Enjoying a glass of wine should be easy....

So, my bff gifted me with a bottle of wine back in May for being her maid of honour. I decided tonight to open said bottle of wine. Not an easy feat! The bottle had been sealed in wax which a beautiful touch. But sealing a screw top bottle in wax is not smart, especially when the wax does not easily peel off (is peel the word I want??). At first, thinking it was a cork, I merely inserted the cork screw and figured I could pull the cork out with the wax. This is when I discovered it was a metal screw cap. AWESOME!



So I started to use a knife to try and chip away the wax. It was stubborn. And almost cost me a finger and possibly my eye. I sent a text out asking for a blow torch. Whoever answered first was guaranteed to share the wine with me. Shout out to J Dubya K for responding and promising to bring one by...later. I couldn't wait for later (is this a sign of alcoholism?? Meh!).

I continued working the wax with a knife and considered using a lighter, heat from a candle, even the stove. Finally a chunk of wax came off and VICTORY was mine!



Now I am enjoying the fruits of my labour (do you see what I did there???).

This seems to be the way my life is going these days. Having to work hard and put my life at risk for life's luxuries. Sigh....

Just a few notes on a Wednesday

1. Chapter 2 is here! I love this feature and hope it continues. BSC in BEE style = ♥

2. On Friday, I am having a 90s dance party in my cubicle. Are you on twitter?? Join me by sending me links to awesome 90s dance videos (or 90s music in general, I loved it all) using #90sdanceparty. (follow me!)

3.My fortune cookie told me today that I would be going on an adventure at the seaside!! Exciting and I wonder when (and how) this is going to happen. I'm in need of both an adventure and some seaside.

4. Just to get you in 90s dance party mode, can I suggest this and this?

Today's Tarot Card Reading (according to facebook apps)

Page of Swords Reversed
You need to learn to trust people. Relax your expectations a bit. Not everything can be equal at all times. Inequality may be the deciding force in this situation, and you must accept this. A need to be more spontaneous. Free yourself from the rules and regulations. You are seen as steadfast and unwavering in your judgment. Throw caution to the wind and live a little.


Fair enough Tarot, but I think one of my main issues is I trust people too much. But it also means I expect a lot out of people too.

In other news, my little nap most likely means another all nighter for me. I wish I could sleep normally again. I wish for a lot of things...

PS. Watched The Runaways earlier this evening. Excellent movie. I also watched An Education earlier this week, which I highly recommend as well.

Quote

"Once in awhile, in the middle of an ordinary life, love gives us a fairytale." ~ Anonymous

I stole this from this blog. Read her blog...it is always filled with honesty and hope.

Paraskavedekatriaphobia

Today marks one of our culture's most superstitious days -- a day when bad luck is lurking in the corners just waiting to pounce on the first victim to walk under a ladder or perpendicular in the path of a black cat. This day has such a stigmatism surrounding it that an entire movie franchise was developed highlighting just how bad one's luck could be. If one decided to be friends with a group of happy-go-lucky partying teenagers who drag said person out camping at Camp Crystal Lake.

But maybe, just maybe, this isn't a movie about bad luck or a play on superstitious ways. Maybe this is actually a social commentary, a warning if you will or a PSA about what happens to kids who mess with drugs and underage drinking (not to mention pre-marital sex!!). What if, during the era of excess known as the 80s, kids were watching videos of rock stars on the new awesome MTV and wanted to emulate these celebrities and their wild ways? What if, the old Reefer Madness wasn't sending the right message to a jaded, materialistic youth who believed Reefer Madness was even funnier when one was high? What can our culture do? Who are we going to call?? Ghostbusters?? No.

Enter Jason Voorhees -- the new, faceless, drugs-are-bad serial killer.

Horror movies have rules which, thankfully, Wes Craven explained to us in Scream:

1.You can never have sex.
2.You can never drink or do drugs.
3.Never, ever, EVER, under any circumstances say "I'll be right back", 'cause you won't be back.

There are other rules if there are sequels of course, but let's stick with the original rules and ask why. The answer is pretty simple -- get across the message to teenagers that these things can lead to you losing your life and society once again gains control of the rebels who will make up our future. And what better way to say that drugs, drinking and pre-marital sex may cost you your future than by having images of a teenager's peer on the big screen be chopped apart in the most gruesome ways possible?

It's something to ponder while watching horror flicks that seem to all have the same recipe for success.

Or maybe the creators of the horror movie franchises just knew their audience was most likely drunk and high on dates that might lead to something more sinister than hand holding. When you know your audience, you know what to put on the screen to scare the living daylights out of them.....

Anyway, a toast to my favorite goalie (who I have never seen play a game) on his day --maybe all he needed was a hug and there would have been less blood on the ice.

Happy Friday the 13th :)

A Life of SPARKLERS!

Life is short so I've decided to make every day a celebration - complete with sparklers! Good thing I have quite the supply of them at home right now :)

Everyday I am going to find some reason to light a sparkler. Yesterday it was in honour of Mr. Hogan's birthday. Today it's because Chuckles sent me a text to tell me reasons why she was so happy, also because my favorite breakfast special happened this morning.

Who knows what the rest of the week will bring - except it should be full of SPARKLERS!!

My childhood meets my angsty teenage self

Check out this link to see how The Babysitters' Club would be written American Psycho style! I love when two of my worlds collide. :)

Thankful Tuesday

♥ tiger ice cream
♥ coffee
♥ finishing a course assignment and getting one step closer to finishing the course

Can I still make a choice with a flip of a coin?

I have been struggling with something for a couple of weeks now. Trying to figure out the best course of action and a decision needs to be made ASAP. I might have to walk away from something I love, something that has served me well in order to pursue important dreams of mine and give those dreams the 110% they deserve. I am afraid that I am going to disappoint people. But I don't want to end up disappointing myself in the end.
I know what I have to do. And I know it's the best decision for everyone involved. I just worry about the future too much....I need to stop should-ing all over myself. ;)

The Road Less Travelled: things I learned from Riverdale

I read The Archie Wedding series last night. I originally was buying the installations, but then missed a few so was happy to get my hands on the "Will you marry me" comic which had the entire story neatly bounded together.

Archie is worried about life after graduation and goes for a walk...up memory lane (do you see what they did here???) where he comes to a fork in the road. He decides to go left which leads him to ask Veronica to marry him, they live an indulgent life on her family money, have twins and life is good. What I learned in this segment was the four principles of a good marriage that Archie and Ronnie lived by:

1. Communication
2. A sense of humour
3. Work at it like it's your job
4. Be each other's best friend

I also learned that sometimes a girl can be jilted. Betty loved Archie and was devastated when she learned that he chose Veronica. But she acted graciously, kept her head high and was happy for her best friends.

Archie decides in his life with Veronica one evening to go for a walk and comes upon Memory Lane once again, and once again decides to walk up it. He chooses the right path this time at the fork in the road and is transported back to right after university graduation. He seeks out Veronica again to ask her to marry him, but listening to her plans for the future, realizes he could never fit into her jet set ways. So he takes Betty aside and asks her for her hand forever. It's the girl-next-door's dream come true. This actually makes me sad for Betty, because Archie still originally chose Veronica. I believe that Veronica will always be Archie's true love and I wish Betty would find someone who will love her as much as she is worth.

Betty and Archie's life is dramatically different from his life with Veronica. At first Archie can't find a job due to the recession and the two live off Betty's earnings as a junior buyer at Sacks 5th Ave (so clever, those Riverdale writers -- other favorites included Mall Warts, Storebucks and Spiffany's). This doesn't work out due to some class clashes with Betty's boss and the two return to live in Archie's parents home and teach at Riverdale high. It is soon announced that Betty is pregnant and they too have twins.

In this segment, I learned that Betty deserves more. She puts all of her dreams on hold for a guy and bows down to a "best friend" that tries to upstage her as the Maid of Honour at Betty's wedding. I am very thankful that I have the greatest best friend in the world. In this segment we also find out that Midge and Jughead get married! Midge always deserved more than Moose who was super controlling and angry all of the time. That was a real highlight for me to read. I do feel a little sad for Big Ethel though...always a bridesmaid it seems :(

Anyway, while with Betty, Archie decides to go for a walk one evening and stumbles upon (wait for it...) Memory Lane. He walks down it and runs in to Jughead -- high school Jughead -- who wants to know where Archie has been as they have homework due for the next day's poetry class. Archie has been transported back to his present day and all has been restored in Riverdale. The writers want to keep the readers guessing as to who Archie will eventually marry, but I honestly think it will be Veronica. She was his first pick both times. And Betty deserves to be more than some one's second choice.

★ ★ ★ ★

“To be a star, you must shine your own light, follow your own path, and don't worry about the darkness, for that is when the stars shine brightest”

Library Lusting

My dream home will have a library in it. I imagine big windows, dark wood, cushions, a chaise, plants. It may not be an entire wing of the house, it may just be a small den or a place under the stairs, but it will be a place that offers refuge from the outside world. I Googled home libraries today for some inspiration. All images are from Google (such a lazy way to credit someone else's work I know, but with new Google image layout, I don't even need to click the picture link to copy it) The picture in the left hand corner made me laugh...I added it because of that, not because it would be my dream library. Apparently it was a window display for a home renovation store. :)

Keep your eyes on the sky!

Apparently the sun's surface has erupted which means as it's hurling its plasma at us, we can get a pretty light show in the sky. I am not sure if you need to be in certain areas to see it -- the article says Northern states and other countries...in Calgary I have witnessed the Northern lights on numerous occasions, but long to witness it from the clear skies of the territories some day.

Read this article for more information...although it is from CNN and I suppose I could find a better source online to confirm this.

What else is there to do on a hot Tuesday night in August, but watch the stars and possibly see Mother Nature's pyrotechnics?

Wish I was here today...

image from google images

Reading Paris times Eight by Deirdre Kelly today.
Wish I was sipping a latte at a cafe surrounded by beauty.