The great thing in life is that everyone is different- we all have different tastes in music, clothes, food, the opposite sex…makes things more interesting, doesn’t it? But the tough part about this is, sometimes it is hard to relate to other people that have such different opinions and views as you! These are 3 things I came across this week that made me go, “whaaaaat?”
Dixie Chicks lead singer Natalie Maines has been spotted sporting a new hair cut recently:
Wow….thats all I have to say. Next: Katy Perry. She has been making some pretty interesting fashion choices lately. And by interesting I mean ugly.
I think my mom rocked an outfit like that circa 1985…except my mom’s wasn’t as bad. And lastly: I’m sure I’ll get some flack from all the dog lovers out there, but I’m saying it anyways! Not all dogs are cute. No matter how playful or sweet they are, no matter how many tricks they can do, I wonder why people bother to breed some types of dogs. Well the Obamas finally decided what kind of dog they want to join their family. They picked this breed:
Its called a Portuguese Water Dog….aaaaand I don’t want to get into any more trouble so I’m leaving it at that. But c’mon, you’re the President of the United States, you could pick ANY dog you want, and you pick THAT one? Wow.
Bonus Code Time! A few years ago the Dixie Chicks suffered a huge backlash after they made some not-so-nice comments about the president. Give me that prez’s first and last name and I’ll give you Gold Digger points!
I have been looking forward to spring for sooooo long. I am definitely not a winter person, so I was soooo happy when we started to finally get some days of beautiful sunshine and warm weather. That is until I started sneezing like crazy and my eyes became so itchy! At first I thought it was just a cold because it was going around at the office, but then my symptoms weren’t going away no mater how much cold medication I took. It was then I realized that it must be ALLERGIES! I’ve never had allergies before so I think my body must be making up for lost time…I want to rip my eyeballs out they are soooo itchy! And the allergy medication I got at the store doesn’t seem to be working, so no relief for me yet! Because of this I haven’t been getting much sleep lately, therefore I have been quite the cranky pants, so I apologize!
I was cruising around youtube to try and find something to cheer me up a little bit- and this did the trick! Hope it brightens your day as well!
*Bonus Code Alert! Hint: For the first time in my life I am suffering from THIS. The correct answer will get you 100 points!
A new reality series is coming to the Food Network called “The 100 Mile Challenge”. Its based on the bestselling book “The 100-Mile Diet: A Year of Local Eating” which explains the simple rule that you can only consume food that is grown within a 100-mile radius of where you live. Alright, that may SEEM simple- but that means you gotta cut out coffee, sugar, salt…definitely a little creativity is involved!
The TV series followed 6 families from Mission as they cleaned out their pantries and went cold turkey on everything from beer to bagels! They said goodbye to favourite treats and staples like chocolate and macaroni-and-cheese packages, and said hello to a brand new way of looking at food! The families discovered that they savoured their food, they ate more slowly, and they used less salt. One mom made honey lollipops for her daughters and another participant tried to make popcorn from wheat berries. They also noticed they used far less packaging and had a much smaller amount of garbage every week. And probably the most surprising result: everyone on the challenge lost weight, even though they consumed some heavy-duty fats like bacon fat and butter!
So tune into the show, and maybe even try the challenge yourself! Its better for the environment, better for local economies, and better for your health…do you need any more reason than that?!
** For some Gold Digger points, name the BC town where this new reality show is taking place!
- During Earth Hour this past weekend, I managed to eat half a tub of ice cream…oops! But come on, all my lights were off, what else was I supposed to do?! And in my defence, it was a 1L tub, not 2L, plus it was LOW FAT! (FYI- you gotta try it- Low Fat Rolo ice cream…soooo good!)
- The Vancouver Sun Run is coming up fast- April 19th!!! As you can tell from my previous paragraph, I have good reason to be a little worried about it! I’ve been running lots on the treadmill, but that is SO different to running outside! If only the weather would get a little better out! (I know, its not a very good excuse, but I’m sticking to it!!)
- I went to the dentist this week- no cavities! And it was my favourite dentist experience ever becuase they had TVs on the ceiling so I could watch The View while my teeth were being cleaned- loves it! Why didn’t anyone think of this before?! (PS. If you wanna win a couples Zoom Teeth Whitening Service, enter our Perfect Smile Contest!)
- Who’s crazier Paula or Kara? If you have been watching this season’s American Idol you may notice that Paula isn’t the only one acting weird and saying things that don’t make sense! After Adam Lambert sang the disco song, “Play That Funky Music,” Kara said it felt “like Studio 57 up in here.” (ummm…I wasn’t alive back then, but pretty sure it was Studio 54!) And last week after Adam’s performance, Kara raved: “I got six words for you: One of the best performances of the night!” (I’ve got three words for you, Kara: THAT’S EIGHT WORDS…)
Bonus Code Time! Name last year’s American Idol winner for 100 Gold Digger Points!
I have a dilemma, and only YOU can help me solve it! I can’t decide what to do…should I or shouldn’t I pack up my winter coat for the season?! I know, I told you this was a big problem! (I lose sleep over it, for reals.) It’s that weird time of year when sometimes I wake up in the morning and I think I need my winter coat, but then by 11am I’m sweating cuz its too hot! Then sometimes I throw on just a sweater because the sunshine looks so warm and inviting, but then by the time 8pm rolls around and its dark out, I’m freezing my butt off! I know its just gonna get nicer and nicer out (its almost April- I can’t believe it!), so maybe its time to just put the coat away….hmmm….I dunno, its a tough call- let me know what you think! One thing I do know for sure though, its DEFINITELY still not warm enough for shorts or t-shirts (I saw some guy wearing that the other day- no way!) And remember, no matter what time of year it is- it is never cool to wear socks and sandals.
guuuuh! just looking at that pic made me throw up in my mouth a little bit. Alright, bonus code time! I can’t think of anything witty, so here it is: SCHNITZEL (its one of my favourite words to say…plus its delicious!)
Like Nelly Furtado once sang, “Turn off the lights, turn off the lights!” This Saturday, March 28th starting at 8:30pm its Earth Hour! If you are worried about the environment, about climate change, and how these things will not only affect our future but our children and grandchildrens lives- then you better participate. All you gotta do is turn off your lights for one hour! Here’s the rundown for you:
Earth Hour is a symbolic event. Turning off our lights for an hour won’t stop climate change but it does demonstrate that our individual action is important and adds up to make a big difference. More importantly, it sends a very powerful message to government and world leaders that people want policies and regulations put in place that can achieve meaningful emission reduction to help fight climate change. Everyone can participate in Earth Hour! And it’s as simple as flicking off a switch – literally. You can participate by yourself or with family, friends and just a few candles. Encourage family, friends and local businesses to participate this weekend!
Earth Hour began in 2007 in Sydney, Australia. Last year it went GLOBAL, and this year we want to make it BIGGER than ever! If you promise me to turn off your lights on Saturday night then I’ll give you some Gold Digger points! Just type the word CHANGE into your bonus code page!
A recent study by a Ph.D. student at CalTech suggests that different pop artists have different audiences. That’s not surprising. But it also suggests that musical taste is linked to intelligence. According to Virgil Griffith’s research, students who listened to pop stars like Beyonce and Lil Wayne are stupider than students who listen to Bob Dylan, Counting Crows, or Beethoven. The study is a little sketchy though: he determined the favourite bands of college students via facebook networks and then compared each college population’s musical preferences with its average S.A.T. scores- so don’t read too much into this!
Interestingly enough though, the top three artists were: Beethoven, Sufjan Stevens, and Counting Crows, and the bottom three were: Beyonce, T.I., and Lil Wayne.
Have you been holding out on getting your child a cellphone? Has your excuse been that its becuase its bad for your health? Well unfortunately you can’t use that as an excuse anymore! (Well its GOOD that its not bad for you, but BAD that you can’t use that excuse!)
Health Canada is sticking to its position that children and teenagers are not risking their health by using cellphones in the wake of new research showing they are five times more likely to suffer from a malignant brain tumour later in life if they use them.
The department reaffirmed its position that it “currently sees no scientific reason to consider the use of cellphones as unsafe. There is no convincing evidence of increased risk of disease from exposure to radio frequency electromagnetic fields from cellphones.”
But not everyone agrees with Health Canada. Cindy Sage, a co-author of one of the newly published papers on the public-health implications of wireless technologies, says:
“Scientific certainty, with all its layered requirements for causal evidence of harm, may not come for decades, and it will likely be too late for this generation of cellphone users. It took decades to establish a causal level of proof in smoking and lung cancer. Yet, had earlier precautionary warnings been issued, it could have saved tens of thousands of people from lung cancer.”
Very good point! My mom actually uses that same theory for why she doesn’t have a microwave! But on the flip side of that, doesn’t it seem like EVERYTHING can give you cancer these days?! You have to live in a bubble to stay safe!
BONUS CODE TIME! “The Boy in the Plastic Bubble” was a made-for-TV movie in the 70’s starring John Travolta. It was satirized by “Seinfeld” in the 90’s, and in 2001 there was a comedic remake of the film. Name the actor (pictured above) who starred in the movie. (Hint: he is now dating Reese Witherspoon!)
Can’t afford that trip to Disneyland this year? Don’t worry, you’re not the only one! But that DOES mean that you have to be a little more creative when it comes to finding things for the kids to do. Here’s a list of ideas that will keep the kids from twiddling their thumbs all week, and it won’t cost you very much either!
1. Have a Family Art Day! Crayons, markers, paint, glue, glitter….go crazy! (just make sure the artwork goes on paper and not your walls!)
2. If your family sponsors a child, spend a day getting to know more about that child’s country, such as the main language or national dish. Try preparing a meal from that country or learning a few words in the main language. Afterwards you can sit down to write a letter to your sponsored child and share your experiences. (not only fun, but educational as well!!!)
3. Spread out magazines, glue and poster board and create a family dream collage. Cut out photos of places you’d like to visit, things you’d like do and people you’d like to meet. (for when the economy gets a little better and you can afford a vacation!)
4. Host a family game day! Invite another family over, set up a card table or two and break out the board games or decks of cards. (My favourite game: Cranium!!!)
5. Cook together! (teach the kids how to cook so that THEY can make you dinner next time! haha)
6. Check out local galleries, museums, an outdoor education centre or even the library for affordable (or maybe even free!) activities. (get more details on the community page!)
Hope these ideas help you out this week!
PS. If you want some gold digger points, name the US state where Disneyland is located!
Last weekend I got a chance to check out the movie “One Week” and I wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed it! Its a new Canadian film starring Joshua Jackson and there are a bunch of reasons why I loved it so much:
1) Joshua Jackson. Need I say more?! Yum-o!
2) Tons of great Canadian scenery (Makes you proud to live in this beautiful country!)
3) Lots of awesome Canadian music (as well as cameos from Joel Plaskett, Emm Gryner, and The Hip’s Gord Downie!)
4) It has an amazing message that really makes you think! (”What would you do if you knew you only had one day, or one week, or one month to live?”)
Here’s the trailer for “One Week”. I definitely recommend you check it out!!!
