Rhonda's Favourite Movies

I go to the theatre far less often than I used to since we got a 46 inch TV. So even though I LOVE movies, I often wait until I can get them on DVD and watch them in the comfort of my own living room. This means that my favourite movies of this year may not have been released in 2009, but these are the best movies I watched in 2009:


1. Star Trek – This was a perfect movie in my opinion. The comedic timing, the one-liners, the action, John Cho…loved it all.
2. The Hangover – So, uproarious actually does describe this movie. And the Mike Tyson punch…awesome.
3. Whip It – So I love fringe sports and strong female characters and Ellen Page. I also loved the soundtrack.
4. 500 Days of Summer – Cute, slightly unconventional, Joseph Gordon Levitt is hot now…oops, did I actually write that.
5. The Watchmen – Not what everyone expected, but those were the people who hadn’t read the comic/graphic novel. I did think a lot of what was in the comic was missing, but I still loved the cinematography, the acting, and the characters.
6. Taken – This was an excellent action movie. ‘Nuff said
7. Fired Up – Pure fluff, but funny! And I love cheerleading.
8. Green Lantern: First Flight – This was a great animated movie. It was a great introduction to the Green Lantern world but still drew comic fans in with the action as well.
9. Wall-E – Loved everything about it!
10. Role Models – My gosh, I think I snorted I laughed so much at this movie and I love Paul Rudd.
11. P.S I Love you – Gerard Butler. Geoffrey Dean Morgan. Ireland. A tale about following your dreams and little adventures. This movie was sad and romantic and inspiring.

Tanya, our lists were more different than I thought…but I still see some similarities…

A Year in Music

So, I took a look at your list Rhonda, and came up with my own. Here’s what was playing in heavy rotation in my car and on my iPod this year. While not all of them came out in 2009, they were the ones I was listening to.

Albums
13. New Moon Soundtrack
12. The Pipettes – We are the Pipettes
11. The Donnas – Bitchin’
10. Billy Talent – III
9. Head Automatica – Decadence
8. Jack Johnson – Sleep Through the Static
7. Franz Ferdinand – Tonight
6. Hawksley Workman – Between the Beautifuls
5. The Kooks – Konk
4. Arkells – Jackson Square
3. The Wet Secrets – Rock Fantasy
2. Hawksley Workman – Los Manlicious
1. The Ting Tings – We Started Nothing

Songs (in no particular order)
We Walk – The Ting Tings
Ballad of Hugo Chavez – Arkells
Heads Will Roll – Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Battleflag – Lo-Fidelity Allstars
Baby’s Got a Temper – Prodigy
Good Feeling – Violent Femmes
Closer – Kings of Leon
Ulysses – Franz Ferdinand
Bad Boyfriend – Garbage
Wrong – Depeche Mode
All The Trees are Hers – Hawksley Workman
Pins & Needles – Billy Talent
Body of Years – Mother Mother
It’s Been So Long – Horrorpops
Back in your Head – Tegan and Sara
Cross My Heart – Marianas Trench
Blue Light – Bloc Party
Veronica – Elvis Costello
Banshee Song – Gob
Gold Medal – The Donnas
Feathers – Coheed & Cambria
Sway – The Kooks
Sour Cherry – The Kills
The Show – The Surgents
To Lose My Life – White Lies
Something is Not Right With Me – Cold War Kids
Salute Your Solution - The Raconteurs
Another Way to Die - Jack White & Alicia Keys
Love is a First - The Tragically Hip

10 on Tuesday: New Years Resolutions

10 on Tuesday this week is to list your 2010 resolutions. I don't normally have 10 resolutions but I do have some goals that I want to focus on this year and they are:

1. Spend less money on things I don’t need
2. Exercise more often
3. Finish what I start
4. Stop procrastinating
5. Complain less
6. Take a photo every day
7. Get rid of 1/5 of my belongings
8. Don’t accrue any library fines
9. Read 60 or more books (managed 53 last year)
10. Read more non-fiction (at least 10 this year)

Do you have any resolutions?

Year End Lists Continue

I always find it easier to pick my favourite movies than my favourite songs. So, while I try to come up with that list, here is my list of my favourite movies that came out this year.

10. Fast & Furious - just as horrible as the very first one, and that makes it awesome.

9. My Bloody Valentine - while the movie wasn't really great, it was the first one I saw in the new all 3D format. And it has Jensen Ackles - therefore, it has a special place in my heart.

8. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - it had its faults (the entire way they dealt with the Harry/Ginny relationship) but on the whole, I liked it.

7. Whip It - I love roller derby!

6. Julie & Julia - Amy Adams, you've come a long way since your one episode of Buffy.

5. District 9 - Not at all what I expected. I normally avoid movies involving aliens, but this was such a huge social commentary, specifically related to apartheid, that we were talking about it for weeks after seeing it.

4. Up (3D) –I wasn’t actually that interested in watching this movie, but having nothing to do one afternoon I went with a group of friends. Not only did we all love it, pretty much everyone ended up close to tears at some point during the movie. And then there was Doug – I slept under your porch because I love you.

3. Pirate Radio – An amazing cast. The best soundtrack of the year. Ridiculously great costuming. I loved everything about this movie.

2. 500 Days of Summer – Quirky, funny, a little too self-knowingly hip, but completely endearing.

Star Trek – Everything about this movie was awesome. Everything!


Honorable Mention goes to New Moon. Mostly because it was so much better than I expected, and has an amazing soundtrack. I feel shame over how much I liked this movie. A lot of shame – specifically related to Taylor Lautner’s 16-year-old abs.

A personal highlight of the year was getting to finally see Nightmare Before Christmas on the big screen in 3D. I’ve been trying to see this for years, but good shit just never comes to Edmonton.

Movies that didn’t live up to my expectation – 9, Where the Wild Things Are, and Coraline.

Year End Lists Start Now! My Favourite Songs in 2009

So I have been ruminating on the past year and have already started my year end lists. Let's start with songs. These are the songs that I enjoyed most this year. Maybe they were not released in this year, but I discovered them and listened the hell out of them in 2009:

1. Best I Ever Had – Drake
2. Zero – The Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3. I’m an Animal – Neko Case
4. Bulletproof - La Roux
5. Empire State of Mind – Jay-Z feat. Alicia Keys
6. Ego – Beyonce
7. Sweet Dreams – Beyonce
8. Sarah – Bat for Lashes
9. Daniel – Bat for Lashes
10. Poker Face – Lady Gaga
11. Bad Romance – Lady Gaga
12. Help I’m Alive – Metric
13. Knock You Down – Keri Hilson, Kanye West & Neyo
14. Life in Marvelous Times – Mos Def
15. Blue Skies – Noah and the Whale
16. Panic Switch – Silversun Pickups
17. Oh My God – Ida Maria
18. Day and Night – Kid Cudi
19. Make Her Say – Kid Cudi, Kanye West & Common
20. Use Somebody – Kings of Leon
21. Saviour – Rise Against
22. Dead and Gone – T.I. feat. Justin Timberlake
23. My Life Would Suck Without you – Kelly Clarkson
24. Love Story – Taylor Swift
25. Hell – Tegan and Sara
26. Alligator – Tegan and Sara
27. I Run to you – Ladu Antebellum
28. You Belong With Me – Taylor Swift
29. Boys Wanna Be Her – Peaches
30. Last Dance – The Raveonettes
31. Young Pilgrims – The Shins
32. I Wish I Knew Natalie Portman - K-Os
33. Fino + Bleed – Die Mannequin
34. Auditorium – Mos Def
35. I Am Not the Sun – The Arkells

What did you enjoy listening to this year?

Songs titled "Wake Up"

I feel like my mind is in a perpetual state of drowsiness or at least not cooperating with my desire for it to function on a higher level. In a nice bit of synchronicity, my iPhone playlist decided to play "Wake Up" by The Arcade Fire and then immediately play "wake Up" by Rage Against the Machine. That got me thinking about how often a song title is used by different bands and so I wrote this list of bands / musicians that have songs titled "Wake Up". I'm sure this is not an exhaustive list and I certainly am not commenting on the quality of these songs, but off the top of my head this is a lot.

1. The Arcade Fire
2. Rage Against the Machine
3. Coheed and Cambria
4. Hillary Duff
5. Three Days Grace
6. Slapshock
7. Korn
8. Fergie
9. Tavares
10. Alanis Morrissette
11. Run DMC
12. The Doors
13. Merle Haggard
14. Missy Elliot
15. Alicia Keyes
16. The Replacements
17. Story of the Year
18. The Living End
19. Sarah Slean
20. Orbit
21. Hanson
22. Alphaville
23. XTC
24. Powerman 5000

What am I missing?

10 on Tuesday: Thankful

This week, 10 on Tuesday suggests we list 10 things we are thankful for. These are the first 10 things that popped into my mind and I felt really good after writing this!

1. My partner – He untangles my tangles and carries the heavy stuff and hugs me just when I need it
2. My best friend – She’s known me for 15 years and hasn’t run away scared yet. That is dedication!
3. My family – They entertain me with their drama and they love me unconditionally
4. Living in Canada (no explanation necessary)
5. My job – It is challenging and offers a lot of learning opportunities even though I complain about it sometimes…okay, often
6. My Macs (G5 upstairs Mac Mini downstairs) – No silly Windows problems for me!
7. My iPhone – Can you tell I’m a Mac person? I really have no idea how I lived without this little gadget all my life
8. Libraries – I can get almost any book delivered to a library near me and take at least 3 weeks to read it!
9. All the nature parks around southern Ontario – they are beautiful and I love nature!
10. My camera! – I’ve always been a visually stimulated person yet my camera has helped me pay attention to the beauty around me more

So, what are you thankful for?

Friday Favourites: Foods

I love to cook, and also love to eat, so here are my favourite foods!

1. Spaghetti and meatballs – I make an amazing Sicilian Sunday Gravy and it is perfect with Sicilian meatballs and spaghetti
2. Lobster – Unadulterated except maybe a little garlic butter
3. Shrimp – Shrimp anything, but especially with garlic and butter
4. Bruschetta – So simple and yummy
5. Steak – Grilled medium-rare with lots of mushrooms
6. Mashed potatoes – With garlic, with skins, with gravy or with butter…yum!
7. Pancakes – I eat a lot of pancakes. I have them at least once a week
8. Atlantic Salmon – It does taste different than Pacific salmon; its better! With lemon and tomatoes and garlic.
9. Couscous – Made with chicken broth, some ground cumin and turmeric and mixed with sautéed fresh veggies
10. Sweet potato fries
11. Fish and chips! I was in heaven getting to eat fish and chips with a beer in a pub in the UK

So, what are your favourite foods?

Thursday Thirteen: What a Productive Day List!

Well, this is my first ever Thursday 13, so I am going to keep it simple. I did not go to work today (I didn't fake sick, I actually had the day off)yet, I was incredibly productive at home! Here are 13 things I accomplished today:

1. 3 loads of laundry
2. Ran the dishwasher
3. Cleaned the entire kitchen
4. Baked chocolate chip cookies
5. Baked Skor Cookies
6. Finalized my weekend plans (Yes, that includes deciding to go see New Moon tomorrow)
7. Moved a dresser back into my bedroom from the guest room
8. Emptied the garbage (Yuck, I hate this and usually make someone else do it)
9. Started a new Christmas painting
10.Made the bed
11.Cooked a healthy dinner (Mmmm, CousCous)
12.Answered work calls
13.Cleaned the master bedroom

All on one coffee and I'm not even tired! What will I accomplish tomorrow?

10 Things I Wish I Knew How To Do

10 on Tuesday today is all about things we wish we knew how to do. Here are my ten:

1. Play guitar
2. Speak Italian
3. Make pizza dough from scratch
4. Speak Japanese
5. Play piano
6. Meditate
7. Develop web pages
8. Knit something other than a scarf
9. Use Photoshop to its full functionality
10. Speak Spanish

Hopefully I actually knock a couple of these off my list soon.

What things do you want to learn?

Ten Favourite Movie/Song Remakes

While this week's 10 on Tuesday was to list either your 10 favourite movies or songs or a combination of both: totalling 10, I just could not trim it down enough. So, here are my 10 favourite movie remakes AND my 10 favourite song remakes. These are in no particular order; that would take too much consideration and I'm sure I could spend days coming up with more, but I wanna post this now

Movies:
1. The Departed; 2006 (Original: Internal Affairs; 2002) – Movie
2. Scarface; 1983 (Original: Scarface; 1932) - Movie
3. Ocean’s Eleven; 2001 (Original: Ocean’s Eleven 1960) - Movie
4. Heat; 1995 (Original: L.A. Takedown; 1989)
5. The Italian Job; 2003 (Original: The Italian Job; 1969)
6. The Thomas Crown Affair; 1999 (Original: The Thomas Crown Affair; 1968)
7. Little Shop of Horrors: 1986 (Original: The Little Shop of Horrors; 1960)
8. Cape Fear; 1991 (Original: Cape Fear; 1962)
9. Invasion of the Body Snatchers; 1978 (Original: Invasion of the Body Snatchers; 1956)
10. Casino Royale; 2006 (Original: Casino Royale; 1967)

Songs:
1. Hurt – Johnny Cash (Original by NIN)
2. I Will Survive – Cake (Original by Gloria Gaynor)
3. The Mann Who Sold the World – Nirvana (David Bowie)
4. All Along the Watchtower – Jimmy Hendrix (Original by Bob Dylan)
5. Because the Night – 10,000 Maniacs (Original by Patti Smith)
6. Heroes – The Wallflowers (Original by David Bowie)
7. Love Hurts – Nazareth (Original by the Everly Brothers)
8. Mony Mony – Billy Idol (Original by Tommy James)
9. Nothing Compares 2 You – Sinead O’Connore (Original by Prince)
10. Twist and Shout – the Beatles (Original by Top Notes)

Movies or Music Mondays: Movies That Creeped Me Out When I Was Young

I wasn't allowed to watch horror movies growing up, but I still managed to see quite a few movies that totally creeped me out. They were:

1. Nightmare on Elm Street
2. Friday the 13th
3. The Exorcist
4. Candyman
5. Poltergeist
6. Children of the Corn
7. Hellraiser
8. Watcher in the Woods
9. Halloween
10. Pet Semetary
11. The People Under the Stairs
12. Jaws
13. Amityville Horror

What movies scared you the most when you were growing up? Which ones still scare you today?

Top Celebrity Crushes

So, I suppose I'm too old for celelbrity crushes, but that's what really, are they good for anything else? :) And, i thought this would be a fun little list to do.

Guys
1. Nathan Fillion
2. Gale Harold
3. Ryan Gosling
4. Jesen Ackles
5. Jospeh Gordon-Levitt


Girls
1. Eliza Dushlu
2. Kristen Bell
3. Zooey Deshanel
4. Sara Ramirez
5. Christina Hendricks

Friday Favourites: Books...again

Ok, so I think I got wrapped up in a whirlwind of Twilight, Edward Cullen frenzy, and the last time I wrote a list of my favourite books was during that time period. I've almost kept up with my goal of finishing one book per week this year and I think it is time for me to list my favourite reads so far...These are in no particular order of "favouriteness"

1. The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall - This is a fantastically imaginative and abstract book.
2. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman - NG really is a rock star author. While I found this book to be a little too bard for children and it is found in the children's section of libraries and book stores, it is a great story and I loved it!
3. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
4. City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare
5. City of Glass by Cassandra Clare - Obviously, I loved the Mortal Instruments series. Though these are YA books, they were very well-written, the characters were interesting, and the story just kept getting better and better until it ended. BUT, the great news is, she has decided to write a fourth book and I hope she'll write even more
6. Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix - there was just so much action in this part of the Harry Potter story
7. Harry Potter & the Half-blood Prince - My favourite of all the HP books. I was really disappointed with the movie this summer
8. Some Girls Bite by Chloe Neill - Surprisingly the only vampire book that remains on my list. Very well-written, strong characters and a story that I can't wait to read more of when Friday Night Bites comes out next month
9. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley - Believe it or not, I had never read Frankenstein. What was I thinking?! It is creepy and I love it.
10. The Doomsday Key by James Rollins - I love Rollins' Sigma characters and the action in his stories is fantastic. Plus I always learn something due to the thorough research he does for his stories. Read this book to find out what is happening to all the bees!

I'm sure I'll post another list of my favourite books again before the year is over, or at least, at the end of the year. I'll be spending time catching up to make sure I read my 52 books, so, what should I read next? What have been your favourite reads so far this year?

10 on Tuesday: Bad Habits I Can't Break

1. Multitasking
2. Throwing my clothes on the floor instead of putting them in a hamper
3. Procrastinating
4. Being messy
5. Watching too much television
6. Saving too many files to my desktop
7. Not folding clothes and putting them away as soon as they come from the dryer
8. Slouching
9. Hitting snooze for an hour in the mornings
10. Not answering my phone or door unless I know who it is

Play along here

Favourite Joss Whedon Characters

Because I love everything Joss Whedon - especially his taste in actors. I included all four big tv shows and Dr. Horrible in this list, it made it much harder than if I just do the Buffy/Angelverse.

1. Captain Malcolm Reynolds
2. Dr. Horrible and Captain Hammer - I can't rank one above the other
3. Faith
4. Fred/Illyria
5. Wash
6. Anya
7. Saffron - short lived but memorably awesome character
8. Kaylee
9. Giles
10. Oz
11. The Trio - Jonathan is my fave, but they are awesome together
12. Whiskey - I know she doesn't really exist as a character yet, but I'm betting she's going to be awesome!
13. Jane
14. Paul Ballard
15. Lindsey McDonald

I could actually keep going, but I could list pretty much every character from all the shows.

My least favourite characters - in no particular order: Glory, Connor, Eve, Sierra, and Buffy.

Movies or Music Mondays: Best Movie Soundtracks

There was an article recently written by a sports writer for ESPN stating that Almost Famous is the best rock and roll movie. The article tasked it's readers with naming even one other rock and roll movie that came close to being as good...and I could not. (Link to article below post). This got me to thinking about how perfectly movies and music can blend together to create a multi-media experience for the viewers. And that made me think about my favourite movie soundtracks, so, here is my list:

1. Almost Famous
2. Elizabethtown
3. Singles
4. Reality Bites
5. Juno
6. Garden State
7. Pulp Fiction
8. Pump Up The Volume
9. Pretty in Pink
10. The Wedding Singer
11. Romeo & Juliet (1996)
12. High Fidelity
13. Reservoir Dogs
14. Footloose
15. Dirty Dancing
16. The Rocky Horror Picture Show
17. The Bodyguard
18. Grease
19. 8 Mile
20. Grosse Point Blank
21. P.S. I Love You
22. Natural Born Killers
23. Dazed & Confused
24. Empire Records
25. Breakfast Club

What are your favourite movie soundtracks?

ESPN Article

Friday Favourites: Funny Women

My favourite genre of movie is comedy. I just love to laugh. So here is a list of the women who make me laugh the most.

1. Tina Fey - From Weekend Update to Thirty Rock and her always funny photos shoots. She's the best.

2. Sarah Silverman - Sometimes I am baffled by how politically incorrect she can be, but she is hilarious none-the-less.

3. Amy Poehler - Great teammate with Tina, but also funny on her own. She has a very interesting comedic timing...she sometimes reminds me of William Shatner...and her facial expressions are priceless.

4. Anna Faris - She hasn't done as much as the other ladies no this list, but she knows how to play to her strengths and she plays the dumb, ditzy girl in a way that always makes me laugh. I like that she isn't afraid to look foolish.

5. Elizabeth Banks - She had the line in $0 Year Old Virgin about "putting it in her trunk", she was very funny in Scrubs and she was in a Kevin Smith movie about making a porn and she was on Role Models, which is one of my favourite comedies from the last year...love her.

6. Ellen Page - She is witty and sarcastic and CANADIAN!

So, who are your favourite funny women?

13 on Thursday: My 13 Favourite Vampires

1. Dracula
2. Simon from the Mortal Instruments Series
3. Meritt from Some Girls Bite (& future follow up Chicagoland Vampire books)
4. Bill from the True Blood
5. Edward Cullen
6. Selene from the Underworld movies
7. Bianca from Evernight & Stargazer
8. LeStat
9. Spike
10. Santanico Pandemonium from the movie From Dusk Til Dawn
11. Jean Paul from the Anita Blake books
12. Eric from True Blood
13. Jasper Cullen

Who are your favourite Vampires?

Movie or Music Mondays: Best Live Bands

I go to a lot of concerts, and I love pretty much everyone I see, but this is a list of my top 11 (in no particular order, cause I don't know if I can really put them in order).

1. Hawksley Workman
2. The Hives
3. Bloc Party (twice)
4. Gob (three times, four after next week)
5. Coheed & Cambria
6. The Tragically Hip (three times)
7. Bedouin Soundclash (twice)
8. Eric Clapton
9. The Offspring
10. The Wet Secrets
11. Stone Temple Pilots

There are several honorable mentions, but then that just makes the list even longer than the 10 it was originally supposed to be.

As a sublist, here are bands I'm totally stoked about seeing in the next few months

1. Billy Talent
2. Franz Ferdinand
3. Pearl Jam

I <3 Summer

So, I've been totally negligent with my lists. Here's a list of the reasons why:

1. Camping - as often as possible in the very short Alberta camping season
2. Concerts - usually at least once a month, more whenever possible
3. Birthdays
4. New awesome movies

I haven't spent a weekend at home in over a month, so it's difficult to sit down and come up with a list. I'll try harder though.

Movies or Music Mondays: Top Summertime Songs

These are the top summertime songs...what makes it a top song? Well, frankly, it is a song that mentions summer or is about summer that I enjoy or used to enjoy.

1. All Summer Long – Kid Rock
2. Steal My Sunshine – Len
3. Summer in the city – The Loving Spoonful
4. Dancin in the Street – Martha and the Vandellas
5. Strawberry Wine – Deanna Carter
6. Chattahoochee – Alan Jackson
7. School’s Out – Alice Cooper
8. That Summer – Garth Brooks
9. Cruel Summer – Bananarama
10. Summer of 69 – Brian Adams
11. Summertime – Sublime
12. In the Summertime – Mungo Jerry
13. Sunny Afternoon – The Kinks
14. Summer – War
15. Summertime – DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
16. Summer Nights – John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John
17. You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth - Meatloaf

What are your favourite summertime songs?

Friday Favourites: Favourite Summer Activities

The weather is finally hot, and summer is finally here! These are my favourite all-time summer activities.

1. Swimming
2. Hiking
3. Blowing bubbles
4. Barbecues
5. Watching fireworks
6. Attending small-town festivals
7. Looking for fireflies
8. Picking wildflowers
9. Eating ice cream
10. Reading in a park

Not that many of these can't be done during other seasons, but there is something extra-special about them in the summer.

What are your favourite summer activities?

Movies or Music Mondays

Okay, another theme to keep me posting regularly (hopefully). Each Monday, I'll post a list related to either movies or music...name makes sense now doesn't it?

Today: MY favourite romantic comedies of all time. Not "the best" or "the highest grossing", but favourite.

1. Sweet Home Alabama
2. Notting Hill
3. 10 Things I Hate About You
4. Serendipity
5. Benny & Joon
6. The Wedding Singer
7. Pretty Woman
8. Splash
9. Forgetting Sarah Marshall
10. The American President
11. Pretty in Pink
12. Groundhog Day
13. Love Actually
14. 16 Candles
15. Clueless

Am I forgetting a movie that you feel should absolutely be on this list? Which rom coms make your favourites list?

Fruity Deliciousness

Rhonda, your list of fruits is delicious sounding, so here's mine:

1 Peaches
2 Raspberries
3 Pineapple
4 Watermelon
5 Blackberries
6 Strawberries
7 Granny Smith Apples
8 Pink Grapefruit

mmmm, we're finally starting to see decent fruit showing up at our farmer's markets. stupid weather throwing off the growing seasons.

Friday Favourites: Favourite Fruits

As summer approaches (in date, not in temperature since it is mighty cold still in Ontario), I am day dreaming about fresh fruits and vegetables from farmer's markets. As such, here is a list of my favourite fruits:

1. Watermelon
2. Mango
3. Strawberries
4. Blueberries
5. Bananas
6. Pineapple
7. Fuji Apples

Yum, yum, yum. What are your favourite fruits?

Friday Favourites: Bands with "the" in their name

Okay, a musically-themed list for today. These are my favourite bands with the word "the" in their band name.

1. The Roots
2. The Pogues
3. The Donnas
4. The Cranberries
5. The Tragically Hip
6. The Pretenders
7. The Arcade Fire
8. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs
9. The New Pornographers
10. The Flaming Lips
11. The Ramones
12. The Raconteurs
13. The Shins
14. The Philosopher Kings
15. The Cardigans

So, what bands with "the" in their name do you love?

Taking my cues from Rhonda

So, after reading Rhonda's list, I put my own together.

1. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland / Through the Looking Glass - Lewis Carroll (my all time favourite book ever)
2. Parenthesis - Julian Barnes
3. The Harry Potter Series - The Half Blood Prince is the best of the bunch
4. Son of a Witch - Gregory Maguire
5. Monkey Beach - Eden Robinson
6. The Giver - Lois Lowry
7. Some Girls Bite - Chloe Neill
8. Persuassion - Jane Austen (So that this one doesn't sound like the pretentious english major choice, I feel the need to mention that I hate almost everything else by Jane Austen)
9. Written on the Body - Jeanette Winterson
10. The Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. LeGuin

There are so many others, but if this is "probably" the top ten.
The Twilight Series is a super guilty pleasure that is totally escapist reading, but I don't think I can include it in the list of favourites.

Friday Favourites

Hmm, I’ve been thinking that one way to get more lists out of myself is to start some themes…so here is my first shot at one: Friday Favourites!

I’ve been spending A LOT of time reading the last couple months and I have been very pleased with my rekindled relationship with books. In celebration of this fact, here are some of my favourite books:

1. American Gods – Neil Gaiman
2. Ender’s Game – Orson Scott Card
3. A Long Way Down – Nick Hornby
4. Microserfs – Douglas Coupland
5. Snow Crash – Neal Stephenson
6. All of the Sigma Force Series – James Rollins
7. The Pendergast books – Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child
8. Evernight & Stargazer – Claudia Gray
9. Some Girls Bite – Chloe Neill
10. The God Delusion – Richard Dawkins
11. The Twilight Series – Stephenie Meyer (yeah, I know, but I really did like them)

So, anything on here you love too?

What are your favourite books?

Websites that both take up time in my boring work day, and keep me entertained

1. http://www.pinkisthenewblog.com/ - a website that combines celebrity gossip, without being super snarky, and a love of all things Joss Whedon.

2. Facebook - this is pretty self-explanitory

3. http://www.cakewrecks.blogspot.com/ - when professional cakes go horribly wrong.

4. http://failblog.org/ - random weird stuff

5. http://www.fastpasstv.com/ - i get to watch all my tv shows without wasting my time with cable / http://www.discoverychannel.ca/ - canada's worst handyman / driver - what i consider to be the best reality shows

6. http://www.laserportraits.net/ - hehehehe school portraits, we've all got them

7. http://www.illwillpress.com/ - it's an angry squirrel - enough said. although, i will admit, the last few months, they've been getting less funny, but the old ones are alwaysgood for a laugh.

8. http://www.necromance.com/index.php?resolution=800 - weird fun stuff

9. http://noisebot.com/ - great and funny t-shirts

10. http://www.worth1000.com/default.asp - fun with photoshop.

Friday Fill Ins # 125

1. Moving is exhausting.

2. Money for nothing and chicks for free. (hehehe, I want my MTV)

3. My best quality is my compassion.

4. The devil is in the details.

5. In nearly 10 years, I hope to be a successful independent business owner.

6. Excitement is what I need right now!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to relaxing and watching a movie with some air-popped popcorn, tomorrow my plans include hiking and photography followed by a trip to the movie theatre and Sunday, I want to savour my last day of vacation!

Happy Friday everyone! Find Friday Fill Ins here

10 on Tuesday: Favourite Cities

1. London, England: Magical city, like being immersed in history
2. Hong Kong: Colourful, vibrant and energetic
3. Toronto: Again with the energy, culture and just plain awesomeness
4. Halifax: East Coast!
5. Colchester, England: The castle, the hip shops, the craft stores, the perfect pub!
6. Manila: Such a different world from my own
7. Bangor: More East Coast!
8. Portland, Oregon: The only city on this list where I've never been, but I dream of it. I've wanted to live in Oregon since I was 11.
9. London, Ontario: It is where my best friend is!
10. Saint John: The people and the music are great

What are your favourite cities?
Go here to see the favourites of many others: Ten on Tuesday

Friday Fill-Ins # 124

1. If we had no winter I would miss the snow.

2. I wish I were struck with a perpetual astonishment.

3. If I had my life to live over I would take better care of my body.

4. I hope to be fully enjoying my vacation inside of four and twenty hours.

5. If you've never been thrilled you're missing all the fun.

6. To be interested in the changing seasons is to see beauty everywhere.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to barbecue, tomorrow my plans include starting my vacation off right and Sunday, I want to make jewelry!

You can play too! go to Friday Fill Ins

Reasons to go see Star Trek

1. Young James Tiberius Kirk is HOT!
2. Sylar is a fantastic Spock.
3. "I'm giving all she's got Captain"
4. The action scenes are poetic.
5. "Damn it man, I'm a doctor not a physicist"
6. It has a truly interesting storyline
7. John Cho!

Really, you must go see it.

Things That Indicate I'm Not Ready for Kids

So, I'm at that age where people keep asking me when I'm going to have kids. Here are some reasons why I'm not... I like kids, I just want to be able to give them back when I'm done with them. :)

1. The only beverages I regularly have in my house are coffee and water.

2. I got a plant a week ago. I've already forgotten about it, and when I stumbled across it today, it's already half dead.

3. When my nephews cry or scream, I mock them and then explain how silly they're being (they're one and two years old)

4. Car seats take up a lot of room.

5. I purposefully park in "parent" parking stalls, because I believe your kids can walk across the parking lot.

Things to keep you away from blogging during March and April

1. Finally watching Twilight and realizing what all the fuss is about…
2. Buying the book and reading it in 4 hours.
3. Watching the movie again because you are left alone for a day
4. Buying the remaining 3 books in the series
5. Ferociously reading them, hanging on every page, finishing over 1500 pages in 3 days
6. Look up anything you can find about the next movie
7. Realize there is far too little information about this movie on the Internet
8. Resorting to reading fan-fiction to get your fix
9. Reading the books again and realizing that you still flip the pages a little too urgently considering you already know what happens

This post could easily be titled, "How I was turned into a teenage girl at age 30" or "How I became obsessed with a vampire named Edward".

I hang my head in shame, but I am thoroughly enjoying myself. If you can get past the fact that the writing is not that great, you should read the books. Truly, they are a great bunch of stories intermingled together in a way that could make any sane woman swoon.

Friday Fill Ins # 114

1. Emptying the office dishwasher was my last random act of kindness.

2. Another place another time.

3. I reside in matters of the heart.

4. Coffee, tea or hot chocolate.

5. I like to follow separate paths.

6. Our society reminds me that there is love everywhere.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to relaxing, tomorrow my plans include going to see The Watchmen and Sunday, I want to bake & make some crafts!

Try your own fill in

A Rhonda, By any other Name is still a Rhonda

I've had a fair share of nicknames in my day...as you can see:

1. Pro-star – I was a little cocky on the rugby field, which earned me this nickname
2. Swiss Miss – I do not get involved in all the squabbles between friends. I remain neutral and I do not gossip about my friends, so they started recognizing that
3. Shake – In high school, I dated a guy whose nickname was Small Fry because he was one of the smaller guys on the rugby team. Everyone thought it was hilarious to refer to us as Small Fry & Shake
4. Da – There really is no way to shorten the name Rhonda without calling me Ron, which I do not like. My best friend decided it was acceptable to call me Da for short
5. Small Paw – Part of my heritage is Native Canadian and I have VERY small hands
6. Care Bear – I was called this because I am a very sensitive person and I’m very compassionate
7. Baby – I was a smart ass and said I’d never date a man who called me “baby”...and yet we've been together for more than 10 years and I love him dearly
8. Pikachu – I never got into the whole phenomena, but I did love this little guy
9. Crazy Koala – I am a little hyper at times (especially if you give me caffeine) and I am a little vicious…combine those and I remind someone of a koala
10. Rhondz – Supposedly this is the “hip” way to say my name…young people today!

Is 10 nicknames a lot for a person to have over their life? What nicknames have you had and what is the story behind them?

Do You Remember?

So, I’ve been talking with people lately, and childhood keeps coming up. I mention toys and shows I remember, but no one else seems to know what I’m talking about. I decided to base my next list on the things I seem to remember, but no one else does, except my sister.

1. My Child and My Child Pet dolls.
2. Hugga Bunch Dolls and the awesome made for tv movie.
3. The My Little Ponies movie – the scary one with the guy that turns the ponies into dragons
4. the Centurions cartoon. These three guys that wear flying suits and save the world.
5. Barbie and the Rockers - A blatant rip off of Jem and the Holograms, but I loved both series and collected the dolls from both of them. Barbie always covered songs from the 60s, which I loved, so I think that was the attraction for me.
6. Rose Petal Place – Kind of like strawberry shortcake, but instead of desserts, they’re all different types of flowers. Daffodil was my favourite.
7. Fluppy dogs – adorable floppy dog cartoons. It took me a long time to remember the name of this one.
8. The Wuzzles – combinations of two animals in one like bumblelion and butterbear
9. The Get Along Gang – they lived in a caboose or something, that’s all I really remember
10. Square One TV – specifically Mathnet. Crime fighting with math – long before Numbers did it.

Favourite Best Picture Winners

In the spirit of all those who love the Oscars, here are my favourite movies among all that have won the honour of "Best Picture"

The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Unforgiven (1992)
Braveheart (1995)
Rocky (1976)
Million Dollar Baby (2004)
Gladiator (2000)
Chariots of Fire (1981)

What are your favourite Best Picture winners?

The If List

The If List

So, Rhonda has invited me to contribute to her list. Partially in an attempt to spur into more posts, but also because I like to make lists as well. So for my inaugural list, I am writing the if list. Not a what if list, that implies that you could change the course of your life if certain things were different, but a list random thoughts about if certain things can/had occurred.

If I had been a teenager in the 60’s, I would have danced on American bandstand, or at least danced while I watched the show and been jealous of the people who got to do it.

If I could be any Joss Whedon character, it would be Fred. This includes having my innards liquefied and skin turned shell-like to become the awesome Illerya character.

If I owned my own restaurant, it would serve different ethnic cuisines on different days.

If I had been allowed to change my name as a child, I would now be named Sabrina – after the character from the Archie comics.

If I could give one piece of advise to Hollywood “it” girls, it would be to eat a cheeseburger.

If I could create one completely unrealistic machine (like a time machine kind of idea), it would be one that allows you to zap yourself into a book and become the character of your choice for the duration of the novel.

If I could create my perfect world, it would be free of bananas, lilacs, cashews and birds (except for chickadees).

If Rhonda lets me keep posting after this, I’ll be pleased.

That’s it for now.

Things I love but wish I didn't

Sorry for the absence...I'm back now though. I've spent some time on the couch recently because of a calf-muscle injury and I'll admit that I did not use this time wisely, which got me to thinking about my guilty pleasures. You know, those things you love but don't want anyone to know about? Well, I am showing my true colours here world...these are the things I wish I did not love

1. Celebrity gossip
2. Walmart
3. Starbucks
4. Colouring books
5. Gratuitous movie violence
6. Cheesy movies (Sweet Home Alabama is my favourite)
7. Really catchy pop music
8. Everything about the 80s (ok, I admit this all the time)
9. Facebook
10. Punk-pop sung by whiny man-boys
11. The (slight)misery of others; you know, when someone slips on ice and gets a bruise, not anything too serious (sad but true, I would have fit in with Jerry & Elaine)

So, am I totally hopeless? What are some things that you wish you didn't love, but do? Come one, I won't tell anyone!

Friday Fill Ins # 109

1. I'd really like a vacation/a nap right now.

2. Frack! is the word you'd most often hear me say if I stubbed my toe.

3. Possession is 9/10 of the law. (Cliché I know, but it is what first popped into my head)

4. I heart Captain Jack Sparrow.

5. Marshmallows and fire go together like spaghetti & meatballs.

6. I can always go on and on.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to sleeping, tomorrow my plans include hosting a Crafterday for some great friends and Sunday, I want to be lethargic all day and then cheer at the tv during the Superbowl as the Steelers win!

Do your own here: Friday Fill Ins

Friday Fill-Ins #108

1. Oh, I am so happy!

2. I love changes, big and little.

3. During January, I dream big & plan.

4. Return an engagement ring from Johnny Depp!; are you kidding me???

5. Right now I'd like to be sitting at home, knitting.

6. My iPhone & my camera are my favorite gadgets. (I could not pick between them)

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to watching some DVR’d television, tomorrow my plans include organizing and posting things on eBay and Sunday, I want to drink hot chocolate with whipped cream!

Favourite Comic Book Heroes & Heroines

1. Wonder Woman
2. Thor
3. Daredevil
4. Batgirl
5. Robin - Tim Drake
6. Batman
7. Invincible
8. Spiderman
9. Pixie- She’s an X-Man in the comics X-Infernus & Uncanny X-Men
10. Captain America
11. Green Lantern - Kyle Rayner, not one of the others
12. Wolverine
13. Rogue
14. Kitty Pryde
15. Lilandra from the comic Fallen Angel

Does anyone out there read comics? Who are your favourite heroes & heroines?

Also, I'm working on a list of my favourite villains, but I can't figure out what makes a villain worthy of being a favourite...Is it the most despicable? Those who are conflicted about what they do? Those who are villainous for a noble cause? I'm not sure yet, but check back soon for this list.

Friday Fill Ins - # 107

1. Enough with the stingingly cold weather.

2. Craft sales cause me to be conflicted. (Do I really need all this stuff?)
3. I've been craving chocolate cupcakes.

4. Talking animals on tv/in movies make me laugh.

5. I wish I could go to Florida next week. (I am not handling the weather well this winter)

6. Starting my own business has been on my mind lately.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to eating moose sausage for the first time, tomorrow my plans include cleaning and organizing all our belongings which had been sitting in our parents’ house for 7 years and Sunday, I want to Bake!

Go here to do your own Friday Fill In: http://fridayfillins.blogspot.com/

Winter Survival List

Today, the temperature outside was minus 24 degrees Celsius when I left for work. That is very cold, so on point, here is a list of my winter survival items:

1. Mittens - not gloves, your fingers stay warmer when they are together as opposed to being alone in one little finger compartment of a glove
2. Tea – Especially peppermint and Chinese Green Tea; they warm you up quickly once you are inside
3. Hand-knit, natural fibre scarf - my alpaca wool scarf keeps me warmer than any other I have
4. You need a toque (a winter hat)most of your heat will escape thru your head if you do not wear one
5. Lots of craft projects, movies to watch and things to read so you go outside as little as possible – When it is this cold, it is acceptable to stay inside for 3 days in a row without leaving your house!
6. Layers - I am not a fan of having one big thick coat. I like to wear at least three layers but I do ensure that my coat is wind and water resistant, this really helps with snow and wind chills
7. Winter boots that are actually warm and water-resistant - these are actually hard to find unless you wear clunkers and sometimes those are hard to trot around in
8. Lip balm and facial moisturizer - The cold sucks ever bit of water out of you and you need all the hydration you can get
9. Hot chocolate

What do you need to get you thru the winter?

2009 Resolutions

So, what are your resolutions for this year?

Friday Fill Ins

1. It's January; __and it is cold___.

2. __Breathing thru my nose___ is what I crave most right now.

3. Cork and wine go together like ___????__.

4. __Oatmeal___ is so nourishing.

5. Let us dare to __believe in ourselves to achieve our goals in 2009___.

6. ___I love____ my home.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to ___sleeping__, tomorrow my plans include __baking banana bread___ and Sunday, I want to __relax and enjoy some playoff football___!

Go here to participate: http://fridayfillins.blogspot.com

List; The First, Reasons I am starting this blog

Reasons I am starting this blog:
1. I luv writing lists
2. I like sharing lists with other people
3. I like it when people discuss my lists with me
4. I like reading other people's lists
5. I had a goal to start a blog and this one seemed like the most fun at the current time

Welcome, here I will share lists with you fairly regularly. Come back and let me know what you think of my lists and provide me with your ideas too.

Upcoming list: New Year's Resolutions that I am not likely to keep...