The things you wait in line for
June 22nd 
A couple friends and I headed downtown this evening to attend The Cheaper Show (eighth installment), a one-night-stand art show featuring 150 artists and 300 pieces of original artwork. A bit about the show from the official website:
On June 21st, 2008, the eighth installment of The Cheaper Show series will take place in the Gastown district of Vancouver, BC.
The concept of The Cheaper Show is very simple: 150 multi-disciplined international artists presenting 300 pieces of art, each priced at $200 for one night only. Far from being an ‘art sale,’ each exhibiting artist consciously makes a sacrifice by selling their work for less than its potential value. This creates united support for the event, the arts community, and an opportunity for this show to take place in an environment that is accessible to everyone. In turn, many walk away with sales, exposure, commissions and gallery representation, as well as having an opportunity to connect with peers on an even playing field.
As it turned out, this was a popular place to be tonight; well over a thousand people attended. The show opened at 7pm and by the time we’d arrived (8pm) the lineup to get in was several blocks long. We waited in line 45 minutes only to get about 1/4 of the way to the entrance before we decided to go eat and try the line again at 10.
On the way home from Surrey tonight (DON’T EVEN SAY A WORD), a girl sitting across from me on the Skytrain started a conversation with me. It began with a comment about a fighting couple that had just gotten off and ended with the story of how she had just broken up with her boyfriend of twelve years.
They have two kids together. She always paid for things like groceries and utilities. He always paid for things like the TV and the barbecue. Guess who got what.
Breakups are always so messy. The Dividing Of The Stuff makes it all that much harder.
But damn, 12 years? And two kids?
It kind of made me realize, shit, the things we go through for happiness.
Confessions, part one
June 10th 
I’m one of those people who wear runners with (nearly) everything.
Running shoes are practical. Sure, flats are cute. But they kill your feet and leave you (me) limping after a day in the city. Sure, heels are sexy. But they’re impractical to wear for day-to-day use.
Can a girl not win?
As a general rule of thumb, if where I’m going involves walking from more than just the car to the destination, I forgo the four inch heels for running shoes. Because I mean, seriously. I’m a practical girl. I wouldn’t walk ten blocks in heels unless true love and a million dollars were waiting for me at the end.
I don’t usually post things like this on here because what I write here is totally supposed to be all SERIOUS! and THOUGHT-PROVOKING!, but this video is just so many levels of awesome hilarity and pure GANGSTA that I just couldn’t resist.
Other worthy runner-ups:
- The Indian version of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”
- A Bollywood video from the 80s featuring Superman, Spiderman and GOD AWFUL “special effects”
This will probably get us shot
June 7thThe other day a good friend and I were talking about terrorists, because you know, that subject totally comes up in all my conversations. RIGHT UP THERE WITH THE RISING COST OF OIL PRICES.
Brainwashing aside, don’t these guys ever question the situation they’ve found themselves in? Forget about the blowing up and killing part - they’re promised a certain number of virgins in the next life for “martyrdom”… Aren’t you going to ask for photos first?
After all, you may never know who you’re going to get…
Male friend:
Personally, I’d need to see their pictures firstMale friend:
Maybe like a myspaceChanel:
I wonder what would happen if one of them asked?Male friend:
Terrorist: “May I view a picture of one of my virgins before I strap these bombs on my back?”Chanel:
Muhammad: “Yes, you may” … *hands over a picture*Chanel:
Terrorist: “WTF DUDE, THAT’S MY SISTER!”
For the things you wanted to say
June 3rdAs seen scrawled into the back of a stall door in the ladies washroom at a rest stop off the I-5 North:
TRUE LOVE WAITS
For what?
A confirmation number
I love reading the things people write on the walls in the stalls of bathrooms.
At first glance, most bathroom graffiti typically looks like trash—you know, the usual suspects of “JESSICA WUZ HERE” and “JT+BS FOR EVA”—and if you take it for face value, it’s nothing more than that. But if you really think about it, everything written on those walls has a story behind them. People do everything for a reason, even if they don’t consciously know the reason for it at the time.
Whenever I read the things people write on walls, I simply can’t help but wonder about the author’s life: Are JT and BS still together? What’s Jessica doing now? … And when you read particularly chilling words like “I can’t take this anymore”… Are you still hanging in there?
It’s such an odd thought, looking over a cluttered wall and knowing that many, many people have been exactly where you are, and of all those people, some of them felt particularly impressed to write something on the walls surrounding them. They’re each strangers to the next, all going through different things in life, some coming in, some going out… But the one thing these strangers all have in common is the wall. They wrote on the wall.
We’re not all that far apart from each other as may we think.
What’s the most memorable thing you’ve ever seen on a bathroom wall?
Welcome to the US and A, y’all!
June 1st 
I love America.
I’m not even sure if I can correctly articulate how much I adore American culture, but I suspect it’s because the US is so different from Canada. Everything is so surreal. They’re all so “GOD BLESS AMERICA!”, “SUPPORT OUR TROOPS!” and “WE LOVE TACO BELL!” … Just like in the movies or on CNN. (The different between the two, by the way? Not much.)
I know most people either have no opinion or a very strong opinion on America and American things, but I can’t help but fuss and giggle over nearly everything American. Like their accents. And their restaurants. And their food. And George W. Bush. I may not agree with everything, but it’s America. And being Canadian, you can’t help but marvel at how oddly different everything is.
Sort of like yesterday, when I asked the gas station attendant how to get back on the highway. After using the word “highway” to refer to the freeway (or is it interstate?) at least ten times in the span of about two minutes, he finally snapped:
“It’s the FREEWAY, ma’am. FREEWAY.”
My apologies. Back at home they call them big roads HIGHWAYS.
What’s up Toronto, what’s up?
May 27thI am back from my weekend in Toronto. All in all, I must say that it was one of the best weekends I’ve had in a very long time; we met some great people at the International Conference on Integrative, Complementary & Alternative Medicine (ICAM) & Mental Health (the reason we were in Toronto in the first place) and ate some superb food at number of great restaurants on Queen street.
By the way—If you ever happen to be in Toronto, I highly recommend you go to Fressen and try their vegan and wheat free chocolate dessert made with pure chocolate and AVACADOES for richness. I know that sounds incredibly nasty, kind of like those obscure bubble tea flavors like pork and strawberries, but trust me: IT IS GOOD. VERY GOOD. (I can’t say the same for pork and strawberries, however.)
Originally I planned on writing a bit about my weekend, but I’ll spare you the tedious pain of surviving the dreaded “post-travel report” and show you a bit of Toronto in photos instead. Behold:
Tomorrow morning at some ungodly hour (read: anytime between the hours of 2AM and 12PM) I will be making my way across the country to visit Toronto for the very first time. This trip will also be the farthest east I’ve ever been past HELL ON EARTH, Canada.
I wish I could tell you I’m thrilled, but really, I’m just sad because my favorite blogger will be in MY city when I will be out of it. TIMING, I HATE YOU.
Have you ever bought anything as a result of an infomercial you saw on TV?
I’m usually not one to fall for subtle marketing tactics aimed at the subconscious level, but when I saw the infomercial for Core Rhythms, I was instantly hooked. Celebrity endorsements from the judges of my favorite dance shows? Check. Developed by two champion ballroom dancers? Check. Based on ballroom movements, designed to strengthen the core? Check. Never having to do a crunch on the floor again? GOOD LORD, SIGN ME UP!
Don’t get me wrong—running and dancing are excellent workouts. But because they target more of my leg, thigh, back and shoulders, I haven’t really gotten to the point where my core has been severely challenged on a regular basis; and unfortunately, it’s my stomach/abs that need the most work. For swimsuit season, obviously. Because, you know, I love the water SO MUCH.
Along with doing target exercises, I’m adding the following things to my daily routine:
- PRACTICING SELF DENIAL - No more eating fast until I’m way too full. No more tubs of Rolo ice cream while I watch Dancing with the Stars. No more eating things just because they’re there. No more putting things in my mouth because I’m “bored”. It’s crunch time. Literally.
- The XANGO WEIGHT LOSS COCKTAIL - Made up of 2 oz XanGo, 2 oz Kiefer, 1 tbsp Coconut oil and 1 tbsp Olive oil, this surprisingly good tasting cocktail is supposed to rev up the metabolism, aiding in weight loss. I was skeptical at first, but after hearing all sorts of success stories from people I actually know, I’ve decided to add it to my “LETS GET IN SHAPE” mission.
Because I’m all about results, I’ve decided to take before and after photos and measurements so I can effectively track my progress. I’m giving myself until the end of June—if see noticeable results, I will actually post these before and after photos and measurements as a real-life, no bullshit testimonial to eating right and doing exercises that target my “problem” areas.
How do you keep in shape? Do you watch what you eat, hit the gym, or do a combination of things? Are there any particular exercises you’ve done (Pilates, yoga, etc.) that have delivered results for you?
