'Scuse Me?

The other day I was frantically running around town not at all attempting to start and finish my christmas shopping in one day doing some last minute christmas shopping.

I was at a loss...I didn't know what to get for anyone. As I get older, the more I realize that we all have way too much junk and that finding things that people want, need and don't already have..is a little bit of a challenge.

That being said...I still wanted to get my family some decent gifts for christmas.

While I perused random stores, surrounded by other morons who'd all left their shopping 'till the last minute too masses of other frazzled consumers I found myself in a dizzying haze of large conglomerations. Do I get this, or that or what could I possibly get for this person or that person.

Suddenly I wondered if perhaps I could pick up a season of a show that I know my Dad loved. Being the complete and total Daddys girl that I am, my little girl self would convince him to let me stay up late and watch it with him...always falling asleep halfway through, because it was way past my bedtime and I was doing my favourite thing; cuddling with my daddio.

So, I thought...what a fun thing I could get him. I looked at one store. Sold out. Another...sold out. Another...none.

I walked into a fourth store with little hope in my heart and already trying to think of other possible gifts he might enjoy.

I walked into the 'tv series' sections and glanced around. Nothing. Of course.

But I thought that I'd ask someone...you know...just in case that leaving my shopping until the last second hadn't TOTALLY screwed me over. .

After a few minutes of searching, I found a couple of youngins who (thanks to the nice coloured coded vest) appeared to be employees at the store. After finally gaining their attention away from each other and their oh so 'deep' conversation and directed towards the slightly irritated, slight frustrated consumer with money to burn standing infront of them I finally got a chance to speak with someone.

So, I asked if by chance they had any of the series or box sets in stock.

The boy looked at me with slight confusion, repeated the name of the series with a questioning in his voice, SCRATCHED HIS HEAD and was like..uhh...we might have it. I think that I've heard of it before....before he took off to go and check the shelf that I'd already carefully examined while I stood there with a gaping mouth wondering if I'd heard him correctly.

He THINKS that he'd heard of it before? Okay. I know that it's not a recent show. I know that it's even TECHNICALLY before MY time. And by the time I rolled around...it was already in syndication.

But WAY TO MAKE ME FEEL OLD BUDDY.

Completely and totally epic series that spanned through the 70's and 80's and and STILL PLAYS RERUNS on various stations on a regular basis. Had over 100 million viewers watch the series finale...and this kid thinks he 'may have' heard of it?!

Seriously? SERIOUSLY?!?!?!

I mean..who hasn't definitely been able to say with SOME certainty that they've at least HEARD of M*A*S*H.

I must be getting old...

Where Are You Christmas?

For some reason...I just can't get myself into the Christmas season this year.

For the longest time...I blamed it on the weather. Eight, nine, TEN degrees in DECEMBER?! REALLY?! And NO snow. What's up with THAT. That's not Christmas. Not at all.

Then, I guess mother nature started getting sick of me complaining and blaming it all on HER...because she went and dumped a pile of that lovely white stuff all over the place.

And word on the street is that she's dumping a big pile more all over the place tomorrow. And mixing it with some rain. And varying temperatures. On the one day that I absolutely HAVE to go into town.

Yeah, thanks for that one lady. Think you're so funny don't you.

Oh what a sense of humor she has. Right when I'm convinced that it'll never feel like Christmas because everything is still green...she goes and tries to prove a point. Now, it might be just me...but even after all this snow and having her play her little mind games with me...I still don't get her twisted sense of humor. Or the Christmas vibe.

So...I guess it isn't just the previous lack of snow.

Guess I can cross mother nature and her oh so HILARIOUS humor off my list of people and things to blame.

Next step...back to the drawing boards to play the blame game again.

I will find the source of my lack of Christmas-y-ness and somehow get it back.

Even if I have to eat all of the candycanes and sugar cookies I come across to do it...that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make.

Tis The Season

The Christmas season is upon us.



This, if nothing else..has proved it to me. Candy cane doughnuts and christmas scenes on Tim Hortons coffee cups? Yeah. Tis the season.

Thanksirthday

This year was a year that thanksgiving also fell on my birthday..

And what a lovely birthday it was!

First off...I can't believe that I'm 24. I don't feel like 24..although I'm not really sure what 24 SHOULD feel LIKE. I feel like I should probably be more 'grownup' and what have you by the ripe old age that is almost a quarter of a century..and I feel like 24 is a lot older than 23. At twenty three I could still get away with saying things like 'Oh, I'm only 23!' and people would look at me with their mouths dropping and be like...oh of course it's okay to go and take off and travel for a year! Don't worry about finding a job or settling down or being responsible or any of that stuff...there is no need when you're you're twenty three! You've got your WHOLE life infront of you!" But...at 24..I feel like I should probably be more responsible..kind of like people expect me to be...Like I should actually be settling down and all over this grown up and/or growing up stuff. I'm actually quite content with where I am generally in my life right now. At least, in the way that my life is moving. Yes, there are a lot of things that I would like to change and do and be in my life..but it's a slow but steady process to get where I want to be...and with this birthday...I feel as though it's time for a fresh start..and I'm determined to make this year that fresh start. A year of doing things to make the world a better place, a year of doing what *I* love, a year doing what makes *me* happy..in hopes of making myself a better person that stays like that forever, instead of just a year....I firmly believe that if you're happy, and you're committed to making the world a better place..then the world will become a better place, and you will be happier for it. And we all know that happiness is infectious (or at least, I believe it is!) and I really want to make sure that each and every day, I'm part of that.

I've never really been that BIG on birthdays though...and although I've decided that this year I'm making a commitment to change and to living the life the way that I want to...it's not necessarily the BIRTHDAY that is the starting point...it's just the way I happen to be expressing it.

Birthdays have never actually been that big of a deal to me...I'm not that big on presents...I have enough stuff as it is..and anything I need or want, I'm usually able to get it for myself..I've always been rather independent...so I don't really enjoy having people buy me gifts..I just like spending time with ones that I love...and this year was exactly that.

It was so lovely to spend the entire day with family that I really and truly care about and love beyond belief. We ate good food, went for walks, laughed, chatted, carved pumpkins, were silly and were happy.

Really, what more of a birthday can you want? :)

Mish Mash O Thanks

My family has arrived from Africa!!!

Well, one cousin and her Dad, the other cousin and their mom (my aunt) come in about 10 days!! I'm really excited that they're here for thanksgiving..even though I had to work all weekend, and am as per usual am throughly exhausted! It's just so nice to have them here...it really just puts a lot of things into perspective and gives me so much more to be thankful for.

Out of ALL of my cousins, they're definitely the ones that I'm closest with..even though we've actually never lived in the same city...It must have something to do with being close-ish in age, having very similar morals/beliefs/values and being the only girl cousins for SO long.

It's rather lovely that they're moving back! My cousin Roberta will be staying here a looong time as her and her husband just bought a house in town but unfortuantly my other cousin, Edana, will only be here until the beginning of January until she moves to Boston for a job she took here. As much as it's impressive to say 'Yeah, I have a cousin who does research at Harvard'...I'd still rather she stay HERE! Ah well...just a good excuse to visit Boston I suppose!

I'm so excited to spend more time with them and actually have a chance to REALLY get to know them..because as much as I love them and we always spend time together when we're in the same city/country/continent..but it'll be nice to spend a lot of real quality time with them :) Although I am a little worried about bombarding them with love and them becoming overwhelmed with family always wanting to spend time with them...so I'll do my best not to do that..but there is only so much that I can restrain myself...haha!

Anyways, I spent a lovely evening with them tonight, just sitting around in my grampa's basement..haha! Tomorrow they come out for thanksgiving dinner..where it's quite possible that we will all eat until we explode. I'm not even joking about how much food we have..it's kind of disgusting..in the completely, totally and utterly delicious sense of the word. We've been joking all week about how we all need to get 'Thanksgiving Pants' like Joey does in Friends.



Ha. I love that show. Classic Joey moment..right there.

So, that's basically what we'll all be doing tomorrow. You know, eating way too much and then complaining about how we ate so much, probably eating some more..and then falling asleep on the couch. At least that's my plan...I might take a little walk and take some pictures of the BEAAAAAUTIFUL fall pictures...but then..the couch *is* pretty darn comfy. We'll see how COLD it is tomorrow. Eck.

All things considering..there is a lot to be thankful for this year...I'm not scaling the Eiffel Tower like I was this weekend last year, but I am surrounded by a mass amounts of wonderful family and friends. We have far too much food...we're surrounded by the beauty that is Ontario in the fall (which by the way...is TOTALLY giving Paris in the fall a run for it's money...) ..we have our health and more often than not, smiles on our faces. It seems like the older I get..the more I realize how important it is to be thankful for the smaller things, the things that I use to take for granted..and take whatever simple pleasure I can from those :)

Oh, and speaking of getting older...there's also that pesky little thing about my 24th birthday. Which, I've decided that I'm a little bit in denial about. It's not ACTUALLY my birthday tomorrow. Nah. Buuut...more to come on that later...for today I'll be thankful that I'm still 23 for another couple hours, and not one step closer to being a quarter of a century old (AHH!)

Happy Thanksgiving Folks!