Voicing my opinion

These are four of my favourite voices in music. A uniquely enduring voice is the staple to any band that plans on holding your interest for more than one album. They spin a vocal rhythm into songs that could never sound the same sung by anyone else. When a song comes on by any of these singers/bands, I can never bring myself to skip forward or stop listening....and I maybe even sing along in my quivering wannabe-singer voice. It's not pretty...just ask Luc.

Gord Downie (The Tragically Hip)

There was a point in my life, back in my early naive high school years, when I didn't like the Hip. I can't remember the reasons why, but somewhere along the way I was educated in the smooth pitchiness of Gord Downie's unmistakable vocals. His collaboration with City and Colour on "Sleeping Sickness" always puts me into a trance of musical appreciation. Gordie makes his grand entrance at 1:40 in this music video.

Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam)

I could never talk about my favourite singers without fawning over Eddie Vedder. He can do that sing-really-fast thing where you can't even tell what he's saying, his low notes are hypnotic and his high notes are effortless. I have my older brother to thank for leaving all his Pearl Jam albums lying around his bedroom when we were younger.

Ed Roland (Collective Soul)

Ed Roland is one of those singers whose voice is so distinctive that you can recognize him in a word. I've seen Collective Soul in concert innumerable times, one time going to concerts so close together I think it was the exact same lineup...didn't phase me though, he always blows the roof off.

Fiona Apple

How very 1990's of me to talk about Fiona Apple. At least I didn't bring up The Cranberries....another time, though. I love the way you can feel Fiona Apple's raw talent when you listen to her music. Her tone is deep and sometimes raspy without making you think (or say aloud), "wow, her voice is....really deep and raspy." You know what I mean. Check out the surprise guest star in this video.

The best things in life

-When SNL cast members break character to scream "LIVE from NEW YORK it's SATURDAY NIGHT!"
-Mixing hot chocolate powder with milk rather than water (which the package tells me is "more indulgent")
-When you can tell that an animal is smiling (my dog does this all the time)
-Making a baby laugh
-Wedding planning (I'm completely serious - it's actually really fun!)
-Getting snail mail that isn't a bill
-Hugs
-Free dessert when you're out for dinner
-Laughing so hard that you cry
-Lindt chocolate balls
-The quench of water after a really intense workout
-The airport hello (the happy antithesis to the airport goodbye)
-Melted cheese
-Laughing out loud from a book
-The view from the peak of Whistler on a clear day
-Shooting the cork off a bottle of champagne

Some interesting incidents from the weekend

-I saw 2 homeless people fight on the bus and one threw a bag of cans and hit the other in the face
-Luc and I saw Avatar
-I threw out my neck putting a bag of chips in the cupboard
-Our fish died
-We picked the song for the first dance at our wedding
-A crazy old guy on the bus taught us (and several others) the rules of 'Pickle Ball'

I wish I had the energy to write out the full story that goes along with each of these points...but sometimes a list is just as good.

The kinds of surprises that I like

-Getting to the cash register and discovering what you're buying is actually on sale
-Finding a pistachio in a bag that has already been deshelled
-Thinking it's Thursday then finding out it's actually Friday
-Going to a concert where the opening band blows your mind
-Asking for a single and the bartender accidentally makes a double
-Getting a personal TV screen on a short, domestic flight

And one of the best surprises....

-Going out with your boyfriend and he pops the question !
Last night we were out for dinner with some friends, and a few tables over a guy proposed to his girlfriend. Everyone clapped and my eyes welled with tears - thank god nobody noticed though, because I never would have heard the end of it!

Because it's my last day I...

...took an extra long break and didn't care.
...looked at pictures of lol cats when I knew my boss could see my computer screen.
...took sandwiches from a platter before it went into a lunch meeting.
...was treated to a full gossip session from the receptionist complete with all the office scandals and whispers.
...ate a double chocolate chunk brownie.
...gave out more awkward hugs than I care to mention.
...took a bunch of tupperware from the kitchen (people just leave it there....we have 4 cupboards full!)
...will get drunk on champagne tonight!

-Never buy a car without cup holders

-Starting a sentence with "OK, but you can't tell anyone" always ends up with someone finding out

-Don't give cab drivers your credit card at the beginning of the ride, they're only going to crash trying to fill out the papers while they're driving

-Karma is a bitch so don't be a jerk

-Don't EVER sit directly on a public toilet seat, it's never clean and rarely dry

-Find a boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife/partner that's your best friend and life will always be awesome

-If you have a retainer and you don't wear it, your teeth WILL move

-Don't eat pizza when it's too hot...it takes patience, but if you jump the gun and burn the roof of your mouth, the whole pizza is going to suck

-Take lots of pictures, but don't forget to enjoy the moment!

-Inserting a piece of chocolate into the centre of a roasted marshmallow is 10x better than an actual smore

-If he's not calling you, he's just not that into you!

-Don't finger or holler obscenities at other drivers, because they just might be conducting your next job interview

-There's no secret to losing weight; eat less and work out more

-Family and friends are more important than anything (even your Blackberry and your Bentley)

-And one more thing.....take off that SILLY ASS HAT!

101 Things to Do in 1001 Days!

I present to you my list of 101 things that I intend to accomplish in the next 1001 days. Check out this site to make your own!

Start Date: July 10, 2009
Finish Date: April 6, 2012

Behold!

Travel
1-Kiss Luc on the top of the Eiffel Tower
2-Check out “Antique Alley” in New Westminster
3-Go outlet shopping in the US
4-Go to a 2 or 3 day music festival
5-See a concert at the Gorge in Seattle
6-Visit Alcatraz
7-Ride a cable car in San Francisco
8-Visit an Art Gallery that I’ve never been to before

Education
9-Get a scholarship to help pay for my Masters degree
10-Save $1000 more for school than I had planned by September 1st
11-Get my Masters of Publishing
12-Get my French speaking abilities to “so fluent I’m not nervous when talking to French people in French” (sober)
13-Get a job in Publishing

Purchases
14-Buy a long, dangly necklace off Etsy
15-Get a cat or dog
16-Buy a home
17-Buy a pair of red shoes
18-Buy a Macbook
19-Buy Photoshop for my MacBook
20-Get invisalign to fix the bottom tooth that moved because I stopped wearing my retainer at night (whoops….)
21-Buy a vintage tea set
22-Buy a new camera

Dining & Cooking
23-Cook 5 recipes from Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”
24-Cook a steak dinner
25-Bake a delicious cheesecake
26-Order room service
27-Bake a batch of cookies and surprise a friend
28-Bake a pie
29-Have breakfast at the Wedgewood Hotel
30-Come up with 12 healthy “go to” dinner recipes (4/12)
31-Host a wine tasting party
32-Host a dinner party (at least 6 people)
33-Have my parents over for a well-cooked meal
34-Dine on the patio at the Vancouver Art Gallery
35-Celebrate something with a bottle of Veuve Clicquot

Reading, Writing & Watching
36-Watch an entire season of the British “Office”
37-Write a poem
38-Enter a writing contest
39-Write fan mail to Peter Mayle
40-Read 5 books in French (0/5)
41-Publish a book of my own work (photos, stories, anything!) on Blurb
42-Watch all the movies that won "Best Picture" since I’ve been alive (17/25)
43-Mail in a secret to Post Secret
44-Write the story of how Luc and I met
45-Keep a running list of all the books I’m reading
46-Draw someone’s portrait (however poorly it may turn out)
47-Read 100 books (8/100)
48-Write in to the Editorial column of a newspaper
49-Start writing a novel
50-Write 10 letters (via snail mail) (0/10)
51-Read 5 “classics” (0/5)

Physical Activities
52-Ride a rollercoaster with Luc
53-Play tennis with my cousin (and get my ass kicked)
54-Swim at the bottom of a waterfall
55-Hike into a glacier
56-Hike the Squamish Chief
57-Sleep under the stars
58-Go surfing in Tofino
59-Snowboard “Ruby Bowl” on Blackcomb Mountain
60-Ride my bike in the “Critical Mass” bike brigade in downtown Vancouver
61-Do the Grouse Grind
62-Golf on a real golf course (not a pitch and putt)

Other Activites
63-Paint my nails candy-apple red
64-Meet a bloggy blog friend
65-Post a video on YouTube
66-Do an engagement photo shoot with my friend taking the pictures
67-Participate in the 26 things project
68-Have a picnic at a park
69-Have a picnic at the beach
70-Participate in a book-giving chain letter
71-Sing a song at a karaoke bar and completely embarrass myself
72-Organize my entire iTunes
73-Watch a sunrise
74-Watch a sunset
75-Learn how to sew a button (that doesn’t fall off)
76-Get a good pair of sunglasses that I wear for more than 3 weeks
77-Get lasek eye surgery
78-Spend a day with my friend around the city taking photos
79-Do a hilarious group costume for Halloween

Things for Other People (mostly Luc, it seems!)
80-Take Luc to the spa for a massage
81-Give a homeless person a meal
82-Surprise Luc with a nice dinner out
83-Surprise Luc with a nice dinner in
84-Take Luc for tea at Secret Garden
85-Volunteer for something
86-Design and bake a birthday cake for a friend or family member
87-Donate blood

Challenges
88-Invent a delicious martini
89-Floss every day for an entire month
90-Fit comfortably into my white dress pants
91-Make use of a “word of the day” calendar for a year
92-Be able to hold a head stand for over one minute without falling
93-Audition for a commercial
94-Do a 5-day cleanse
95-Go a week without eating chocolate or cheese
96-Do yoga every day for 2 full weeks
97-Learn a song on the guitar
98-Go an entire week without checking the stat counter on my blog
99-Get down to that magic (and secret) number on the scale
100-Finish an entire “cryptic crossword”
AND OF COURSE…..
101-*Write a blog post for each item I complete on this list*

Honestly Scrappy

Saturday Jane, a fellow blogger (and a rather witty young lady, I must say) bestowed upon me a blog award...my first award, which I proudly post below.

This award comes with terms, and therefore, I present to you, ten things about myself. I must issue a warning though, this is not for the faint of heart. Please friends, try not to recoil in horror as I reveal to you secrets that I have kept pent up for years, nuggets of truth that I keep hidden away so that nobody will see the real me, things so shocking that even my closest confidantes may feel like all through these long struggles of friendship, they have never truly known the real Kristen.

1. When I was born I weighed 11lbs, but I tell people that I weighed 12lbs because that one pound makes it sound that much more awesome.

2. I order my lattes "extra hot" at Starbucks but then I always wait until they've cooled down to drink them.

3. I eat cereal for dinner more often than I'm willing to admit.

4. I have a completely irreconcilable fear of the dark.

5. I was a vegetarian for 14 years, but I ate hot dogs the whole time...OK, maybe everyone I know already knew that about me - there is a bevy of photographic evidence and one day I will find one of those unflattering hot dog eating pics and post it on here.

6. I don't know how to burp.

7. My lifelong dream has been to be on Saturday Night Live - I used to memorize the skits and perform them when I was a little kid...I actually still do that. In my high school yearbook, the last line of my grad quote says, "Look for me on SNL one day", and even though nobody would remember that, I'm still going to show up at my 10 year reunion with my tail between my legs for not achieving comedy greatness.

8. I hate the wind. I don't mind a gentle breeze on a hot day, but when the wind is whipping every single hair on my head in a different direction I feel like I'm going to have a break down.

9. I think caesars are totally gross and I really, honestly don't understand why they are so popular.

10. I'm a HUGE music lover - I'm always downloading (I mean....buying...) new songs and I go to a ton of concerts. In fact, Luc and I are going to see the Tragically Hip on Tuesday. Luc is also a huge music lover and we're currently thinking of fun ways to fit certain songs (in certain special ways) into our wedding.

And since I don't have a large group of blog friends, I inevitably pass on the award to only one person (rather than seven), whom I expect to keep the "Honest Scrap" torch burning: Chelsea, whose blog makes me cry tears of laughter.

Growing Up

Things that I loved when I was a kid, but I hate now

1. Barbie...that skinny bitch
2. Basketball
3. Wearing glasses
4. Eating carrots dipped in ketchup
5. The idea of growing up to be 6'3"
6. Sleeping over at friends' houses

Things that I hated when I was a kid, but I love now

1. Listening to hockey on the radio
2. Leonard Cohen
3. My freckles
4. Meat (except, of course, hot dogs...I've always loved those)
5. Going to the bathroom with the door open
6. Crumbling crackers into soup

Grocery Shopping 101

1. For maximum aisle blockage, park your cart diagonally, because people don't mind waiting while you decide if you need to save 50 cents by purchasing almost-expired cheese.
2. Watch as your kids dip their hands elbow-deep into the bulk food items - other people don't buy that junk anyway.
3. Let your kids eat deodorant. Why not?
4. Bring your uncle, grandma, cousins, sister, sister's kids, sister's kids' friend and your sister's kids' friend's grandma...the more the merrier.
5. Disregard stop signs in the parking lot to keep other drivers on their toes.
6. Talk on your cell phone while driving your cart with one hand, consequently running into innocent bystanders.
7. Whenever possible, walk in slow motion and linger unnecessarily in high-traffic areas.
   
8. Tell your wife, in front of everyone, that she doesn't need any more cookies; embarrassing for her, but funny for the rest of us.
9. Go into the '15 items or less' line with enough groceries to stock an army bomb shelter - that sign is really just a suggestion anyway.
10. Crash into my car as I'm backing out, then ask if you can still have my parking spot.

Four Things

I found this "four things" reading archives on another blog that I love.

Four jobs I've had
1. Snowboard Instructor - One time an 8 year old kid crapped his pants on the chairlift, somehow got it all over the outside of his snowsuit, then refused to ride the rest of the way down and walked instead, slipping all the while and leaving poo streaks in the snow. Other than that one time, it was a pretty sweet job.
2. Server - A slave to the hungry public...my Dad once told me "never get a job where you deal with people who are hungry"...he couldn't have been more right. Sometimes I still have serving nightmares.
3. Reception at a tanning salon - For one summer I worked under the terrifying reign of a psycho family, who misleadingly told me in the interview, "it's a really great place to work. If you work here, we treat you like family." Unfortunately, they were a dysfunctional family with major communication issues. But they were right, they treated me like one of them; they bossed me around, bullied me, and one afternoon one of the daughters said, "your hair looks like shit, you need to fix that. You look like you just rolled out of bed."
4. French & English Teacher - I worked at an after school learning centre for over achieving kids whose parents didn't want them around the house.

Four movies I can watch over and over
1. Amelie
2. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
3. Stardust
4. Chocolat

Four places I have lived
1. Richmond, BC with my parents for the first 21 years of my life
2. Trois Rivieres, Quebec with 3 roommates while going to school
3. Ground floor suite of a house in Vancouver with Luc, our first place together
4. Our apartment in Kerrisdale, which would be perfect if only it had a patio

Four TV shows I love
1. Lost
2. Seinfeld
3. Arrested Development
4. Dexter

Four places I've vacationed
1. Germany, France, Austria, Switzerland and Italy (on one trip with my friend- we rented a car)
2. Cancun, Mexico
3. Waikiki, Hawaii
4. Los Cabos, Mexico

Four sites I visit daily
1. I Can Has Cheezburger
2. Dooce
3. Look Book
4. BBC News In Pictures

Four places I would rather be right now
1. At my favourite restaurant, La Notte, eating a caesar salad and drinking some wine
2. On a cafe patio, under the sun, drinking a latte and reading my book
3. Lying in bed with Luc, knowing that we don't have to get up for work
4. At the movie theatre, watching the new Star Trek movie

Four people I am tagging
1. Chelsea, my only friend with a blog!!

I love lists

Reading comments on one site led me to another site, where I found this survey, and I thought to myself, "self, why not?"

What's your current obsession?
This blog; trying to "find my own voice" and post things that aren't completely boring.

What's your weirdest obsession?
Making up stories in my head - like when I'm on the elliptical on the 2nd floor of my office building, watching people cross the street and I make up stories about them and why certain people are together and where they're going, etc. Or lying to my friends and trying to make them believe ridiculous stories...but I always tell the truth after.

What are you wearing today?
I think I can be excused for my outfit-- I happen to be at home sick today (although starting to feel well enough to sit up for more than 10 mins at a time)...Luc's old, black U of S sweats and a blue, striped t-shirt with a cute little breast-pocket from Superstore's awesome clothing line, Joe.

Why is today special?
Because tomorrow is Friday and Friday is before the weekend and the weekend is the best time of the week because I don't have to work.

What would you like to learn to do?
Too much. I always write lists of things to accomplish...like learn to play the guitar, speak fluent German (I can get by, but I still get nervous about speaking in front of people), surf like a pro, cook really well....

What's for dinner today?
Not much of an appetite right now...I haven't been able to eat all day, but I've been toying with the idea of tomato soup for dinner.

What's the last thing you bought?
I went shopping last weekend and got a black cardigan, a sports bra, workout pants, a scarf, a black tank top and a grey t-shirt. What I was really looking for was a jacket or heavy sweater. Shopping FAIL.

What's your favourite weather?
Anything that can be seen here.

What's your most challenging goal right now?
Saving money for tuition...which involves avoiding these places: here, here and especially here.

What do you think about the person who tagged you?
You see, that's the sad part. Nobody "tagged" me because I don't have any friends who blog yet. Therefore, I have to read other people's blogs and take surveys like this and give them to myself. I think I'm going to change my "most challenging goal right now" to: not crying because I have no internet friends.

If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be?
Well, if I still have to work after getting this amazing house, it would be one of those HUGE places right on Locarno Beach or Spanish Banks. If this house came with an equally wonderful trust fund, it would be in the French countryside.

Favourite vacation spot?
Nice, France. But for the all-inclusive hotel experience - Los Cabos. However, there are places that I've never been to before that I'm sure could blow both of those places out of the water.

What would you like to have in your hands right now?
The remote...Luc just got home from work and the TV is giving me a headache. But seriously, a large, Reese peanut butter cup blizzard from Dairy Queen. And a hot dog in the other hand. And an advance DVD viewing of the new Harry Potter movie...because I'm going to finish that hot dog pretty fast and I need something to put in my hand again.

What would you like to get rid of?
My hair. But I have a sneaking suspicion that underneath it all lies a misshapen head that would frighten young children. I wasn't given this head of uncontrollably thick hair for no reason - someone's clearly trying to cover something up here.

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
A beach at an all-inclusive hotel where they have those beautiful, white canopy beds.








What's your favourite thing about the city you live in?
So easy: UBC campus in the fall, the mountains in the winter, the places to ride my bike in the spring (seawall, Steveston, tree-lined neighbourhoods), the beach in the summer, and all year round perks: great restaurants, tons of great concerts, good shopping, the Canucks and lots of family nearby.

If you had $150 to spend right now, what would you spend it on?

Custom, powder blue fenders for my cruiser bike.

Do you admire anyone's style?
Rachel Bilson and my friend Henghameh ...and Lady Gaga for her bold originality.

Describe your personal style.
I really don't think I could, to be honest. I don't think what I wear fits into one category.

What are three live shows that you have seen?
Cats, Hula Performance at the Polynesian Cultural Centre in Oahu and pretty much every band that I enjoy listening to.

Now I'm supposed to tag a blogger friend to do this survey too....someone start a blog dammit!!!