In The 'Hood

For those not living in Halifax (or if you live in Halifax, but under a rock), we are having a municipal election right now so naturally it's all anyone can talk about. It's quite heated this time around because (in a nutshell) our mayor and city council absolutely SUCK and need to be all thrown out. A "do-over" is in order, and that's what all we citizens are hoping for, including me.

With this "election fever" sweeping the city lately, I have been trying to learn a bit more about my new District. I say 'new' because I only moved here six months ago (I lived in another District at the time of the last election). Not to mention it's a neighbourhood I was not very familiar with previously and (honestly) it was not my first-choice area to live in when the boy and I first planned moving in together. That being said, the area is relatively central and rent is cheap, so here we are! And I am becoming more and more acquainted with the area over time and it's starting to grow on me.

*Did I mention that we live in District 12? When I found that out, I couldn't help but picture me in a ring fighting the guy across the hall to the death*

Anyway, in an effort to become more acquainted with my new neighbourhood, I have been trying to frequent businesses in the area as much as possible. One plus about our location is that we are very central in Clayton Park West - we are basically halfway between two major shopping strips so pretty much any shop or restaurant or clinic or bank we could possibly want is within a 10 minute walk. 

Here are a few of my District 12 favs (so far):

1. Keshen Goodman Library
Before I moved to Clayton Park, I am ashamed to say I had not visited the Library in several years and had developed a bit of an unhealthy addiction to Chapters. Well, considering this Library is literally across the street from my apartment building, and that I am on a tight budget (new books are expensive, y'all) I decided I needed to be a good citizen and start visiting the Library more. 

First of all, isn't the architecture of this place cool?!

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Almost all the walls are lined with windows, which makes for a bit of a hot interior on a sunny day, but still cool to look at. Walking around a library is so soothing, don't you think? It's so quiet and just full of people either reading or browsing books. I love that they have a self check-out here, and they often have neat speakers or events happening in their event room. I particularly love that I can borrow books from here for my Kobo (in case, you know, I'm so lazy that I can't even make it across the road).

2. Canada Games Centre
This building is also directly across the street from my apartment (did I say good location?), and is another new building of modern design. It was built to host the aquatic events of the 2012 Canada Games, so as you can imagine the pool area is pretty bangin'.

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Check out that water slide!

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Ok, so I have to admit - I have never actually visited this place before. However, I plan to take my sister swimming there soon! They have community swims every Tuesday and Thursday night that anyone can attend - it only costs $3! Personally, I can't wait to get my butt in the hot tub with a cocktail (they won't mind if I keep gin in my locker, right?). And I do just like looking at the place, if nothing else; it's nice to see some interesting architecture in a suburban area (breaks up the big box store haze).

3. Restaurants
If I had one major complaint about my new area it's that there are not ANY interesting local restaurants (think Applebee's and East Side Marios and their look alikes). The choices out here are pretty homogeneous, which is something that bugs me and I hope changes. Suburban areas can have fun, fresh food choices too! Here are a few that I like:

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Not to say that burgers and fries are anything special, but although Flipburger is a chain, it at least has a fun, modern vibe and meals that actually use fresh ingredients instead of bites made blah from heat lamps. They actually include local ingredients, such as Oulton's bacon on their menu too, which is also refreshing.

I have written about Happy Sushi on the blog before, but I will say it again - whoever thought up the concept of "All You Can Eat Sushi" AND putting it 2 minutes away from my apartment is a frickin' genius and I want to kiss them.

A big fav is Mexico Lindo, which isn't exactly in my own backyard but it's close enough. It's HANDS DOWN the most authentic Mexican food in the city, everything is really fresh and the prices are reasonable - what more could you ask for?! Don't believe me - check out my review on Yelp. This is a definite "go-to" when we want a fresh but delicious meal.

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Thanks for taking a tour of some of my "so-far" favourites in my new 'hood. Now get out there and explore yours!

Do you like your neighbourhood? What do you like about it? What would you change? Do you try and get out and explore yours or do you prefer to visit other areas?

Radio Two

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 I have had a special treat for the past couple of weeks. And it has nothing to do with chocolate.

I know. I'll just give you a moment to collect your jaw off the floor.

I have been driving my mom's car - when she or her boyfriend are away, I get to borrow her car and this gives me a much-needed break from taking public transport back and forth to work each day (kill me). The best part of it is, I get all the benefits of having a car to drive, without all of the responsibility. Sort of like babysitting your grandkids - you get to have all this fun with them and pump them full of sugar, then you get to hand them over right when they become irritable and say 'here you go!'.

One of the treats that comes along with driving back and forth to work every day is getting to listen to the radio. This may not sound very exciting, but when you take the bus every day, you really don't get to listen to the radio, like ever. This isn't a huge deal to me either until I hear my friends (my friends with cars) talk about a current song, and I have never heard of it. Makes me feel kinda silly. I do feel a little out of the loop regarding news and current pop culture when I don't listen to the radio.

I have gotten in the habit of listening to CBC Radio 2 during my commute (102.7fm in Halifax), which is surprising because I was not happy with this station a few years back when they completely changed all the programming. Specifically, I was unhappy that they got rid of a great classical music morning show, hosted by Tom Allen, that my mother and I would devour happily every morning on our blah drive over the bridge to work and school respectively (when I still lived at home).

Tom always told the most delightful anecdotes about each piece of music before playing it, so it was very educational and interesting to listen to. We ALL need a perk during that morning drive surrounded by traffic and drowsiness (am I right?) and this was ours. Suffice to say all these changes to programming caused a bit of an uproar amongst CBC R2 fans, and I stopped listening to the station almost altogether.

I suppose part of the reason I started listening again was because of a lack of quality and unique music elsewhere on the airwaves. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for an upbeat, catchy pop song once in a while - I like me some Lady Gaga, Pink and Nikki Minaj once in a while, so I'm certainly not one to completely denounce popular music, but that doesn't mean I respect all popular music. Frankly, a lot of it sounds the same and a lot of it is so massively overproduced that I am convinced many of the artists have no real talent at all. Sometimes I just want to hear something different, ya know? Something with lyrics about deeper and more emotional subjects than getting drunk and humping on a dance floor (so sue me).

CBC Radio not only plays music by lesser-known artists - particularly songwriters (you know, people who actually can sing, play instruments, and write songs) - but they also highlight mostly Canadian content, which is also refreshing when the airwaves are clogged with homogenous American acts.

Here are a couple of songs that have caught my ear in the last week or so - so much so that I had to Shazam them (as best I could while driving...shhhh, don't tell my mother), and email myself a reminder to download them. I figure a song must speak to you if you're willing to go through that kind of effort to ensure it gets on your iTunes. I thought I would share them with you as well, in case you are looking for some musical inspiration right now (see below).

Ok, ok, Radio 2, I admit it - you have brought me back into your fold. I guess changes can turn out for the best.

(By the way, if you are looking for some new music, how 'about changing your usual radio station and listening to something different? Give it a try today - you may hear some songs that you can't wait to Shazam, too!).

I don't know about you, but I was NOT expecting this singer to be a woman! Love her deep, gravely voice!

One of the best voices in music today, IMHO

Recognize this one? ;)

Discovered any great music lately? What radio stations do you like to listen to?

Show Girl

Summer is great is so many ways - warm weather, sunshine, sandals, long weekends. One thing I don't like about summer is that all my fav tv shows are over until September!

There were a few great new shows this year that I got into, and I am really glad I did. A welcome trend in these new shows is the fact that they centre around twenty-something women (hello, relatable!) stumbling their way through life in a very funny, but also real and awkward way.

I feel like it has been a while since there have been characters on tv that are like me and my friends - young, out of University sort-of professionals, trying to find their way through relationships, career and what they want. It's like there was Friends....then a whole ton of shows focused on families swamped the schedule - which is fine! I just haven't seen young, female characters who are in a similar life stage as me portrayed on tv in what seems like a long time.

Here are my new favs:

1. New Girl

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 It's no secret that I have a girl crush on Zooey Deschanel - I really want to steal her hair and style, and she has such a fun, slightly weird personality that is very endearing so I was excited to hear she was going to star in her own tv show. I tuned in at first for her, but I continued to watch throughout the season for her crazy male roommates and their hilarious lines and sometimes embarrassing antics. I absolutely love Schmidt and his hilarious one-liners and neurotic personality; I like Nick and his rumpled yet cute, cranky old man persona; I even like Winston although I haven't quite figured out what his deal is. This show is just so darn kooky - the characters are always getting themselves into awkward situations and none of them have any concept of social norms or what is appropriate. Plus, Zooey wears SUPER cute outfits and they have had some really awesome guest stars (Lizzy Caplan! Ryan Kwanten! Durmot Mulroney! Jeanne Tripplehorn! Justin Long!).

A"Douchebag Jar" should be a staple in every home around the world.


2. Don't Trust the B**** in Apartment 23

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Ok, how could you NOT love a show where James van der Beek plays himself?! And not himself like carbon-copy-of-Dawson himself, like a complete jerk version of himself. I love that he completely turns his image on its head and acts as a guy who is self-absorbed, shallow, slightly dim and obsessed with fame (of course, that could be a more accurate portrayal than I know!). He almost steals the show from Chloe (aka Krysten Ritter) - almost. Except that Chloe actually acts like an even bigger jerk than The Beek does. However, underneath her bitchy exterior, she is a bit of a softy. Plus, she's stylish and crafty (she makes money by "entertaining" important dignitaries - basically an escort yet somehow it doesn't seem trashy -?) and she's the perfect foil for goody-two-shoes June. This show also has many witty one-liners that have me cracking up every week and some crazy story lines (like New Girl). I love the career arc they have given June's character - I have had the same experience and know many people who have as well and it shows how crappy and simultaneously liberating it can be to have your life plan go "off course".

3. Girls

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This show has been getting a lot of criticism, mainly for the "unlikeability" of the characters, which I can see. Yes, the characters are sometimes unlikeable, often make bad decisions, and say such awkward things sometimes you want to cry. However, don't we all do that in real life? Especially in our early 20's? I sure as hell did! And hey, I still do. Girls may be a bit of an exaggeration of 20-something life in New York, like SATC (which it has been compared to quite often) but I feel like it's a much more gritty portrayal; less sugar-coated, less slick and sexy. It is less tongue-in-cheek, more poke in the eye with a pencil. It is kind of refreshing to hear characters just put their thoughts and feelings out there, good and bad, and to see them making bad decisions, maybe because, in a way, it makes you feel better about your own mistakes.

Alas, I will have to wait several months to see where these new favs pick up. However, not ALL my favs are gone for the summer - I am happy to say one airs only IN summer and just came back two weeks ago!

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Two episodes in and I'm loving Season 5 already. So. entertaining - the action just never lets up! And ok so having lots of yummy men to look at helps as well :) Besides I think a new season of Project Runway starts soon...hmmm, what was I saying about having no shows to watch this summer??

*By the way, have you caught my tv recaps on You Know You Love Fashion yet? I just happen to review all the above shows over there! Plus a few more...check out my posts here, here, here and here!

What new shows have you gotten hooked on? Any new favourites return recently or do you have suffer with reruns until September?

One day you're in...

I haven't had a chance to catch the first episode of Project Runway All-Stars yet, but I am ridiculously excited to watch it tonight when I get home from work (Friday, I'm in love).

I don't recognize all the returning designers, so I can't speak much for their skills or whether I think they are strong competition or not, but a few of my past favs are back, thankfully.

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I think it's safe to say that Mondo Guerra is one of the best-loved contestants in the history of the show - seriously the Internet-love out there for him is amazeballs. He is definitely the one I (and many others) am rooting for to win. (His confession on the runway that he suffers from HIV and the dress he designed represented his comfort with his "positive" status?! SERIOUS TEARS!).

He was totally robbed his season, I'm sorry but he was. Gretchen's designs were nice but (IMHO) they were much more commercial than Mondo's (plus she didn't seem to be nearly as down-to-earth and passionate about winning).

However, Mondo may want to look out for Austin Scarlett - besides being delightfully flamboyant the boy is talented. And I believe he has many years of bridal design experience under his belt (I saw him on Say Yes to the Dress once, I'm pretty sure!). As for the others I recognize, I can only remember small bits about them - Anthony made funny comments, had a delightful Southern accent and made (frankly) some pretty beauty-queen-tastic (aka. tacky) dresses. Kenley had a cool, retro pin-up girl style but as I recall she was vaguely annoying (same with Michael, who I remember as being very whiny). Mila was pretty bitchy and...honestly that's all I remember about her. I recognize Sweet P but don't actually recall what I thought of her designs (forgettable is not good, I'm sorry to tell ya toots).

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I'm very excited to follow. I personally thought last season was a bit lackluster so I think the show needs a jolt (I felt similarly about this season of the Amazing Race and think they should also do another All-Stars installment). Please don't let Mondo get "Auf'd"!!

Time to break out the scissors. Because in fashion, as you know, you can be cut at any time. 

On a not-completely-unrelated note - I have a confession to make: one of the things that amuses me the most about Project Runway is Swatch the Dog - he is the resident pooch at Mood Fabrics where the designers do all their shopping. Get it? Swatch? Cutest. Dog. Name. Ever. Oh, and guess what else? He has a blog! Well the store does, but lets not nit-pick...check out The Daily Swatch here (it's a great pick-me-up on a sour day).

Motivation Mondays #1: The Beginning of a New Me

I've had a bit of an epiphany in the past week or so. I have been wanting to lose weight for a while now; in the 7 years since I graduated from high school I've gradually put on about 40-50 lbs of extra fat and I would guess about 15-20lbs of that in the past two years or so. I know it's due to life changes and therefore stress causing me to eat more, and eat more crap. Plus, once I got into University I just became more busy and more sedentary.

I currently stand at 173 lbs according to the new scale I bought yesterday. Which means my BMI is in the 30's (for the record for my age and height it should be between 20-25). Yikes.

Since I have a small frame, I look smaller than I do; I know you're thinking "lucky you", but this is not necessarily a good thing because it means I didn't realize how big and unhealthy I truly was until it got way out of hand. I haven't been happy with my body for years now but the real wake-up call has finally come to me.

For one, Wednesday afternoon in Boston I literally went out and walked ALL DAY. I've done this before so this is nothing new, but the difference this time is I felt like I had been run over by a truck by the time I got back to the hotel in the evening. My ankles and legs/hips hurt and were so stiff I had trouble walking the rest of my time there. Sure, it's only natural to feel tired and worn out after walking all day but someone who is only 25 years old and in good health should NOT be having joint pain and should not be THAT tired. It was not only my legs, but my back and neck that felt the tension. To make a long story short, this trip made me realize how out of shape I really am. I mean I knew I was, but didn't realize the extent. I've totally been in denial.

For two, I was in a clothing store last week and tried on a pair of pants I really wanted (and were not cut slim, I might add) and found that the Size 14 did not fit. It was so tight around my butt and hips I could barely get them up. When faced with putting on a Size 16, I was completely disgusted. I've never had to wear that size in my entire life. Now, I realize that different stores' clothes are sized differently and that everyone has different body types; I'm not trying to say that anyone who wears a Size 16 is disgusting - ABSOLUTELY NOT. You can be just as healthy at a Size 16 as at a Size 8 - it depends on your build. But this was a store that that sells clothes made for curvy women, first of all, and second of all I'm only 5 feet tall and have a small frame so a Size 16 for me is not normal.

Furthermore, I am starting to carry a large amount of my extra fat on my tummy, and not only does this make me feel unattractive, it's also extremely dangerous to my health considering heart disease runs in my family, and carrying fat around the middle is a huge risk factor for heart problems.

Needless to say I left that store in a bad mood and with no new pants under my arm. I was angry with myself and fed up with feeling fat and tired. I decided I really needed to make a change, and make it now before I develop chronic health problems, like diabetes, that I'm stuck with for life. Also, my best friend's wedding is in June and I don't want to look at the wedding photos for years to come and just be thinking about how fat I look (how sad would that be?!).

These experiences and thoughts were stewing in my mind when I read a blog post by one of my favourite bloggers, Selective Potential, about her experience losing 35+ lbs and doing it all on her own with Weight Watchers. I am NOT someone who believes in fad diets - I believe the only way to truly lose weight in a healthy way is by eating right (and in smaller portions) and exercising. I'm also not someone who likes rules or being told what to do, and I have to have freedom and flexibility in my life or I go insane. I'm also notoriously impatient and bad at sticking with things; it's not strange for me to give something a week then give it up when I don't see results like INSTANTLY. So, you can imagine how well my personality lends itself to diet and exercising.

However, one thing about me is that once something becomes routine for me, I can stick with it really well. Reading Tieka's story, and talking to my mom (who has done WW a few times before) made me realize that doing WW on my own could be just the thing that works for me. Yes, you have "rules" and have to record whatever you eat, but you also have flexibility; you can essentially eat what you want, you just need to watch portion control, and balance out the "bad" things with the good. You don't have to live like a rabbit and eat lettuce all day. Plus, all of the points values for foods are already laid out for you, so there's no guessing. You just look up the food item and record the number. Also, you have some extra points each week that you can dip into, so if you want to go out to a pub with friends and have a plate of fries you can, as long as you do it in moderation. You can still live your life and enjoy eating.

Aside from this, WW will provide me some accountability more than anything - having to write down what I eat each day will keep me "honest" and will allow me to see what exactly I'm putting in my body (which is something that's easy to ignore). Plus, my mom is going to do it with me so I will be accountable to her as well. We've agreed to talk each day about what we ate and any issues we have experienced. If I have a deathly craving, I know I can call her and she'll talk me out of it. It will be really motivating to have a "buddy" to keep me on track and share my success with.

So, starting today I will be recording everything I eat and the points values, and completing 30-40 minutes of activity daily. I would like to ultimately get down to about 125lbs, as that is considered a healthy weight for my height and age, but I know if I focus on losing 50 lbs in a certain timeframe that I will just be intimidated and disconcerted and have no chance of sticking with it. Instead, I'm only focusing on the first two weeks and the first 10lbs. I'm giving myself two weeks to be really good, to stick 100% to my diet and exercise plan. I figure if I can make it through the first two weeks, I will be more likely to stick with it in the long term because it will become routine. Plus, I figure losing 5 lbs in that amount of time is realistic and doing this will be both a boost to my ego and make a huge change in how I feel and look. 10lbs will make an even bigger difference, and because it is a perfectly attainable starting goal, won't overwhelm me and cause me to give up before seeing any results. I hope to lose 10lbs in the next month to 6 weeks and I'm not allowing myself to buy ANY new clothes until I reach that goal. I figure you can never have too much incentive!

I should mention for the record that this will be more about how I feel and how my clothes fit than the number on the scale. Scales and numbers can be deceiving and depend on many factors. I'm really just hoping to see a noticeable difference in how I look and feel in the next 4-6 weeks. I know I'm not as confident a person as I could be because I'm really not happy with how I look and feel. As shallow as it sounds, this affects how I interact with others and how I present myself. I'm not naive and think that losing 10, 20 or even 40lbs will cure all of my self-consciousness and make my entire life better, but I'm just hoping that I will gain at least gain some confidence and will feel more comfortable putting myself out there.

Wow, sorry to blab on. I usually am long-winded (no wonder no one reads this silly blog!) but I'm more so today because I'm really excited about this! I really feel like I'm going to stick with it this time. I realize it's only day 1 and I'm prepared for my motivation to go down the tubes in coming days, but I feel deep-down I really really want it this time, and that's going to make all the difference. I plan on writing a post each Monday with my results, thoughts, worries, accomplishments and issues from the previous week as this will be another great motivator for me and a way to share my experience as I'm sure there are many others like me out there who are struggling with weight as well. Not to say that my way is the right way - I really believe you have to find the right plan for you, tailored to your lifestyle and personality - but it's one way. I'm not exactly proud of the fact that I've let myself get to this size and have taken my health so for granted, but at least I'm taking charge now, and again it all goes back to accountability and writing my experiences on this blog will be another "check-and-balance".

In fact, I'd really appreciate any comments you have about your own experiences along these lines. Have you had similar weight issues? What did you do or are you doing to combat this? Please feel free to share - we are all in this together!

Wish me luck! New me - here I come!

Turning over a new...stone

My old blog has been a part of my life for a few years now, however the time has come to move on. I probably would never have a blog if I wasn't made to start one for a University course back in 2007. I wasn't as familiar with blogs as I am now and one could argue that they still weren't as mainstream as they are now. Therefore, my enthusiasm for it did not extend outside the classroom.

When blogging became more popular and I felt more confident about the things I had to say, I tried to make myself write more, but this still only resulted in a max of 5 or 6 posts a year, and in only the most rudimentary format (none of this tagging crazy-ness!). Aside from its great usefulness as a kind of daily newsletter/diary during a month-long trip to England in 2008, that blog has really never seen much traffic.

Therefore, I felt it was time for a change, for several reasons:
a) I have been following more and more blogs the past few months and admiring the lovely looks and consistency of other blogs has made me want to get more serious about mine.
b) I have been finding my affinity for writing has grown over time, particularly during this introspective year I've been having, and I wish to also take THIS more seriously by practicing.
c) 'A' made me realize how ugly, boring, and inconsistent my old blog really was and I felt a fresh start was the best course of action (in order to fulfill A and B).

So, without further ado, I present my new blog - Gathers No Moss. I realize this is a bit of a strange title but I wanted to make sure I chose a title and look that spoke both to me and about me. Of course, the title refers to a proverb that states "A rolling stone gathers no moss", which has always been one of my favourite sayings and one that I feel is a perfect metaphor for my character. Those that know me well know that I constantly need change and stimulation and movement; I go crazy doing one thing or being in one place for too long; I don't let things get me down for long, I keep going. I am constantly seeking, growing, and moving, or "rolling along" as the sub-title above states. And I plan to be constantly doing so for most of my life, whether that means internally, or in a literal sense, in the form of travelling both near and far. I sense big changes coming for me so I suppose this blog is the perfect manifestation of the hopes and thoughts attached to that.*

There will probably be many formatting changes over the next little while, as I tend to be picky about such things, while I try to find the perfect look and tone. In keeping with the aforementioned points, I plan to blog 3 times per week and my entries will have a variety of subjects - basically anything that strikes my fancy (things that happen to me, things on my mind, things that I try or attend, etc). I will strive to eventually reach a comfortable, consistent tone, look and feel in my entries. These are all tips I've read from other bloggers related to taking your blogging more seriously (and I appreciate continued feedback from any bloggers out there, including constructive criticism! That is part of the growth process for me within this medium).

Mainly I will strive to be authentic, operate according to the title and principle of this blog and grow as much as I can as a writer. Let's get rolling!!

*wow, I sound really serious don't I? Hmm 1st note to self: try to lighten up in future posts