Wednesday, December 31, 2008

2008 RoundUp: Most Listened Music

Last.fm was one of my many many web discoveries of 2008. Not only is it fun to see what your friends are listening to, and share your playlists but it is a very handy tool when it comes to reviewing a year of music listening.

So, according to Last.fm (and after removing podcasts, radio shows and movie soundtracks that were accidentally left on repeat one night...) here is my top 10 listened to artists of 2008.

10 David Bowie
09 Liam Lynch
08 Relient K
07 Kate Nash
06 The Wombats
05 Morrissey
04 Flight of the Conchords
03 Jason Mraz
02 Robots in Disguise
01 The Smiths

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

2008 RoundUp: The 71 New-to-Me Flicks of 2008

Here is the full listing I mentioned in my previous entry, of movies watched in 2008.
NOTE: My rating is based solely on the level of my own enjoyment of the film, not necesserily on the quaility of said film. I do enjoy a crappy zombie flick.

JANUARY
24 Hour Party People (*****)
I Am Legend (** 1/2)
Green Street Hooligans (****)
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (*** 1/2)
Dawn of the Dead (2004) (** 1/2)
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (***)
Capturing the Friedmans Documentary (**** 1/2)

FEBRUARY
Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story (**** 1/2)
St.Trinian's (*** 1/2)
Talking Canadian Documentary (***)
Diary of the Dead (*****)

MARCH
F**K: A Documentary (***)
Penelope (*** 1/2)

APRIL
Sunset Boulevard (**** 1/2)
Return of the Living Dead (***)
Return of the Living Dead Part II (** 1/2)
FleshEater (****)
Undead (**** 1/2)
Forgetting Sarah Marshall (**** 1/2)

MAY
Teeth (**)
Tonari no Totoro (*****)
The Ten (****)
Learners
(*** 1/2)
Wet Hot American Summer (**** 1/2)
Sex and the City (***)

JUNE
National Treasure 2 (***)

JULY
Hellboy II: The Golden Army (*****)
Hellboy (****)
Motel Hell (**)
Hellboy Animated: Blood and Iron (****)
Hellboy Animated: Sword of Storms (*** 1/2)
Dark Knight (*** 1/2)

AUGUST
Step Brothers (****)
Pineapple Express (****)
Tropic Thunder (****)
Meet the Spartans (*)
Killer Pad (***)
Hamlet 2 (****)
The Boys & Girls Guide to Getting Down (*****)

SEPTEMBER
Chain of Fools (***)
Zack and Miri Make a Porno (****)
American Zombie (****)
Amélie (****)
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (***)
Young People Fucking (****)
Slacker Uprising (****)
Sicko (****)
Orlando (**** 1/2)
Fetching Cody (**** 1/2)

OCTOBER
À Bout de Souffle (Breathless) (****)
The Conversation (*** 1/2)
Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist (****)
El Espíritu de la colmena (*****)
The Astronaut Farmer (**)
Blindness (*** 1/2)
Lakeview Terrace (** 1/2)
Thirteen Ghosts (*** 1/2)
Brazil (**** 1/2)
I'm Reed Fish (****)
Iron Man (****)
The Baxter (*** 1/2)

NOVEMBER
Tank Girl (***)
How to Lose Friends & Alienate People (***)
Mon Oncle Antoine (****)
Wisecracks (****)

DECEMBER
WALL·E (**** 1/2)
Bam Margera Presents: Where the #$&% Is Santa? (*** 1/2)
An Evening With Kevin Smith (**** 1/2)
An Evening With Kevin Smith 2: Evening Harder (**** 1/2)
My Name is Bruce (*** 1/2)
Sold Out - A Threevening with Kevin Smith (**** 1/2)

2008 RoundUp: Favourite Movies.

I began this year with the goal of watching 100 movies I had never seen before. Needless to say, I did not succeed. However I did get to see 71 new-to-me films, and I don't think that's too shabby!

I saw a lot of great films this year, but after much deliberation, I have come up with my top 10 films I viewed for the first time in 2008.

The most enjoyable movie I saw this year was:
The Boys & Girls Guide to Getting Down (2006)

Followed closely by (in no particular order)
24 Hour Party People (2002)
Diary of the Dead (2007)
Tonari no Totoro (1988)
Brazil (1985)
Sunset Boulevard (1950)
Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)
El Espíritu de la Colmena (1973)
Undead (2003)
WALL·E (2008)

Honourable Mentions:
Wet Hot American Summer (2001)
Orlando (1992)


I didn't see too many terrible flicks this year, but the ones I did see were stinkers indeed.

The overwhelming loser was:
Meet the Spartans (2008)

Followed by:
The Astronaut Farmer (2006)
Lakeview Terrace (2008)
I Am Legend (2007)
Zack Snyder's Dawn of the Dead (2004)

Despite this year's failure, I am trying again for 100 new-to-me movies in 2009.
Wish me luck!

Monday, December 29, 2008

Music Monday: David Bowie



One of the things I enjoy most about coming home is the inevitable playing of SingStar with the family. My mom most recently picked up SingStar Legends, which features some amazing tracks including previous Music Monday entry This Charming Man by The Smiths.
It also features one of my favourite Bowie songs: Life on Mars?
It's a really fun track to sing along to, and my sister Courtney and I do a rather.. enthusiastic.. rendition of it.

Also worth noting is how similar to Bowie's my eyes looked after my eye surgery in June.



I think if I ever need the surgery again, I should do my makeup like his. Why yes, I AM easily amused.

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Santa Baby

Happy Christmas!
I know, I know I am late with this post but it has been a busy couple of days.
A very good kind of busy though.

Santa was very good to me this year.
He brought me an Xbox 360!
My very first gaming console!

Bundled with the system was 5 games: Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures, Kung Fu Panda, Turok, Gun and darkSector. Also included with my gift was Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore 2.

I must have been on the extra good list this year.

I am absolutely loving everything about my Xbox. The dashboard is super slick and easy to navigate. I love the wireless controller. I am finding the layout of it quite easy to use, and I can be confused easily. Also, the new Xbox Experience is so neat! Creating an avatar was fun, and I really do think it looks quite a lot like me.

I haven't had loads of time to pour into playing during this bustling holiday season, but I have played a little bit.

I was up before 5am on Boxing Day to go line up at Future Shop and check out their sales. While I didn't pick up anything that was on sale, or the game I was looking for, I did decide to grab Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. I AM SO GLAD I DID. I really didn't get to far into this but I am already blown away. First of all, the title and music for Star Wars intros always gives me big nerdy goosebumps, and this was no exception. Next, I really don't want to give spoilers for the game but HOLY COW! Being a huge Star Wars fan, and playing through that first section made me giddy as a schoolgirl. It also seems as though this game is going to have an awesome story to go along with it.
I was also completely flabbergasted at the graphics. They were completely breathtaking and I was playing on a standard def television. I cannot imagine what it would look like in HD! Can't wait to get back to playing some more.

I picked this baby up at Walmart today using the gift card I got from my Grandma. Please excuse my language, and Grandma cover your ears, but HOLY SHIT. I have no words for how amazing this game is. To quote a completely overused movie quote: it had me at hello. From the very beginning of the first cut scene I was completely enthralled. I like to think of myself as a zombie movie buff, and that little thing had me captivated, had more suspense and was more thrilling than a lot of actual feature films. And it did the trick by showing me what exactly I had gotten myself into and ramped up my energy for the first assault. Again, I don't want to give any spoilers, but I played through the first solo campaign and had so much fun, combined with so many "HOLY SHIT!" moments. I am so very excited to give the multiplayer a go with a bunch of my friends. Hands down, best game I have ever played.

And on a completely unrelated Christmassy note.... HOW AMAZING WAS THIS YEAR'S DOCTOR WHO CHRISTMAS SPECIAL?!

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Music Monday: The Killers

This is it folks!
The last of my Christmas Music Mondays for 2008.
Okay okay. So I missed Monday again.
It's 3:17 Tuesday morning, but since I haven't been to sleep, it's still Monday night to me.

I saved my favourite for last.
Not a classic at all, but I find myself wanting to listen to this song throughout the whole year.
I also absolutely love the video. It was directed and edited (maybe also shot?) by amazing actor/artist/filmmaker Matthew Gray Gubler.
I really cannot say enough good things about Gubler, so I'll save the gushing for another day.
Long story short, I love his style and highly recommend buying the video on iTunes to view it in all its full resolution glory.


Thursday, December 18, 2008

Recent Aquisitions: PreChristmas Comic Goodies

Ahh, Christmas break. I amazingly have an entire month off so I am hoping to get some hardcore reading done.

I seem to have a bit of book A.D.D. though. Currently I am working my way through Something Wicked This Way Comes (Ray Bradbury), When You Are Engulfed In Flames (David Sedaris), The Portable Door (Tom Holt) and wrapping up Watchmen.

All that didn't stop me from picking up a few things at a local comic book shop before moving home for the holidays.

I've been meaning to pick this one up for a while now. As I am sure I have mentioned before I am a HUGE Hellboy fangirl. Love the movies, love the animated features, really love the comics. And since my favourite character of the franchise is Abe Sapien, my bookcase was sorely lacking without this trade sitting on it.



This is a series I have been wanting to read but for some reason never got around to picking up. It really interests me as I am similar in age to the main characters and since it is set in Toronto, I am familiar with a lot of the locations. I figured now was a great time to start reading since book 5 comes out in February and a film is in the works starring Michael Cera and being directed by my favourite director, Edgar Wright.



This one was an early Christmas present from my friend Damian. I don't know much about the Love and Rockets series (apart from what I looked up on Wikipedia after recieving the gift) but from what I can tell, this is going to be quite an enjoyable read. Can't wait to get into this one.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

What You Wearing Wednesday



It is so strange being home for the holidays. I still feel overwhelmingly stressed out, yet I have absolutely nothing to worry about.
I am done college. What am I so tense about?

Anyway, today this is my doing laundry and working on my Christmas cards outfit.
The scarf was $5 but I do not remember where I got it from. I got the Protest the Hero t-shirt at Warped Tour in Detroit this summer.

Hopefully I'll have some Christmas cards to show later today!

To join 'What You Wearing Wednesdays' visit Fi at her blog.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Music Tuesday?: Jonathan Coulton

In all the excitement of moving home from college for the holidays I missed putting up my Music Monday post yesterday!

This week's musical selection is another animated video. This time it is for the song Chiron Beta Prime by Jonathan Coulton and is perfect for anyone looking to spice up the holidays with a little glimpse of the post-apocalyptic future of mankind.
This fun little ditty is a musical letter from the Anderson family who are celebrating Christmas on an asteroid penal colony under the watchful eye of their robot overlords protectors..
Enjoy!

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

...when you're having fun

Well these past 4 years really flew by.
Tomorrow is my last day of classes.
Forever.

Next semester is just internship.
ONE MORE DAY of being a student.

After tomorrow I will have no more term papers.
No more exams.
No more grades.

I guess this also marks the end of seeing the insane/amazing people that are my classmates everyday.
Some of them are moving into the big city next semester.
I am not.
I will be an exciting commuter.

I hope everyone makes an effort to stay in touch but I know there is a good chance that, besides graduation, I will rarely if ever see some of these people again come January.

I suppose now is the time for growing up.
In a few months I am graduating and have to start living an adult life.
I have to find a career.
And make new friends.
And try to find a social life outside of college.

I don't know if growing up suits me.
I suppose that's why I chose film making.

Monday, December 8, 2008

Music Monday: Relient K

Yet another Christmassy treat for all of you!
This week I bring you the absolutely adorable animated video for Relient K's version of the Christmas classic Sleigh Ride.

I love their cover of this song, and their entire Christmas album, Let It Snow Baby... Let It Reindeer, as well!
Definitely check it out if you can.

17 Days til Christmas!



Relient K - Sleigh Ride from gotee on Vimeo.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Eye Spy Something in My Garden

I have a new game for Sundays!
After the end of This Is..., the lovely Cindy over at bugandpop took up the torch of hosting a new meme to fill the blogging void in our Sundays.

Eye Spy is a game where a new blogger is assigned every week to choose something for the rest of us to "spy". This week the theme is "Eye Spy Something in My Garden" brought to us by Curlypops.

I live on the 18th floor of an apartment building and at the moment my plant stand is empty as it is far too cold and snowy out now for my balcony garden. However there is a gorgeous bit of nature that graces me with its presence every evening as I work on my trusty laptop.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

What You Wearing Wednesday

Sorry that it's dark and only my upper half again. I still have no camera of my own (Christmas is coming!).

My entire outfit today I got from Penningtons. Simple black scoop-neck tshirt with puff sleeves, a super cute houndstooth bolero and jeans (not pictured). All items are from the MXM line.
There is little choice for plus sized apparel (let alone hip, young and plus sized) in my hometown, so MXM is often a lifesaver.

I like not looking grubby at school everyday, though I may have been a bit over dressed for my Lighting and Grip Tech class. Although, the gray in the bolero did match the gray in my work gloves...

To join 'What You Wearing Wednesdays' visit Fi at her blog.

Monday, December 1, 2008

Music Monday: Selma Blair & Rainn Wilson

It's December 1st! How the heck did that happen?
Two more weeks of classes and that is it for me. FOREVER!
And just a few weeks til Christmas. It is officially my favourite time of year.

I'm going to be honest with you. I've been listening to Christmas music since November 1st, but I thought I'd spare you until a more reasonable time.
So for the next four weeks leading up to the big day, Music Monday will be featuring holiday tunes.

Starting off with a bang, I bring you this week my all time favourite holiday song. I have about 5 or 6 versions of it on my holiday playlist.
This version is from this year's GAP Christmas commercial series and stars the amazing Rainn Wilson and Selma Blair. Quirky, fun and I love the choice of role reversal!

Saturday, November 29, 2008

scheDUEL

*Thanks to the incredibly generous

Here are my answers!

Still feeling totally inspired by the handmade issue of mankind mag from my favourite
design blog.
Q What is the blog author's first name? ANSWER: Erin
use the first letter - LETTER: E

We like to keep lunch casual, I've found some fabulous BBQ recipes for the big day.
Q What type of meat is pictured on the rotisserie? ANSWER: Lamb
use the first letter - LETTER: L

Getting some great ideas for upcycling (my favourite craft) & enjoying the revamp over at this fabulous craft website.
Q They list everyone's favourite mama as one of their inspirational sites. Which mama is she? ANSWER: SouleMama
use the second letter - LETTER: O

Looking forward to being able to buy handmade at the shopping shindig with the craft book Queen.
Q What type of car is pictured? ANSWER: Volkswagen
use the first letter - LETTER: V

All these letters unscramble to reveal:
LOVE is all you need.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

What You Wearing Wednesday

With the both On My Desk and This Is coming to an end there was a void in my blogging life I desperately needed to fill. Thankfully along came Fi at Dearfii with the idea for a What You Wearing Wednesday!

Sorry for the dark and shoddy webcam pic. I still am cameraless after mine died an untimely death on Halloween.

Today I am wearing a cute yellow cardigan from Bluenotes and an organic cotton halter from H&M (as well as some jeans from I am not sure where and my awesome new winter boots which I will speak of on a later date).

I actually got a lot of compliments today. I have been trying to get away from the plain old tee and jeans I usually go to class wearing and it seems to be paying off!
Also, my friend Martin noted "You are wearing eye makeup!"
Yes, world. It seems Erin is growing up.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Crafty Update

It's been hard lately to find time to sit down and do anything crafty what with school, trying to find an internship and working on three different short films at once. However, I got some me-time last night and put together my first card in a while for a special someone's birthday.

I can't show it to you yet, in case she is reading this blog, but I'll put up some pictures as soon as I get word that she received it in the mail.

I CAN tell you that everything I used was brand new. I took them all out of their packaging as I was putting the card together. Most excitingly I used Glossy Accents and Stickles for the first time! And I think I am in love!

Monday, November 24, 2008

Music Monday: The Kinks

Since I mentioned the tune in my Lush Review please enjoy a live version of The Village Green Preservation Society by the Kinks with a special bonus song Waterloo Sunset.



Starting next Monday - December 1st - Music Mondays will be featuring CHRISTMAS MUSIC every week leading up to the big day!

Shop Spotlight: Bake it Pretty

I love baking, but the Amanda at Bake it Pretty takes it to the next level.
They make baking art.

They have something sweet for every stage of the process, from baking to decorating to packaging.

Best of all they have WORLD WIDE SHIPPING.

And just look at their new Vintage Cupcake Kits!



Speaking of which, there is a giveaway happening over at Amanda's blog where you could win a $30 gift certificate to the shop to pick up some adorable baking goodies for yourself!

Whether you need a present for the baker in your life or want to make your holiday treats extra special, there's something sweet there for you.
You'll be the talk of every holiday party!

Friday, November 21, 2008

LUSH Review

I have just stepped out of a wonderful LUSH bath concoction which I am now dubbing :

A Walk in the Sunny Countryside



Sunny Side Bubble Bar + English Countryside Bath Bomb + B Electro Soap + Squeaky Green Solid Shampoo = AWESOME.

After a full day shooting outside yesterday in the not so sunny winter weather I was feeling rather sick today. What better way to feel better than soaking in an amazing bath that gives the feeling of laying outside in the grass on a warm and sunny day.

The Sunny Side bubble bar gave loads of golden iridescent bubbles and an orangey citrus scent. When the bubbles began to fade I tossed in the English Countryside bomb. What a treat! A fresh flowery scent with sandalwood and it releases the most gorgeous green colour to the bath water.

However, if you do not like having 'things' floating around in your tub with you, stay away from this bomb (Or put it in a nylon before popping it in!) This bomb also releases a ton of dried flowers, little silver confetti bells and fabric butterflies.

When the bubbles were completely dissipated I was left with amazing green water with the most beautiful shimmering gold swirling throughout. It was really something to see. I didn't want to get out of the tub!

To complete my bath I washed with B Electro soap, a bright neon yellow on the bar as well as in the lather! (Much brighter than the picture appears) With it's fun colour and uplifting grapefruit & fennel scent, it never fails to put me in a sunny mood. I finished my springy bathtime journey with my favourite solid shampoo, Squeaky Green.

I felt so good once I got out of the tub!

The only downside to this bath cocktail is what you're left with once it's over. A tub covered in gold glitter and full of dried flower bits!

For added effect use this cocktail while listening to "The Village Green Preservation Society" by The Kinks.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Music Monday: The Dresden Dolls

This weekend I was on set working on an experimental short film. We were shooting a ridiculous drunken party where all the characters were dressed garishly and had incredibly pale faces with darker lips and eye makeup.
The sound guy unwittingly became an extra in the film and came out looking like Brian Viglione from the Dresden Dolls.
As a result, my favourite Dresden Dolls song was running through my head the entire night.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

This is... my favourite thing from nature

Bleeding Hearts
Bleeding hearts. My favourite flower.

Broken and Beautiful
The broken and beautiful.

Nowhere Fast
When it reclaims urban areas.

My Own Calm
Spending time in the quiet of a forest with a good friend.

Me and My Shadow
The moments that take your breath away.


All images copyright Erin Kys (All rights reserved)
To check out more "This is..."s and get in on the fun check out three buttons.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Music Monday: Jason Mraz

Ahh Jason Mraz. Number 1 on my lists of artists I NEED to see live.
He's been in my top artists for over 6 years and I still haven't seen him in concert yet.

This has to be my favourite live performance video ever. Jason Mraz walking though the streets in France while playing one of his newer songs, 'Live High'.

Just awesome.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

This is... my favourite quote

My favourite quotes are constantly changing. I literally have pages and pages of quotes scrawled in notebooks, saved as .txt files, scribbled on scraps of paper.
There was no way I could narrow it down to one (seems to be a recurring theme..)
I will however leave you with four very different quotes from very different sources.

Gerbera

Be kind; everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.
-Plato

*****

Low-fat food makes you very depressed, I think it's bad for the skin, and I actually quite seriously think it's bad for women reproductively. I once read a book by an endocrinologist saying that fat is one of the things that regulate fertility.
Quite apart from all that, I think it's very difficult to create balance in flavor if you're [cooking] rigidly low fat. It's surprising how just a teaspoon of olive oil dribbled on a minestrone at the end, for example, can lift it into another dimension. Fat doesn't just give [food] taste. It gives it depth and tone.
In a way, to be afraid of fat is to be afraid of food. And to be afraid of food is to be afraid of life. I sort of feel: Everything in moderation and occasional excess
-Nigella Lawson

*****

Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you? Hmm? Hmm. And well you should not. For my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the Force around you; here, between you, me, the tree, the rock, everywhere, yes. Even between the land and the ship.
-Yoda

*****

It's difficult to believe in yourself because the idea of self is an artificial construction. You are, in fact, part of the glorious oneness of the universe. Everything beautiful in the world is within you. No-one really feels self-confident deep down becuase it's an artifical idea. Really, people aren't that worried about what you're doing or what you're saying, so you can drift around the world relatively anonymously: you must not feel persucted and examined. Liberate yourself from that idea that people are watching you.
-Russell Brand



To check out more "This is..."s and get in on the fun check out three buttons.

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Dear NBC.com,

Hey, how's it going NBC.com?
I hope this letter finds you well, but we need to have a little chat.
Are you mad at me NBC.com?
Why then have you changed your video players to no longer allow me to watch your videos since I am in Canada?
It hurts my feelings.

I just want to understand why, NBC.com.
Don't push me away!
I don't want to have to start seeing other people.
I can't even reminesce over the good times, since all my past blog posts regarding you now say "We're sorry, but the clip you selected isn't available from your location."

Just tell me what I did wrong NBC.com.
If I can change, and you can change, maybe the whole damn world can change.

I miss you.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Yes we can? Yes you did!

Two days later and I am still taking it all in.
Barack Obama will be the 44th president of the United States.
Well done America, well done!

Even as a Canadian I can feel the power of the moment and what this means for change not only in America but the entire world.



On the other hand... California? We need to have a little talk...

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

A Quick Reminder....

To all my American friends:

PLEASE VOTE!!

We're all counting on you to change the world!

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Hallowired.

Another Halloween has come and gone. So sad. I wish Halloween was a week long event. Or, ya know, every day. I love everything about it. Carving pumpkins, making a sweet costume (you gotta DIY it! It's way more fun than store bought! And way more original!), seeing everyone else's sweet getups, some of the best parties of the year...

This year I went the nerdy route with my pumpkin
Get it?

I also went an equally geeky route with my costumeIf you are not familiar, I went as Ash from the Evil Dead series (and MUSICAL!), complete with homemade paper mache/juice jug chainsaw hand. I'd like to think it was a big hit.

It's sad to think I need to wait another whole year to do it all again.

On an upnote, I can now start listening to my Christmas playlist and get down to organizing the annual Secret Santa event!

I love the holidays!

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

On My Desk...

On My Desk... #3

For the next two months I am foster mom (aka Baby Mama) for my friend Mike's new pet snake. He said that since it's not a pet that comes when you call, I can name it whatever I want for the coming months. How fun!
I think I am going with Greedo or Chomsky.
What say you?

I'll try to get better pics of him when he comes out of his little rock house.

For more desks and to get in on the meme check out Kootoyoo

Monday, October 27, 2008

Music Monday: Saturday Night Live Digital Short

This Music Monday is a little different than the others.
I planned on doing the usual post of one of my favourite artists but this week's digital short on SNL featured an absolutely hilarious song and I just couldn't not post it!



Anyone else met any guys like this?
I sure have, and Andy has them down to a T!
Plus it is super catchy.
I need this on my iPod.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

This is... what I'm surprised I like

This week's 'This Is...' theme is from Victoria at Earl and Cookie


(This is the season 2 promo... Season 3 just began last Monday on Showcase)

I am not a huge hockey fan, so a show called Rent-A-Goalie never really appealed to me.
Little did I know that lurking at 9:30 on Showcase was something so funny, and so undeniably Canadian.
Now it's one of my favourite shows.

To check out more "This is..."s and get in on the fun check out three buttons.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Music Monday: Adele

Adele sort of reminds me of a cross between Amy Winehouse and Kate Nash. She's only 20 years old and her voice is so soulful and gorgeous.
This video of her singing Daydreamer is my favourite. So pretty.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

This Is... My favourite film(s)!

This week's 'This Is...' theme is brought to us by Hokey.

I tried and tried and there is no possible way for me to narrow it down to just one favourite movie. I had a hard enough time getting it down to 10! I ended up grouping films in the same series together as one in order to keep my numbers down.

So here I present you, the trailers for my 10 favourite films (in no particular order)

*please note: not all trailers may be suitable for all audiences or appropriate to view at work*

It's All Gone Pete Tong

Funny, powerful, incredible sound design.

24 Hour Party People

Great music. Really funny. Steve Coogan is a legend.

Dawn of the Dead (ORIGINAL)

I chose Dawn to represent my adoration for George A Romero's 'of the dead' zombie flicks (Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead, Land of the Dead, Diary of the Dead). I CANNOT GET ENOUGH OF THEM.

Evil Dead 2

I have still not seen the first of the Evil Dead trilogy, but Evil Dead 2 and it's successor 'Army of Darkness' have been high on my favourite movie list for many years. Absolutely hilarious, and made for an amazing MUSICAL. Bruce Campbell is my hero.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Hellboy is my absolute favourite superhero. Love the comics, love the movies, love the animated flicks.

The Boys and Girls Guide to Getting Down

I decided to check out this movie just because Jeff Davis is in it, but walked away surprised and pleased. The movie was really funny and extremely fun to watch, though it is definitely not for everyone.

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

Quirky and fun. I find that either you love the movie or you hate it. I LOVE it. I could just sit and watch it in mute and thoroughly enjoy watching the cinematography and the choices of colours. It's a great little film. Plus JEFF GOLDBLUM.

Star Wars: Return of the Jedi

I have to question any geek who doesn't include a Star Wars film on their favourite movies list. The original trilogy is an amazing story with breakthrough special effects. Most people love The Empire Strikes Back the most, but my favourite has to be Return of the Jedi. (I still live in a happy land full of denial when it comes to the new trilogy... Let's never talk of them again...)

Shaun of the Dead

The first of Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright's "Blood and Ice Cream" trilogy. The second is Hot Fuzz and the third is the yet to be "The World's End". Wright has an amazing way of shooting that even the mundane become extremely exciting visually. Pegg and Wright's writing seems silly - and it is - but on repeated viewing (and trust me I have repeated) you can see the literally hundreds of movie references and little touches that make the script infinitely complex. They make it look so easy, I don't know how they do it!

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

The movie that got me into filmmaking. Monty Python has literally changed my life and showed me that I never have to grow up and I really can make a living being silly. I have spent hours on end watching, quoting and dressing up as characters from the Monty Python movies and televison show. And when I say hours, I mean one time my friends and I had a Monty Python-a-thon and watched 9 1/2 hours, including on the dvd player in my van on the way to McDonalds to get lunch.

To check out more "This is..."s and get in on the fun check out three buttons.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Halloween Costume in Progress

Day 231
Can you guess what I am going as for Halloween?
More clues to come, leading up to the big day!

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

On My Desk...

On my desk... #2
(click the photo to be taken to the flickr page and see the goods better)

On my desk today is my delicious new LUSH HAUL (and also my Tim Holtz cases)!
There was a party at the Lush store at the Eaton Centre so not only did I buy some goodies, I got lots free too!

Expect reviews of products to come.

For more desks and to get in on the meme check out Kootoyoo

Monday, October 13, 2008

Music Monday: The Smiths

This Monday I present to you This Charming Man by The Smiths.
I can rarely get ready to go anywhere without singing the line "I would go out tonight, but I haven't got a stitch to wear..."
Also, the way Morrissey is flailing the flowers around reminds me a lot of Leek Spin.
And it makes me laugh.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

This is...

Another new meme! This one is hosted by Three Buttons.
Every Wednesday a theme is posted and every Sunday you post your answers.
This week's theme is 'This is... my current reading material'

my current reading material

I have quite a few on the go at the moment.
(from top to bottom)
  • Terry Jones' War on the War on Terror - Terry Jones
  • Something Wicked This Way Comes - Ray Bradbury
  • The Fat Girl's Guide to Life - Wendy Shanker
  • Marvel Zombies vs Army of Darkness
  • Calcium Made Interesting - Graham Chapman
  • Hellboy: The Chained Coffin and Others - Mike Mignola
  • Sark's New Creative Companion - Sark
  • Watchmen - Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons
  • Film Production Management 101 - Deborah S. Patz

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

On my desk...

It's that time of the week again!
Time for me to unveil another one of the blog's new weekly features.
This one is a meme called 'On my desk...' and it comes from Kootoyoo

Every Wednesday I'll be showing a snap of my desk and what I am currently working hard on
(or is it hardly working?)

On my desk... #1


My desk this week is a small one. And a geeky one at that.
(click the photo to be brought to the flickr page for larger views)

On my desk today you'll find:
  • my beloved MacBook Pro
  • Nintendo DS Lite
  • Watchmen graphic novel
  • Boba Fett keychain
  • paycheck from my last music video job
  • sunglasses

Next week I'll have a much bigger desk to blog about. This weekend is Canadian Thanksgiving, so I'll be going home for a few days. When I come back up to my apartment I am bringing a proper desk as well as all my cardmaking and stamping supplies!
Oh how I've missed them!

For more desks and to get in on the meme check out Kootoyoo

Monday, October 6, 2008

Music Monday: Hot Chip

Welcome to the first installment of Music Monday, the first of several new weekly features for this blog. The rest will be introduced throughout the rest of the week.

Every Monday I will feature a video from a band or artist I like. 'Citin' isn't it?

This week's video is the music video for the song "Ready for the Floor" which is my favourite song by the band Hot Chip.



If you like what you hear be sure to check out their official site

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Saturday Night Live Digital Short: Space Olympics

I have had this song in my head since this Saturday's premiere of SNL.
Way to set the bar high for the digital shorts for the rest of the season!

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Colour Inspiration 17


After a two challenge hiatus I am back for colour inspiration #17. This challenge was, well challenging! My mother, and fellow stamper, is away for the week and took most of the card supplies along with her. No cuttlebug, no cropadile, no heat gun! I found several times when I figured out my newest plan, I would discover another key element was not available, so my design had many many many revisions.

I tend to overthink my card designs, so having very limited supplies gave me the opportunity (aka forced me) to think simply.

I am quite happy with what I came up with.


Thursday, July 3, 2008

colour inspiration 14


Today was a day of firsts for me. I made my first card (see previous entry). I used a CUTTLEBUG for the first time! And now I am finally posting my very first entry for Kristina Werner's Color Inspiration Challenge!

I currently don't own any Stampin' Up! supplies, but I read in a previous challenge that it is fine to just match up colours as best as you can, so that is what I did!
The base card stock really is closer to "river rock" than it looks in the picture.

On a side note, I think I need some of those Johnny Cupcakes t-shirts!

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

sweet baby boy


sweet baby boy
Originally uploaded by RonnieMarie
My first ever handmade card!

My awesome cousin Kaitie gave birth Sunday night to a beautiful baby boy.

I made this card for her and her new son (my soon to be Godson) Cooper.

The design was inspired by THIS POST from the KWernerDesignBlog

Thursday, June 26, 2008

The Surprising Adventures of Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

Have you ever seen the show That Mitchell and Webb Look?
It's damn hilarious.
Especially the sketches called 'The Surprising Adventures of Sir Digby Chicken Caesar'
Everytime I hear the music from it I die laughing.

Evidently Richard likes the tune as well.


Monday, June 16, 2008

Hamming it up

Hoarding
Today is great.

Went to my followup eye appointment and the surgery worked perfectly.
The hole is completely closed and I get to keep my eye jelly right where it is!!

Also, I am a new mommy to a dwarf hamster named Richard.
He is awesome.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

crazy eyes


crazy eyes
Originally uploaded by RonnieMarie
Here's the deal.

I got a call at work yesterday from my eye doctor telling me to call the specialist asap.
I called the specialist and they told me to go to their office asap.
I go in and they put some drops in and took some pictures and told me that I needed to have surgery the next day.
I had a hole in my retina and also the retina was lifting up.

This morning at 8:30am I had Argon Laser Photocoagulation.
It hurt. Not a whole lot but more than I expected.
I have to go for a followup on Monday to see if it worked. If not I need major surgery where they take all the jelly stuff
out of my eye.

O_o

Speaking of that face... That is exactly what I look like right now. My pupil is still dialated and I look like a surprised cartoon... or David Bowie...

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Eye eye eye

Day 96
Went to the eye doctor to get fitted for some contact lenses.
Simple.

Not really.
Found out two things.
I have an astigmatism in only my right eye so I need to order two different kinds of lenses.

Also, the retina on my right eye is thinning and so I need to have surgery.
A little bit freaking out about that one.

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Wigs are Fun!!

Day 77
I move tomorrow.
I have hardly anything packed.
Clearly it is more important to watch the new Doctor Who and take photos of myself with a wig on.
I <3 my priorities.

Sunday, May 11, 2008

I heart Mom

Day 71
Happy Mother's Day!
How on Earth has she put up with me all these years?
Oh yeah, she's a looney just like me!

Friday, May 9, 2008

I love JibJab cards. This card, which I am sending to my mom on mothers day, I thought was particularly hilarious.


Don't send a lame Mother's Day eCard.
Try JibJab Sendables!

Sunday, May 4, 2008

New Skirt!


New Skirt!
Originally uploaded by RonnieMarie
How freaking hot is my new skirt???
Purchased from the lovely Steph from www.gutsydame.com at the Clothing Show today.

Saturday, May 3, 2008

Day 63

Day 63
Rough Night!
Awards show, after party, and after after party took their toll on my poor feet.

Friday, May 2, 2008

I May Have Broken My Mother...

12:40:08 AM Barb yo momma!: I must say goodnight...since I'm already falling asleep...

12:40:50 AM .e-lectro.: goodnight mothalicker

12:40:52 AM Barb yo momma!: Night night my dear. Enjoy the Media Extravaganza tomorrow.

12:41:17 AM .e-lectro.:
will do

12:41:21 AM Barb yo momma!: Hey I ain't no mothalicker you fuzzy little manpeach lover!

12:41:26 AM .e-lectro.: hahah

12:41:40 AM Barb yo momma!: hah take that!

12:42:21 AM .e-lectro.:
well played

12:45:08 AM .e-lectro.: baahah

12:45:19 AM .e-lectro.: you're da best

12:45:49 AM Barb yo momma!: do ya love me???

12:47:42 AM .e-lectro.: are you playing your love games with me??

12:49:10 AM Barb yo momma!: No way...ya want some Bailey's. It's creamy beige.

12:51:49 AM Barb yo momma!: Hey! How come there's hooks in my head fool?


12:52:22 AM .e-lectro.: you are a nutter

12:52:44 AM Barb yo momma!: What do ya think of me? .... Make an assessment.

12:53:41 AM .e-lectro.: I think you're a nice modern gentleman

12:54:20 AM Barb yo momma!: You don't know me...I got somthin to show ya... <<<<<<<

12:56:38 AM .e-lectro.:
haha what have i done to you

12:57:19 AM Barb yo momma!: I do watercolours.

1:01:44 AM Barb yo momma!: Help me!!!!! I'm watching Ol Gregg on you tube for no good reason!

Monday, April 28, 2008

It can be easy to be green!

Here's my little roundup of my favourite parts of the Green Living Show yesterday...

Favourite Vendors
Toronto Vegetarian Association - they gave out these really awesome directories that list all of the vegetarian restaurants in Toronto by location as well as natural food stores, caterers, cooking classes, B&Bs and much more. Very cool, and will probably be helpful when deciding where to eat with my veg friends and sisters.
Coop Mille et une façons - Really neat eco-friendly gifts and products using recycled materials.
Heart on Your Sleeve - Hip and stylish Canadian-made ethical fashions and more.
Hey Jute - Eco-friendly accessories made from Jute (duh!). Totes, belts, iPod cases, yoga mat wraps, laptop sleeves and more! Plus they donate 2% of every sale to charity. And I love their name.

Free Samples
HOLY FREE SAMPLES RADMAN! I am a sample fanatic and this was definitely the place to be! Came home with a bag full plus got to try many delicious food and drinks on the show floor. Many green products are a little priceyer than their harmful counterparts so all these samples are great to test out new options without dropping all the cash on something I may not like.
I am currently sipping my complementary can of R.W. Knudsen Family's Lemon Lime Juice Spritzer. Tis very nice indeed.
My favourite sample has to be my free slice of handmade soap from Lush (MY FAVOURITE STORE EVER). Got a sample of their Sexy Peel soap that was so fresh I can't even use it for a couple of days because it hasn't fully hardened. It smells delicious!

Purchases
The Algonquin Tea Co. - I picked up a pack of their 'Lucid Dream' Tea. Stay tuned to this blog for my upcoming reports on whether it works for me or not and comparing its effects to my outrageous "cheese dreams".
So Nice - Organic Fortified Chocolate Soy Milk. Super bummed that they didn't have the vanilla chai soy milk for sale. I fell in love after my sample.
Lush - I cannot walk buy Lush without walking away with at least SOMETHING. I was very restrained and only purchased the Karma bubble bar and the Butterball bath bomb (which I plan on using later tonight!)

Just Plain Rad
Courtney and I took a walk through the amazing Canuhome. All I can say is I WANT TO LIVE IN ONE! Check out the site http://www.canuhome.com/

Saturday, April 26, 2008

My poor bloggy wog.
I have been neglecting you.
I am oh so sorry.
I have been utterly consumed by the wonder that is Twitter.
Who knew I would get sucked in?
I've been using it for 6 or 7 months now and only just now have I gotten completely wrapped up in it.
I think it is because now many more people are discovering it too, so I have more followers and the whole thing has become much more dynamic.

Check out my TwitterFeed in the sidebar to the right and get in on the action.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Baby Shower

Today was Kaitie's baby shower.
All of the stuff was so cute!
I really wish the robot hoodie I got for the baby was in my size.

Best of all I get to be his Godmother!
This is going to be the most spoiled baby in existence.
He is going to get everything that *I* want haha.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Home Stretch

I am currently working on the last assignment of the school year, and it is proving to be a bit more challenging than I originally thought, but still..
LAST ASSIGNMENT!
TWO MORE DAYS OF CLASSES!
NO EXAMS!

Does it get any better?

Oh yeah, Forgetting Sarah Marshall comes out on Friday.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Day 45

Day 45
Today was such a lovely day.
The sun was bright but not obtrusive.
I listened to some lovely electro tunes on my iPod walking in the sunshine.
I decided to try out my sunny yellow eyeshadow.

You should all listen to Robots in Disguise.

Ah, Procrastination. Thou Art A Heartless Beeyotch

It never fails.
I put off working on this film and the moment I really and truly want to work on it, a series of unfortunate events take place and prevent any progress from happening.
iTunes has officially turned on me, taking over an hour and counting to rip the 5 songs I need off of this cd.
My headphones are MIA.
Pro Tools is being all glitchy.

There is more, but I shan't bore you with every small detail.

My technologies better stop having PMS so I can get this shizz done!

Monday, April 14, 2008

Day 44

Day 44
Over on Flickr I take part in the Dawn and Drew Show 365 club.
That's one self portrait, every day for a year.
There's some great people taking part and super fun.

You can join anytime, so if you feel up to the challenge, come and join us!

Welcome Back Blogger

I'm Branching Out!
I'm expanding my blogosphere from a geek news blog (http://girlplusgeek.wordpress.com/) that no one reads to include a personal blog that I suspect no one will read.
Hot Dog!

What will this blog include?
Pretty much everything girl+geek doesn't, which leaves the door wide open.
My thoughts on current events, clothes, crafts, food, environmental issues, my ever exciting daily life.
Anything is fair game.

Even I'm not exactly sure what this place in cyberspace will turn out to be.
But I can guarantee,
it'll be a lot of rhubarb.