Blame Twitter

Hello! I haven't written for a while. There are a few reasons for the silence, but the main reason is Twitter. I joined last week, and it's distracting me.

Before I continue, does everyone know what Twitter is? Read this article if you don't know, or if you want some tips on using Twitter: Making the most of Twitter

I joined for a few reasons. First, Zoe T asked me what Twitter was, and while I sort of knew, I thought that I should probably have a better understanding before I answered her; I also felt that I should be more aware of Internet trends, given my web-based job and my blog and all. Then Jillian told me she joined because she wants to dabble in experimental promotion opportunities related to her job. Then there's Sarah, who has been twittering very successfully for a while now, and Brie, who just joined. So really, I just had to do it. Also, Amr has been twittering, and since he isn't on Facebook, I have extra incentive to stick with it.

I also like writing, and I really like being creative within constraints. If 140 characters isn't a constraint, I don't know what is.

You'll be able to read my tweets (yes, I said tweets) in the sidebar, but you should check out these folks too (Tina Fey hasn't updated in a while, but she's funny, yo):

johnroderick She: "Do you think your life is out of control?" Me: "I don't THINK it's out of control, I PERCEIVE that it's out of control via my senses."

yowhatsthehaps You can't tell, but I'm totally giving you the bedroom eyes right now. That's what it's called when you look sleepy, right? Rowr.

rainnwilson Sign on Wendys: "Try our Premium Fish!" Me: "A) what is premium fish? B) Definitely I will, yes."

TinaFey You tell the sandwich artist "a dab of mayo" and they slather it. It's almost like they're not being paid a living wage or something.

kabesh Cherry blossoms, please wait up for Erin and Michael's wedding.

So. Twitter, hey? I'm still not sure what to think.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

When I was 16, I used to wear a button on my backpack that said World's cutest leprechaun. I was pretty cool. Today I'm wearing a plastic shamrock that has been in our family for many years. Michael is wearing another button I dug up, one that claims he is an Honourary leprechaun. He also gets to attend a St. Paddy's Day potluck at lunch. Lucky. He made a corned beef, potato and sauerkraut dish in our slow cooker over night, which was a strange smell to wake up to. Aside from sampling the beef, I honoured the day by reading Belfast's 'new troubles' are really no trouble from the Saturday Globe & Mail over breakfast, an optimistic story. If you want to get up to something a little cheerier, I recommend making these chocolate whiskey and beer cupcakes and sharing one with me.

Preparing for a certain event

Michael and I spent last weekend in Vancouver shopping around for wedding outfits with my mom. We're getting married very soon, and we figured we should find something to wear already. This is the three of us on Main Street, a few blocks from our old apartment building:


Main Street provided a fruitful shopping experience for my mom and me. I found a dress at Body Politic, and both of us got new coats at The Lip Lounge. Aren't they cute? Michael wasn't so lucky, but I'm not worried about him since he already identified some options in Victoria.

I haven't been writing about the wedding because it's not something that I want to do. I will say that we're keeping it small and simple, and I'll be sure to post photos after the whole thing is done. Oh, and we're going to Kauai for our honeymoon. Has anyone been there before?


My mom's flight home was delayed because of that freak snow fall on Monday. Wasn't it crazy? The snow flakes were so giant that I could barely see as a walked to work.

Did you partake in the miracle of human flight?

My mom was here last weekend (after partaking in the miracle of human flight, of course), and I have some stories to tell you about that, but I need to download some photos first. In the meantime, you should probably watch this video (so you can understand the human flight comment):



I never heard of Louis CK before. He's good.

Because the wood grain didn't provide enough texture

I'm sure you've noticed that I'm exploring the wonderful world of Photoshop. Er, I've got a lot to learn.

Listening to talk radio

One of my tentative plans for 2009 was to start listening to This American Life. I've always been a fan of talk radio, but until now I've limited my exposure to the CBC and sometimes NPR (when our CBC reception is off or we're visiting the USA). I think the name This American Life prevented me from checking it out earlier, but I decided to give it a try because I wanted to know why everyone loves Ira Glass (the host) so much. Also, I'm into podcasts now.

I wish I hadn't waited so long, and now I'm making up for lost time by listening to this list of favorite episodes. These are a few of my favorites from that list:

• Break-Up. Writer Starlee Kine on what makes the perfect break-up song and whether really sad music can actually make you feel better. Plus, an eight-year-old author of a book about divorce and other stories from the heart of heartbreak.
  
• My Pen Pal. Sarah, a ten-year-old from the upper peninsula of Michigan, unwittingly becomes pen pals with Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega, arguably U.S. enemy number one at the time. Then she goes to visit him.
  
• Superpowers. A teenage girl made a checklist of all the things she'd need to do to become a superhero – learn to fly a helicopter, learn Russian, learn to fire a bazooka, you get the idea – and then proceeded to do all the things on the list. Also, which superpower is better: flight or invisibility?
  
• Babysitting. The last story in this show, about two teenagers who ended up babysitting children who didn't exist, is one of the most popular things we've ever put on the air, and even won an international prize.
  
• Switched at Birth. On a summer day in 1951, two baby girls were born in a hospital in small-town Wisconsin. The infants were accidentally switched, and went home with the wrong families. One of the mothers realized the mistake but chose to keep quiet. Until the day, more than 40 years later, when she decided to tell both daughters what happened. How the truth changed two families' lives—and how it didn't.

This American Life is home to story-telling brilliance, which allows it to entertain me with topics I never thought I'd be interested in. Not surprisingly, David Sedaris and Jonathan Goldstein are frequent contributors.

I know some of you are already fans, but even if that's the case, I think you should listen to one or two of these episodes so we can be fans together. Phil Collins won me over in one of them! Can you guess which one?