday: Monday needs to be included in my weekend because of said lack of blogging. The day was just a regular boring day at work. Nothing exciting there. I got home from work and sat around for a little while and then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, inspiration hit. I jumped up, changed my clothes, threw on my running shoes and went to the gym! Anddd I even renewed my membership! I had gotten into a routine of going to the gym on a pretty regular basis, and then I started working full time and that sort of slid to the back burner. The very back. I got into the habit of coming home exhausted from work, throwing on my pajamas, grabbing a glass of wine, plunking my butt down on the couch and watching tv all night. Well, not anymore. I'm determined to get back into a routine. You wouldn't think so, but the more you work out, the more energized you feel and the better you feel. I know I'm still gonna have those days where I don't want to work out, but once I get there I feel so much better. Not only physically, but also mentally because I'm not wracked with guilt over being so lazy.

So that was my fun-filled weekend. I promise I'm going to get back on a blogging schedule so I won't leave you hanging for this long again.

It's Getting Serious Up In Here: Gender & Sexuality

So today I want to talk about something that's a little touchy. I want to talk about gender and sexuality. What sparked this topic was this Buzzfeed article:

The book isn't in print yet, but you can download it online for free here. It basically tells the tale of someone who grew up learning (like most of us) what it meant to be a boy or a girl, but somewhere along the way, discovered that it wasn't such a simple thought.

I know this post may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I wish it was. This is something I feel so strongly about and I wish other people felt the same way. It's very important to me that everyone is treated equally. I don't have kids yet, but it's something I hope to instill in them. This is definitely something that I'm still learning things about so I don't pretend to know everything or have all the answers. I love finding things like this to help me learn a little more and understand a little more.

If you take anything away from this, I hope it's that: understanding. Because that's what I think it's really all about. Understanding that everyone is different and different doesn't mean bad. Just because you think a certain way, doesn't mean it's the only way. And that applies to me and my views as well. Just because I think a certain way, doesn't mean it's my way or the highway. Everyone is entitled to think and feel a certain way. As long as there is mutual respect, everyone wins.

So.. take a deep breath.. this is what I think:

Like everyone else I know, I grew up thinking boys wore blue and played with GI Joe's, while girls wore pink and played with Barbies. If you didn't fall into one of those categories, you were a wuss or a tomboy. Well, my favourite colour was blue and I hid my Barbies in my closet and only played with them when no one was around. When I wasn't climbing trees with my brothers, I was trading clothes with my younger one and drawing pictures on his back with lipstick. Looking back, it may have seemed so insignificant at the time, but I wholeheartedly appreciate my parents letting us do those things, even though I don't think it was their intention to have it be a life lesson for me. What I thought at the time was, "I'm being silly and I'm having fun with my brother". What I now realize it taught me was, "It didn't matter whose clothes I was wearing or which one of us was wearing lipstick; we were having fun being whoever we wanted to be and that's ok".

That's ok. I think that's another big idea to wrap your head around. It's ok for others to be who they are. I think it's just as simple as that. Even if you don't understand, you don't have to. It's not your life. Unless you are glued to that person 24/7, their actions should not have that much, if any, effect on your life. Who cares if a guy wants to wear eyeliner. Who cares if a girl wants to marry another girl? Who cares if Mark feels more comfortable being called Mary? Who cares.

How about what is their personality like? What makes them laugh? What kind of movies do they like? What's their favourite type of music? Do they care about other people? Would they help an old woman across the street? Those are the kinds of questions I care about. Those are the things that matter. Kindness, love, respect, acceptance, happiness.

I used to think there were two genders: male and female. I used to think there were two sexualities: gay and straight. Now I've learned that there's much more to it than that. The Gender Book explains that gender is non-binary, meaning it's not simply this or that. Nor is it a spectrum that goes from stereotypical manly man to stereotypical girly girl. It's more like a whole bunch of arrows going in every which way. This is how I think of sexuality as well. It's not just boy-likes-girl or boy-likes-boy. It could be anything in between, outside, around the corner, or up the stairs.

I think there comes a time when everyone looks back on their life and thinks about how they've lived, what they've said, what they've done. You might have done it already. Did you ever say something you wish you could take back? Did you ever stand by in high school and watch someone else get picked on? Did you pick on someone? Ever think "I wish I hadn't done that"? Chances are you probably have. I know for sure I have. And I look back on those times with regret and a heavy heart. The silver lining is that I've learned from those mistakes. I've learned that we only have one life to live and I want to live it in a way that I can look back on and feel proud of. I don't want to wake up one day and realize that I wasted valuable time hating things or being scared of things. Or even worse: that I made someone else feel hated or scared.

This post is not at all about religion. Again, I understand and respect that other people have their beliefs. I only hope for the same understanding and respect. Not only for me and my beliefs, but for everyone out there struggling trying to find themselves. Struggling to make sense of what's going on in their head. Struggling to accept themselves even though they may not even know who that self is. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you". I can't tell you how many times I heard that growing up. If only we could all practice what we preach.

We need to realize that we're each on this little journey, our own individual journey, and in the grand scheme of things, it really is so very tiny. We are a little blip in the universe. If we keep that in mind, our day-to-day living seems a little easier, a little less stressful. At least mine does.

There's something that people say that bothers me. "I'm uncomfortable" or "That makes me uncomfortable". Irrelevant. I'm uncomfortable when I get a sunburn, but I still go outside. I'm uncomfortable with my legs up in stirrups at the gynecologist, but I still go to my appointment. I'm uncomfortable standing in line, but I still go to the grocery store. I'm uncomfortable when my friend's grandma kisses me on the lips, but I still go to her family functions. We do things every day that make us uncomfortable. That's just part of life. Unless you're a hermit who lives on top of a mountain and never sees anyone, but even then, you probably have creepy animals looking through your bathroom window while you're showering. The point is suck it up and deal with it or be a mean and miserable person the rest of your life. Because that's what you're doing. You're being mean and miserable. Get over it.

Anyways, that's my rant. I didn't mean for it to turn into one but that's just what happens sometimes when I care about something. The moral of the story is everyone should just get along. And if you can't get along, move along. Or you will have to wear one of these t-shirts.

What's Going On In My House

This week is going to be kind of a pain in the butt. We're having hardwood floors installed, which means the entire house is turned upside down. This is what the mess looks like.

Two bedrooms are in our living room. The workers have to finish those rooms so we can put that furniture back and then empty out my bedroom so they can do that floor.

You know that feeling when you sleep at someone else's house? You don't really know what to do, you wonder what's in their fridge that you can snack on but can't go look, you just kind of hang out and have this weird anxiety feeling all night? That's how I feel right now. I feel like a stranger in someone else's house and I don't know where to go or what to do. 

At least someone doesn't mind...

Anyways. I have nothing else today.

Is It Time To Wash My Hair Again?!?

As this celebratory weekend comes to an end, it only means one thing... shower time. Ugh. It's my least favourite time ever. I know I'm not alone here. I know some of you feel my pain. There's nothing worse than lounging around after dinner getting ready to indulge in some terrible reality tv (I'm looking at you, Bachelorette), and then realizing, "damn it, I have to shower tonight". Actually there is something worse: showering in the morning.

Showering in the morning has become my nemesis. It didn't used to be that way. I used to shower every single day before school/work. And then I started to realize I was wasting precious sleeping in time and also drying out my hair. Now before you start thinking I'm some disgusting grease ball, when I say showering I really mean washing my hair. I still have quick body showers every day almost every day but I only wash my hair 2 or 3 times a week. The process of having a whole shower is just so time consuming and not good for your hair (which is just a bonus for me cuz really I'm just lazy).

This is my face when I know it's shower time. Also, I'm not wearing makeup. It's ok. Don't be scared.

Showering at night still has it's problems. For example, if you have curly hair like me, you know you're gonna have to shower hours before you go to bed because there's no way in hell you're gonna go to bed with wet hair. You will wake up looking like a tornado went through your room while you were asleep. You're also not going to blow dry your hair because said tornado will be back, only this time he'll bring his friends humidity and frizz. It's not a good combo, trust me. The only other option is to let your mop head air dry. When I say it will take hours to dry, I'm not even kidding.

The good thing about night showering is that you only have to do half the work. No makeup, no picking out a work-appropriate-yet-still-stylish outfit, no doing your hair except for throwing some gunk in it. The gunk I like to use is Herbal Essences Tousle Me Softly Tousling Styling Creme. This holds the curls without making them crunchy and also keeps frizz at bay. I also like to spray my hair with Live Clean Exotic Nectar Argan Oil Leave-In Conditioner Spray. I don't really know how much this works because I have a little trick, but it smells nice and it leaves my hair feeling very soft.

Wanna know my trick? I don't wash the conditioner completely out of my hair. You might be thinking, "Amanda, you are disgusting. You don't shower and you leave products in your hair? You probably look like a greaseball". I don't blame you. I would be thinking the same thing if I were you. But don't knock it til you try it. Now if you have fine or thin hair, I definitely do not recommend this trick. But if your nickname growing up was something like Frizz Head or Mop Head or Rats Nest, this is for you. Us curly haired girls need all the help we can get in the moisture department.

Speaking of moisture, the only other two products I use at night (besides deodorant, c'mon now) are moisturizers. For my face, I use Oil of Olay Moisturizing Cream for Sensitive Skin. I don't have sensitive skin, I could probably wash my face with dirt and it would be fine. I think this is compensation for having to deal with bad hair. I like to use this moisturizer because of how it feels. It goes on very smoothly and doesn't feel tacky or sticky. 

For the rest of my body, I slather it with Vaseline Total Moisture Cocoa Radiant. This isn't my favourite moisturizer but I like the smell. It can leave your skin feeling a bit damp and clammy for the rest of the night. I slosh it on anyways to keep my skin from becoming scaly and peely (especially in those spots where my sunscreen apparently didn't reach. oops).

Then I throw on some pjs (obv), grab a snack, and settle in to watch train wrecks that make me feel better about my life (don't lie, you know that's why you watch those shows too).

Myths About Being Canadian, Eh

Because it's Canada Day on Monday and this long weekend is dedicated to celebrating all things Canadian, I think it's only appropriate to talk about all the myths surrounding Canada and what it means to be Canadian. Some rumours are so preposterous it makes me laugh and scratch my head; others may have some truth to them. So let's get started.

1. We Live In Igloos.

Now while this picture may look cool and realistic, it's not. I do not live in an igloo. I've never even seen an igloo in real life except for the snow forts my brothers and I used to build in the winter when we were younger (although it seemed so at the time, they were nowhere near as cool-looking as these).

This is my house (ok fine, my parent's house). See? Completely normal, no ice, no snow, grass, trees, sunshine.

2. We Say "Eh" and "Aboot".

Half of this one might be slightly true. I do find myself saying "eh" at times, but definitely not all the time, and not as much as people think. So for example, I might say, "It's so hot out, eh?" or "People think such weird things about Canada, eh?".  I definitely do not say "aboot". Never, ever.

3. We Drive Dog Sleds.

This is another one similar to the igloo story. Not true at all. Yes, in very remote parts of Canada way, way, wayyyyyyyy up north, people do live in igloos and drive dog sleds, but that is not the norm. Just like an igloo, I have never seen a dog sled in real life.

Found on yumfy.com

4. We Are Somehow Less Intelligent/Sophisticated/Technologically-Advanced/Knowledgeable About Health Care, etc, etc.

This is the one that probably bothers me the most. Where in the world does this come from??? Just because we are nice and considerate people, does not make us any less everything-I-listed-above-and-more than anyone else!

Have you ever heard of kerosene? the electron microscope? a little thing called insulin? been to an IMAX theatre? cooked on an electric stove? read Anne of Green Gables? used a telephone? written on a piece of paper? used a light bulb? have Java installed on your computer? used an alkaline battery?

All from Canada. You're welcome.

If you want to read more about Canada's contributions, click here, here, and here. 


5. We Have Real Police.

Yes, we have mounties. Yes, I have seen them in real life. Yes, they stroll down the middle of the road like they own the place (they actually do, they are real police, they will arrest you, don't be fooled). But we also have regular police who wear regular uniforms and who drive around in regular police cars arresting all the bad guys.

6. We Have Snow All Year Long.

As you can clearly see from the picture of my house above, that is not true. It starts to get warmer around April and summer weather usually lasts from June to September, and then the snow starts again in November. I live in Southern Ontario and the summers here get very hot. Today, for example, is 25 degrees Celsius but feels like 30. The only problem with the summer weather here is that it's very humid. Having curly hair, I don't enjoy it at all, it's a big pain the ass, but I try to remind myself that at least it's not snowing. That's something that I've wondered about. If the weather was nice all year long, would I really appreciate and enjoy the summer when it comes?

Just as a point of reference, where I live in Ontario is farther south than the following places:

• most of Wisconsin, North/South Dakota, Montana, Washington, Maine, and parts of New York
• England, Ireland, most of France, half of Italy, Germany, Poland, Russia
• all of the Scandanavian/Nordic countries (Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway, etc)

Winter vs. Summer

7. We Are Behind In Entertainment News

I know when you go to certain countries, Australia for example, you hear songs that came out 3 years ago. That doesn't happen here. We hear songs, see movies, hear about current events at the same time you do. The new scandalous Miley video? Despicable Me? Aaron Hernandez's murder charge? Check, check, check. 

8. Everyone Speaks French.

I don't, but I wish I did. I wish I spoke another language in general. I think it's such a cool and useful quality to have.


So there is my rant for all of the stupid, silly, sometimes completely untrue, sometimes true, myths about Canada. Now I'm going to go enjoy a hot summer day that includes barbecuing and wine drinking. Whatever country you're from, embrace all of the weird things about where you live. This Canadian does, eh?!

Rain, Rain, Go Away, I Have To Celebrate Canada Day

This has kind of been a miserable week. It has been calling for thunderstorms every.single.day. Now I love a good thunderstorm, don't get me wrong. But I like thunderstorms at night when I can lie in my bed or snuggle up on the couch and stare out the window at all the stormy goodness. I don't like thunderstorms in the middle of the day when I have to work. My hair becomes an unmanageable frizz ball, I feel damp and sticky all day from all the humidity, and my mood turns just as gloomy as the weather. I especially don't like thunderstorms on Fridays, or any day of the weekend, for that matter. It just takes away a little bit of that happy-go-lucky excitement that naturally fills you up on Fridays.

This is my current view from work. Actually it's not even my view because my office doesn't have a window. It's the view I can see if I lean to the right of my desk to look out the front window.

See all that gloom? It's not making it easy for me to turn my frown upside down. Especially this weekend because it's Canada Day. How am I supposed to wear something cute and patriotic with all this weather?

Canada Day by pajamakindofday featuring a red coral necklace

Right there is what I hope to be doing this weekend. There's nothing better than a good celebratory summer barbecue complete with a few festive cocktails. And the obligatory fireworks.

So even if you don't have a three-day weekend like me, celebrate like you do and try to keep out of the rain!