Minion's Toy Box

I believe I've mentioned that Minion is hard on toys (though you sure feel like you get your money's worth.) Here's one of Haley's faves--a felt thing with legs. 

 

And below is Minion in the final act of destroying it. The inner body had a bag of catnip in it, so they dug through the thin felt and gutted it. There's catnip all over the floor--you can see the shreds of the inner bag behind her.

This was her favourite toy, which she'll still play with even though only one small feather remains. Even the end of the pink handle's been chewed up.

I recently got her this long feather snake on a stick. Nombly loved these, but I tell you... they never looked like this after he played with them.

Much sturdier are these balls, which both cats love. It's light and fluffy, with some added crinkle. The kind of thing that you bat with your paw and it goes FLYYYYING!

 

One of M's favourite toys is pretty cheap, though. She loves straws. Unfortunately she'll steal them right out of your cup.

Of course, you can guess what her ABSOLUTE FAVE TOY is...

BOOKS - What I Read in 2010, in chronological order

What I've read so far this year. Coming soon: I'll pick out my faves.

December 2009

 

 

JANUARY

FEBRUARY

 

MARCH

 

APRIL

 

MAY

(Home isn't rated only because it's a book by a close friend. But I did enjoy it.)

JUNE

(I was slogging through Careless in Red this month.)

 

JULY

 

AUGUST

 

OCTOBER

DECEMBER

BOOKS I STARTED, BUT ENDED UP BEING PUT ASIDE

COOKBOOKS I BOUGHT THIS YEAR

Ranting about Hancock

Just watched the movie Hancock: The first half was so good, that it made the second half all the more horrendously bad. Stop the movie after the bank heist scene.

The director said the original script read like Leaving Las Vegas--you can read a description here. They lifted it up a bit into more of a Redemption story, and the first half is well done. I was thinking: "Why were the reviews so bad? This movie is really touching."

Oh my days. There's a plot twist in the second half that obviously has nothing to do with the original movie, that is stupid, full of holes, and completely ruins it. The second half of the movie would have made for a nice mediocre superhero movie all on its own; but tagged onto the story of this lonely, alcoholic superhero... blehhhh.

I could go on and on, in detail, but I'll spare you.

Top Christmas Songs & Album Picks - Sale Edition

Alright, I'm going to give you some Christmas music recommendations. This post isn't that long, there's just a lot of videos in case you need to sample.

To save you money, this list is based on Canada iTunes current "Holiday Music Under $8.00". I looked in the US iTunes store and all they have is a measly list of 15 songs for 69 cents each, so I don't know in which countries this list will apply.

First, though, I found this treasure: 100 Classic Christmas Songs for $6.99. These aren't crappy covers--Bing Crosby, Bobby Darin, Doris Day, Eartha Kitt, Elvis, Gene Autrey etc. If you like 1950s Christmas songs then this is your quickest, cheapest way to build your library.

Now on to the iTunes sale...

(1) There are a lot of hits in the sale--I haven't included those in my review.

 

 

 

 

(2) There are some misses. This is just based on sampling the album on iTunes--albums that sounded unoriginal or soulless. I didn't bother sampling The Usual Suspects like Kenny G.

 

 

(3) One Hit Wonders:

Unless you're a fan of Glee, the only thing worth buying from these fine purveyors of The Whitest Music On the Planet is their "12 Days of Christmas" hit.

 

Mariah's first Christmas album doesn't sound bad, but it's just run of the mill gospel Christmas music--you're better off finding a Mahalia Jackson recording. 

 

However her "All I Want for Christmas is You" is a well known Guilty Pleasure, even for Jack Black: "This is embarrassing to admit but I kinda like this one by the girl who's a little crazy but sings a lot of notes — "All I want for Christmas is youuuu!" --- There's some good melody lines in there. Oh my god, I just lost the last few indie-cred rockers that were in my camp."

(4) Pick and Choose:

Unless you only like acoustic-rock style Christmas music, I wouldn't (and didn't) buy these entire albums. Just cherry pick.

* Bruce Cockburn: "Riu Riu Chiu," "I Saw Three Ships," "Les Anges dans nos campagnes," and "Mary Had a Baby."

* Melissa Etheridge: They're a bit of a downer, but still good -- "Ring the Bells," and a Jimi-Hendrix-esque "O Night Divine."

* Indigo Girls: A bluegrass "O Holy Night" that brings out its demanding side (Fall on your knees or else!), a touching "There's Still My Joy," and a couple originals--a jolly number called "Your Holiday Song" and a quieter "Mistletoe."

(5) Worth the plunge (but at sale prices!)

Jazzy Pick: Harry Connick Jr

I like Harry's style of jazz--1930s New Orleans, but always with his personal stamp. There's some funky dance numbers, boppy instrumentals (think Harry Met Sally soundtrack), and a cool cover of fellow New Orleanian Louis Armstrong's "Zat You Santa Claus?"

Santariffic--a song about the sexiness of Santa. (I believe this style of trombone playing is what, in the 1910s, they called "dirty!")

Classic Pick: Faith Hill

I bought a few songs from this in 2008, but bought the rest this year. A lot of artists go for a classy-classic sound, but it just ends up tinny, or emotionless, or trite. Faith Hill's album sounds simple and reverent and just pretty. It's the one to doze off by the fireside to. Oh--it also has a lovely original song "A Baby Changes Everything."

 

(I think it would be fun to sing backup on Little Drummer Boy, don't you? This choir is awesome.) This is a perfect example of what makes this album great. It starts soft, 2 minutes in it amps up, and then just before you're expecting a wailing-over-the-top-hit-every-note ending, she takes it right back down. Just as you should if singing to a baby.

Now here's a type of songcraft I like--where you take one line, repeat it throughout, and it gradually changes in meaning. And I imagine it mirrors what it really is like to have a baby--scary, hard work, your whole life changes, but also--your whole life changes!

Christmas BD Pick: Sting

BD = Before Dickens. Christmas songs that sound older than A Victorian Christmas. Sometimes he sings so slowly it sounds like someone's playing with the speed on the record--but besides this drawback, it's a dark, interesting Christmas album for your inner pagan. (This is another one that I bought a couple songs from last year, then completed this year.)

Cherry Tree Carol - This is the coolest of all Christmas songs. It's about Joseph giving Mary the shames for getting preggers by another man, and she in turn gives him the beats! Take that old man!

When Joseph was an old man, an old man was he,
He courted Virgin Mary, the Queen of Galilee.

When Joseph and Mary were walking one day,
Here is apples and cherries so fair to behold.

Then Mary spoke to Joseph so meek and so mild:
"Joseph, gather me some cherries, for I am with child."

Then Joseph flew in anger, in anger he flew:
"O let the father of the baby gather cherries for you."

Well, the cherry-tree bowed low down, bowed down to the ground,
And Mary gathered cherries while Joseph stood down.

Then Joseph took Mary all on his right knee,
Crying, "Lord, have mercy for what I have done."

When Joseph was an old man, an old man was he,
He courted Virgin Mary, the Queen of Galilee.

Pop Pick: The Hotel Café Presents Winter Songs - various artists

I take it the Hotel Café started a coffee shop known for female singer-songwriter types, so this album definitely requires you to be in touch with your Feminine Side. But you'll be glad you did. There are few throw-out songs from this, except maybe Katy Perry's dull "White Christmas." There's nice covers, nice originals, and my fave: "Winter Song"  - Sara Bareilles & Ingrid Michealson doing what they do best, being Fragile and Romantic. Also noteworthy, Lenka's "All My Bells Are Ringing"--good for those who are enjoying the current '60s throwback trend.

Some for Everyone Pick: Sugarland

And yet another album that I partially bought last year, and enjoyed enough to complete this year. The covers on this album or only okay, except for the best "O Come Emanuel" you're likely to hear. But it's full of good original songs: a retrospective of Christmases past, through the lens of the "Little Wood Guitar" she once received; a bluesy "yes mother I'm coming home"; a love song "Maybe Baby"; and finally a beautiful Christmas ode to pretty winter nights: "City of Silver Lights." There's a little of everything on this album... unless you hate country music.

Snow squalls and dumb comments

Wow, that story about the cars stranded in the snow in Sarnia is one of the worst winter stories I've ever heard, here. I can't imagine being stuck in a car for 24 hours in the winter. Especially the little car I used to have, which wasn't that warm! (Though smart-step-mommy made me carry a blanket and other emergency provisions.)



As I guessed would be the case, the internets is full of idiot commentors saying "say home when there's a snowstorm!" and "Ontario is wussy!"

Military for snow... WOW you'll never see that on the rock. When will people learn to stay off the highways. it's not like there was no warning. Maybe it just seems a little crazy to me because I've gone through so many bad storms, drove in them and been stuck in them. Everytime ontario see's 30 cm of snow the military is called into action. get some common sense and stay inside and if you must go out, be prepared for what might come your way

When I lived with my parents there were two roads to get from their house to the highway--one went along the lakeshore, the other a corn field. ANY snow fall, if there were high winds, was hard to drive in--the corn field winds almost blew my little car off the road, and the lake-side blew gigantic drifts onto the narrow road. It was hard to decide which route to choose, but you had to drive in it anyway cause you can't miss work or school every time it snows with wind.

So I can easily see how people could get suddenly snowed in on a high-wind-gust-snowy highway, when the weather didn't seem that bad when you left your house. (Not to mention these conditions come up very quickly.) On top of which the visibility at times was zero--if you can't see past the hood of your car, you won't see the five foot snow drift until you're in it.

AND as for the complaints about using the military, isn't that our worldwide goal? To change swords into snowploughs?

The un-dumb comments eventually surface:

*I just wanted to comment on all those people complaining about those stranded on HWY 402...................Thank God it wasn't any of your family members stuck out there. I'm sure your complaints wouldn't be about the stupid people driving but the fact that you all thought that the military and government weren't doing enough,

*Ironic how alot of people keep saying "What were these people thinking...stay at home" yet, as an essential service worker I am REQUIRED to get to my job no matter what the weather. Do you folks think that hospitals, fire departments and ambulance workers should all stay home at the first sign of bad weather? If so, then the headlines LACK OF EMERGENCY WORKERS and everyone would be complaining about that!

Nice to see all the snowmobilers out there helping people too. Like Dunkirk!

The best comments, though, were about a numerical discrepency in one article: "Drifting snow and zero visibility had trapped about 300 people in their vehicles . ... In all, there are some 360 vehicles stuck."

* It should of been stated that approximately 60 cars were pregnant and gave birth over night in Sarnia during the storm.Clearly explains the additional 60 cars without drivers.

* Re: 60 extra vehicles " They were abandoned there from the previous storm last year, no one noticed them before".... 

* only 300 survived of 360 can this be another donner party???

Kitties and Kale

Being of an Unemployed Nature these days, my life's a bit different. I'm looking for freelance work and online opportunities at the moment. Oddly enough, I don't feel strange staying home every day--maybe because for years I worked 3 days/week, and then when doing my M.A. I was at home a lot, grading and writing. I still have a big stash of cute home office attire (pajamas.)

My sleep's been a bit all over the place, but right now is settling into this pattern:
7 AM - 2 PM - sleep
2 PM - 9 PM - chores: groceries, dishes, and I've been taking pieces of the apartment and reorganizing them; also a homemade supper with Fernando, and watching a movie
9 PM - midnight - sleep
midnight - 7 AM - internet work: looking for work, tweaking CVs, researching and writing my blogs, etc. (I've let my CafeWorld game go for now.)

(My body seems to prefer to sleep in two shifts. This is new for me.)

Meanwhile my kitties are used to having a stay-at-home mom. If I find work outside of the house, Minion may go through finger withdrawal.

It's nice slowly getting back to cooking again. I usually shop at Maxi (a chain owned by Loblaw's, but not as nice as Loblaw's) cause it's cheapest, but today I went down the hill in hopes of soy nog. Strangely the health food store didn't have any, but Metro did! Yay!

They also had greens, which I've been looking for. I bought two greens cookbooks in hopes of cooking them more, and then couldn't find any to buy. But Metro has more local produce and now carries a company that grows Swiss chard, and kale etc. I bought two packages of kale because I'm hoping to make chips, but not burn them this time. And now Metro has a points card, so maybe I'll go more often.

And that's my day.  :-p