Fill in the _____ Friday

1. My favourite colour is... black. I know, I know, technically it's not a colour. But for something that's not a colour, it sure goes with everything.
2. My travel destination of choice is... Europe, Mexico or Australia.
3. My favourite food is... I feel like I've answered this about 5 times for FITBF already, so I'm skipping it.
4. My happy place is... Right now? My bed. When I'm not so tired? London or Paris. I could walk all day in either one, taking in the atmosphere, snapping pictures, people-watching... bliss.
5. My favourite saying is... I'll have to think about that. I don't think I really have a favourite saying, but I do have a few favourite quotes that are sort of like sayings - things like "pray to god but row away from the rocks." Probably one of the most useful sayings is "shit happens," because it inevitably does.
6. My dirty little secret is... I don't think you guys understand the concept of a "secret." Let me demonstrate.
7. Something friends might say about me is that I... am fun when I'm in a good mood, can be really loud-mouthed and opinionated, definitely stubborn, loyal, will always offer to kneecap anyone who is mean to them and can't stand anything unfair or exploitative. Also I can be really sarcastic. It's part of my charm.

 Thanks to Lauren at The Little Things We Do!

Wicked Wednesday: Avaaz.org

 To view image source, click on image

 

I actually came across Avaaz.org because of my Dad - he forwarded me a link to one of their petitions awhile back, and I have been a member ever since.

For those of you who haven't heard of Avaaz, it's an online campaigning community whose mission statement is:    

Avaaz—meaning "voice" in several European, Middle Eastern and Asian languages—launched in 2007 with a simple democratic mission: organize citizens of all nations to close the gap between the world we have and the world most people everywhere want.

For awhile now I've felt like the problems of the world are too big and I'm too small. I think a lot of people feel that way - particularly in my generation. Signing petitions on Avaaz is a good way to start to feel like part of a voice for positive change. The best part is that once you sign up, information about world events comes to you - and there's something fast and easy you can do about it.

Some of the current issues featured on Avaaz include Syria's disappeared, the call to recognize Palestine as a state, and - closer to home - the mining project that would turn thousands of acres of Canadian farmland into a mining pit, poisoning the water source of millions of Canadians in the process.

If this sounds like your sort of online community, check it out and sign up for their email subscription.

Fill in the _____ Friday

1. One of my happiest moments ever was... lying in my backyard in the summer sun, reading and listening to music. (Until some kids came by and chucked water balloons at me, that is!)
2. Summer is wedding season and weddings are... not my (very large) cup of vodka.
3. This summer... has started out really slowly - not that I'm complaining since I'm rather pale and ill-equipped to handle heat waves - but it's nice to see some sun finally peeking through the clouds in the weather forecast for the weekend!
4. My summer food of choice has been... lots of salads. And cherries! Cherry season has finally arrived and they are so addictively delicious!
5. My summer uniform has been... as I said, so far summer has been hit or miss, so I'm mostly in jeans still! 
6. If I could spend the entire summer in one location, I would choose... France. In the countryside where fresh baked goods are within walking distance, where the wine flows freely and where the shops are closed in the afternoon. 
7. My summer anthem is... you know me, I never can pick just one song. I'm listening a lot to new albums from some old and new favourites - Incubus, Foo Fighters, Grieves, Atmosphere. I've also been listening to some old hip-hop lately - Hip Hop Hooray, anyone?

Thanks to Lauren at The Little Things We Do for the blanks! 

Fill in the _____ Friday

1. I am a (morning, evening, middle of the day person)... night owl. If left to my own devices, I'll stay up til 2 or 3 in the morning. I love the quiet that comes with night time, the feeling that the whole world is asleep and you're really, truly alone. I feel like my mind relaxes more and I actually get much more creative! On the other hand, though I don't like getting up in the morning, if I've had a good sleep I like how productive I feel if I get up and do a bunch of stuff before lunch time and then have a whole afternoon stretching before me...
2. My favourite Pandora stations are... we don't get Pandora in Canada anymore :(
3. 3 of my "must have" songs for a road trip playlist are... "Drive" by Incubus, "Breathe Me" by Sia and "San Francisco Knights" by People Under the Stairs. Though if you ask me again tomorrow, I'll have a totally different answer.
4. My favourite pattern is...don't have one. I like geometrical patterns, or funky florals (definitely NOT the sort you'd generally see on teacups or in sundresses). I am more of a solid colour person, though.
5. My favourite perfume is... don't have one. I am sensitive to scents, so I find a lot of them give me a headache! I think the last one I wore was either GAP Dream or CK Eternity. Yes, it was that long ago.
6. Rules are... sometimes helpful, often better treated as suggestions.
7. My most overused phrase or punctuation is... apparently I use too many commas. I probably use the word "disconcerted" a lot, but as for a phrase... not sure. I used to say "It's all good" so much in high school that one of my friends got me an "it's all good" bumper sticker. But I think I've outgrown that one now.

Thanks to Lauren at The Little Things We Do for the blanks!

Wicked Wednesday - Incubus' New Album - If Not Now, When?

If I absolutely had to pick one favourite song, it just might be the classic Incubus song, "Drive." Probably the acoustic version. I'm not one who can easily pick favourite songs - I love music and my tastes are constantly changing. So this is high praise.

Though I never expect Incubus to come out with another song I love that much, it has earned them my loyalty as a listener, and I'm always excited to hear what they're going to come out with next. Yesterday they released their newest and long-awaited album, If Not Now, When?

"Adolescents" is my favourite track so far - though probably partly because it was the first single to be released so I've listened to it many times already! If you want to check out the rest of the album (and you want to do that old-fashioned buying the CD thing), you can get it here.

Fill in the _____ Friday

1. My plans this summer include... work, work, work!
2. The best summer I ever had was... hmmm. I don't have a whole favourite summer, but more parts of a bunch of them. Summer 2005 was a lot of fun - lots of partying - but it was also the summer I ruptured a disc in my back, so that part wasn't fun.
3. Summer is... drinking beer on someone's balcony or a patio with a great view.
4. My favourite summer food is... fruit! Preferably fresh from the garden and warm from the sun...
5. The best way to quench summer thirst is with... cold beer. Of course.
6. My summer uniform consists of... flip flops, shorts, tank tops. You know, whatever's comfortable!
7. The best thing about summer is... the long days. I love that it doesn't get dark until well after dinnertime. It makes the day feel full of extra promise.

Thanks to Lauren at The Little Things We Do for the blanks!

Fill in the _____ Friday

1. The best news I ever received was... not sure - nothing really stands out. Probably something medical, like that I'd be able to walk again post-surgery!
2. Something I'm looking forward to is... finding a path in life and a job that I can lose myself in. Also getting a job that supports the lifestyle I want - to be able to afford to pay the bills associated with a "grown up" life and still have a little left over to play or travel!
3. Something I would never do is... hurt another living being intentionally, betray someone I love or eat octopus.
4. If I could choose someone to be my life coach (famous or not, living or dead), I'd choose... Ann Bancroft, Helen Mirren or Judi Dench. I think they're all extraordinary examples of strong, confident, intelligent, charismatic and formidable women and I'd be thrilled to have just one chat over tea with any of them!
5. If I had to put a label on my style, it would be... sporadic. Sometimes I'll go shopping and be vaguely stylish, then I'll sort of get distracted and not shop for ages. I like to look okay, but don't care too much if I'm "fashionable" or "stylish" - certainly not whether I'm in step with the season's trends!
6. One should always... wear clean underwear.
7. I want to... move to London and spend time traveling in Europe, write a book, take up photography, become a makeup artist and one day have some sort of a family - even if it is made up of friends!

As always, thanks to Lauren at The Little Things We Do!