Pros & Cons

When something shitty happens, it's good to look at the positives that come out of it.  For example, I am sick yet again.  What could be good about being sick?

• Catching up on reading
• Watch some tv/movies
• Do housework (laundry, etc.)

But then you realize - oh yeah, I'm sick, therefore I don't want to do anything but shot cough syrup every six hours, chug juice, and bemoan my currently pathetic existence.

Flu: 2, Angela: 0

Guest Blog - The Zombie Edition

A while back, I thought about blogging from a zombie's perspective.  It seemed like an interesting take at the time, but these days I'm more human than zombie, and aside from the stereotypical zombie characters we're given in movies, what do I know about what it's like to be a zombie?  You guessed it - nothing!

So, like any distraction driven individual, I turned to a trusted source in my time of need, Google.  Apparently, zombies are quite the popular subject and you'll receive about 145,000,000 results for searching 'zombie blog.'  While there are quite a few sites that discuss zombie survival, movies, books, etc., there aren't very many run by actual zombies for me to talk to.  The most promising blog I managed to find was Zombie Eat Brains by Zombie Tom, but he hasn't posted anything since 2007.  I think it might have something to do with his last post outing Lindsay Lohan as a zombie.  It's a shame since Tom looked like the perfect fit to write a post about the day in the life of a zombie.  Who knows, maybe if I email him and ask nicely he still will.  Or maybe I can get the zombie from the Civic commercials to write a post but he seems really busy with work, golf and picking up girls...

Feel free to send some perspective zombie writers my way lovely readers - but not literally since I'd like to keep my brains =)

(*insert lack of brain jokes here)

Pick Me Up

I love buying presents for people.  There's something about seeing a person's face break into a smile when you've found the perfect gift for them.  The down side of this is that once word gets out, it puts a bit of pressure on you to continually find those amazing gifts.

Cue online shopping and one of my new favourite sites, Blurb.  Through Blurb, my publishing dreams are that much closer to reality as it lets you create, publish, and sell your own books.  So when it came time to put together a going away present for a 19 year old guy going away to school across the country, Blurb saved the day by helping me create the book, "Pick Me Up - Hit or Miss Lines for the Ladies." (About the book: Some people are born with natural talent and others need a bit of help.  Here are some of the best (and worst) lines to use on the ladies.  Good luck out there guys...you'll need it!)

It's a compilation of pick up lines that have been collected (and sometimes used) over the years.  Because I love all of you for reading, I'm letting you have a look through by clicking here.  I didn't leave it open to the general public on Blurb because it was personalized for one person and I assumed people wouldn't want to buy a copy of it, but you can if you really want to =)

Peruse at your convenience and enjoy!

Band Aids

When I was a kid I used to hate wearing band aids when I got hurt because they always hurt just as much to peel off as the original injury.  Instead of ripping it off fast like everyone told me to do, I would peel it back slowly because I used to believe that even though it hurt for longer, it didn't hurt as bad, so my way was better.  I'm sure this says quite a bit about the type of person I am.  Looking back, I realize I've used this method on more than just physical scrapes throughout my life.  I put off the inevitable end by letting go of small increments at a time until I have no choice but to let go. 

I wrote about saying goodbye earlier tonight (or yesterday by the time this actually gets posted) and how I like doing it just once.  What I failed to mention is the length of time it actually takes to finish saying goodbye once the process starts; it's actually quite a few hours long if I stop to think about it.  See what I mean about trying to make things hurt less by dragging it out?

Even though I've been helping other people say goodbye to Brad for the past month, I never really stopped to think about having to do so myself.  Tonight was my turn and it surprisingly didn't take that long.  A heartfelt card (that made his already emotional mother tear up) and a quick hug with the requisite, "see you at Christmas," was all it took and then he was gone.  Granted, there was about three hours between the card (which came with a pretty impressive going away present if I do say so myself) and the hug, but those hours were spent joking with the rest of the family and watching a pretty bad movie, so they don't really count.

After all the goodbyes I've already been through, I think this one might have been the best.  There was a lot of laughter and no tears.  Maybe there's something to this 'ripping band aids off' theory after all.  Or maybe it's because I know just how fast the next three months are going to go and really, he's only a click of a mouse or a quick text away.  Either way, I wasn't lying when I said I never imagined we'd be here today. 

The kid who used to be just my friend's little brother became a worthy drinking partner, a dependable shoulder to lean on, and my favourite distraction.  He's a better, stronger, and younger male version of me but I like to think we've taught each other a thing or two.  Even though things are about to shift and we'll never be exactly like this again, I know it's not the end of our story; it's just the beginning, and that makes the biggest difference of all.

Long Goodbye

Sometimes saying goodbye takes a long time. People aren't ready to let go, and other times it takes saying more than once. Personally , I'd rather just say it once and get it all over with. This particular goodbye has been coming for the past month and I'm not sure if that's making it better or worse. I guess we'll just have to wait and see once it's over.

Sing

It's cheap movie night at the theatre so naturally I took my god-daughter out to watch Glee the 3D concert.  It got decent reviews and I'd previewed the soundtrack on AOL so I was fairly confident it would be worth the discounted admission. 

In truth, it was but it wasn't.  The song selection was pretty good and fans at the concert probably got their money's worth (especially if they made it into the actual movie), but there was just something off about the whole production.  Maybe it was the fact it was in 3D (which you barely noticed), or the cheese factor of cutting real life fan stories in with the concert footage.  I truthfully liked the fan stories and the messages of acceptance and changing perceptions, but it was just too much when combined with the concert.  Or maybe it's the fact I could tell the concert itself was presented out of sequence and felt disjointed.

Maybe I'm nitpicking tonight more than usual, but I did I enjoy myself.  Would I watch another 3D concert if they decide to release another one next summer? Probably not.  If I want to watch 90 minutes of Glee, I'll stick to watching the regular episodes at home on my couch.

Last Words

Usually when a person passes away, people express their condolences to those that knew them best, and remember happier times together.  When a public figure dies, everything is increased by a hundred fold because grief is universal and can be felt by those who had no discernible connection whatsoever.

It rained today in Vancouver, which wouldn't normally be news, but it seemed fitting as news broke about the death of Jack Layton, leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP).  Putting aside political views, the country came together to mourn Mr. Layton's passing and to spread his final message for all of us.

"To other Canadians who are on journeys to defeat cancer and to live their lives, I say this: please don't be discouraged that my own journey hasn't gone as well as I had hoped.  You must not lose your own hope...You have every reason to be optimistic, determined, and focused on the future...


"To young Canadians...I want to share with you my belief in your power to change this country and this world...I believe in you.  Your energy, your vision, your passion for justice are exactly what this country needs today...


"And finally to all Canadians: Canada is a great country, one of the hopes of the world.  We can be a better one - a country of greater equality, justice, and opportunity...We can offer better futures for our children.  We can do our part to save the world's environment.  We can restore our good name in the world...we can be a better, fairer, more equal country by working together.  Don't let them tell you it can't be done.


"My friends, love is better than anger.  Hope is better than fear.  Optimism is better than despair.  So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic.  And we'll change the world."


(The full letter can be viewed all over the web, but I took the above excerpts from the NDP website)

Fitting words from a man who just wanted to make Canada a better place for all of us.  Like the other public figures we lost this summer, Jack Layton will be missed, mourned, but not forgotten.  I didn't know Mr. Layton, but tonight I feel a connection with him through the message he left.  It's a sad truth that our words sometimes carry more weight once we're gone, but that doesn't mean we can't make them last beyond our grief. 

Even in his final moments, Jack Layton believed that we can each make a difference in our home and around the world.  Time will tell if we were able to take that message to heart and do something about it. 

Jack Layton, 1950 - 2011

Puppy Love

It's so hard to stay mad
at Emo Charlie =(

We've been having some issues with the dog we adopted from my cousin who moved to Australia.  Charlie is a two and a half year old 'puggle' (part pug, part beagle) with a bit of an attitude.  He's been through obedience classes before and understands basic commands (i.e. sit, stay, come, drop) and even some unusual ones like high-five, get into bed, go upstairs, and where's ninang (which is Filipino for godmother, which would be me in this case).  


The problem now is that he doesn't seem to want to follow instructions all the time anymore.  The biggest issues are not dropping his ball while we're playing fetch, not wanting to come inside when we're done, and climbing on the couch when no one is around.  Then there's the problem my mom has; Charlie frequently runs away (anywhere from over to the neighbour's yard to the elementary school a block away) whenever she takes him into the backyard if he's not on his leash.

I'm sure it doesn't help that there are so many of us around giving commands in different ways.  Much like a toddler testing it's boundaries, it's almost like he's taking advantage of the confusion to do whatever he wants.  Anyone have any tips?  We sure could use some at this point =)