The Best!

Ok, so "prepare for the best" last left off when my house burned down - well when my trailer burned down.  But it was my home and that was rough.  It is 3 years later and crap is happening man!  I am in a short film that has been shown this week in the Cannes Film Festival!  WoOoHoOo!  How awesome is that?!  Like Gabrielle said, dreams do come true.  Have I prepared for the best in this situation?  Um, not really, I have been sort of riding the depression wagon a little, low and maybe swimming in a self-pity pool..... And for what?!  It's CANNES!  I need to snap out of the doldrums and stat - life couldn't be better!  For today I am going to be grateful and let the lightheartedness of life guide me in all my minutes of the day!  I am going to bootcamp, I am going to band, and I am going to take JLOs skin care regime advice and apply it darnnit, cuz she looks good!  Look at her skin - glowing and wrinkle free - bring on the Frownies I say!

GIANT KING CON

Giant Con is great! Their music is peppy, just complex enough, and best of all, unique. If I were to drive hard for a comparison I would peg their illegitimate lover parents to be Modest Mouse and the pink bubble gum popping waitress at the drive-in diner (roller skating waitress of course). I really want to say Peaches - but I haven't heard her yet!!!! Despite having been in my life for 8 years now, I have yet to hear a single track. Time to get to the CD store (so old fashioned I know).

Anyways, Giant Con screened their new music video Ciest to Lie at the Yellowknife Capitol Theatre last night. It was a Collective 9 production and a joint city of YK effort for sure. It was set in YK in the 30's and personally I would like to see an entire movie set in that era....hmmmmm idea. But maybe with a different story line (sans black magic). The vitality of the piece is what set it apart from other films that have depicted the North in the past or Canada in general, from what I have seen anyways. I suppose what I am saying is that at the end of the day - the next Canadiana film I see (a genre which I like being descended from settlers who arrived in the late 1700s) I want it to be filmed more like a rock video and less like a school book. Capiche?

Awesome - way to go Giant Con - buy the album, you won't be disappointed!

Music - Movie - Book

I have on follower!! That's pretty awesome considering this blog is about nothing. I have often thought of focussing it and making it about something in particular but what that is does not come to mind.

I just bought a new CD this weekend - The Cat Empire - pretty sweet. It sounds like Jack Johnson singing to funky music a la Jamiroquai mixed with Sublime complimented by some radical scratching and electronic mixing. All of that with some sort of space age Caribbean feel.

Snow is upon us in Yellowknife, the temperature is a comfortable crisp. There are different shades of crisp for sure, some are more comfortable than others; presently ours is very pleasant.

Movie review - The Informant. This was an interesting movie. I was expecting it to be better than it was at the time I was watching it. However, when we were let out and had so much to talk about in terms of content, acting, setting etc. well gosh darn it, I realized that it was maybe more thought provoking than a lot of movies that I have seen lately and so I give it thumbs up. It was like a Vanity Fair article set to a movie. In fact, I am going to research whether or not there was a VF article written on this story... the story of Mark Whitacre and the corn business. Interesting about the corn business - the movie drives home that there is corn in just about everything, both manufactured and some meats and fish (because it is their food source) - broken down into the different compounds that make up corn, this movie focussed particularly on "lycene". This has research project written all over it.

With respect to the "price fixing" aspect of the story, well we have sent our lawyer friend in to watch and to give us the cliff notes. At the end of the movie, we were actually wanting a movie about the movie - i.e. the cliff notes on the legal side of the story.

Book of the moment - A Thousand Splendid Suns - so far, so great. I will review it when I am done.

Peace.

Inglorious Bastards

Wow - I did not like that movie.

Back in the news

Someone, let's say a new friend, thoughtfully pointed out that it had been a while since I last updated my blog... well, a fast and furious update comin atcha:
- Going to NewYork May 13th for a week and then off to Thailand until June 20th (woohoo) - looking forward to the r & r and spiritiual potential, hiking, massages, connecting with an old legendary Australian friend etc.
- Author I would like to add to my academia collection of literature and literary knowledge: Dembisa Moyo (I believe I got it right)
- 3 wedding cakes have been ordered for July - all buttercream, could be fun (but fun mostly because it will be warm out!)
- Looking forward to the summer (intense)
- Immensely enjoying living with my new roomate Shawn in beautiful Old Town
- Pavarotti in 1973 La Boheme - a must
- Still have to go and check out a music mix on Adam's blog - just for me - ok well maybe not just for me but who cares! He is weird and wonderful - I love new music!

Cheers all - thanks for the nudge,
Jessie.

The irony of it all.

It is so ironic to reflect on the title of this blog, "prepare for the best" - I have just been through a lose everything house fire.  Looks like the best is yet to come!

ZOMG...

Oh dear God, it must be minus a million out!

Is it just me?

This is the time of year in Yellowknife where cardio becomes cardiac.  In the heat of Summertime we are all running around like maniacs, biking, hiking, walking, jogging - all in the good spirit of 18-24 hrs of sunlight.  Literally, 11 p.m. can feel like 3 o'clock in the afternoon, and one can just hop on the ole bike and take her for a spin.  The energy levels follow suit too - I really am almost never tired in the summer.  Hungover, maybe, but never really tired.

Enter mid-winter, I walked my dog up an inclined part of our street the other morning (the incline being ever so slight) and I was aware that I should probably start walking to work (wheez wheez).  Lol.  Nuff said.

Peas out.

Gramercy Tavern Gingerbundts!

GRAMERCY TAVERN GINGERBUNDTS

This post is dedicated to ever magnanimous, ever consistent, ever delectable delight displaying Smitten Kitchen! In the off chance that she wanders in (and not to weird her out by telling her how great she is, but yeah, top drawer), I thought I would display a little montage of the Gramercy Tavern Gingerbread recipe that she posted, and that spiced up our minus 40s of last month. It was, wait for it, sooooooooooo good! Thanks Smits! These bundts would be oh so perfect with some coffee and a little 'New York, New York' playing in the back round - big sound for big flavour!

-44, 3:30 p.m.

Hey Party People,

This is what -44 at 3:30 in the afternoon looks like...  What it feels like is - COLD!  See the nice ice fog...oooo...this shot is from the front yard of our trailer, mailboxes to the right, more trailers to the front - the road leads to a very small path that takes you out into civilization where one can readily partake in convenience store goodies, video rentals, McDonald's, Extra Foods etc.

To your left is the homestead. 

Another One Bites The Dust.

Conceded as a waste of time and energy, I have closed my eHarmony account.  After having reflected on my incredibly lazy and apathetic state at present (I keep on convincing myself that I am just "relaxing" - no, Jessie, now you are just gross, pyjama day ended with Christmas and if not then, New Years day at the latest) I have decided that I should be folding my clothes and getting ready for re-entry into the land of the living, rather than checking out my matches from Ohio.  So, it is done, did I say 2 weeks?  I was being generous.  I didn't even make it to the end of free communication weekend, which would have been a logical time to end the affair.  Didn't even make it.  This not making it through relationship weekends thing seems to be a recurring theme in my life right now - let's hope it's progress people... lets hope.

(and can anyone tell me why spellcheck had me spell let's(lets) 2 different ways up there in the last sentence? - I have a bone to pick with its and it's as well).

Cheers.

Ps.  It is warming up today, -36, but we have officially lost our last running cold water tap (bathtub) now the only water that we are getting in the house is the hot water out of the bathtub...am I allowed to swear on Blogger?  @#&%!!!!!!!!!

2009

Happy 2009 folks!  I don't have much else to put right now, except to encourage you all to check out the blogger play gadget at the bottom of the left hand side of the page.  Click on it and it takes you to random peoples' blogs - how much fun is that?

Like hello - I just went to someone's Indian or Estonian blog!!!  Couldn't recognize the characters - but how neat?!

Cheers :-)

eHarm, No Foul

Alright, I finally did a 21st century thing that I probably never thought I would do and that probably everyone will do once - no, not get a cell phone, I did that 2 months ago - I joined eHarmony!  eek!  Now, calm down out there and stop laughing, I did it for no other reason than pure interest - to see what the world of people are doing out there and what they are all about these days.  Obviously I have never adventured into any other virtual world other than a dating one - will somebody please buy me World of Warcraft for Christmas next year?  Anyways, back to the eHarm story, it all started when Judy said she had signed up for free on a lark, "ages ago" she said, and her inbox was always full but she never replied to any of it.  Well, tick tick tick, I was like "free?  full inbox?"  How could I resist?  Honestly, you all would have done the same ;-)  

If you are going to sign up, put a pot of coffee on because the opening questions are like YOU on a mid-term, practically a deterrent, by the time I reached the half-way point I had no idea what I was saying about myself except for the obvious ones that jumped out like "introvert", no, "creative", yes - the rest of it was like "caring" "warm" "open-minded" (who is going to say they are narrow-minded?  I am not sure if anyone thinks they are - a good future thesis question, tuck that one away for later) anyways, I am totally thinking that all of the above depend on the situation blah blah blah, nonetheless, drum roll please, I got through it!!!  Even if I clicked the middle ground on everything, I got through it!  

Enter the "radius" of potential man mates - they tried to auto click a box of within 100km of where I live for me...ha!  Yes, I am looking for love in Rae Edzo (the only community within 100km) - and failing that, I could be matched up with a hefty bison, after all, I have always had a slight penchant for the unconventional (slight, people, slight).  Finally, I took control of the mouse and clicked the box for "The World!" - it actually had an exclamation mark at the end of it, just like that "The World!"  as if they are saying to all who click this box, "bitchin!  Way to go for the whole world!  Why narrow the field?  Go for it you daring animal!"  So I guess if I get a guided communication question that asks what my idea of being adventurous is, I can reply, "well I did click The World!, didn't I?"  Score, there's one guided answer in the bag.  After all, according to boxes I clicked, my matches are expecting someone witty.  I had better get to work on the other answers.

I give this relationship 2 weeks.  

Curses!

Argggh, thwarted at every pass!  If anyone knows how to insert a suite of images please let me know - so far I can only get them inserted at the top of the post...  oh well, I will prepare for the best - I am sure it will work itself out...  Yipee!  I figured it out - see post below - I am totally out of order it is true.

Lemon Wedding Cake - Part 1

Obviously, I don't know how to remove photos yet...  So you get it twice!
This my friends is the finished product.  A humble, 3-tiered little lemon number.  The pictures are out of order and I have way more of them, such as, wait for it, the crumb coat montage - who wouldn't want to see that action?  But I am going to retire from this tired (no longer fruitless - all hail the lemon!) wedding cake thread.  Alright, maybe it's just me who is tired. 
Yay - I figured it out!  Please excuse the little lemons in the above photo - they are, ahem, naked.

Well achievement demands consistency!  I had such success posting the December 28th picture (no luck with video though) that I am going to attempt to walk y'all through my documented making of a humble lemon wedding cake for a Dec. 27th wedding.

Here goes; it all started with some beautiful lemons and a rape....

 

DECEMBER!!!!

Hey Hey,

I thought it was about time for something new - it looks like it took me a couple of months to recover from October - lol.  I suppose when one thinks that no one is reading one's blog that it does not matter whether one writes or not.  And then one woke up and thought "what if there is one lone soul out there reading my blog, just pining for an update?"  Well, I will not disappoint!  December has been a good month.  I had the great pleasure of performing the Messiah, what a treat.  Also, I sang at an AIDS benefit earlier in the month and that was a treat as well.  Progressed in a serious way in one of my work projects, thanks to some ultra-dependable colleagues.  Visited Toronto for the first time with a good friend of mine.  Spent a lovely Christmas with mom and sis and a surprise visit from an old family friend.  Made a wedding cake, lemon mmmmm.  All with 3 days left to spare.  Life is sweet.  I have pictures of the aforementioned events and I will try to put them up.  I am making it my project for the evening ... go go go! 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving homeboys and homegirls.  I have plenty to be thankful for not the least of which are great friends and family. It is a gorgeous day here in Yellowknife - fresh and sunny - hope all are having a shiny happy day.

From my end, Jason is the host for today's festivities - should be grand :-)

October is such a heavy month...

It seems to me that I have been avoiding blogging about weight loss.  And maybe it is because there is none of that going on in my life right now.  Sigh, and I know my friends are all saying "but you look great" - THIS SECTION HAS BEEN CENSORED.  October tends to be a dangerous month for me - for the past 2 years this month has been the back end greeter for a long term winter guest of fifteen pounds.  And lo, every year I think that I am going the other direction, October rolls around and with it those fifteen little guests who think they are just going to settle in nice and cosy for the winter.

I guess I am posting this now to give myself some sort of accountability.  Right now I weigh CENSORED.  Eeeek!  OMG, there, I said it.  I think about 3 weeks ago I was in the YES FOLKS, CENSORED AGAIN kilo range... Jaws theme song music please.  Anyways, my personal weight loss is probably of no interest to anyone but me, however the topic may interest others (I know I am not the only one of my friends trying to get rid of a bit of unhealthy body fat, which is a good thing) - I am going to try to set up a tab or something in this blog where I will religiously log my progress, tips, tricks etc. - it's all about mitigation people, mitigation.  It will include fitness, but will probably be food centric as the latter in particular is my Dante-esque ring.

But before I go trying to set up a tab and take several months doing it and re-visit this subject when I am a million pounds heavier - I just have 2 parting words my people and those are THE END.     

guest list

I like imagining that Tina Fey and the Queen of England are reading my blog.

More Alice than White Rabbit

Whew, as an addition to yesterday's "can't be late" theorem, I was literally just on time for work, having ran from the gym to work, in the door and out the door. In the end it was a super smooth move to not have been late due to excessive time spent blow drying.

I am thinking, maybe, if no one is reading this then I need to get a gimmick - pictures of food, or presidential candidates, or Tina Fey! I'll just slap her picture all over and the people will surely come. Speaking of which, I wonder when 30 Rock will start up again? The first season is totally worth buying, of which the first disc is a noteworthy gem. Sigh, I guess I will go start getting ready for the gym - lower body weights today - groan.

Thanksgiving update - have been looking through my weight watchers book for appetizers - have found nothing I would subject my friends to. I will now broaden my research to regular people food magazines. Thanksgiving pictures will be the first pictures I post. If I can accomplish it - I am dying to pimp out my blog. In that vein I am off to find clip art of Tina Fey ;-) Please let me know if I used the correct use and spelling of the word vein there, I feel like I am in a bear bare situation here.