Muse-ic Mondays: Issue 3

I love Lissy Trullie. She looks like a cross between Liz from Degrassi Junior High and a Polly Pocket. Half androgynous rock 'n' roll rebel and half cupcake-cute fashion icon makes for one stellar lady.

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Did I mention that she makes sweet, sweet music? Even her cover songs are enjoyable:

Lissy Trullie - "Ready For The Floor" (Hot Chip cover)

Goodnight moon.

Tell me when you hear my heart stop

I just saw Twilight: New Moon and I'm feeling emo. Cheesy movie, but beautiful, heart-wrenching soundtrack. Bon Iver, Thom Yorke, and Grizzly Bear, oh my!

Thinking about Taylor Lautner's chiseled abs helps lighten the mood a little, though.

Are you there, Blog? It's me, Hilary

How many times has someone told you to just be yourself? And how many times has Nike told you to just do it? So just do it! Be yourself!

Much easier said than done and I know this all too well, but we just have to take it day by day and celebrate the small stuff. Extremely cheesy, but I only speak the truth.

"Better late than never" has become my go-to motto these days. Post-graduation has been a series of major ins and outs, but every day is a learning experience.

 

Sometimes I let my hair go wild and sometimes it pleasantly surprises me. 

I also enjoy a good banana. 

So be it. 

Don't write yourself off yet.

75% ____?

Sometimes security-enhanced websites require users to submit a CAPTCHA (Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart) before posting a comment on a blog, entering a contest, registering, etc.

One of the CAPTCHAs I had to type in today was 25% reggae.

I'll take that as a good sign. Any day with a 25% chance of reggae is a pretty decent day in my books.

Anyhoo, what I really came to say is...

Happy Birthday Jane!

 

photo credit: Sarah 

Time to bust out your best 25% reggae dance moves.

Muse-ic Mondays: Issue 2

Hot new concert venue in Toronto: The Garrison (Dundas & Ossington)

To read the National Post's feature article on The Garrison, click here.

Speaking of said venue, I caught the Two Hours Traffic show there last Saturday night. The crowd was a bit tamer than I had hoped, but the venue was a nice medium size with a conversation-friendly sit-down area in the front and concert room in the back. And the bar was well-stocked with Strongbow and Jager, which nevers hurts.

 

Two Hours Traffic

These melodic indie rockers are always dropping sweet ooh-ooh-oohs at all the right moments. And ladies, they're quite the handsome bunch.

Here are a few pics from the concert (please excuse the blurriness, I'm still figuring out my new camera...and Jager may have been involved):

I've been watching you
Dressed up and talking like you're all the news
I've been watching you
Two drinks from tumbling in those dancing shoes

-Two Hours Traffic, "Drop Alcohol"

Better not pout, I'm telling you why

Around this time last Sunday, my sister and I made it to Spadina and Bloor just in time to be showered with mini-candy canes. Sweet.

Here are some pictures from last weekend's Santa Claus Parade in downtown Toronto:

Sweet ride, Mother Goose.

Ronald McDonald waves to the children... 

 ...while straddling a pole. 

Oh, childhood.

My personal favourite, brought to you by Metro (grocery chain).

Happy fruits and veggies! 

 
Western represents!

No one seems too enthused about being on a Leafs float.

Mr. Peanut, looking as classy as ever.

Two hours later, Santa arrives. Anti-climactic. Bring back Mr. Peanut!

That's better.

Drip no more

Know those hand-washing posters that greet you by the sink in almost every public bathroom these days? Well, if you haven't been washing up on the lastest restroom literature, here's an example:

For the most part, these posters are all fine and dandy with me, but I can't stop thinking about those last two steps. I can't help but cringe at the thought of all that wasted water just rushing down the drain as one goes to dry their hands and then reach for a paper towel (especially since paper towels aren't always conveniently located beside each individual sink).

It seems just as wasteful as leaving the tap running while brushing your teeth.

Personally, I'd rather turn off the tap with my sleeve or take my chances and follow-up with some hand sanitizer than leave the water running.

Yes, I'm a major stickler for conserving tap water.

Yet regardless of how a person shuts off the tap, they should always check to ensure that the water is no longer running.

I find myself turning off the tap in the ladies' room at work about 2 or 3 times a week. Hearing that low hum of rushing water or that steady drip, drip, drip when I enter a restroom is like fingernails-scraping-against-a-chalkboard to my ears.

Does anyone else feel this way, or is it just me?

Needless to say, I am a big fan of sensor faucets.

But if I were to make my own additional poster that would adorn public restroom walls, it would include the following motto and two simple steps:

"Always look behind you!"

1) Before exiting the stall, check to ensure that everything has flushed down and that no 'trace of you' has been left behind on the toilet seat.

2) After turning off the tap, make sure that the water has stopped running. If not, give the tap a tighter twist.

Just turn your head and take a look. It's really that simple.

p.s! I would probably add some flashy 80's graphics and a cute mascot like Grimace to my poster:

He looks like he needs to use the bathroom a lot.

Muse-ic Mondays: Issue 1

In last Monday's post, I promised I would start posting inspiring lyrics every Monday to gear you up and get you through the weekly grind.

But since I'm such a music junkie, why not dedicate Mondays to anything and everything music-related?

Ladies and gentleman, I now present to you Muse-ic Mondays!

First up to the plate is the London-based indie rock band, Noisettes. Not only is their music fun, catchy, and powerful, but their music videos are quite gorgeous too.

And it doesn't hurt that frontwoman Shingai Shoniwa is always rockin' mad style.

So you if you like your musical salad tossed with a little jazz, a sprinkle of power pop, a pinch of punk, and a dash of soul all smothered in sexy, edgy vocals, then dig right in:

Bon appetit!