My Life is Like a Song

My Daily ♥ #153: Graeme McDowell

2012-01-29T16:00:00.005-05:00

I first liked Graeme McDowell when I saw him with his painter's cap playing in the U.S. Open that he would eventually win in 2010. With Mike Weir (my favourite golfer) out with an injury, I have followed Graeme's incredible 2010 (winning the Ryder Cup with the final putt for his team) and uneventful 2011. He seems like such a down to earth guy that the more I know about him, the more I cheer for him.

He wasn't in the top 10 going into the last round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship this morning. I recorded it and was watching it in fast forward (the beginning at least), because I really didn't have 4 hours to spend watching golf this morning. There is no mention of McDowell but I can see on the leaderboard that he's at least 7 shots back of the lead.

Finally the telecast shows him (so I click play). The commentator says:

"haven't seen much of Graeme McDowell. He's 6 under par. Not a great day happening for McDowell...well not until now that is"

He gets a hole in one at the 12th. Not as special as seeing Mike Weir get a hole in one in person a few years ago, but I was still thankful to have seen it. You can see a video of it here.

He chipped in on the next hole. He birdied the 17th and more incredibly, from a fairway bunker on the 18th he completely overshot the green. His ball hit the grandstand and ricocheted back to within 10 feet of the hole for another birdie.

He finished tied for 3rd, 2 strokes back. He may not have won, but he added some excitement to the final round.

My Daily ♥ #152: Winter X Games

2012-01-28T15:52:00.000-05:00

I spent quite a bit of time this weekend watching the Winter X Games. The 2012 Winter X Games are dedicated to the memory of Sarah Burke. They prepared a beautiful video which includes Thursday night's glowstick descent down the halfpipe by her fellow Winter X Games competitors.

My daughter is thinking of writing her school speech about her. Sarah's impact has reached even further than skiing.

My Daily ♥ #151: Maple Leaf Time Capsule

2012-01-27T15:38:00.000-05:00

I love time capsules. When my kids were born, I prepared one for each of them that included fun facts about that year, some store receipts that showed the price of things, product packaging and Year End magazines and newspapers. I think I will have more fun opening them than my children will.

A time capsule was found last fall at Maple Leaf Gardens. It had been buried in 1931 by Conn Smythe.

You can read the full article here.

My Daily ♥ #150: Turn Out Best

2012-01-26T11:13:00.002-05:00

Things are about to change for our family. Will the change be good? Only time will tell. This quote is appropriate as we start a new chapter.

Things turn out best
for the people
who make the best
out of the way things turn out

My Daily ♥ #149 : Lego Man In Space

2012-01-25T09:24:00.002-05:00

The Toronto Star had a great story today about Toronto High School students who sent a Lego Man up in a hot air balloon. Lego Man got some great video of earth on its voyage.

My Daily ♥ #148: People You Need

2012-01-24T09:00:00.002-05:00

Facebook (for me) is becoming a collection of quotes and funny or inspirational pictures. Some days it seems like there are more quotes than personal updates, but often times, I do like the quotes that some of my friends post. Like this one:

My Daily ♥ #147: One Day by David Nicholls

2012-01-23T22:06:00.002-05:00

I have mentioned before that I am not a fan of movie trailers because they reveal too much of the story.

When I realized that I wanted to see the movie One Day, I stopped watching the trailer. The story seemed so good that I didn't want it to be a 90 minute experience so I ordered the book from the library, wanting to savour every detail.

By the time the book arrived (over 6 months?), I had forgotten about the trailer and the actors in the movie.

The book started out great but then took a turn I didn't expect. The main male character was quite an idiot and not very likeable at times. I had remembered the story more like a Before Sunrise and Before Sunset type of story...where they decide to meet once a year, but that's not the storyline at all.

The premise of the story is observing the two main characters on one day of the year (July 15th), the day they met (whether they are together on that day or not). The book spans a couple of decades, sometimes recounting things that happened during the year, just enough to make the story continuous.

In the end, I really loved the book and couldn't wait to see the trailer again to see if the movie had varied much from the book. It seems pretty accurate. Seeing the full trailer and knowing the story, I still want to see the film.

My Daily ♥ #146: Given Him To Us

2012-01-22T22:05:00.002-05:00

I was at my friend's brother's funeral today. I loved this quote:

We do not ask you why you have taken him from us,
rather, we thank you for having given him to us.
(St. Augustine Of Hippo)

My Daily ♥ #145: Instapaper iPhone App

2012-01-21T13:01:00.004-05:00

I have been checking out the apps mentioned in a Best Apps of 2011 article on the Time website.

I have downloaded quite a few. One of my favourites is Instapaper. I use Google Reader to follow the blogs or websites I like but I still end up with all kinds of articles I want to read opened in tabs in my browsers.

Instapaper lets you store these web articles in the app for when you have time to read them (you add a tab on the toolbar called "read later"). Whenever you don't have time to read an article, you click on "read later" and the article is saved in Instapaper (either on the computer or on my iPhone) and then I can close the tab!!

So when I'm waiting in line or for an appointment, rather than reading mindless gossip magazines (which is what I often did), I open Instapaper on my iPhone and read articles I'm actually interested in.

It's also a great place to store articles you want to read again for useful articles that are good to be reminded about, for example, parenting articles, inspirational stories, etc. You can organize the articles in folders to make it easier to find the ones you want. I started with folders entitled "Quick Reads" (for when I have a couple of minutes), "To Keep", "News", "Sports", "To think about or write about".

With the ability to share apps with family members, the $4.99 price makes this useful app worth the price.

My Daily ♥ #144: At Last by Etta James

2012-01-20T11:52:00.001-05:00

RIP Etta James
January 25, 1938 - January 20, 2012

At Last is one of my favourite songs of all time. I still remember the first time I heard it and I was mesmorized. The opening notes still take me back to that moment.

The inspiration for my blog title, My Life Is Like A Song came from the "life is like a song" lyric in At Last. We have lost one of the most beautiful voices ever.

Lyrics:

At last my love has come along
My lonely days are over
And life is like a song
At last the skies above are blue
My heart was wrapped up in clover
The night I looked at you
I found a dream that I could speak to
A dream that I can call my own
I found a thrill to press my cheek to
A thrill that I have never known
You smiled, you smiled
and then the spell was cast
And here we are in heaven
And you are mine at last

My Daily ♥ #143: Longer Than A Lifetime

2012-01-19T16:28:00.000-05:00

RIP Sarah Burke
September 3, 1982-January 19, 2012

Today the world and the skiing community lost Sarah Burke. She was a pioneer in her sport and will not soon be forgotten. You can read my blog post I wrote after her accident here.

In honour of a life that ended too soon, I would like to share a couple of quotes that I love.

It is not the years in your life
but the life in your years that counts
Adlai Stevenson

Always have a dream
That is longer than a lifetime
Jack Layton

Sarah Burke pursued her dreams. She had an impact on female sports and freestyle skiing that will be felt long after we are all gone. She lived life to the fullest. The more I learn about her, the more I am inspired by the life she lived.

My Daily ♥ #142: Last Request by Paolo Nutini

2012-01-18T12:32:00.004-05:00

It's amazing that it's already been over 5 years since this song was released, but I still love it so much. Here's a reworked version from the 2011 Latitude Show last summer that Paolo posted today. I can't wait for his next album!

I saw him in concert in 2009. You can read that post here.

Here's a video Of Last Request I took in Toronto at The Opera House.

Lyrics (unofficial):
Slow down, Lie down,
Remember it's just you and me.
Don't sell out, bow out
Remember how this used to be.
I just want you closer
Is that alright?
Baby let's get closer tonight

Grant my last request
And just let me hold you
Don't shrug your shoulders
Lay down beside me
Sure I can accept that we're going nowhere
But one last time let's go there
Lay down beside me

Oh, I've found, that I'm bound
To wander down that one way road
And I realise all about your lies
But I'm no wiser than the fool I was before

I just want you closer
Is that alright?
Baby let's get closer tonight

Grant my last request
And just let me hold you
Don't shrug your shoulders
Lay down beside me
Sure I can accept that we're going nowhere
But one last time let's go there
Lay down beside me

Oh, baby, baby, baby,
Tell me how can, how can this be wrong?

Grant my last request
And just let me hold you
Don't shrug your shoulders
Lay down beside me
Sure I can accept that we're going nowhere
But one last time let's go there
Lay down beside me

Yeah, lay down beside me

One last time let's go there
Lay down beside me

My Daily ♥ #141: Nothing For Granted by Brendan James

2012-01-17T14:24:00.006-05:00

I saw this commercial on The Golf Channel before Christmas and loved the song used in it. With the busy-ness of the Christmas season, I forgot to download it until yesterday when I saw one of his tweets (and after following the Sony Open on the weekend). The album was actually released in 2010. I downloaded half a dozen songs to give it a try. Along with Nothing For Granted, I especially love Stupid For Your Love and The Fall. I think I'll have to download the rest.

He's having an online concert this Saturday (4pm EST) on the StageIt.com website. You buy a ticket (pay what you can) and I imagine you get access to the concert. You can check out the link here.

I also love the commercial showing highlights from the year in golf. The whole commercial is great with the lyrics matching the players, commentators and stories. I am finding golf so much more interesting these past few years with so many great players being showcased.

Lyrics (unofficial):
Leave your worries, leave your fears,

Leave the doubt you’re holding dear
Leave them there love, by the door

They’re no good anymore
Tell your friends you’ll see them late

Tell your family they can wait

You're only young once and

Only dream of the day that love will steal you away

Run with me down these midnight streets, we will take
Nothing for granted, Nothing for granted
Come with me life is short and sweet, we will take
Nothing for granted, Nothing for granted

Stop the seasons drifting by

Stop believing there’s no time
Stop your heart from closing off

I think you deserve it all
Love your future, love your past

Love your body it’s all you have
Love your secrets bottled up

But love them more when you give them up

Run with me down these midnight streets, we will take
Nothing for granted, Nothing for granted
Come with me life is short and sweet, we will take
Nothing for granted, Nothing for granted

You gotta get outta your mind

There’s so many wonders to find
There’s so many words they could write

Across your early grave

So come on and open your eyes

I will be right by your side
We will see love lies in everything

Run with me down these midnight streets, we will take
Nothing for granted, Nothing for granted
Nothing for granted, Nothing for granted
Come with me life is short and sweet, oh
Nothing for granted, Nothing for granted

My Daily ♥ #140: If I Can Dream by Elvis Presley

2012-01-16T14:12:00.005-05:00

Last fall, I went to Washington D.C. and visited the Martin Luther King Jr. Monument (you can read my post here).
Today being Martin Luther King Jr. Day means even more to me now.

I have loved this song since the first time I heard it (embarrasingly as recently as 2007). It was written by Walter Earl Brown and recorded by Elvis in June 1968; two months after Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated and a three weeks after Robert Kennedy's assassination.

Lyrics:
There must be lights burning brighter somewhere
Got to be birds flying higher in a sky more blue
If I can dream of a better land
Where all my brothers walk hand in hand
Tell me why, oh why, oh why can't my dream come true
Oh why

There must be peace and understanding sometime
Strong winds of promise that will blow away
all the doubt and fear
If I can dream of a warmer sun
Where hope keeps shining on everyone
Tell me why, oh why, oh why won't that sun appear

We're lost in a cloud
With too much rain
We're trapped in a world
That's troubled with pain
But as long as a man
Has the strength to dream
He can redeem his soul and fly

Deep in my heart there's a trembling question
Still I am sure that the answer, answer's gonna come somehow
Out there in the dark, there's a beckoning candle
And while I can think, while I can walk
While I can stand, while I can talk
While I can dream, please let my dream come true
Right now

My Daily ♥ #139: goodreads

2012-01-15T22:41:00.004-05:00

Last night, it was brought to my attention that I was the only one at our dinner party without a goodreads account. I love to read (even if I have neglected to read my book club books in the last year or two). I used to log my books in a Facebook app but then decided to get rid of all my apps in Facebook and lost my log.

So today, I signed up for goodreads. I added books that I remembered reading over the years (100 read books plus 14 that I haven't finished). Most of them I rated as four stars. The books I didn't like, I didn't bother adding - and perhaps most of the books I didn't like I didn't finish anyway.

The site is great. It gives you recommendations according to the books you have read. You can link your account with your friends so that you can see what they are reading and get recommendations that way. It's also great to remember a book you loved, and by clicking on the author perhaps find other books you would love.

The site is also a great way to get information about a book. When you see a book title, you get the description and the user rating. There are groups that you can join (or create) for specific books or genres. I'm still pretty new so haven't used it to its full capacity. For more information on how the site works, click here.

I have added a list of books I'm currently reading in the right hand column of my blog in case you're interested in seeing what books I'm currently reading. Feel free to connect on goodreads with me as well.

My Daily ♥ #138: Whistler Cookbook

2012-01-14T22:40:00.002-05:00

Back in the days before we had kids, my husband and I went skiing at Whistler/Blackcomb a number of years in a row. As much as we loved the skiing in Whistler, we loved the restaurants, bars and nightlife.

During one of those trips, we bought a Whistler Cookbook that included recipes from many of the restaurants in Whistler that we enjoyed like Araxi's, Trattoria Umberto, The Longhorn and many more.

One of our favourite recipes in the book is for Beef Dijon. We haven't made it for years, but with friends over tonight, my husband went to St. Lawrence Market to pick up some beef tenderloin and we enjoyed a succulent dinner.

My Daily ♥ #137: Sportsnet Magazine

2012-01-13T16:17:00.005-05:00

Sportsnet Magazine was released last fall. I considered getting a subscription.

My first thought was that it would be a Canadian Sports Illustrated. I love sports and so a Canadian sports magazine that doesn't focus on American College sports could only be a great thing.

They had a special offer that I tried to sign up for, but it didn't work. I was then reminded that it would probably be a magazine of hockey, hockey and more hockey so I thought it was fate that the offer didn't work. It would probably mostly highlight the mainstream sports that I'm not necessarily interested in.

In December they had another special offer. Their year end issue sounded interesting. Brett Lawrie and Milos Raonic as newcomers of the year finalists was exciting. I had hope. I signed up for their special offer, giving Sportsnet Magazine a one year term to impress me. I even emailed a couple of friends to see if they were interested too. One of them was and signed up too.

I received my first copy today.

The cover?

"Inside The Long Pathetic Fall Of The Once Great Canadiens Empire"

NOT going to make my friend happy when she receives it!! She may want to cancel but her Leafs loving mate may not let her ;-)

The magazine is definitely hockey driven, but it is hockey season. If that's still the case when June to October comes around, I may have a problem.

Receiving it on a Friday (and I recognize that not everyone in the country will receive it before the weekend) I loved how current it was. Last weekend's results were already written about.

I loved the PreGame section which highlights sports coming up on television. Most of it starts next weekend which is when I realized that perhaps being in Toronto, I'm getting the magazine early. I'll have to be organized to make note of the games this far in advance. I did love that tennis (Australian Open) had the biggest photo.

They have some humourous segments, like Scott Feschuk's A Little Bit of Comfort-Food Fun which highlights "sports personalities are like everyone else, they just do the simple things in life a little differently". We'll see if every issue has a similarly humourous segment, but I liked this one. I did find myself wondering how long it took him to come up with the various scenarios.

With the NFL playoffs going on, I would have liked a little more than the Tebow article and a debate on whether the Colts should keep or get rid of Manning.

I loved that even though it's not baseball season there were two articles especially about Ricky Romero. Not as keen on the negative one on the "Drugs and Money: An Ex-Big Leaguer On Why Baseball Will Never Be Clean" article, but I'll give it a read.

Most of all, with so many months before the Olympics, I loved that the magazine included an article on Olympic cyclist Tara Whitten including a front cover mention.

For now, Sportsnet Magazine gets a thumbs-up. I look forward to the issues to come, especially with 2012 being an Olympic year.

My Daily ♥ #136: Brit Awards

2012-01-12T16:16:00.003-05:00

The Brit Awards nominations were announced today.

I will skip the Singles category because (for this year at least), I'm not a Brit Singles girl. I knew 3 of the 10 songs nominated. Adele's Someone Like You, a song my daughter likes (Price Tag by Jessie J) and I heard the Military Wives song once since it was the British #1 on Christmas Day. I did take the time to check them all out thinking there were great songs out there that didn't reach me, but that's not the case...at least for this list.

British Group is the best category for me. Nominees are:

Arctic Monkeys
Coldplay
Elbow
Kasabian
and Chase & Status (that I don't know and will check out)

British Male:

James Blake
James Morrison
Noel Gallagher

and the ones I need to check out

Ed Sheeran
Professor Green

British Female:

Adele
Florence and the Machine
Jesse J
Kate Bush
Laura Marling

British Breakthrough Act:

Anna Calvi
Ed Sheeran
Jesse J
Emeli Sandé

and come on, the overwhelming winner will be:

The Vaccines

British Album

Adele
Coldplay
Ed Sheeran
Florence and the Machine
PJ Harvey

Unfortunately the international artists nominees aren't exciting me. There is a Canadian nomination with Feist being nominated for International Female.

The full list of nominees can be found here.

My Daily ♥ #135: Sarah Burke

2012-01-11T21:33:00.004-05:00

Although this is a very sad story, Sarah is my Daily ♥ today because I learned about an extraordinary woman and couple.

Sarah is a freestyle skier who has lobbied for equal opportunities for women in her sport. Once the X-Games included women, she won the Superpipe Gold Medal in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011. She lobbied for the sport to be included in the Winter Olympics and it will make its debut in 2014. Sarah was the overwhelming favourite (although there was still two years to go).

When I first heard that she was injured in training, I imagined a knee injury, torn ligament or other typical ski injury. I woke up the next morning to learn that she was in a coma.

The following video was uploaded after her accident. It's an excerpt from "Winter" a Ski Channel a film that Sarah and Rory are featured in. It shows a glimpse of the incredible woman she is and how lucky she is to have met Rory Bushfield so early in her life (when they were 14). The way they look at each other and their body language makes me think of a movie or a fairy tale.

They are inspirational as freestyle skiers but also as a couple. Their proposal story is priceless.

My favourite quotes in the excerpt:

"We both let each other live our dreams" (Rory)

"I will be entertained for the rest of my life being married to him" (Sarah)

As the video nears the end, the chorus of a beautiful song plays: All Night Doctors by Bush.

All night doctors
All night preachers
All night girls to get you through
Lost and wasted
Hope is fading
I wait here for you

My thoughts and prayers are with Sarah, Rory and their families. May they have decades of love and skiing ahead. They live life to the fullest and are an inspiration.

To complete the fairy tale, I see Sarah walking in to the Olympic Games leading our Canadian team as our flag bearer and winning Olympic Gold. But that is only icing on the cake....love and health first!

Full lyrics from YouTube Bush Official lyric video:

She saw the pieces of her yesterday
She was wondering how she'd fade away
Who loved her and really listened in
Whether she had made a difference

He's a soldier of misfortune
Seven steps to make one forward
How the truth hurts
The lies they crystallise
Try to wrap your arms around a memory
Maybe you are not where you're meant to be
Lord knows we're not who we think we are

All night doctors
All night preachers
All night girls to get you through
Lost and wasted
Hope is fading
I wait here for you

The secret life of our interiors
Why most girls are superior
Every day I'm on the slide for you and
Every night is the same I'm waiting
For the world to change
For all the fighting to die away
Find comfort in your memory
I'm not where I am meant to be
You shine the world stops
And gods are humbled

All night doctors
All night preachers
All night girls to get you through
Lost and wasted
Hope is fading
I wait here for you

Were you ever my love
Were you ever my love
I don't know

All night doctors
All night preachers
All night girls to get you through
Lost and wasted
Hope is fading
I wait here for you

Were you ever my love
Were you ever my love
I don't know

R.I.P. Sarah Burke
September 3, 1982-January 19, 2012

My Daily ♥ #134: Holding On And Letting Go by Ross Copperman

2012-01-10T21:18:00.006-05:00

Last June I downloaded this song. It had played on CSI NY and was subsequently released as a single.

I loved it and have listened to it countless times (the lyrics are at the end of this post).

The song has new life now that it played on in the closing scene of The Vampire Diaries this past weekend. Here's the closing scene.

Even though I don't watch the show and I know the song so well, I still got shivers. It fits the scene perfectly.

[As a side note, the actress in the clip Nina Dobrev is the first write-in nominee to make the ballot at the People's Choice Awards. She won for Favorite Actress for TV Drama. The actor Ian Somerhadler was nominated for Favourite Actor]

This week, Ross has released a full LP entitlted Holding On And Letting Go. I had it on repeat all day and every song is beautiful.

Standouts on Day 1 include The One, Love Never Fails, California, Effortless and of course the title track Holding On And Letting Go. They were the ones that constantly caught my attention and interrupted what I was doing. I haven't actually sat down and listened carefully yet so we'll see which other tracks stand out when I do that.

If this is the first you hear of Ross Copperman, I highly recommend going back through his discography. The first song I heard was Found You in 2007 (while listening to UK radio online). It is still one of my favourite songs of all time.

He has previously released three albums:

2003 Believe (Believe, I Will Be Here, Angel By Your Side, Natalie)
2007 Welcome to Reality (Found You, They'll Never Know, Lucky Day, Fly Away)
2009 This is Ross Copperman EP (Shine, Talk, Breathe)

He has also released amazing songs individually:

Christmas Time and One Little Christmas Tree
Waitin' for the Sun (I especially love this one)
We Are The One (used in a TNT promotional video)
Glass
Hold My Breath
Alive (unreleased - Haiti tribute video on YouTube you can see here)

Here's the CSI NY video:

Lyrics (unofficial):
Is anybody out there?
Is anybody listening?
Does anybody really know,
If it's the end or the beginning?

The quiet rush from one breath,
Is all we're waiting for
Sometimes I want my taking,
Changes everyone before

It's everything you wanted, it's everything you don't
It's one door swinging open and one door swinging closed
Some prayers find an answer, some prayers never know
We're holding on, and letting go.

Sometimes we're holding angels,
And we never even know
Don't know if we'll make it,
Or we know, we just can't let it show

It's everything you wanted, it's everything you don't
It's one door swinging open and one door swinging closed
Some prayers find an answer, some prayers never know
We're holding on and letting go
Yeah, we're letting go

It's everything you wanted, it's everything you don't
It's one door swinging open and one door swinging closed
Some prayers find an answer, some prayers never know
We're holding on and letting go

I am hoping that the popularity of Vampire Diaries will finally give Ross the recognition he deserves. In 2007, I added him on my list of people I'd love to see perform live. I was giving up hope of that happening, but now, perhaps this album will help get a tour going (although with a new baby girl, his priorities may not be on touring).

My Daily ♥ #133: Mushroom Heart

2012-01-09T20:47:00.001-05:00

Imagine my delight as I was cleaning mushrooms for dinner tonight to discover this mushroom heart.

What I love even more is that three members of my family were helping to take photos and were almost as excited as I was about my mushroom heart.

After taking the inital photo, I decided to dye it (with purple dye of course). It made a great stamp.

My daughter took this photo of the dyed mushroom. I love the detail that the dye gives it.

My Daily ♥ #132: Contagion Graffiti

2012-01-08T23:59:00.000-05:00

Last summer, Warner Bros. Pictures Canada inoculated two large petri dishes with bacteria and fungi and hung them in an abandoned store window on Queen Street West in Toronto. Once the bacteria and fungi started growing, they spelled the word Contagion which was being released in theatres the following week.

By the time I went downtown to see the petri dishes, they were gone...missed it by a day or two ;-) The scientist that I used to be (and perhaps still am) would have loved it.

I finally saw Contagion tonight. The movie was great. One of my favourites, Jude Law plays Alan Krumwiede who is a blogger (with a much bigger audience than I have). The cast is amazing and includes Gwyneth Paltrow, Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Laurence Fishburne, Elliot Gould and Marion Cottillard.

I loved one of the quotes by Gould's character, Dr. Ian Sussman to Alan (Law) after telling him he's not a doctor or a writer. Alan responds with "Yes, I am a writer. Yes, I am!" to which Dr. Sussman responds:

Blogging is not writing, it's graffiti with punctuation.

I had to pause the movie to write that one down.

I highly recommend this movie!

My Daily ♥ #131: Q Magazine

2012-01-07T13:03:00.003-05:00

I just started reading Q Magazine's 2011 Reviewed edition.

The year end edition used to come with a CD. My friend who lived in England used to give it to me for Christmas every year. A quick glance at my CDcase shows 1998 to 2007 CDs (with 2006 missing). Before the internet, Q Magazine was a great place to learn about British music. I still love seeing what missed my radar and of course, where my favourites ended up.

My highlights for 2011:

Coldplay's Milo Xyloto who I said was underrated when I included it in my best of 2011 is #5 on the album list. Very happy that Britain is giving them kudos (as well as the cover photo and story).

Adele's Someone Like You is the #1 track of 2011. I'm very surprised it's not Rolling in the Deep like most of North America. I preferred Someone Like You (and had started learning it on the piano) but thought I was being uncool. Nice to see that's not necessarily the case (or at least it's not because of this song).

Canadian entries The Weeknd (with two albums in the top 50) and Feist. Dan Mangan's new album review received four stars. I know his name (either from CBC Radio2 or Junos). Worth checking his music out.

The Vaccines #6 track with If You Wanna

Beady Eye #20 track with The Morning Son (not my favourite track from the album, but happy it's represented)

Kasabian #29 album (seeing them live for the first time in a couple of months)

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds #21 album

Elbow #10 album (I had downloaded 5 songs that I liked, but didn't loooooove (as much as their previous)...think it's time to download the rest and let it grow on me)

Arctic Monkeys #7 album

Did I mention Coldplay at #5? ;-)

And interestingly, 3 women have the top 3 albums. Adele at #3, PJ Harvey at #2 and Florence and the Machine at #1.

Artists that missed my radar and sound interesting
(from Q Awards or Best of lists):
Ed Sheeran (who is opening for Snow Patrol when they come to Toronto this spring)
Cat's Eye
Lana Del Rey
Example
Baxter Dury

Recommended by other artists:
This Is The Kit
The Antlers

My Daily ♥ #130: New York by Snow Patrol

2012-01-06T00:21:00.002-05:00

In case you have arrived at my blog looking for the song when Teddy is with Henry (and sounds like Florence and the Machine), it's Skin by Zola Jesus which was also prominent in last night's episode.

This blog post is actually about Snow Patrol. I began watching Grey's Anatomy because I wanted to see the scene with Chasing Cars. I watched that whole season in reruns on the French channel waiting for the season finale to see the scene (I'm French which was helpful).

I have loved Snow Patrol for a long time, so not surprisingly, I loved the song instantly when it started for the ending scenes of last night's episode.

The song is New York which was released as a single last month and being released on Snow Patrol's new album next week (in Canada).

Album audio:

Acoustic performance:

Lyrics (unofficial):
If you were here beside me
instead of in New York
if the curve of you was curved on me
I’d tell you that I loved you
before I ever knew you
cause I loved the simple thought of you.

If our hearts are never broken
well there’s no joy in the mending
there’s so much this hurt can teach us both.
Though there’s distance and there’s silence
your words have never left me
they’re the prayer that I say every day.

Come on, come out, come here, come here

Come on, come out, come here, come here

Come on, come out, come here, come here

The long neon nights
and the eke of the ocean
and the fire that was starting to spark
I miss it all from the love to the lightning
and the lack of it snaps me in two

If you were here beside me
instead of in New York
in the arms you said you'd never leave
I'd tell you that it's simple
and it was only ever thus
there is nowhere else that I belong.

Come on, come out, come here, come here

Come on, come out, come here, come here

The long neon nights
and the want of the ocean
and the fire that was starting to spark
I miss it all from the love to the lightning
and the lack of it snaps me in two
Just give me a sign
there´s an end and a beginning
to the quiet chaos driving me mad.

The long neon nights
and the want of the ocean
and the fire that was starting to go out.

My Daily ♥ #129: Reebok YourFlex Run

2012-01-05T20:24:00.008-05:00

I went shopping with my daughter for winter boots for my kids today.

While looking around, I saw these heart boots that I love, but unfortunately, I already have rain boots (that also have hearts but aren't as cool as these).

I don't believe that I have ever owned Converse shoes so was especially tempted by these heart ones that were on sale for $30.

To maximize the 20% off 1st item, 30% off 2nd item and 40% off 3rd item sale the store was having, I decided to buy these super comfortable black and white running shoes.

(With the boots being over $100, I didn't want 40% off a $30 pair of Converse did I? Though it may be worth a return trip)

These "Reebok Yourflex Run" shoes are so light and comfortable. They'll also match Kooper when we go for walks. I may have to take up running ;-)

My Daily ♥ #128: Pessimist or Optimist

2012-01-04T13:34:00.005-05:00

“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity.

The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty"

Sir Winston Churchill

So are you a glass half full or glass half empty kind of person?

My Daily ♥ #127: Crazy Stupid Love

2012-01-03T23:59:00.000-05:00

I just watched Crazy Stupid Love and it was SO Great!

I don't like to watch trailers because I feel they show too much, but in case you like trailers or don't have two hours to spare for the whole film, here it is.

Highly highly recommend it.

My Daily ♥ #126: New Year's Resolutions

2012-01-02T09:50:00.002-05:00

I love New Year's Resolutions. This cartoon that was posted on Facebook yesterday made me laugh. It's so true.

Just because most resolutions are not stuck to doesn't mean that we shouldn't make them. It's a time to reflect on the past and the future.

I also think that often we make the resolutions too extreme that we can't adhere to them completely, but it doesn't mean that we completely failed. We may have improved on the issue and bit by bit every year, we may finally reach our goal.

Last fall, as part of my Day Zero Project I made a Bucket List. It was a list of things I wanted to do in my life, without restrictions. The things on my list with the Day Zero Project I felt had to reflect where I would be in the next 1001 days. So for example, knowing I probably wouldn't go to Australia in 1001 days, it's not on my Day Zero list. I put it on my Bucket List.

With a Bucket List written, I also wrote a F$#&-It List. This second list was for items that are possible to accomplish and have been on my list for so long, that it's apparent it's not that important to me. So I let them go. If they happen great, but no more feeling guilty about not getting them done.

I was reviewing those lists yesterday while looking at New Year's type of resolutions. In trying to find an official description for the F$#&-It List, I googled Anti-Bucket List (not wanting to type in the F word). I found another type of list (woohoo!). I love lists!!

The Anti-Bucket list is a list of things we have accomplished. Rather than living in the future, wishing for things, it's living in the past and present being thankful for all the things and experiences in our lives. I've put making an Anti-Bucket list on my Day Zero Project list.

Every year, every month, every week and every day I try to improve on the way I do things (nutrition, finances, relationships, etc). Sometimes I just think about how I want to do things better. Sometimes I feel guilty that I haven't done it better. The point being that the "resolutions" are constantly there.

So seeing the Anti-Bucket List yesterday, I decided to make an anti-resolution list and look at the things that I am really happy with in my life. Those things that I am satisfied and happy with. Those habits I have managed to incorporate into my life. Those things I was able to let go. Those past resolutions that I did accomplish.

Perhaps by concentrating on the positives it will motivate me to reach those resolutions that aren't completely achieved yet.

My Daily ♥ #125: Happy New Year by Jamie Hartman

2012-01-01T10:15:00.002-05:00

A few years ago, I came across Ben's Brother (aka Jamie Hartman) when I was listening to Virgin Radio (now Absolute Radio) online from the UK.

His voice was quite different and I loved it.

He has recently released a song which is appropriate for today.

Lyrics (as I hear them)
This one this one took its toll on your faith
This one this one broke the best that you gave
I know I know how they laughed in your face
They hoped and hoped and they said you would break
How long you find when they cut your size
then you sit around and smile

just a little

Say Happy New Year
Cause this is the end
of all that was broken
and needed to mend
Let go of your fears
Say Happy New Year

Cause this is the start
The start of the new
And all that you wanted
All that you wanted
Is coming to you
And you're finally here
Say Happy New Year

Get up get up
Take a second to look
Take a third take a fourth
And you'll see that you're
good enough enough
it doesn't matter at all
and you feel like you're surrounded
cause you stood too tall
hold on hold on
and keep it inside
you can swallow your pride

a little

Say Happy New Year
Cause this is the end
of all that was broken
that you needed to mend
Let go of your fears
Say Happy New Year

Cause this is the start
The start of the new
And all that you wanted
All that you wanted
Is coming to you
And you're here
So Happy New Year

It's beautiful and broken
It's silently spoken
And every heart is open
Tonight

So Happy New Year
Cause this is the end
what was broken
You needed to mend
Let go of your fear
Let go of your fear

Cause this is the start

This is the start
The start of the new
and all that you wanted
all that you wanted
is coming to you
So Happy New Year!

My Daily ♥ #124: New Year's Eve by Jeff Eager

2011-12-31T16:10:00.003-05:00

Jeff Eager posted this video today of a song he wrote a year ago and recorded yesterday. I've heard him perform twice locally. You can read about one of those performances on my Daily ♥ #102.

This song is a lot quieter and different to the songs I've heard him perform. I love it...it's so sad yet hopeful. I'd love it if it was released. One of my pet peeves with loving up and coming (or local) artists is that you hear a song you love, but can't buy it anywhere. Well hopefully one day!

I love that he included the lyrics (being the lyric girl that I am):

One year in the blink of an eye
Two tears too many, oh my my
Three cheers to hide it come midnight
This is New Year's Eve

Start the race with the runner's high
Cross your fingers that you'll touch the sky
So many days with so little time
This is New Year's Eve

Busy boy with a busy mind
Your cup is full but the water is dry
And you're alone after 365
This is New Year's Eve

Fortune favours those whom money can buy
And often those who don't even try
12 months of effort leaves you asking why
This is New Year's Eve

You're down and out, I don't know what to say
A year's worth of feelings bottled up in a day
Wade out to sea and cast them away
This is New Year's Day

My Daily ♥ #123: What are You Doing New Year's Eve

2011-12-31T13:05:00.004-05:00

My husband shared this video with me yesterday. Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt from 500 Days of Summer recorded a cover of What Are You Doing New Year's Eve.

Thought it was appropriate for today. Happy New Year's Eve.

My Daily ♥ #122: Songs I Loved in 2011

2011-12-30T21:54:00.000-05:00

Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall by Coldplay
The Beat Goes On by Beady Eye
City Lights Cry by Armistice
The Death of You and Me by Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds
The Last Goodbye by David Cook
Adieu by Coeur De Pirate
New York Skyline by The Midway State
Junk of My Heart by The Kooks
If You Wanna by The Vaccines
Icarus by The Hours
Goodbye Kiss by Kasabian
Chapel Song by We Are Augustines
Both Sides Are Even by The Boxer Rebellion
Euphoria Take My Hand by Glasvegas
SDP by The Kissaway Trail
Someone Like You by Adele
I Wonder by Bobby Bazini
Pennies in the Snow by Farryl Purkiss
She's Thunderstorms by Arctic Monkeys
Shell Games by Bright Eyes

Extra songs by above bands and artists:

Paradise by Coldplay
Time Marches On by David Cook
Loin D'Ici by Coeur de Pirate
Rolling in the Deep by Adele
Atlantic by The Midway State
Barrel of Leaves by We Are Augustines
Re-Wired by Kasabian
Ali in the Jungle by The Hours
A Lack of Understanding by The Vaccines
(Stranded on) The Wrong Beach by Noel Gallagher

My Daily ♥ #121: Albums I Loved in 2011

2011-12-29T15:07:00.002-05:00

Best Album: The Vaccines's What Did You Expect From The Vaccines
Best compilation of great songs.

Most Listened to Album: David Cook's This Loud Morning
This album was the one I listened to the most from start to finish.

Underrated: Coldplay's Milo Xyloto
If this album was released by a new band, I think it would be considered one of the best albums of the year on most lists, but expectations are so high because they're Coldplay.

Favourite Canadian: Armistice (Coeur de Pirate and Jay Malinowski collaboration EP) and Coeur de Pirate's Blonde

The Vaccines - What Did You Expect From The Vaccines
David Cook - This Loud Morning
Coldplay - Milo Xyloto
Armistice
Coeur de Pirate - Blonde
We Are Augustines - Rise Ye Sunken Ships
Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds
Beady Eye - Different Gear, Still Speeding
Arctic Monkeys - Suck It And See
Kasabian - Velociraptor!

My Daily ♥ #120: Your Destiny

2011-12-28T11:00:00.002-05:00

I saw this quote today that caught my attention:

Look for the dream that keeps coming back.
It is your destiny.

Are they talking about my sleeping dreams or my awake dreams? Hmmm....

My Daily ♥ #119: Glittery Okra

2011-12-27T19:28:00.005-05:00

When I went to Washington DC for Thanksgiving, my sister-in-law gave me a glittery okra tree decoration. Here's a site that describes how to make a Santa okra tree decoration which is also cute (first site I could find on how to make okra tree decorations). Forget the red and white and choose your favourite glitter for those who love glitter!

This year, I only got a quarter of my Christmas decorations out. My cards were later than I wanted getting sent out (although thanks to Canada, U.S. Australia and U.K. postal services arrived on time). The outdoor Christmas lights only half-worked so we didn't bother fixing them or decorating outside. My daughter decorated the tree in a minimal fashion. She put red and white lights on, the garland and the white and red heart Christmas balls. Most of the decorations stayed in their individual boxes this year. The glittery okra stayed on my cluttered dresser.

My SIL asked about it over Christmas and I was reminded that it had not made it to the tree. When I got home, I got it out and put it on the tree.

Last month, I saw a great tip to store Christmas decorations in an egg carton box. I started saving my boxes (I have one so far) thinking that rather than putting my tree decorations back in their original individual boxes, this would make unpacking and packing so much easier. Well, unpacking them became too much for me to want to do, so I will continue to save my egg carton boxes and next year (or during the year or maybe before the new year?), will change my storage system.

It won't be as pretty as my SIL's system:
but it will be more efficient and perhaps save some space in my storage room!

My Daily ♥ #118: Apples To Apples

2011-12-26T23:57:00.000-05:00

I had such a great time playing Apples To Apples with my family, my brother-in-law, my sister-in-law and father-in-law today.

Each player have seven red apple cards with a name of a thing, person or event on it. One person is the "judge" who draws a green apple card with an adjective on it.

Each player chooses a card that they feel is most like (or most unlike) the adjective and gives it to the judge. The judge then chooses their favourite card and gives the green apple card to the winner. The player with the most green apple cards at the end of the game wins.

Depending on the judge, he/she may prefer an exact match while another judge may prefer an opposite match or one that makes them laugh.

So many times you think you are giving the perfect red card, but there are endless possibilities for interpreting the adjective that often your great card is not the one chosen.

Here are some examples we had (winning card is in bold):

Shallow - Danielle Steel, Mel Gibson, The Ocean
Explosive - Spilled Milk, New York Yankees, Waco Texas and 1945 Berlin
Cool - Chameleons, The NRA, California, Barney and Hot Lava
Quiet - Baking cookies, MTV, Emily Dickinson, Motorcycles, Bubble Gum and Bart Simpson
Crazy - bird watching, Salvador Dali, Body Surfing, Israel and Baby Showers
Manly - Denzel Washington, Samuel L. Jackson, Charging Rhinos, Bill Gates and Doing the Dishes
Realistic - The Academy Awards, The Far Left, Airline Food, Industrial Revolution and Paying Bills

It it sometimes difficult to choose a card if you have a great match and a great opposite card, but often times, the cards guide you one way or another, especially the funny route. A different judge could easily choose a different card which is what makes this game so much fun.

My brother-in-law and sister-in-law brought a similar game called Cards Against Humanity that we were going to play after the kids went to bed. It's a game with a similar premise, but is advertised as a "party game for horrible people" and "is as despicable and awkward as you and your friends". The cards are politically incorrect, rude, awkward and potentially hilarious.

We ended up answering the box of "Table Topics" questions until past midnight when most of us went to bed in preparation for our early departures the next morning so ran out of time for Cards Against Humanity.

I'm sure my BIL and SIL will have a great time playing the game at New Year's!

My Daily ♥ #117: Heart Painting

2011-12-25T16:39:00.006-05:00

I recently mentioned a quote by my daughter about presents "wrapped with love". You can read that here.

I received such a present today from my daughter...a heart painting she made wrapped with love!

Merry Christmas!

My Daily ♥ #116: Wind Turbines

2011-12-24T11:53:00.003-05:00

While driving down the 401 west today, my husband asked me if I thought the wind turbines were an eyesore. I find them quite beautiful. They have a simple and sleek design that I always love to see. They also make me think (rightly or wrongly) that someone is trying to do something that is good for the environment.

I thought that making wind turbines as my daily ♥ would make me research whether I am right in thinking that wind energy is a greener choice. I found an article entitled "Is Wind Power Green?" that has helped me understand the issue a bit more. You can read it here.

As a sidenote, the wind turbines didn't look this pretty with a sunset today, since we were driving in the morning. The photo was taken by PJMixer last month when he stopped to capture the beautiful sunset.

My Daily ♥ #115: White Christmas by Coldplay

2011-12-23T23:04:00.004-05:00

White Christmas by Coldplay was posted on YouTube today.

It is an "Exclusive video from Coldplay live in Berlin on 21st December 2011 released by Oxfam to celebrate thousands of fans joining the GROW food justice campaign on the December leg of the Mylo Xyloto tour. http://www.oxfam.org/coldplay"

I love old classics being performed by contemporary artists I love!

My Daily ♥ #114: BBC SPOTY Award

2011-12-22T23:06:00.004-05:00

BBC awarded its annual SPOTY Award today for Sports Personality Of The Year.

The finalists were:

Mark Cavendish (cycling)
Darren Clarke (golf)
Alastair Cook (cricket)
Luke Donald (golf)
Mo Farah (athletics)
Dai Greene (athletics)
Amir Khan (boxing)
Rory McIlroy (golf)
Andy Murray (tennis)
Andrew Strauss (cricket).

My favourites were Mark Cavendish and Luke Donald.

I love the internet. I found a radio site that was broadcasting live from the event. I could hear the awards be presented and the acceptance speeches. Some of the athletes also went to be interviewed by the radio announcers as well.

The overwhelming winner with 49.47% of the votes was Mark Cavendish who won 5 stages of the Tour De France in 2011 (for an overall total of 20 stages), the overall Green Jersey at the Tour De France and the World Championship Rainbow Jersey (first time for a Brit in 46 years).

Second place was Darren Clark who was won the British Open his first major championship with 12.34% of the votes.

Third place was Mo Farrah who won gold in the 5000m and silver in the 10000m at the World Championships with 8.71%.

Luke Donald who made history being the first golfer to lead the year-long money list on the PGA Tour and the European Tour was 4th with 6.98% of the vote.

Other British awards that were presented before SPOTY were:

Team of the Year: England's cricket team

Coach of the Year: England's cricket coach Andy Flower

Young Personality: Lauren Taylor (golf)

My Daily ♥ #113: James Naismith

2011-12-21T17:55:00.003-05:00

On this day in 1891, Canadian James Naismith invented basketball while in Springfield, Massachussetts.

The funny personal story I have about James Naismith is that at university, I took a kinesiology course as an elective that I loved about the sociology of sport (or something like that).

I couldn't believe I got to go to class and study sports...a dream! (I was studying towards a Bachelor of Science)

We had a multiple choice midterm. 40 questions. One of the questions was:
Who invented basketball?

I didn't know. The choices were:

1- Don McRae (who I knew coached our university team)
2- James Naismith (who I knew we had a tournament named after)
3 - a name I don't remember (but chose as my guess)
4- Basket Ball

I should have realized that he wouldn't throw three names away, but still thought that the number of students who would have followed our basketball team would be small (it's not like it's NCAA). I thought my knowledge of the team helped me narrow it down to the right answer.

I got my test back and this was the only question I got wrong. I was so mad, I am still not over it...hahaha. It turns out that I had missed one class that semester. He mentioned this in passing at that one class. It wasn't in our notes or in our textbook.

Every time I hear about James Naismith, I am taken back to that university moment.

The original rules of basketball were:

The ball may be thrown in any direction with one or both hands.
The ball may be batted in any direction with one or both hands.
A player cannot run with the ball. The player must throw it from the spot on which he catches it, allowance to be made for a man who catches the ball when running at a good speed if he tries to stop.
The ball must be held in or between the hands; the arms or body must not be used for holding it.
No shouldering, holding, striking, pushing, or tripping in any way of an opponent. The first infringement of this rule by any person shall count as a foul; the second shall disqualify him until the next basket is made or, if there was evident intent to injure the person, for the whole of the game. No substitution shall be allowed.
A foul is striking at the ball with the fist, violation of rules three and four and such described in rule five.
If either side makes three consecutive fouls, it shall count a goal for the opponents (consecutive means without the opponents in the mean time making a foul).
A goal shall be made when the ball is thrown or batted from the grounds into the basket and stays there (without falling), providing those defending the goal do not touch or disturb the goal. If the ball rests on the edges, and the opponent moves the basket, it shall count as a goal.
When the ball goes out of bounds, it shall be thrown into the field of play and played by the first person touching it. In case of dispute the umpire shall throw it straight into the field. The thrower-in is allowed five seconds. If he holds it longer, it shall go to the opponent. If any side persists in delaying the game, the umpire shall call a foul on that side.
The umpire shall be the judge of the men and shall note the fouls and notify the referee when three consecutive fouls have been made. He shall have power to disqualify people according to Rule 5.
The referee shall be judge of the ball and shall decide when the ball is in play, in bounds, to which side it belongs, and shall keep the time. He shall decide when a goal has been made and keep account of the baskets, with any other duties that are usually performed by a scorekeeper.
The time shall be two fifteen-minute halves, with five minutes rest between.
The side making the most points in that time is declared the winner.

It's interesting to see how the game has evolved in over a century.

My Daily ♥ #112: Looking Back at 2011 Concerts

2011-12-20T10:13:00.008-05:00

2011 may not have brought quantity to my concert-going experiences, but it definitely had some quality worth looking back at.

Concerts I attended (in chronological order):

The Vaccines and The High Dials at The Horseshoe Tavern
The Boxer Rebellion and We Are Augustines at The Horseshoe Tavern
James Blunt at Massey Hall
Arctic Monkeys and The Vaccines At Kool Haus
Glasvegas at Lee's Palace
Beady Eye at Sound Academy
We Are Augustines at Wrongbar
Blue Scholars at Wrongbar
Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds and The Hours at Massey Hall

Favourite song heard (and favourite sing-a-long):

Don't Look Back in Anger by Noel Gallagher

Favourite Photo:
The Vaccines (taken by PJMixer)

Favourite Fashion Sense:
Union Jack jacket by Liam Gallagher of Beady Eye
Favourite New Band find:

We Are Augustines who opened for The Boxer Rebellion

My Daily ♥ #111: Pinterest

2011-12-19T22:25:00.006-05:00

I set up an account with Pinterest today.

Since it's often better to quote someone else rather than come up with the words myself, Wikipedia describes Pinterest like this:

Pinterest is a vision board-styled social photo sharing website and app where users can create and manage theme-based image collections. The mission statement of Pinterest is to connect everyone in the world through shared tastes and the “things” they find interesting.

It's a great place to organize and store things you want to remember. These are the things I have pinned so far:

You can see them better here. I have organized them in categories called Boards like Favourite Places, Beautiful Views, Hearts and X&O's, etc. Some people have boards for things they want to buy, places they want to visit, Helpful Hints, Recipes, Quotes, Fashion...the possibilities are endless.

I always love being introduced to a new fun site. Whether the site becomes a hit (Facebook, Twitter) or not (Ping, Blip), it brings a smile to my face.

I'm not sure whether Pinterest will be a hit or not. It needs some improvements for it to be a hit, but for now; I love it.

My Daily ♥ #110: Passion Red of Portugal

2011-12-18T22:24:00.000-05:00

I first bought Passion Red wine because of its label. I loved it.

I then had trouble finding it again. I found Passion Red of Argentina which has a blue label but I didn't like it as much. I'm not a Malbec fan.

I kept trying to find this one, looking in the Argentina section. I didn't realize that there was an Argentina and a Portugal "Passion" wine.

I love the double S font that looks like a heart. It makes me want to sign my initials this way.

I found the wine again today and was so happy.

It's not a great wine but definitely drinkable for a regular day. I love the label and you can't beat the $7.85 price!! (okay you can but not with such a great label!!)

My Daily ♥ #109: Lance Stroll

2011-12-17T21:54:00.005-05:00

I used to be a Formula 1 fan but lately my love has waned.

I am an athlete lover. If I don't have someone I love, I can easily lose interest in a sport.

A friend shared an article in the Globe and Mail today about Lance Stroll. You can read it here.

Lance Stroll from Montreal was signed by Ferrari when he was 11 years old. He is now 13 years old. Ferrari has the dream of building a winning race car driver like they have built a winning race car.

Last spring, I went to see a documentary about go-kart racers called Racing Dreams. I loved that story about young kids racing in the hopes of making a racing career. The story of Lance Stroll seems a million times better than that movie.

It got me excited about Formula 1 again. I hope to see him reach his goal of becoming a Formula 1 driver. It will be interesting to see if he becomes "Canada's next Formula 1 Driver" or if his career leads him to become Canada's best Formula 1 driver.

My Daily ♥ #108: Happy Birthday

2011-12-16T04:38:00.003-05:00

Fifteen years ago today, I became a mother.

One of my favourite motherhood quotes is from Elizabeth Stone. Motherhood is "to decide forever to have your heart walking outside your body".

I never imagined I could love anyone as much as I love my children. My son being my eldest was the beginning of this incredible unconditional love.

My son and I when he was 2 months old:

4 days old:

sporty at 4 months:the beginning of his love of golf: 20 months old living in Canada meant he had to ignore the weather to pursue his passion:
4 years old:
12 years old:
I have loved witnessing his love and passions, especially for golf, but more than anything, I am proud of his kind and loving soul.

He's such an amazing big brother (and SO loved!):

Growing up SO fast. Take your kid to work day:

School photo 2011:
This is the boy who has my heart walking outside my body! ♥

My Daily ♥ #107: 3A07

2011-12-15T09:13:00.006-05:00

My daughter is My Daily ♥ two days in a row. Last night after I went out, she posted the following update and photo on Facebook:

I love my family soooooo much, I literally CAN'T imagine my life without u guys ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

What a beautiful sentiment to wake up to.

My Daily ♥ #106: Love Scent

2011-12-14T22:02:00.003-05:00

I hugged my daughter goodnight tonight before going out for the evening.

She says to me:

"You smell like love"

♥

This reminded me of the quote she said a couple of years ago when she asked everyone at the Christmas dinner table to name our favourite gift...then adding, "not counting those wrapped with love".

Going back to me smelling like love...here's what she meant.
I was wearing Love Etc. perfume.

My Daily ♥ #105: Where is My Mind?

2011-12-13T11:13:00.006-05:00

With your feet in the air
and your head on the ground
Try this trick and spin it, yeah
Your head will collapse
But there's nothing in it
And you'll ask yourself
Where is my mind?
(Where Is My Mind? by The Pixies)

I couldn't figure out how I missed 9:10 11/12/13 this morning after posting it of Facebook at 8:55. At 9:40 (with 10 minutes to go in my mind) I opened the World Clock to see the moment. I set it up so that it would read the date like I wanted, then saw the time 9:44. Huh? But I want 9:10...how did that happen? Oh I was thinking 10 to 9...instead of 9:10...but no, I was actually imagining 10 to 10. How did I mess up?

While walking Kooper and going back in my mind to 8:55, I realize what I did. I imagined the hour hand on the 9 and the minute hand on the 10. I visualized the 9 and the 10 on the clock rather than the time 9:10am. Doh!

In my mind, I started singing Where is My Mind? (I can't pretend I'm cool enough to be singing the Pixies version).

Twenty minutes later, I missed my regular turn on our walk and went an extra three blocks. I started singing again ♬Where is My Mind?♬ and smile.

I'm hoping to catch 11/12/13 14:15 this afternoon. If my doctor is running late, I'll be sitting in the waiting room with nothing to occupy me but my iPhone clock :-)

Later edit: I did catch the afternoon time :-)

My Daily ♥ #104: A Beginning Has An Ending

2011-12-12T23:00:00.003-05:00

Flames to dust
Lovers to friends
Why do all good things come to an end
(Why Do All Good Things Come To An End
by Nelly Furtado feat. Chris Martin)

Being Erica had its fourth season finale tonight. I'm hoping it's not the series finale. One of the things I love about Being Erica are the quotes and monologues. When I heard the opening line of the monologue, I did start singing Why Do All Good Things Come To An End in my head though.

***Spoilers follow***

Opening monologue:
Everything that has a beginning has an ending
Day turns into night
Summer fades into fall
We know in our hearts
That as much as we would wish it otherwise
In a world set within time
There can be no beginning without an end

While saying goodbye to Dr. Tom, Erica says:

"I feel like if I started crying
I may never stop
Like I just may cry forever
Do you have a quote for that?"

Dr. Tom says:

"Everything that has a beginning has an ending
Make your peace with that
And all will be well
The Buddha"

The final scene starts with the song Alive by Whosarmy, the winner of Cover Me Canada (lyrics as I hear them on the show):

We were an earthquake
And we made the world shake
Now that it's over
I will open up my eyes
Without you with me
I'm just doing time

Ending monologue:
Everything that has a beginning has an ending
Just as every ending creates space
for something new to begin

But I'm Alive for the very first time
Don't have to try to try to try for the very first time
You can turn your back on me
And you can run as far as you can see
But I'm Alive for the very first time

The wonder of a second chance
The miracle of a new life
The joy of a new love
My name is Erica Strange
And today is the end of one chapter
And the beginning of the rest of my life

Just like Erica who wasn't ready to let go of Dr. Tom, I'm not ready to let go of Being Erica. Will CBC force me to or will they give us another season or more of Being Erica? I would love to see Dr. Erica with her first patient, Dr. Tom's daughter...a perfect segway to a new chapter which would keep Dr. Tom in the show.

If Being Erica ends, it was one of the best Canadian shows in recent memory. Brilliant!! I want to watch it all over again!

My Daily #103: Tourtière

2011-12-11T22:20:00.006-05:00

There are two weeks to go until Christmas. Every year, I tell myself to start getting ready for Christmas in November. Every year, I don't. I think it's time to accept that this is the time that I get in the holiday spirit.

I put a few decorations up last week, but besides that, haven't done anything else.

Today I made a traditional Christmas meal from my childhood...tourtière (meat pie). This is a meal that we only had at Christmas time. The recipe calls for twelve pounds of meat (I make a twelfth of the recipe). My mom used to fill the freezer with tourtières, salmon and chicken pies along with various kinds of cookies and desserts at Christmas time for the family gatherings and réveillon.

With extra pie dough leftover, I also made a tarte au sucre (sugar pie).

With a family favourite called Sweethearts that I made yesterday with leftover cookie dough that my daughter and her cousin made for their snowflake cookies, we're set for dessert!

I listened to Christmas songs then watched Miracle on 34th Street. We started writing our Christmas cards. Tomorrow, I start shopping.

The Christmas season is officially starting in my house.

My Daily #102: Christmas Sweaters and Jeff Eager

2011-12-10T22:19:00.001-05:00

I went out to my local pub tonight to see Jeff Eager in concert. I had seen him last summer play an acoustic set on a patio at Bier Markt and really loved his voice. When he played a U2 song, I had to go find out his name.

When he tweeted that he was playing locally tonight, I went to see him play.

I recently wrote about my love for my local pub when I went out one Friday night recently and had a blast.

Tonight had a different vibe though.

It was still packed like it was the last time, but this time there were dozens of people with Christmas sweaters, Santa or elf hats, reindeer antlers and Christmas lights accessories. You can't tell from this photo, but the guys pyjama pants have reindeer on them.

I never did figure out why so many people were dressed in a festive mood. Is this a regular thing in December in Toronto? Is it a Rose and Crown thing? Did I miss a memo that it was free sangria for those who dressed up? From the way many of them were walking and dancing, the sangria might have been a little too strong..lol.

It was all a little too distracting to focus on the music, but I did make a point of enjoying a few songs (even if they were playing classic rock that isn't really a genre I love). Jeff was sharing the lead vocals because he was playing with another band. Unlike the last time we went to the Rose and Crown when I felt the band needed back-up singers (I was tempted to jump on stage to help out...haha), the vocals tonight were very rich.

The Rose and Crown is a great place to party. They get great local bands to perform who can get the party going. Seeing all the Christmas gear did put a huge smile on my face. I couldn't help but grin at the ridiculousness of it all.

I'll make sure to catch Jeff in an acoustic set again because I do love his voice. He also has an album being released in 2012 that I look forward to hearing.

My Daily ♥ #101: My husband's Photo

2011-12-09T22:35:00.002-05:00

The CBC purchased my husband's RCMP boots photo for tonight's episode of The Fifth Estate.

Here's how it looked on television:

He also got credit at the end of the program for archival material.

Pretty cool and thrilling!!

My Daily ♥ #100: Mike Weir

2011-12-08T08:20:00.000-05:00

As I was approaching my 100th Daily ♥, I was hoping that it would be special.

My morning catch up on Twitter included a tweet by Bob at Score Golf saying that Mike Weir was joining the European Tour. I went to Mike's blog to read the full article. Mike recently learned that Major Champions have a twelve year exemption on the European Tour. This was great news for him after losing his PGA tour card due to injury and surgery.

This doesn't mean that he won't be playing in America. As past champion, he gets to play at the Masters. He will also get sponsor exemptions for other tournaments. Adding the European Tour to his list of golf tournaments means that he can play as much as he wants as he attempts to come back from his injury. Can't wait for him to play again.

You can read his full blog post here.

My Daily ♥ #99: Canada's Athlete of the Year

2011-12-07T20:16:00.001-05:00

The end of the year brings nominations for Athlete of the Year.

I don't always agree with the award winners, but I always enjoy the anticipation of the announcement.

Yahoo sports has a page where we can vote for Canadian Press Athlete of the Year. You can cast your vote here. Here are the nominations (you can also vote for another athlete if you don't like their choices):

Canadian Press Male Athlete of the Year

Dylan Armstrong (Shot Put: #1 Ranked, World Silver Medallist and Pan Am Gold)
Alexandre Bilodeau (Moguls: World Silver Medallist; Dual Mogals: World Champion)
Lucien Bute (Boxing: IBF Super Middleweight Champion - since 2007)
Patrick Chan (Figure Skating: World Champion)
Dwayne de Rosario (Soccer: MLS MVP)
Erik Guay (Downhill World Champion)
Corey Perry (NHL MVP)
Milos Raonic (ATP Rookie of the Year)
George St Pierre (UFC Welterweight Champion)
Joey Votto (MLB Gold Glove Award Winner)

Canadian Press Female Athlete of the Year

Paula Findlay (won first 3 World Cup Triathlons before injury)
Alex Gough (luge World Bronze Medal - first female luge medal for Canada)
Jennifer Heil (World Gold Medallist in moguls and in dual moguls)
Christine Nesbitt (speed skating: 3 gold 1 silver at World Championships)
Catharine Pendrel (Cross-Country Cycling World Champion)
Marianne St-Gelais (Speed skating)
Kelsey Serwa (World Champion ski cross)
Christine Sinclair (MVP in League final her team won...competed with broken nose at World Cup, Pan Am Games flag bearer, Gold Medal Pan Am Games)
Mary Spencer (boxing Pan Am Gold and closing ceremonies flag bearer)
Tara Whitten (Cycling - World Champion)

Canadian Press Team of the Year

Brampton Excelsiors (won league and won Mann Cup)
B.C. Lions (Grey Cup Champions)
Alex Harvey and Devon Kershaw (World Champions Team Spring Cross-Country)
Amber Holland curling rink (World Silver Medallist)
McMaster football team (won Vanier Cup)
Saint John Sea Dogs (Memorial Cup Winners)
Jeff Stoughton curling rink (World Champions)
Toronto Rock (National Lacrosse League Champions)
Vancouver Canucks (NHL finalists)
Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir (World Silver Medallist)

The easiest for me to choose is Team of the Year.

Alex Harvey and Devon Kershaw are the first Canadians to win a World Championships gold medal in cross-country skiing EVER. Every year, a team wins the Grey Cup, Vanier Cup or Lacrosse League. Although Canadian teams haven't fared as well in the NHL lately, making the final isn't that huge of an accomplishment for the Canucks. It's been done and surpassed many times before. Curling and figure skating? We've won World Championships or medals before. So hands down for me, Alex Harvey and Devon Kershaw should be the team of the year.

For Female of the Year, I loved Paula Findlay as a candidate until she got injured. This is a similar story to Milos Raonic. Can we award Athlete of the Year on a partial season? Canada often do amazingly well at at speed skating and freestyle skiing. I'd be okay with Jennifer Heil or Christine Nesbitt winning. We have also done well in cycling but this sport isn't as popular as other sports on the list. Luge's first medal is exciting but I don't think worthy of Athlete of the Year with it being a bronze, although worthy of the nomination.

This leaves Christine Sinclair. Her league team won the Championship and she was named MVP. Canada had a disappointing performance at the World Cup however, which is why I'm struggling with choosing Sinclair. Canada won the Pan Am Games where Sinclair was the flag-bearer. The most memorable moment for Christine Sinclair though is at the World Cup when she broke her nose. For female athletes, I think this was the story most talked about in 2011. She breaks her nose after taking an elbow from a German player. The doctor on the sideline tells her she can't play but she persists and returns to the field as fast as she can. She ends up scoring against Germany who hadn't conceded a goal in World Cup action since 2003. Canada still lost the game, but Christine Sinclair won the respect of Canadians and soccer lovers. For overcoming adversity and capturing the nation's attention, Christine Sinclair gets my vote.

Male Athlete of the Year is a little tougher.

Although all worthy, I find it difficult to choose between an MLB, NHL or MLS star so will not vote for them. George St-Pierre's 2011 wasn't as amazing as his past few years (according to media reports). I haven't heard of Lucien Bute, although this nomination has introduced me to him.

Even though Dylan Armstrong didn't win the World Championships (where Patrick Chan, Erik Guay and Adam van Koeverden did), his accomplishment is more unusual. Dominating a Track and Field event is very difficult.

I used to love figure skating, until the judging scandal in 2002. I still follow the Canadian Championships and World Championships but I don't follow the sport like I used to. Since Patrick Chan has not gotten me passionate again about figure skating (like Virtue and Moir did last year), I'll say that he's not worthy of my vote for Athlete of the Year.

Erik Guay's Downhill World Championship was very exciting but John Kucera won it in 2009. Although, I do think that winning a Downhill World Championship is THE win of the year, so I am still amazed that Canada has managed to do it twice in three years. I hope John Kucera was up for Athlete of the Year in 2009.

Alexandre Bilodeau in my mind should have won Athlete of the Year last year...until I remember that Sydney Crosby was Athlete of the Year. The first gold medal on home soil or the hockey one? I guess even I would have to choose the Golden Goal.

Adam van Koeverden blew the competition away at the World Championships. He is a born leader, very supportive of his competitors and fellow Canadian athletes. He is also an avid Right To Play ambassador and supports other charities. He is a great role model for other athletes and non-athletes. He is the whole package, but yeah, I know. I am biased.

If I had finished this post on the 7th, I wouldn't have known about the controversy that Patrick Chan created with his comments about feeling under-appreciated. I wouldn't have read the amazing blog post by Adam van Koeverden about feeling appreciated (after The Toronto Star tried to compare Patrick Chan who competes in a popular sport compared to kayaking).

I was leaning towards voting for Adam van Koeverden for the way he competes and represents Canada, but then read a bit more about Patrick Chan.

After winning the World Championships last April, he has won every competition he has entered so far this season, including the Grand Prix Finals (on December 11th). This means that Patrick Chan is a World Champion and is dominating his sport in 2011. Hard to argue with numbers.

Newcomer of the year for me includes three candidates:

Paula Findlay is a 22 year old triathloner who won the last two International Triathlon Union triathlons of the 2010 season and the first three triathlons in 2011 before getting a hip injury.
Milos Raonic is a 20 year old tennis player who won his first ATP Tour tournament in 2011. His world ranking went up to #27, the highest for a Canadian while representing Canada. He got injured at Wimbledon which saw his ascent come to a halt. Nevertheless, he was named ATP's Rookie of the Year.
Laurence Vincent-Lapointe is a 19 year old canoe sprint racer. She won the gold medal in the Canoe C-1 200m and in the Canoe C-2 500m at the World Championships. The only down-side is that Women's Canoe is not an Olympic sport.

Have I missed anyone?

My Daily ♥ #98: Map-O-Spread

2011-12-06T15:36:00.004-05:00

I have loved Map-O-Spread since I was a child. It's a maple flavoured spread for toast made in Quebec. When I left home, I used to take it with me, not being able to find it in Southern Ontario.

A few years ago, I started finding it at Metro. Later, I started finding it in Loblaws and Sobeys as well.

Last year when I did a 5 day cleanse, I didn't re-introduce Map-O-Spread into my diet, instead choosing real maple syrup when I wanted a treat.

This past summer, I decided to buy Map-O-Spread as a treat and couldn't find it in any of the stores I used to find it in. What, I stop eating it for 6 months and the stores stop carrying it? ;-)

I finally found it today. It brought a huge smile to my face to find it again.

To me, Map-O-Spread is splurge-worthy.

My Daily ♥ #97: My Publications

2011-12-05T15:37:00.004-05:00

After graduating from university, I worked as a Research Assistant for the Chemical Engineering Department of my alma mater.

The research I did resulted in two articles being published. I had the reference for the first one, but the second one wasn't published until after I left.

A few years ago, while talking about it, someone told me I should look online. I didn't find it then.

I was getting my resume out today, thinking about updating it and wondering whether I should go back to work after fifteen years as a stay at home mom. I found an old resume that mentioned my first publication. I went online and lo and behold, there was the other one being used as a reference in a bibliography.

Unfortunately I only saw the reference and not the actual article, but at least I know that it was published and I have the details to add to my resume, should I choose to.

My Daily ♥ #96 Gorilla Reunion

2011-12-04T16:44:00.001-05:00

This video was shared on Facebook. I'm not normally a fan of viral videos, but my husband told me I would love this one. We watched it as a family this afternoon and I did love it.

I had tears in my eyes watching it. Part of me loved this but part of me was also sad to know that he would leave again.

In my purple-coloured glasses world, I want to believe that he will return again on a regular basis. Like humans who enjoy seeing old friends even when they're no longer in their lives full-time, hopefully the gorilla will feel the same and be happy to have seen his old friend again.

My Daily ♥ #95: The Wealthy Barber Returns

2011-12-03T15:33:00.003-05:00

A few months ago I heard that David Chilton was releasing a follow-up to his 1989 book The Wealthy Barber.

I read The Wealthy Barber back in the 1990's before we had children. It provided a great start to our financial future. We did a lot of things right back then.

Fifteen years living on a single income, raising two children, 9/11, and the I.T. industry bubble burst has caused our finances to really suffer.

I felt I needed to read The Wealthy Barber Returns to help find our way back on track. Rather than going to a bookstore and spending more money I didn't have, I ordered it from the library. I thought David Chilton would be proud until I read on page 88:

"By the way, don't let any of this affect how much you spend on books"

It is a very easy read filled with humour that I got through in a couple of afternoons.

Some of my favourite quotes and strategies include:

Four liberating words: I can't afford it.
Four most expensive words: While we're at it...
The Power of Perspective: As Canadians, we won the country-of-residence lottery. Our lives, by all but one standard, are incredibly rich. Sadly, that one standard-- the opulent lifestyles of the very few who have more than we do--is often the only one on which we focus.
Splurge Worthy: "Invest" your spending money where it gives you the best returns. (or the greatest happiness)
The best things in life aren't things
A dollar saved is two dollars earned.

Interestingly, the day I started reading the book, my bank called to say that our mortgage was inside the early renewal period. We can refinance our mortgage with an interest rate one third lower than it was. The universe is conspiring to get our finances in order.

My Daily ♥ #94: Kelly Jones sings Gary Speed Tribute

2011-12-02T12:59:00.004-05:00

Today's Daily ♥ goes out to my friend Kelly (not Kelly Jones).

Gary Speed for those who don't know was a Welsh football player. He played for Wales and in the Premier League. He died last week.

Stereophonics' Kelly Jones recorded Can't Take My Eyes Off You in tribute to Gary Speed. From the BBC website:

The song became an adopted anthem of Welsh football fans during Speed's playing career with Wales after being used in a BBC Wales promo for the 1994 World Cup qualifying campaign.

You can read the full article here.

My Daily ♥ #93 Grammy Nominations

2011-12-01T19:28:00.003-05:00

The Grammy Nominations being My Daily ♥ may be a stretch since I did get annoyed at some of the nominations, but since I love award shows, especially music ones, I will focus on what I loved about this year's Grammy Nominations.

I love that Adele is generously nominated. Rolling in the Deep was definitely the most loved song by the most people in 2011. It's possibly the only song that every person in my family was happy to hear when it came on. It's also possibly the only song that I heard on every Toronto radio station we listen to (we like to flick stations in the car).

I love that Bon Iver is nominated. I'm not a fan (don't know if I have heard the music but have heard about them). I always appreciate an alternative artist getting major recognition.

My daughter's Grade 6 graduating class sang Firework at their graduation, so I'm happy to see that song nominated.

My son has been raving about Avicii since he went to France so was happy to report to him that Avicii are nominated in the Dance category.

I saw Robyn open for Keane last year, not a good match but she is amazing live. Glad to see her get some recognition.

Other nominations I love:

Canadians including Deadmou5, Justin Bieber and Drake.
Harry Connick jr for Best Traditional Vocal Album
Coldplay in Rock and Pop/Rock categories.
Corinne Bailey Rae for Best R&B Performance
Mumford & Sons, Deathcab for Cutie, Radiohead, Foster the People, Fleet Foxes

Last but not least, OK Go is nominated for Best Video for All Is Not Lost. It's an interactive video where you can enter a message which is spelled with the feet of bandmates and dancers at the end of the video. So cool!! You can see the video at www.allisnotlo.st

You can see the full list of nominees by clicking here.

My Daily ♥ #92: Just Draw

2011-11-30T23:05:00.004-05:00

Astro is a 14 year old contestant on X Factor who writes lyrics (raps) and adds something original to every song he sings.

This week the contestants were performing Michael Jackson songs. He chose one of my favourites Black or White. This lyric made me think of Carolyn Sewell whose passion is to draw.

I look at the world like a crayola box

So forget about colours y'all

Just draw

It don't matter if you're black or white

If you want to see the performance, it starts at the 1:55 of this video (the quote at 3:15)

I love his lyrics and am sad that he was voted off this week.

My Daily ♥ #91: J.P. Quotes

2011-11-29T08:59:00.003-05:00

J.P. Arencibia (the catcher for the Blue Jays) posted some quotes I loved on Twitter.

"Sometimes in life you can't focus on your situation because it becomes a distraction. Focus on your destination to stay focused!"

"Failures do what is tension relieving, while winners do what is goal achieving."

Good reminder to keep focused on where I want to be.

My Daily ♥ #90: Happy Holidays To You by Roz Bell

2011-11-28T11:04:00.002-05:00

Roz Bell just released a new Christmas song (Love it!!). You can download it here from his blog.

My Daily ♥ #89: Wake by Robert J. Sawyer

2011-11-27T23:59:00.001-05:00

My husband has been raving about the Robert J. Sawyer books for quite a while. He has read many of his series. I thought I would pack Wake, the first of the WWW series for my bus ride to and from Washington D.C.

It's definitely a page turner and it does make you think. There are three separate stories (or is it four? one of them seemed to end but I won't be surprised to see it come up again).

I especially love that it is set in Waterloo where I went to University. My husband has told me that the second book is even better than the first. Can't wait to see where the story goes.

Lincoln Restaurant

2011-11-26T23:57:00.005-05:00

After a wonderful afternoon chasing sunsets (you can read that post here), I admired the Washington Monument and the White House lit up on my walk to meet my sister-in-law and her friend for dinner at the Lincoln Restaurant on Vermont Street. The restaurant was designed by local artist Maggie O'Neill. The floor is tiled with 800,000 pennies.

There is a booth shaped like the Lincoln's chair and Lincoln inspired paintings on the walls.

(photos from Lincoln Restaurant website)

Here's a video of the restaurant design:

The bonus of feeling like I was at another tourist site is that the food was as good as the design of the restaurant.

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Monument

2011-11-26T23:56:00.002-05:00

I spent today walking around Washington D.C.

I love how close everything is that even though you're walking for hours there is so much to see that you don't see the hours pass.

I started at Arlington Cemetery then took Arlington Memorial Bridge that leads to the Lincoln Memorial.

After climbing up to the Lincoln Memorial where I have been before, I saw an engraving at the top of the steps I had not seen before on the spot where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his I Have A Dream speech 48 years ago.

It was appropriate as my next stop was the new Martin Luther King Jr. monument that opened in August. I took this photo before getting to the basin. It would foreshadow the sky show I would enjoy later.

From the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial website, the mission of the monument is:

To commemorate the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by leading a collaborative funding, design, and construction process in the creation of a memorial to honor his national and international contributions to world peace through non-violent social change.

My favourite quote taken from the I Have A Dream speech:

Out of the Mountain of Despair, A Stone Of Hope
I'm glad I came back later. Initially, although I walked through the "mountain of despair" to arrive at the "Stone of Hope", I forgot to photograph it. I love this shot:

From each side of the "mountain of despair" are two walls with engraved quotes like:

The monument was extremely popular. There were crowds surrounding it.

Since this was my second visit to Washington D.C., I didn't do any "tourist" research ahead of time. I figured I could do that while I was there, but I didn't. I'm thankful for this blog to have made me do the research upon my return.

I just read the I Have A Dream speech. It still amazes me how far we have come since that speech 48 years ago and yet how much further there is still to go. I wonder what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would think of the U.S. and the world in 2011.

My Daily ♥ #88: Chasing Sunsets

2011-11-26T23:55:00.004-05:00

This could be

the rest of our lives
You and me
Chasing sunsets
Just to watch the sunrise
(Chasing Sunsets by Nate Fowler)

Yesterday, Steve Nash tweeted this photo that I found beautiful.

I had wondered if I could get a similar photo though I didn't really know where this was. I didn't really have a plan for my walk except to see the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Monument. I continued to walk after seeing that monument and ended up at the place that Steve's photo was taken from.

It was cloudier today so I didn't get the glow from the day before, but the clouds would make for an incredible sunset.

I spent the next hour or two on the west side of the basin walking back and forth waiting for that perfect photo. I took photos of the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial, the Washington Monument reflecting in the basin (the reflecting pool was being renovated) and the Jefferson Memorial. I took photos from all kinds of different spots.

From the MLK side, I captured this helicopter (with reflection) along with some promising sun rays.

You can catch a glimpse of the Capitol in this one:

Not quite the Nash glow, but still pretty:

From the little bridge on Ohio Drive SW to cross the tidal basin to get to the Jefferson Memorial, I captured the United States Air Force Memorial (which I now realize is in Arlington). I will have to go see it up close next time I am there.

Earlier, at 3:30pm I had captured this shot at the Martin Luther King Jr. monument.
Now that the sun was setting (an hour later), I wondered if I could get a better one. I walked back to capture these.

I would have had to wait even longer for it to be spectacular, but looking at this monument from the east, I wondered if looking at the Jefferson memorial from the east (or even on top of it looking west) would be even better. I started to walk back, hoping I wasn't going to be too late.

At this point, the battery on my camera was flashing so I also took some photos with my iPhone.

(above with iPhone)

The next two are with the iPhone:

I thought I would get great photos of the sunset from the Jefferson memorial but the lighting inside was too bright to show off the sunset in the background for the camera I had.
I wish I had taken the following with my regular camera. It's with the iPhone. It's a little grainy either because of the darkness or I zoomed in.

I went to the east side of the basin and captured the beautiful sunset.

Two hours chasing sunsets...a beautiful afternoon! If I lived in D.C. I would go on a regular basis trying to capture different angles and different colours. Spectacular!

My Daily ♥ #87: Valley of the Moon

2011-11-25T11:02:00.005-05:00

In 1996, I visited the Valley of the Moon winery. The scenery may not have been as amazing as it could be since it was January, but I loved my visit including a picnic lunch with the winery owner (standing) and my husband's work colleague (sitting) who took us on the Sonoma tour of three wineries (Valley of the Moon, Viansa and Ravenswood).

I rarely find Valley of the Moon wines in Ontario. When I do, the price is normally above $35. I loved finding Valley of the Moon Zinfandel and Chardonnay in the wine store in Arlington while I was there for Thanksgiving. The $11 price was a bonus! I also found a Frog's Leap Sauvignon Blanc. I enjoyed tasting these two that evening.

and brought back home a Valley of the Moon Zinfandel and Valley of the Moon Chardonnay to save for a special occasion.

My Daily ♥ #86: Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T23:59:00.000-05:00

For the first time, I spent American Thanksgiving in America.

It wasn't a typical Thanksgiving, no big family gatherings, no formal dinner, no turkey and no stress.

It was wonderful (not that a traditional Thanksgiving wouldn't be).

I was visiting my brother-in-law and sister-in-law in Washington DC (Arlington, Virginia to be exact). I had arrived late the night before, so we got up late. We lounged around. We watched football. We ate KFC and honey baked spiral-sliced ham.

My sister-in-law decorated their Christmas tree. We watched Elf (with Will Ferrell) and laughed out loud. This movie could become a new holiday tradition for me.

"The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear"

We finished the day by going to a great local bar The Liberty Tavern. I was surprised how packed it was. We weren't the only ones having a non-traditional Thanksgiving.

My Daily ♥ #85: Megabus

2011-11-23T23:59:00.002-05:00

I can't remember the last time I took a bus anywhere. When I learned that my sister-in-law and brother-in-law were not travelling (or hosting) for American Thanksgiving this year, I was wondering whether to go join them.

There were two concerns with me driving. First was safety. Did I want to drive 9 hours by myself to a destination I haven't personally driven to before. Secondly was the cost. How much would gas cost to get me there? We rarely think of the cost of gas when we drive anywhere, but with money being more of a concern these days, I am recognizing these expenses.

I then remembered that my husband's cousin took a bus this past summer.

I looked into Megabus and decided to try to take a bus when it costs $39 each way from Toronto to Washington D.C. The cost to go and return is not much more than one tank of gas. The price varies depending on how busy and popular the route and schedule. I've seen this trip for as little as $5 and as much as $49 each way when searching different dates.

I did read some reviews online that were not complimentary, but decided to remember the cost before I complained.

First of all, it left on time. The buses are clean and comfortable. The roof of the second level is glass so the bus seems roomier.

The border complicates things. A bus arrived ahead of us so we had to wait for that bus to go through customs before we did. I had imagined an agent coming on the bus asking each passenger the typical questions we get when we drive but it was more like airport security. We had to get out and take our luggage to be x-rayed. It took 90 minutes before we were through. This meant that the passengers waiting in Buffalo, Harrisburg and Baltimore ended up being behind schedule. This isn't Megabus' fault though. It's difficult to predict the border.

In the U.S. there was Wifi when we left Buffalo. We lost it in Pennsylvania where there wasn't much civilization (from what I could see). We got it back after Harrisburg. There were plugs at every seat to charge electronics. We didn't stop besides dropping off and picking up passengers. You need to pack enough food for your trip. There is a washroom on board. I can't comment on it since luckily I didn't need to use it. Sitting on a bus doesn't make me hungry so I didn't eat or drink much. I slept, I read, I played on my iPhone and listened to music all day.

For $39, I can't complain. I probably wouldn't have driven on my own, so My Daily ♥ is Megabus that permitted me to go visit my relatives in Washington DC for Thanksgiving.

Return trip notes:

We left Washington DC on time

Wifi wasn't working at all

We stopped for a 40 minute break between Harrisburg and Buffalo (yeah...didn't need to use the on-board washroom again)

The border was a breeze (maybe 30 minutes?) but we still arrived 90 minutes later than scheduled. Perhaps they don't schedule border or break times in their schedules?

My Daily ♥ #84: Jet Lag by Simple Plan

2011-11-22T14:23:00.005-05:00

What time is it where you are

Five more days and I'll be home

I keep your picture in my car

I hate the thought of you alone

I've been keeping busy all the time

Just to try to keep you off my mind

Je te cherche quand tu n'es pas là

Dans une semaine je reviendrai

Je perds mon souffle quand tu t'en vas

Je m'imagine à tes côtés

Et même si je sais de l'ignorer

Tu es toujours là dans mes pensées

I won't be leaving on a jet plane tomorrow and I won't have jet lag, but this song is still My Daily ♥ as I leave for a 5 day trip to Washington DC for Thanksgiving.

I love Natasha Bedingfield and was happy to see her do a collaboration with a Canadian band. I loved the English version of this song as soon as I heard it.

When Coeur de Pirate was on Tout Le Monde En Parle recently, they talked about her writing the french lyrics and how her schedule hadn't allowed her to record the song with Simple Plan. I didn't know a French version existed. Marie-Mai recorded it and I love it as well.

I love that the two videos are nearly identical. Growing up watching so many programs that were dubbed in French, I love to see the effort taken in producing a bilingual product. I especially love the French lyrics. Perhaps I should listen to more French music.

My Daily ♥ #83: Jose Bautista and the Blue Jays

2011-11-21T15:37:00.003-05:00

One last post about the Blue Jays as winter approaches.

When Jose Bautista won the Hank Aaron award for the top hitter for the second year in a row, I was going to blog about it. My Red Sox loving friend then tweeted that Jose had a "pretty good shot at MVP" so I thought I would wait.

I knew that in Toronto we were talking MVP for Bautista, but we're biased. An American Red Sox fan made me believe it was possible. Bautista followed up the Hank Aaron award with the Silver Slugger Award for best offensive player for his position. My hopes were going up even more.

The MVP was announced today and Bautista did not win it.

Last Friday, the Blue Jays revealed their new logo.

I love this video that showcases their thinking with this new logo. So often in the past they have changed the logo and the uniforms but I barely noticed. In the video, "Logo for Life" is written. I hope they mean it and stick with this one.

Jose may not have won the MVP this year, but next year I hope the Blue Jays start filling the Rogers Centre on a more regular basis. I have half-seriously said that next year is the year that we return to the playoffs. I have even uttered the words World Series. Do I even dare write it (and not delete it?)

I love the direction the Blue Jays are taking and I hope that it continues. They have me excited.

My Daily ♥ #82: David Beckham and L.A. Galaxy

2011-11-20T23:59:00.001-05:00

I have liked David Beckham since I started watching him play for England. He wasn't my absolute favourite, but I liked him through the highs and the lows.

He came to play in America five years ago. I can't believe his contract is already up. I'm not sure how many times he played in Toronto during that time (not many) and it's a shame I didn't go to see him when he was here.

Last night, he ended his contract by helping his team L.A. Galaxy win the MLS Cup. It's the third time he wins a title before leaving a team (if he ends up leaving L.A.). He won for Manchester United before moving. He won with Real Madrid and once again, in his (possible) last year with L.A., he wins the title.

After a tough first couple of years struggling through injuries, I'm happy to see a happy ending to this story.

You can view the game highlights here.

My Daily ♥ #81: Beaujolais Nouveau

2011-11-19T21:11:00.001-05:00

Gone are the days when my friends and I would gather the third weekend in November for a wine tasting of the Beaujolais Nouveau wines. They are released on the third Thursday of November. The party tradition is over but the wine tasting has remained.

"Gord On Grapes" in The Toronto Star rated the wines this year. His full report is at the bottom of this post. He wrote:

After tasting through the nine entries, the taste winners for 2011 are: Mommessin Beaujolais Nouveau ($13.95, France), Negrar Novello del Veneto ($9.95, Italy) and Drouhin Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau ($14.95, France).

On Thursday, I went to the LCBO and bought three different bottles. The only one of the above three I bought was the Negrar Novello del Veneto. I also purchased the DuBoeuf Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau. I always buy the Duboeuf so although the Drouin was there as well, I preferred to go with tradition than The Star's recommendation.

I also bought the Syrah Primeur. I had hoped to find the JeanJean and the Mommessin but they were not in stock at the store I shopped at.

Three years ago when I blogged about Beaujolais Nouveau, I had preferred the Mommessin, the Duboeuf and the JeanJean. You can read that post here.

Thursday night, I tried the Duboeuf and the Negrar. I much preferred the Duboeuf. The Negrar was not for me.

On Saturday, I went to my local LCBO to see if I could find the JeanJean or the Mommessin. The paper sign hanging from the box of bottles said JeanJean so I bought it without looking at it. I saw enough that it wasn't in it's traditional curvy bottle but didn't think the box was mislabelled. It was. The wine ended up being a Syrah-Merlot blend called Primeur Catalan (Pays D'Oc) which The Star did not report on.

I tried the Primeur Catalan and the Primeur Syrah. They were very similar, light, drinkable but not necessarily special.

At one point, I thought I wouldn't bother trying to find the JeanJean or Mommessin this year. The nouveau wines aren't the best wines. It was a fun way to celebrate in mid-November. It was an event. But now, I was seeing all these opened bottles and didn't really want to open another two bottles, especially with me going away in a few days.

I then thought, what is the rush? The wines are not meant to save for a long time, but they will still be good until Christmas. Even if in the past we tried them all right away, the Beaujolais Nouveau (and other nouveau/primeur wines) still put a smile on my face. I'll try to find my two favourites and if I do, I'll have another tasting in a couple of weeks...extending the Nouveau season.

Tasting notes from The Star

France

• Mommessin Beaujolais Nouveau, 750 mL, $13.95 (1,200 cases): Nice spicy raspberry and cherry, silky and quite delicious. Winner this year. Rating: 89+

• Duboeuf Gamay Nouveau, 750 mL $8.95, (1,900 cases): Candied cherry, ripe plum, but a slight tinny sour note mars the finish. Rating: 86.

• Primeur Syrah Merlot, 750 mL $9.95, (1,400 cases): Palish hued, with very candied maraschino cherry and red plum and strawberry notes. Rating: 87

• Jeanjean Syrah Nouveau, 750 mL $9.95, (1,100 cases): Palish hued, with pronounced carbonic nose, banana and weak cherry flavours. Rating: 86

Italy

• Novello Rosso Terre Di Chieti, 750 mL, $8.95, (1,000 cases): Dark plum aromas, violets and candied strawberry and cherry flavours. Rating: 88

• Negrar Novello del Veneto IGT, 750 mL $9.95, (2,000 cases): Candied plum, hint of raspberry, mellow soft black cherry and strawberry flavour. Second place. Rating: 89

Ontario

• Reif Estates The Fool Gamay Nouveau, 750 mL, (500 cases): Pale in colour, strawberry and astringent rhubarb and cherry skin flavours. Rating: 85.

In select LCBO Vintages stores:

• Drouhin Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau, 750 mL, $14.95, (600 cases): Candied strawberry, cherry and blueberry, with good fruit depth. Third place finisher. Rating: 88+

• Duboeuf Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau, 750 mL, $14.95, (1,400 cases): Candied cherry, blueberry with almost tannic fruit and slightly sour finish. Rating: 87.

My Daily ♥ #80: Textuality's soundtrack

2011-11-18T11:02:00.006-05:00

I could never be a movie critic. My favourite website to look for movie rankings is IMDB.com. The rating of a movie never prevents me from watching a movie however. I often will love a movie with a low rating.

Today I watched Textuality on TMN On Demand. It is the lowest rating I have seen for a movie I enjoyed. It scored a 3.4. I actually registered on IMDB in order to help its rating, but then wondered, what should I rate this movie? I guess I shouldn't rate it by how much I liked it but in the quality of the film?

To me, Textuality was a typical romantic comedy that don't normally score well on IMDB.

Here are other sample scores of movies I have loved:

Knotting Hill 6.9

Emma 6.8

The Holiday 6.8

The Wedding Singer 6.8

50 First Dates 6.8

Sliding Doors 6.8

Bridget Jones' Diary 6.8

Sleepless in Seattle: 6.7

Clueless 6.6

Only You 6.2

Duets 5.8

Maid In Manhattan 4.6

Looks like high sixes are a great score for the movies I love. That's not to say that I don't also love some 7's and 8's. I do. All this says is that I shouldn't judge a movie by the score. It shouldn't be as high as Sleepless in Seattle, but it doesn't deserve to be down at 3.4!

Turns out I'm not the only one who liked the movie. George Stroumboulopoulos has it in a list of 45 English Canadian movies you should see. You can read the article here.

What did I love about Textuality? I love romantic comedies, so naturally, I loved the storyline. I love that it was filmed in Toronto. I loved that technology became a character in the film with the texts and updates being shown on screen as pop-ups. I loved that the storyline wasn't that predictable. Yes boy meets girl, boy likes girl, boy loses girl, etc. but it wasn't done in the typical fashion.

One of the comments from someone who gave the movie a 1 is:

I suppose the "message" of the film was a comment upon how superficial and incapable of intimacy we have become. By creating characters that had absolutely no chemistry with each other and just went through the motions of sex, the makers of this film succeeded.

I read this and said "exactly!". That's the point. He's in these "relationships" to try to forget his ex but it's not working. He had chemistry with his ex. He doesn't with these women, until Simone showed up. I thought the chemistry with Simone was great.

I thought his expressions (or lack of expression) with all the other women who were so interested in him were very well captured and acted.

Most of all, I loved the soundtrack (and the reference to the mixtape). I loved every time I heard Jay Malinowski's voice. I loved how the songs were well showcased in the film. There was a scene when the lead character is getting rid of the photos, letters and memorabilia of his ex. I loved the song that was playing.

Shazam and Sound Hound apps on my iPhone didn't recognize it. I googled the lyrics and I couldn't find it. I finally listened to almost every song on the soundtrack to finally figure out what the song was.

It's New York Skyline by The Midway State (who are performing at The Mod Club on December 17th). Buying a ticket on their website will also get you a free download of their new album.

New York Skyline isn't on the set lists that I have seen :-(

Lyrics as I hear them from the movie:

What can I do when I held on

to something I let go of

a year ago on 5th avenue

I lost the truth

watched you drive away

to the freeway

Crossed over lines

Turned out the lights

in a world where

we once were enough

when the light comes up

and breaks you down

it breaks you down

it breaks me down

she can't hear me say

that I was wrong

The soundtrack also includes Zeus, Jason Collett, Rox Sexsmith, Amy Millan and many more. You can view the list here or listen and buy it here.

Last night I dreamed...

2011-11-18T08:22:00.003-05:00

Last night I dreamed Christine Sinclair was hiring me as her assistant. Christine Sinclair is the Canadian soccer player who carried the Canadian flag at the opening ceremonies of the Pan Am Games last month. The team won the gold at the Pan Am Games beating Brazil in a shootout. They will be trying to qualify for the Olympics in January.

I wonder if I would have gotten to go to the Olympics with the team if the dream had continued.

My Daily ♥ #79: Looking For You Again by Matthew Perryman Jones

2011-11-17T09:38:00.003-05:00

Last week after watching the previous week's Grey's Anatomy, I didn't erase it because I wanted to check what the song was at the end of the episode.

I was talking about Grey's Anatomy when I was asked how I can watch such a sad show. I don't know how to explain that sad television shows, books or movies are appealing to me. How can watching characters in sad situations make me happy?

After watching last week's episode, I couldn't believe HOW sad it was. It was devastating, although in another way, brilliantly written. Perhaps one of the ways I can deal with the sadness is knowing that the characters eventually move on and make remarkable recoveries. For example troubled Dr. Hunt arrived from Iraq and almost killed his girlfriend while he was dreaming of being attacked (in a daze/flashback). He's now Chief of Staff. All evidence of any past trauma erased (thank goodness because I really liked him).

This brings us to another newer character that I really liked. Henry arrived as a patient without insurance. Teddy agrees to marry him so he could benefit from her insurance. They then fall in love and I was hoping this story would go the same way that Owen's past problems have seemingly been forgotten. I was shocked in last week's episode that it was not to be. In a devastating way, Henry dies on the operating table. As gut-wrenching as that scene was, there were other disasters happening to the other characters. A climax of sorts to take us into Thanksgiving? (It's not airing tonight and I imagine it's not on Thanksgiving next week)

That is not the point of this post though. I would later go back to the previous episode to check the song. It was quite interesting to see the foreshadowing of the scene with the accompanying monologue.

The song is Looking For You Again by Matthew Perryman Jones (who has had songs previously showcased on Grey's Anatomy). The song covers a few storylines, but it ends with Teddy arriving home to find Henry at the sink, coughing. He turns around and he is spitting/throwing up blood. The following was the monologue for the scene:

It's a little bit horrifying just how quickly everything can fall to crap.
Sometimes it takes a huge loss to remind you of what you care about the most.
Sometimes you find yourself becoming stronger as a result,
wiser, better equipped to deal with the next big disaster that comes along.
Sometimes but not always.

You can view the last segment of the episode entitled Heart-Shaped Box here. The scene starts at the 6:50 mark.

Here's the song:

Lyrics:

Your breakdown was easy to see

And it took you away

Further from me

Sifting through mishaps and photographs

I think of you

Much more than I should

More than I should

And I'm falling down

Like it's holy ground

I'm looking for you again

Slow regrets that live in the dark

I wrote them all down

But I know them by heart

I've counted the cost of this loneliness

And I've paid for the crime

And one day I'll die

With you in my mind

And I'm falling down

Like it's holy ground

I'm looking for you again

I'm not letting you go again

I'm not letting this story end

I'm not letting you go again

My Daily ♥ #78: People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive

2011-11-16T12:06:00.001-05:00

People just released their Sexiest Man Alive issue. Their choice is Bradley Cooper which is a pretty good choice in my opinion. I went to their website to look at who else made their lists. They have "daredevil hunks", "women behind sexy men", "sexiest chests" and "sexy at every age" lists posted. I'd love to see the athletes list and the musicians list if they have them in the magazine.

The lists posted are really making me think that either my taste is completely different or I don't watch enough movies and television.

I either don't know the men they chose or they're men that wouldn't make my list.

There were even some cringe-worthy picks for me. Although I'm sure if I made up a list, there would be cringe-worthy ones according to other people.

This is the beauty of human nature. We all have different tastes. The world would be a boring place if everyone was only attracted to the same people.

Yes, it's fair to say that most women are attracted to one (or more) of the following:

Bradley Cooper
Brad Pitt
George Clooney
Matthew McConaughey

and most men are attracted to one (or more) of the following:

Scarlett Johansson
Charlize Theron
Angelina Jolie
Eva Longoria

What makes life interesting are the other "less perfect" ones that people find themselves attracted to for one reason or another. Beauty and sexiness is more than skin deep. These lists are great to see the diversity of opinion on a subject.

Last night I dreamed...

2011-11-16T10:26:00.003-05:00

Last night I dreamed I was at the Presidents Cup. For those who don't know, the Presidents Cup is a golf tournament starting today that pits the United States against the Rest of the World (minus Europe). They play against Europe in the Ryder Cup alternating yearly.

The dream started almost like a Being Erica moment. In case you haven't seen Being Erica, the lead character Erica gets sent back in time to relive past regrets. She often arrives in the scene a little clumsily; knocking over something or falling.

My dream starts as I stumble onto a green knocking over a small flag causing the "World" to miss the putt or the shot being disqualified. I am so sad to possibly cause the world the match. I keep apologizing to the player who I can still remember his face vividly but I don't know who he is. The U.S. miss their two putts and the "World" get one more chance to win the match. I am relieved that I didn't cost them the match.

The dream continued. I was hanging out with Luke Donald at one point and Graeme McDowell somewhere else. I woke up confused that European players were there. I thought maybe it was the Ryder Cup, but then realized that Luke and Graeme were not playing. They were there as spectators. It was the Presidents Cup.

My Daily ♥ #77: Joannie Rochette Avec Coeur et Passion

2011-11-15T20:38:00.002-05:00

Joannie Rochette was on the television program Tout Le Monde En Parle this week. She is releasing a new DVD entitled Avec Coeur et Passion (With Heart and Passion) which is an exercise video meant for the young and old, beginner and advanced. She calls her DVD an exercise programme for "monsieur et madame tout le monde" (mr and mrs everybody).

Her mother Thérèse died of a heart attack a few days before Joannie was to perform at the Olympic Games in 2010. Joannie went on to win a bronze medal in figure skating. She relived those days in the interview which was very touching explaining how her personal life came to meet up with her professional life.

She explained on the programme that her mother although seemingly in good health, did not exercise. She says that lack of exercise is one of the main reasons why people suffer heart attacks.

Her mother's death inspired her to do something. She explained that starting an exercise regime is not an easy thing and that her mother didn't know where to start. This DVD is Joannie's way of reaching others to get physically active and hopefully live a healthier life.

Proceeds of the DVD are going to iheartmom (mamandemoncoeur), Joannie' Heart Your Health Campaign associated with University of Ottawa Heart Institute. In a clip on the site, Joannie says "my mom's heart was always in the right place, I just wish she would have taken better care of it."

Here is the Tout Le Monde En Parle segment in case you would like to see it:

My Daily ♥ #76: Kindness

2011-11-14T15:17:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was World Kindness Day. I am a little late, but just saw a post by Because I Am A Girl with 10 kindness quotes. You can see the post here.

My favourite quote is:

I am only one;
but still I am one.
I cannot do everything,
but still I can do something.
I will not refuse to do the something I can do.
(Helen Keller, activist and author)

My Daily ♥ #75: Coldplay here, there and everywhere

2011-11-13T22:23:00.000-05:00

Are you tired of Coldplay yet? I'm sure millions are. It's a fine line between being in the media enough in order to sell your album and being in the media too much where people get tired of seeing you.

Coldplay released their album a few weeks ago. It was #1 in every iTunes store in the world. Sounds like they were in the media enough!

I'm not tired of them though. I don't watch every performance because with the internet now, I could be watching something new every other day since they are broadcasting many of their performances live.

In the past week, there have been a few performances that are worth seeing.

I have heard the song Fix You almost as much as I used to listen to it when it first came out. It is one of my favourite songs of all time. Last week, Drew performed it on X Factor (USA).

My daughter loooves Drew and so has played it on YouTube over and over again (we can't buy the song in Canada). When she's not listening to Drew singing Fix You, she is singing it. I'm not complaining. I still love this song.

Chris Martin had his debut as a guest on late time talk show Jimmy Fallon. This was quite different to get to listen to him being interviewed.

Lastly on Saturday Night Live, they were the musical guest which is not unusual. They have been performing countless times lately, so this is not what I want to highlight. I love the skits they appeared in.

This is turning into an Anti-♥ since SNL and NBC are protecting their material a little too much for my liking. I believe in protecting the rights of artists and writers, but there is a fine line between protecting it to the point that it can't be shared. People talking and sharing artistic material is marketing. It gets the word out and perhaps more people will watch your show in this case. I don't mind when embedding is disabled, but I can't even view the videos from outside of the U.S.

So if you recorded SNL on Saturday, make sure you watch it. If you're in the U.S. go to the Saturday Night Live website or google "Saturday Night Live Garth & Kat Chris Martin" or "Saturday Night Live Someone Like You" to see the two skits Coldplay appeared in. There are media outlets reporting on Coldplay's performance, but the skit videos are not playable from Canada either. There is a YouTube video of the Someone Like You skit, but it's backwards (mirror image). I imagine it will be taken down or does uploading it backwards get it to stay?

As a consolation, you can view the musical performances here.

My Daily ♥ #74: Enter Through The Sun by Young Empires

2011-11-12T14:25:00.005-05:00

Enter Through The Sun, the first single from Young Empires' upcoming album was released worldwide yesterday. With two Daily ♥'s already on 11/11/11, I saved this one for today.

The album, Wake All My Youth, will be released on January 31st, 2012 via Pirates Blend Records.

I first heard of Young Empires a month and a half ago when my husband and I met a guy named Matthew after a concert (We Are Augustines at Wrongbar). We stood at the bar drinking and talking for quite a while about all kinds of things. One of those things was the fact that he was in a band. He mentioned that they had a release scheduled for 11/11/11 (hard to forget that date).

There is a great interview with Young Empires by Torontette from a year ago that is a really worth the time. You can read it here. I loved this interview because I feel like I'm sitting in a booth with them listening to the conversation. I'll be checking out more on Torontette's website to see if all the interviews are that good. My favourite quote from Young Empires is:

I think if you put out a single you can only be a really good band but if you put out a really good album, you can be a great band. And you can have a longer lasting effect on people’s memories. A good single comes and goes. It might have lasting radio life but you’ll only be remembered for that one song. With a good album you’ll be remembered for being a good band.

I look forward to the album's release in January!

Another blog with not as many words (but equally great content) and much support for Young Empires is We All Want Someone To Shout For that includes a Daytrotter session (and a few other posts including one about the single release). You can read (and listen) about the Daytrotter session here.

I love that writing about Young Empires has introduced me to two great music blogs.

Hopefully I'll get to see Young Empires next time they perform in Toronto. They look like a great live band.

Here they are performing Enter Through The Sun at Sound Academy this past summer.

They're playing in Montreal November 17th then heading to France.

You can download the song at http://itunes.com/youngempires

My Daily ♥ #73: Capturing a Moment

2011-11-11T11:11:00.002-05:00

Can I go ahead in my Daily ♥s? I don't think I ever said that I could only have 1 per day did I?

Today is 11/11/11. At 11:11:11, I captured a moment taking a photo of my iMac.

We've had 10/10/10 10:10:10 and next year we'll have 12/12/12 12:12:12 but with today being Remembrance Day, the 11th day of the 11th month of the 11th year adds significance to today's special date.

My Daily ♥ #72: Operation Raise A Flag

2011-11-10T22:31:00.008-05:00

I wrote the first part of this post last night (November 10th) in the hopes that people would see it in time to support Operation Raise A Flag. I finished it on the afternoon of November 11th after I went to see the flags in person.

The following text, photo and video are taken directly from the Operation Raise A Flag website. The last photo was taken by me.

Join us in honouring Canada's Veterans this Remembrance Day by donating a flag in their name and sending a message of thanks for their courage and sacrifice.

The flags will be placed on the lawn in front of Sunnybrook's Veterans Centre on November 11 so Canada's Veterans can see that citizens across the country recognize and value their courageous contributions.
Flags are available in 2 sizes for a $20 or $50 donation and are eligible for a tax receipt.

I went to see the flags today after the Remembrance Day ceremony. There were too many for me to find the one with my message, but I read a lot of beautiful and inspiring messages from fellow Canadians. Being there later made for a great photo without people walking and reading the messages.

There were many veterans sitting inside by the windows looking out at the flags and many veterans that came outside to have a closer look. A beautiful site!

I just got a tweet from @SunnybrookHSC (Sunnybrook Hospital) saying that the messages are being played for veterans on screens in the hospital today. Great idea and great project!

My Daily ♥ #71: Coeur de Pirate

2011-11-10T21:07:00.000-05:00

Twenty two year old Coeur de Pirate (Béatrice Martin) released her second solo album "Blonde" this week. Her 2008 debut album sold over 600,000 copies.

I heard the first single called Adieu a couple of months ago before it was released.

She was a guest on Tout Le Monde En Parle this past Sunday. I recorded it and watched it last night. They played a clip of Adieu and it reminded me how much I loved it.

So My Daily ♥ today (and Song I ♥) is Adieu.

As a postscript, if you haven't heard of Coeur de Pirate before, you should also check out my favourite song by her called Comme Des Enfants that you can view here. Over 8,500,000 views on YouTube can't be wrong!

This past winter, she released an EP with Jay Malinowski (of Bedouin Soundclash). I posted a song I ♥ last spring that you can see here. Although Wedding Bells was the most popular song on the EP, I loved City Lights Cry the most. I was sad to hear on the Tout Le Monde En Parle episode that they have broken up (as a couple - I didn't know they were romantically involved). I had hoped to hear more of Armistice. Their voices are so great together, but I guess it was a short-lived union.

Coeur de Pirate is performing at the Mod Club in Toronto tomorrow night.

My Daily ♥ #70: CAA

2011-11-09T22:39:00.002-05:00

I was on my way to go see my parents at my sister's this morning when my keys wouldn't unlock my car. I tried my spare key. Same result.

After realizing that my car battery was dead, I called CAA. I then called my parents to cancel our planned lunch (okay, that may sound too formal - I was taking my lunch over there having a craving for a pasta salad with the leftovers from the pasta I cooked this morning for my daughter's school lunch).

I ate my lunch as I waited for CAA. They arrived within 40 minutes, replaced the battery in 20 minutes and I was on my way.

It's at moments like this that I don't question spending that yearly fee to have the convenience of a problem being solved in just over an hour. I spent a nice afternoon with my parents, enjoying a cup of tea (instead of my lunch).

Noel Gallagher at Massey Hall

2011-11-08T23:59:00.001-05:00

I was very excited to see Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds at Massey Hall. I had never seen Oasis in concert. When they broke up, I thought I missed my chance to see one of my favourite songs performed live. This past June I went to see Beady Eye in concert and now that I have seen Noel Gallagher, I can say that I (sort of) have seen Oasis...just not all at the same time.

I already posted the video of Noel performing Don't Look Back in Anger (one of my favourite songs of all time). You can read that post here.

This post is just to add a little bit more about the concert.

The Hours were the opening act (The Hours photos by pjmixer).
I was very disappointed in myself that I didn't look them up in more detail. I heard enough to know that I wanted to be there early enough to catch them, but didn't know the songs yet. That is so unlike me, but it gave me the chance to be blown away by a band even when I don't know the songs.

Their sound was so rich. Lead singer Antony Genn's voice was so strong and memorable.
I especially loved the keyboards (Martin Slattery).

Stand out songs included Icarus, Narcissus Road and Ali In The Jungle which was used in this great Nike LiveStrong commercial.

I am so used to the opening act's sound being inferior that it surprised me when Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds took the stage and that their sound wasn't as rich as The Hours. Noel's microphone wasn't turned up high enough, but they did fix it a few songs in.
The crowd was very enthusiastic with quite a few Manchester City flags and scarves waving. (Noel's favourite team is Man City). At times it was unclear whether we were at a soccer game or rock show. At first he barely addressed the crowd. After every song the crowd would chant, but once Noel got warmed up, he did have quite a bit of banter with the audience.

Noel later admitted that he didn't think tonight's concert was as good as the night before, but it did not disappoint me. I thought it was one of the best shows of the year.

I got to hear some great Oasis songs like Wonderwall

as well as the songs from his solo project. My favourite being The Death Of You And Me that I recorded.

I tried to not take too many photos or videos, wanting to stay in the moment. I am so glad I did record some. I still get shivers watching the videos. I love hearing the crowd singing along. It takes me back to that moment especially Don't Look Back In Anger. Since this was the highlight of the night for me, I guess I can't just leave it as a link to my previous post. I'll repost it here.

Setlist:

(It’s Good) To Be Free
Mucky Fingers
Everybody’s On The Run
Dream On
If I Had A Gun
The Good Rebel
The Death Of You And Me
Freaky Teeth
Wonderwall
Supersonic
(I Wanna Live In A Dream In My) Record Machine
AKA… What A Life!
Talk Tonight
Soldier Boys And Jesus Freaks
AKA… Broken Arrow
Half The World Away
(Stranded On) The Wrong Beach
Little By Little
The Importance Of Being Idle
Don’t Look Back In Anger

(Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds photos are mine, you can see pjmixer's photos here)

My Daily ♥ #69: Don't Look Back In Anger

2011-11-08T23:53:00.002-05:00

There is nothing like hearing one of your favourite songs live.

I have loved the song Don't Look Back In Anger since the first time I heard it.

Every time I hear it (and my husband can attest to this), I say "I loooove this song" and I sing along.

It's not a song that I have overplayed like many of my other favourite songs so it really hits me how beautiful it is when I do hear it.

Tonight, I got the chance to hear it live when I went to see Noel Gallagher in concert. Before going to the concert, I decided to stay "in the moment". I wasn't going to record it...but as the moment neared, I couldn't resist.

I still managed to stay in the moment and watch the stage most of the time (not through the LED screen).

I got goose bumps...I had tears in my eyes...my heart swelled...and I sang along. I was thankful for the video because the next morning, when I watched the video...those emotions came flooding back!

My Daily ♥ #68: Do More

2011-11-07T18:29:00.004-05:00

I'm going to a Blue Scholars concert tonight. I'm not a hip hop fan, or a Blue Scholars fan (although I don't dislike them). My husband wanted to go, so I am going along.

Listening to a few of their songs this lyric caught my attention:

I'm trying to do more than just put it in a verse

Or in my case, "I'm trying to do more than just put it in a blog". There is so much that I want to do and appreciate the inspiration.

My Daily ♥ #67: Rick Hansen's Many In Motion Relay

2011-11-06T09:25:00.011-05:00

Gonna be your man in motion
All I need is a pair of wheels
Take me where my future's lying
St. Elmo's Fire
(David Foster and John Parr)

Rick Hansen's 25th Anniversary Relay arrived in Toronto yesterday. Luckily my son knows how I feel about Rick Hansen remembering how excited I was when Rick Hansen entered the stadium with the Olympic torch at the opening ceremonies at the Vancouver Olympics. I took a video of him entering. Here's a photo I took of the torchbearers leaving the ceremonies.

When my son saw that Rick was dropping the ceremonial puck at the Leafs game, he came to tell me.

The minute he said his name, I realized that the relay was in Toronto. I had heard when the relay started in August and I was annoyed at myself for not having put the Toronto date in my calendar, imagining that I would find out from the news. I didn't! Well, I guess I did find out from the Leafs game, although I would have preferred to have heard a day earlier as the relay passed in my neighbourhood that afternoon.

The relay is being run by over 7000 people who have made a difference in their communities hence the relay being renamed Many in Motion from the original Man in Motion. The relay began in Cape Spear, Newfoundland on August 24 and will reach Vancouver on May 22nd.

You can find out when it will be in your community (if you live west or north of Toronto) by visiting the Rick Hansen Relay website here. You can also make a donation to the Rick Hansen Foundation on the site.

I was happy that the relay was in the GTA for a few days. I got up early this morning to see the beginning of the relay starting at Yonge and Dundas this morning (where the previous evening end of day event had been held with Rick Hansen in attendance). Here's the first relay participant for the day:

I walked along for a few other participants. I love this moment I captured as the Rick Hansen medal was being passed along to the next participant:

Later in the afternoon, I went to see the end of the relay for the day. It was ending at the physical education building at the University of Toronto.

When the last medal bearer for the day went by, I loved hearing the Man In Motion theme song St. Elmo's Fire (Man In Motion).
When David Foster and John Parr were having difficulty writing the theme song for the movie St. Elmo's Fire, Rick Hansen gave them the inspiration they needed to write the lyrics (lyrics can be found at the end of this post).

There was some speeches inside the building at the end of the day.

We sang O Canada and did a dance to the song Firework that they do at the end of each day. A number of today's participants were at the front for the dance.

Here is a photo of the medal that is being passed from participant to participant (they do get a commerative medal to keep).

St. Elmo's Fire (Man In Motion) lyrics (unofficial):
Growing up
You don't see the writing on the wall
Passing by
Moving straight ahead you knew it all
But maybe sometime if you feel the pain
You'll find you're all alone
Everything has changed

Play the game
You know you can't quit until it's won
Soldier on
Only you can do what must be done
You know in some way
You're a lot like me
You're just a prisoner
And you're trying to break free

I can see a new horizon
Underneath the blazing sky
I'll be where the eagle's
Flying higher and higher
Gonna be your man in motion
All I need is a pair of wheels
Take me where my future's lying
St. Elmo's Fire

Burning up
Don't know just how far that I can go
Soon be home
Only just a few miles down the road
I can make it
I know I can
You broke the boy in me
But you won't break the man

I can see a new horizon
Underneath the blazing sky
I'll be where the eagle's
Flyin' higher and higher
Gonna be your man in motion
All I need is a pair of wheels
Take me where my future's lying
St. Elmo's Fire

I can climb the highest mountain
Cross the wildest sea
I can feel St. Elmo's Fire burning in me
Burning in me

Just once in his life
A man has his time
And my time is now
And I'm comin' alive

I can hear the music playing
I can see the banners fly
Feel like you're back again
And hope riding high
Gonna be your man in motion
All I need is a pair of wheels
Take me where my future's lying
St. Elmo's Fire

My Daily ♥ #66: Grammar and Grammaire

2011-11-05T14:52:00.002-04:00

I love grammar and spelling. Do I love it because I am good at it, or am I good at it because I love it?

I grew up with French as my mother tongue, so in particular, I remember loving French grammar the most. I loved conjugating verbs and writing without spelling mistakes. I was never a great writer. I wasn't descriptive in my prose, but what I wrote was normally grammatically correct. I also remember when we started learning English grammar. It seemed so much easier.

Let's conjugate to sing:
Je chante, tu chantes, il chante, nous chantons, vous chantez, ils chantent.
I sing, you sing, he sings, we sing, you sing, they sing.

In French, there are five different endings, in English there are two. Let's try that in the past tense:
J'ai chanté, tu as chanté, il a chanté, nous avons chanté, vous avez chanté, ils ont chanté
I sang, you sang, he sang, we sang, you sang, they sang.

In French they are all different while in English they are all the same. Then there is the feminine and masculine of words and verbs. For example, evening is feminine (le soir) but night is feminine (la nuit). If a girl says I went, it is spelled je suis allée. If a boy says I went, it is spelled je suis allé.

I'm not saying that English is without their complications and exceptions (i before e except after c rule has how many exceptions? You can read about that here). They also have varying pronounciations of the same letters like the oo sound in book, door, boom, blood.

Which brings me to today. My kids are in French Immersion and their grammar and spelling is less than stellar, especially in French. It frustrates me to see them still making the same mistakes they were making five years ago.

They learned how to conjugate, but didn't retain it for when they are writing paragraphs. I wish I had paid attention to it years ago, but I mistakenly thought they would eventually learn it. On more than one occasion I have asked their teachers if my kids are worse than the average. I have been told that most kids' grammar and spelling is not what it used to be.

I can see that on Facebook, Twitter and blogs where mistakes are rampant. Professional journalists and authors make mistakes. Even the teachers are making mistakes. I received a French note from one of my daughter's teachers. In a five word sentence, there were two mistakes (one verb conjugation and one homophone).

Grammar isn't emphasized in school now like it was when I was younger. I have decided to try to supplement my kids' grammar lessons. I want them to use your and you're correctly. Did they loose the game or lose the game? Is it there computer or their computer? In French, when do you use ses, ces or c'est? When does a French verb end in "er" or "é"? There are so many tips and tricks to know how to spell things. Are they being taught?

I (and hopefully my kids) had fun this afternoon talking about grammar. They may have had more fun listening to my passion for it, rather than the actual grammar.

It may not be important for them to perfect French grammar if they end up living in an English world, but why close that door?

I love grammar and hope my kids will grow up to pride themselves on having good grammar. Am I dreaming?

My Daily ♥ #65: Simon Whitfield and Paula Findlay

2011-11-04T16:41:00.000-04:00

Triathlon Canada nominated Simon Whitfield and Paula Findlay to the Canadian Olympic Committee to be named to the 2012 Olympic team.

Simon has been my favourite triathlete since winning gold at the first Olympic triathlon race at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. He was Canada's flagbearer at the Closing Ceremonies. I have often written about Simon Whitfield on this blog (you can see those posts by typing his name in the search bar at the top left) or click here to read about my excitement seeing his jersey at the Victoria Front Runners store.

In 2008, Simon won a fantastic silver medal. Now 36 years old, he is the veteran of the triathlon team and I will be so excited to see him compete in his 4th Olympic Games. I'm hoping that Brent McMahon and Kyle Jones will join him on the team by qualifying next year. They were 3rd and 4th at the Pan Am Games (a 1st place finish was needed to qualify for London).

At 22 years old Paula Findlay is the future of Canada's triathlon team. In 2010 she was the surprise winner of the World Championship series event at the London Olympic course. She won on the world stage another 4 times before injuring her hip this past summer.

By being selected on the team, Simon and Paula can now concentrate on peaking at the Olympics rather than training for qualifying events.

My Daily ♥ #64: Do What You Love

2011-11-03T22:27:00.001-04:00

There are a lot of quotes out there about "Do What You Love..." often relating to success or money.

Having a chat with my son tonight, I have come up with my own quote:

Do What You Love
Do It Well
Happiness Will Follow

Good advice for me too! What do you love?

P.S. Just so I'm clear to my son...it doesn't mean he gets to not do the things he doesn't love! I'm not saying Only Do What You Love ;-)

My Daily ♥ #63: Time in the Valleys

2011-11-02T13:49:00.003-04:00

"Our time in the valleys

helps us truly appreciate the views
from the mountain tops"

I love this quote. Even though my health isn't the first thought I think of when I read this quote, it seems appropriate today.

I often will think of how lucky I am that I rarely get sick. This past month has been tougher than most, first with my second degree burn (have I mentioned this on my blog yet?) and now with this seemingly never-ending cold.

Perhaps this time in the valley will make me appreciate my health even more when I get better.

My Daily ♥ #62: Fran Healy sings Keane

2011-11-01T21:31:00.002-04:00

I am starting to sound like a broken record, but I'm still not better. Will this cold ever leave? It's 9:30pm. I'm ready for bed and still don't have My Daily ♥. I log in to Twitter to see if there's anything inspirational there. The fourth tweet I see is from Fran Healy (singer of Travis). He had played in a fundraising gig the night before with Tim Rice-Oxley (of Keane) and he posted a fan video of them performing Everybody's Changing by Keane.

Hopefully a better recording will be released. I would love to add this to my playlist!

My Daily ♥ #61: Pan-Am Games

2011-10-31T20:55:00.003-04:00

The Pan-Am Games held in Guadalajara, Mexico ended yesterday.

What this means is that Toronto is now the official Pan-Am Games host. At the closing ceremonies (that I watched today), the Pan-Am flag was passed to our city.

There was a beautiful rendition of O Canada performed by Quebec artist Florence K followed by an eight minute dance and acrobatic performance to showcase Canada as the next host.

Eight athletes (or teams) earned a spot for Canada at the London 2012 Olympics by winning gold according to a news report. However, I am counting nine. Either one of these had already qualified or one is there in error. The ones I am seeing include :

Closing Ceremonies flag bearer Mary Spencer in women's boxing
Ryan Cochrane and Hughes Fournel in 200m kayak (K2)
Steven Joren and Richard Dober in 1000m kayak (K2)
women's kayak 500m (K4)
Richard Dalton in canoeing (C1 200m)
synchronized swimming team
synchronized swimming duet of Elise Marcotte and Marie-Pier Boudreau Gagnon
Zhang Mo in table tennis
Dorothy Ludwig in shooting

[The kayak/canoe Olympic spots are for the team and not the racers from the Pan Am Games]

Other highlights from the games included a gold medal by world #1 ranked Dylan Armstrong in the shotput.

Led by Opening Ceremonies flagbearer, Christine Sinclair, the women's soccer team won gold beating Brazil in the final.

Canada won gold in men's baseball beating the U.S. in the final. Unfortunately, baseball is no longer an Olympic sport so this was our team's Olympics.

Richard Weinberger won the 10k swimming marathon. He won the test event in London this summer but still hasn't qualified for London 2012 (the qualifying race had been the previous month). He'll hopefully qualify in June in Portugal at the final Olympic qualifying event.

Carol Huynh won the gold medal in wrestling. I will never forget her reaction to O Canada at the 2008 Olympics when she won Canada's first (of three) gold medals at the Games.

Although I didn't watch as much of the Pan-Am games as I would have liked mostly because I'm not used to watching "television" on my computer yet (not much television coverage), I am still excited about Toronto (and surrounding cities) hosting the 2015 Pan Am Games. Hopefully tickets will be fairly affordable so that I can attend a few different events.

Last Night I Dreamed...

2011-10-31T09:35:00.002-04:00

Last night I dreamed that I was with my Mothers On Fire friends. I was in their office and mentioned that if they heard of anyone looking to hire someone bilingual to think of me. As a sidenote, their office was beautiful and spacious. A man who was in the office (it was someone I knew but I don't remember who now) said that he would love someone to help him. He worked at CBC and he needed someone to filter through the massive proposals he received to find the worthwhile ones. It was a full-time position. Although I was looking for something part-time, I said I'd talk to him about it. In my head, I was imagining that I could do the work of a regular full-time person in half the time. Nice to have confidence ;-)

Later in the dream, I was going on holiday. I was at the airport checking in my baggage. For the longest time, I was looking for my second bag (which was actually a cardboard box) when I finally realized it had been checked in.

Switching back from the airport, I don't know if I'm going back in time but I am now in my store. I own a card store and I'm closing it up to go on holiday. I realize that I almost forgot to put a sign on the door saying that the store would be closed for a week while I was away. I wondered if that was okay for me to not have the store opened and imagine all the small local stores who do close for holidays. I then write on the sign all the places that my potential customers can buy a card while I'm away. Always want to provide good service ;-)

The store was beautiful. It was on two levels. Owning a card store or a store of any kind is not on my dream list. Just so we're clear.

My Daily ♥ #60: Somewhere

2011-10-30T13:56:00.004-04:00

Being sick this past week has really made finding something I love or makes me happy every day a challenge (besides the everyday things that always make me happy - don't want you thinking that I'm sitting here miserable or anything).

It's rare on a Sunday afternoon that I sit and watch a movie, but being in the state that I am, I started watching Somewhere by Sofia Coppola starring Stephen Dorff and Elle Fanning.

***spoilers follow***

The movie centers around an actor who lives at Chateau Marmont in Hollywood. He keeps himself busy in the Hollywood acting world...parties, women, drinking and sleeping. His life seems to be going nowhere. His occasional visits with his 11 year old daughter turns into a full time arrangement when his ex tells him that she's not sure when she'll be back.

It was SO slow at times that I kept thinking I would give up, although on the other side, I kept thinking that the story would start any minute now right? Some scenes seemed to drag on like a 90 second plaster drying scene, the main character driving his Ferrari (multiple scenes), the daughter's figure skater's full routine and two separate scenes of pole dancing twins.

When the movie ended, I initially thought, really? But then I started to think about it...and think about it. I then went to IMDB.com to see reviews.

The movie was really a love it or hate it. Most reviews gave it a 8 or above (It won the Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival) or a 2 or below (out of 10). There were those who felt like there was no story or that it was a 10 minute story in a 90 minute film.

I wasn't necessarily in that camp. There were scenes that dragged on, but I still didn't give up on the film (which I often do). Those who loved it saw the significance of some of the long scenes. One review I read argued that the significance of the plaster drying scene being so long was to show that if we couldn't stand watching it for 45 seconds (it's actually like 90 seconds), how difficult must it have been for the character to have to sit 45 minutes under the plaster only with his thoughts (to make a special effects mask). I kept expecting him to fall asleep or to go nuts and rip the plaster apart.

I imagine the figure skating routine was so long to showcase the song (Cool by Gwen Stefani). I love that song, so it was bearable. I thought the lyrics were appropriate for the story. Perhaps it was also to give kudos to Elle Fanning for her hard work. She had never figure skated before and trained for three months to appear as a girl who has skated for three years. It also contrasted the father's expressions watching his daughter skate vs watching the pole dancers.

The main character falls asleep during the first pole dancing twins scene. I imagine it had to be long for us to believe he could fall asleep.

There is a lot of silence (the screenplay was around 50 pages). In those moments, you wonder what the characters are thinking (except when the main character can't answer questions about his film at a press conference when I am wondering how this guy can be so famous).

There were still many moments where a look here or a look there said so much (especially the daughter's reaction at breakfast when a woman who has slept over joins them).

I love this photo from one of the scenes of the father and daughter. The chemistry between them was wonderful. Reading more about the film, they spent a lot of time before filming getting to know each other so that it would show.

Stephen Dorff and Elle Fanning were really great. I kept comparing Elle's character Cleo to my daughter who is a bit older than the character. I kept thinking, there's no way this girl is 11. Turns out that she was in real life too.

I had recently seen the song title Love like a Sunset by Phoenix (possibly in our iTunes library). I loved that title and had meant to listen to it. Watching the song credits after the film, I notice that Love Like a Sunset is on the soundtrack. Turns out that Sofia Coppola is married to the lead singer of Phoenix.

In the end, it may not be a movie I loooved, but movies that keep me thinking after they're done make me happy and I'm still thinking about it.