Living and Doing

If you keep your head down, work hard, cultivate your passions and talents and most importantly, be good to people, you will win at life. Always have good intentions mixed with a healthy dose of motivation and I know you will be awesome. Sorry to get cliche on you guys, but I’m having the most wonderful August and I just want to gush right now on my personal blog. I don’t think that’s too much to ask.

Whoa all my friends look super sad and bummed out, but don’t worry, they are just acting in a video we’re working on. Good actors though, right?

So do you guys want to talk about Foursquare? I do. Now that all the concern about stalkers, house-robbers, etc has worn off, I have some comments. I have only a couple friends on Foursquare who actually use it regularly and I don’t hang out with them that much. So, I find myself, when I remember checking in when I’m out with my non-Foursquare friends (the large majority of the time) sort of hiding it. I’m embarrassed. Inevitably I’m asked “What are you doing? What’s Foursquare?” and I have to explain it to them. And they are confused and not really impressed. “What’s the point of that? It sounds dumb.” I can defend the silly thing, but not with much conviction.

Foursquare is an app you install on a smart phone that uses geotracking to allow you to “check-in” to whatever real location you are at and it lets your other foursquare friends know as well as keeping you informed of where your friends go. You can post “tips” in certain locations for others to read if they check into the same place. If you check into a location more than anyone else you can become the mayor of that place. You can also earn assorted badges for playing. For example, checking in 4 nights in a row can get you a “Bender” badge. It’s a little like location-based twitter with a bit of a game element.

What does any of this actually mean for brands and making the big bucks? I don’t know, not a whole lot to be honest. A few companies like Starbucks have had Foursquare build in coupons into the application. Starbucks offers the mayor of their specific location a dollar off their already over-priced fruity ice drinks I think at the moment. Some companies like Bravo, VH1, Zagat, New York Times have started their own Foursquare account to advertise events or their brand. A while ago, there was an article in the New York Times about Foursquare and that it’s now worth a ton of money, but it’s still a bit murky as to how this application can be harvested for real value. I haven’t done very much research, but it seems like Foursquare is not mainstream and is only being used by the geekiest geeks who want to go through the trouble of checking in. Correct me if I’m wrong.

There is a part of me that enjoys Foursquare because I like the idea of tracking where I’m going or the repetitive activity of checking in places and collecting them, or badges, or mayorships and around my town too. There’s a kind of thrill in seeing that we all go to the same places (tech enabling human connection?) and the city is actually so small. Because very few of my friends are into Foursquare, and most of my friends are types who would never be, it’s not all that social for me. In fact, I kind of wish it wasn’t attached to other people so I didn’t have to bother them with my updates or remind them that I exist, defeating perhaps the entire purpose of this SOCIAL network. I think of quitting it often, but then consider that it is a way to keep in touch with people that I like and don’t see often, it is kinda fun in some ways, and I like to participate in this stuff and see what it’s like and how people use it, even if I’m not the ideal user. Also, you never know, maybe it will really catch on and then I’ll be ahead of the game. I doubt it though, most people just can’t keep up being so intensely into themselves all the time. Just me; the amount that I’m into myself knows no bounds!

Last night when I came home Pulp Fiction was on the Ceeb. Amazing movies on TV that you forget about and then remember when you start watching is another favourite of mine. It’s a nice little half-surprise. Like finding a 10 dollar bill in your winter jacket when it starts getting cold again. What a great movie though, right? Really genre bending for it’s time and people reference that movie nowadays constantly without even thinking about it. It really influenced pop culture and it was cool to re-watch late at night and be reminded.

Practically the only thing you can count on when it comes to my blog is me posting a picture every time I get my hair cut. So I am not sure if you’ve noticed, but I have been slowly making my decent into bangs. Everytime I get it cut they get shorter and less side-swept. Today they be full-fledged for the first time since I was a kid. No more almost bangs; these are BANGS. Also, it’s brown now, which is different.

I don’t really know why I blog anymore, but I figure at least part of it is so I can post pictures of my hair cuts every three months. I’d like to think it’s less selfish than that, but sometimes you gotta just admit this stuff to yourself.

One of the best things in the whole world is riding a bike home in the summer after a great night. I live pretty far away from everything now, but if I can, I will always take that lone, long ride through the city. I cannot think of many things that feel better than that. When I’m old and overweight with 4 kids living in the suburbs (gosh, hopefully that will never happen, though I joke) I will always remember living in Toronto and riding around the city and be so very glad I took advantage of the roads and my bicycle. Really awesome moments I get to live everyday. Also, thank you Toronto for the Jarvis bike lanes which help me get home safe.

My little guy went to beautiful Gaspe with my friend on her bike trip and she was sweet enough to send me a picture. I love it so much, I can’t even tell you. I’m going to start sending these guys around with everyone and encouraging photos.

Also, didn’t go to the casting call. I got a follow-up telling me that people were sleeping over to attend the thing. I don’t want it that bad. I’ll just wait until I’m discovered in a bar singing karaoke. Can’t wait til I’m famous!

Today I’m meeting my buddy Charmaine and I’m going to go to a one of those fancy gym yoga classes on a guest pass with her. I’m a little nervous, but only because I don’t have any Lululemon to wear. My yoga outfit consists of sweatpants and my old soft ball jersey. Is that ok? I figure my impressive yoga skills will uphold my dignity and I have my own mat, so there.

Also new in whims with me is I’m considering going to an extra’s general casting call tomorrow morning for a TV network. I’ve never ever thought about acting or being in front of the camera ever in my entire life so I think it might be somewhat of a lark now that I’m almost 30. Maybe I can do some “background work” to pass the time. I’m not ruling it out, anyway. Hilarious.

I’m crocheting a baby blanket that looks pretty sweet so far.
Check out the great colours on that. I have a baby in mind for this one, but there is a lot of pressure because there are so many babies around lately. I want to tell you the story about my trip to visit my mom in Ottawa and buying the wool for this. My mom had an emailed 40% off coupon for only one item from the store and only one per visit and she printed out 10. We went through the check-out to each buy an individual ball of wool with a coupon, put them in the car, went to get a Starbucks and a book at Chapters and then went back to each buy two more balls with the coupon and then went to look in Globo and buy shoes and waste time before conspicuously going back through the checkout, etc, etc. We had a big box store adventure that lasted way longer than I’m willing to admit and ended up spending more money then we saved by going through the covert operation. The blanket is 40% off as a result though. My mom is a tireless shopper and absolutely relentless when she is on a mission so spending time with her inspires me and gives me energy when usually I would have much rather bought everything at once at regular price and got home and out of big box store world as soon as humanly possible. She insisted and I just followed her lead. The check-out workers must have thought we were huge a-holes though. Like, “Who do you think you’re fooling, ladies? We see you every time with your printed coupons, sheesh.” The baby I am making this for will grow up and read this and either feel special for us going through all the trouble and effort of saving the $30 on her present which will make it even more valuable in her heart or she will see her blanket as cheap and tainted and feel incredibly betrayed for having loved the blanket her whole life based on a lie. We’ll have to wait and see what sort of person she grows up to be I guess.

I just encountered two so far this week since I have been paying attention, but I’ll probably post more if I see them.

This annoyed me when I kept repeatedly seeing it so I took a screenshot to blog about later:

This is from Hootsuite which is a Twitter client that allows you to check multiple accounts, it automatically updates, and other fun stuff. Twitter is a medium for people to post quick 140 character messages into the ether where they try to make it sound like they are cool when really they can’t possibly be cool if they are tweeting. Anyway, Hootesuite stops updating if you don’t check for over an hour it seems. What is weird about this is that the message is in first person and refers to having the ability to be bored, make decisions, take naps and know things. “Let me know,” Hootsuite says, as if it were my buddy on ichat, just waiting for my return. We’re not children and we don’t imagine that the website is a sentient being with thoughts, feelings and the ability to make decisions. I guess some people might argue that this is cute or something, but I find it vaguely annoying. I don’t like that they are trying to be cute. And I’m trying to identify who it is that the voice is coming from, the Hootsuite Owl logo? The website itself? The pop up window? Bah! It just takes the “Snooze” metaphor, which by itself I don’t mind, way too far.

The next one too:

This one is obviously from Facebook, which is a social media site where people post pictures and notes about themselves to a list of everyone they’ve ever met pretending that their list gives a crap about their lives. Anyway, this message struck me as weird too. “Just kidding!!” What a wicked sense of humour there on this inanimate, difficult to define object/being. Like this pop-up window being is so very mischievous and me and he/she are comfortable enough with each other for he/she to give me a little ribbing there. Good one, pop-up window. You sure got me. And again, who exactly is kidding? Who is this amorphous “we” trying to be funny here? There was a bug in the computer program or something, that’s fine, why do you have to give the error message personality? It’s annoying and feels wrong, like the author of the message is trying to pull one over on me or something. Jerks. No I am not thinking too much about this…

I have a roommate for 3 weeks. I love it. My roommate will never see this nor will anyone she knows, I’m sure, so I’m not just saying that to suck up. I seriously do love having her around.

I had roommates, lots of em, all through school, but in 2005 I moved into a one-bedroom apartment by myself to never look back. Roommates are no good, I’ve paid my dues, I need my own place, so dagnabbit, I’m on my own. I would visit my friends who still had roommates and feel self-congratulatory pity for them. They would complain about what a drag their roommates are and I would pat them on the hand knowingly. My friends who live alone and I would have exclusive club meetings where we discuss how fabulous living alone is. Having to share a bathroom and a kitchen? no thanks! Having someone around all the time making a mess? forget it! Not being able to do what I want, when I want, to my own stuff? never again! I’m an adult now and adults DO NOT have roommates. Grown-ups live in isolated situations or with their families, they do not co-habitate with friends, acquaintances or distant relatives. Those are the rules now.

But then my boyfriend’s friend’s girlfriend had a three week elective in a Toronto hospital coming up in July and she really wanted to stay with people she knows so I thought, hmm… well I guess… But we barely have enough room for our own bikes. We only have an extra small room with a couch and no room for another bed. We have a teeny tiny bathroom. Are you sure there’s enough room? Well, if you’re really sure…

Now I find it’s so so wonderful. We cook together delicious full meals! We go on walks and get ice cream and gummy candies! We watch all sorts of movies and the rest of season two of True Blood (which gets pretty ridiculous but not in a good way fyi)! We stay up past our bedtime gossiping about boys, careers, and deep life questions/philosophies! I get to show her all my crafts I ever made and she is very impressed and supportive! We go on fun bike rides (not yet, but we will soon)! And so much more! It’s so very awesome!

I really love having a roommate and it pretty much is my new favourite thing! I guess I’ve matured or maybe it would suck if it were longer than three weeks and it was more permanent, but now I think it’s the greatest!

So Andrew wrote a song that Ritz Crackers really liked and so they put it on their cute commercial. Or that’s the short version of the story anyway. The commercial is about an enterprising little girl who bribes a line up of kids with buttery crackers to get to the front where her crush is waiting. However, when she finally gets to sit with the object of her affection, she has run out of crackers to share with him! What happens next? You’ll have to watch the spot to find out:

So the response to the commercial has been phenomenal. People are going crazy for this song, searching for it on the internet and they are really into it. Makes sense cause it is a really great song. Andrew is releasing it on his next CD so it’s not ready yet… but people want to hear it! So I made a recording of it to tide people over. The real recording of it is going to be way better than this one of course. Remember that.

Also, we shot a video for it and that was really fun! We’re releasing it with the song. The people I have shown think that it is “cute” and “funny,” and even though they are all my friends, I think that is a good sign! Can’t wait to show people and see what strangers think. I hope it’s done soon and I hope people are still excited about the song and to see it by that time!