Fill in the _____ Friday..... 'cept on Wednesday.

1. The best way to spread Christmas cheer is.... chocolate.
2. The thing I love most about Christmas is.... chocolate.Though I also like lights, the feeling of excitement in the air (even if it's just excitement about a couple of extra days off) and that feeling you had as a kid on a snow day - like you're not really expected to do normal stuff all day.
3. The holiday season is a time for... indulgence. 
4. My favourite thing to eat at the holidays is... chocolate. Didn't we already have this one??
5. I will be spending Christmas... well, if I'd actually done this on Friday like a good little blogger, I'd be saying drinking beer, hanging with J.'s family, opening presents, eating etc. Now that I know how it actually went, I'd also add blowing my nose, sneezing and feeling really, really crappy.
6. 'Tis better to (give or receive) give. I love finding that perfect present that I know the other person will love. Though J. is a remarkably good gift giver, so I am starting to enjoy getting them a little more! (Kobo, yay!)
7. I'm dreaming of... a do-over... Christmas! Hate being sick for the holidays!

Thanks for bearing with my tardiness, and I hope you all fared better than I over the holidays! Head on over to The Little Things We Do to check out Lauren's blanks and join in the fun!

*Sniff*

In case y'all have been wondering, no, my absence from the blogosphere hasn't been entirely due to Christmas. I've been hit with my first sickness of this winter season - right on time. Got to spend my Christmas day blowing my nose, sneezing repeatedly, and really wishing I could get back in my pyjamas. I will be back to blogging soon, I swear. As soon as I stop sneezing.

Ten on Tuesday..... on Thursday.

I am only a couple of days behind - give me another week and I will have reversed Ten on Tuesday with Fill in the Blank Friday! It's like a new world order up in here.

1. I am loving this:

It's from the TreeHugger blog's list of "green" Christmas present ideas. There are a LOT of good ones. Check it out here.

2. I have eaten so much chocolate in the last week that I may wake up tomorrow morning and discover that I can't move because I have gained 300 pounds. It could happen.

3. I have started to get all smooshy about Christmas. I'm loving the lights, the feeling of expectation - even the music (as long as I only hear it for about two minutes as I dash into the liquor store to buy more beer). I even want it to snow. *sigh*

4. My (awesome) boss gave me the longest, cosiest mohair scarf you have EVER SEEN. Seriously, this thing nearly touches the ground - on both sides - when I have it around my neck. I have never been so bundled in my life.

5. This:

6. My favourite work colleague, the afore-mentioned Bia, is leaving this week because it's the end of her co-op work term. I am devastated. *sniff*

7. Just because you're a doctor doesn't give you the right to talk to your patients condescendingly and act like they're lying to you about what's happening to their own body. Just because your books say it doesn't happen like that doesn't make you right. Shut up.

8. WORDS WITH FRIENDS!!!! Obsessed.

9. I discovered this really cool thing (also via an article on TreeHugger) where you can create your own "Google Green Scrapbook." Basically you click on a field, such as "If I could ask a Green Expert anything, I'd ask..." and when you click on it, all these bubbles appear around a circle. Each bubble has a different topic. You drag and drop one into the circle and the field will load with info on your selection. It's fun to spend 5 minutes playing around on, and hopefully will be educational, too!

10. I can't wait to take a whole week off. That is all.

Fill in the _____ Friday..... or, you know, Tuesday.

Yes, I'm aware it's late. Expect more of that until the holiday season is officially over! On the plus side, it means you never know when you're getting a new post. It'll be like the possibility of Christmas morning every day! You're welcome.

1. My most favourite "little thing" is... when my cat, who during the daytime is a total hell-child, jumps up on the bed in the morning purring like crazy and curls up beside me with her little head on my shoulder. It's the sweetest thing EVER. For about ten minutes, before she decides my desk chair is the enemy and tries to tear it to pieces. Very tiny pieces.
2. I'd give anything to... have a nice, long vacation. Preferably somewhere a long way away with a pocket full of magically-replenishing spending money, lots of interesting people to watch, and some beautiful cities to explore!
3. I can't believe... that it's less than a week until Christmas. GAH!!! 
4. The one thing I'd like to achieve today is... going to Starbucks for a peppermint mocha. What? It's important, okay?
5. The last thing I want to do today is... go to the mall. If I don't survive, I love all of you. Get drunk at my funeral.
6. If I were writing my own blank today, it would say... "In a zombie apocalypse, I would be the one...."
7. My favourite candle scent is... I'm not much of a candle person since we have cats, but J. did get me some scented candles last Christmas that smell like Christmas cookies. Yum. The down side is that they make me hungry and then all there is to eat is wilted broccoli, dry pasta and cans of beans. Or other equally unappetizing things - definitely no cookies. So disappointing.

Sorry for the tardiness, but hope you enjoyed the blanks anyway! Head on over to The Little Things We Do to link up!

Ten on... Oops. Well, It Was Supposed to be Tuesday...

Sorry for the tardiness...

1. I spent the whole night last night making Christmas cards. That's right, I said "making." I cut stencils, busted out the paint and brushes and got busy. Hence the day late Ten on Tuesday!

2. I broke down and got one of those re-usable coffee cups that looks just like the red seasonal Starbucks cups. Now not only will I drink peppermint mochas all year long, but I'll do it from the seasonal cup! I know, I'm a total dork.

3. There are no new episodes of ANYTHING. I don't understand why this is happening. Didn't shows used to start in September and run right through until spring? I could swear they did. Let's go back to that.

4. My friend Bia sent me this the other day and said it reminded her of me. Spot on, I'd say.

 source

5. I am re-watching the first season of the Buffy series. Yeah, THAT Buffy. Don't judge. It's awesome.

6. I think there should be very strict rules for public transit riders. Rule #1 - if you're carrying anything, it cannot hit any other passengers in the head. If it hits them twice, they get to keep it. That's right annoyingly snobby girl with your yoga mat. I'm talking about you.

7. So I plugged in the warming electric sheet thing on the bed because it's been so cold lately. The problem is, it does a great job of warming up the top part of the bed, not so much the bottom. Which is stupid, because it's always people's feet that are cold. Not their heads.

8. I spent the whole day today cleaning out my cubicle at work. I have a huge filing cabinet that I have not so much as opened in the year I've worked there. I decided I need some room in there to store stuff I actually use. While attempting to clear out some space, I found files in there from 1991. To put this in perspective, that means they were older than grunge and pretty much everyone who works at Starbucks. You can imagine the dust.

9. Poor kid. 

source

10. And finally, here's Jimmy Kimmel's follow up to his hilarious Halloween prank:

That's all, folks!

Fill in the _____ Friday

It is the most gorgeous Friday out there! Super sunny, and cold enough that the grass crunches when you walk on it and my peppermint mocha tastes extra wonderful. I love this time of year!

1. Love is... seeing someone for who they are and accepting them - flaws and all. It's okay to want someone to continue to grow and change as a person, but you have to start out loving them as they are rather than counting on them changing in certain ways before you can truly love them.
2. Being in love feels like... you need to throw up. Just kidding.Well, mostly.
3. My favourite quote about love is... I can't really think of a serious one, but I do remember this one episode of Sex and the City where Carrie interviewed a bunch of guys about their relationships. One of them said something along the lines of "My girlfriends are always trying to change things about me that they don't like - the way I dress, the things I do - the only thing I ever change is girlfriends." This sort of relates back to my #1.
4. The most important thing in a relationship is... I don't think there's one all-important, magical thing in a relationship. I mean,  lot of people would say "communication" or "trust" or something like that, and those are important. But really, if you only communicated really well but weren't loyal or patient or kind... would that one thing really be so important? I think relationships are based on a lot of delicate balances, but at the basis you have to respect each other, realize that there is no happily ever after, work on it every day, try to be a good partner rather than find one, be honest with one another, patient with each others' faults, supportive of each others' goals and dreams and able to help each other feel comfortable and confident with who each of you are. And I'm sure I'm forgetting like a thousand other things.
5. A "deal breaker" for me in a relationship is... someone who makes me feel like I have to be someone I'm not. Also cheating. And being abusive. And not making an effort to make the other person happy.
6. The way I show love in my relationships is... Hmmm. I hope I do this in a bunch of ways - and probably different ones for my family, friends and partner. I mean, there's saying it, and doing nice things for the other person, and trying to help them out when they're stressed, being supportive and encouraging about things that are important to them....and always trying to get better, because none of us are perfect - far from it!
7. I love... My family, friends, cats... and J., I suppose. ;)

Thanks to Lauren at The Little Things We Do for the blanks! Head on over and check her out!

Ten on Tuesday

Tuesday?? Already? Well alrighty, then.

1. Did y'all hear about this? An 8-year-old kid was taken away from his mother and placed in foster care because his mother wasn't doing enough to control his weight. Considering he weighed in at 200 pounds, I gotta say, I think they had a point.

2. I am beyond ready for some down time. I've become even more cranky than usual and am finding that everything (and everyone) has suddenly developed the ability to drive me totally up the wall. Two and a half weeks. I think I can.....

3. In addition to my wedding aversion, I don't like to shop. I don't like crowds, I don't like how overpriced everything is, and I don't like trying on 20 shirts just to find one that's halfway decent. I don't even BOTHER trying to find clothing I actually like anymore. You can imagine how much I abhor shopping in Christmas crowds. Expect gifts I can buy online if you're in my family!

4. They changed the Yakisoba sauce at my local sushi place and now it tastes suspiciously like HP Sauce. Not impressed.

5. This: 17 Hilariously Disturbing Snowmen We Hope Never Come To Life

6. My desktop weather widget lied. It said it was clear skies - and sun! - all week. It is now raining, and, predictably, I'm completely unprepared. Damn you, ridiculously optimistic desktop weather widget, DAMN YOU!

7. Epiphany: I turn my ringer off on my phone at work... but I never actually remember to turn it on again when I go home. So I never hear my phone ring, and when I lose it I can't find it. As a result of these two factors, I never use the damn thing. Really, I might as well just not have one. *mind blown*

8. I don't care what Kate Moss says, there are plenty of things that taste at least as good as skinny feels. If not better.

9. I don't know if I've specifically mentioned Banksy on this blog before, but if I haven't (particularly if you're going "huh?") you need to check him out RIGHT NOW. Banksy is a street artist whose work tends towards humorous (and outrageous) social commentary. I've been a fan of his since 2004 and am constantly amazed when people don't know who he is. Spend some time googling. I promise, you won't regret it. I'm sure there will be more on this topic to come, but here's a little sample of the awesome otherwise known as Banksy:

10. My friend Chelsea (who blogs over at Time 2 Get Motivated) came over for a visit last night. She moved out of the city awhile ago, and I don't get to see her nearly as much as I would like. So spending a whole evening with her was SO MUCH FUN!! It's funny how you don't really realize how much you miss someone until you see them again!

I'm off to slog through some rain, hopefully at least some of you are less soggy than I will likely be by the time I make it across town!

Mopey Monday - Jonah Mowry

For this Mopey Monday, I'm gonna go with something that has been on my mind, and that I hope will make you think about your own teenage years with a little more compassion.

By now most of you have probably seen this video that has been circulating on Facebook walls around the world:

Pretty heart-rending, huh? I thought so too. Then this other video started circulating:

So of course, the internet at large exploded in outrage saying that Jonah lied, that he was a fraud etc., etc.

I've been thinking a lot about this, and while I'm not really sure what to think, I am not sure that the second video makes the first a fake. He says his school loves him, sure. But he doesn't say he wasn't bullied, or that he lied, or that he isn't (or wasn't) unhappy a lot of the time.

These days sad and tragic stories are so carefully told in the media. Appearance is everything - and if you don't fit the image of you that has been created (whatever that image is), all of a sudden nothing you might have stood for or said counts. But I think it's important to remember that this is a normal, real kid. He's not a celebrity with a PR company monitoring his every move. He's not a campaign. He's a real person - and a teenager at that - who is capable of being bullied and sad and unhappy a lot of the time, but who can still make a silly video with a friend in a happy moment in the safety of his own home.

Does this make his original message any less valid? Not to me. I know when I was in 8th grade I was capable of intense depression, silliness, laughter, tears and anger in the course of an afternoon. And that was on a good day. Did it make being bullied any easier, or any less wrong? No, it did not. And maybe, in the four months between when the first video was made (August - before school started) and the second one, which from what I can tell, was pretty recent (a few months into school), things actually improved for him. Which is a good thing, right?

But even if he didn't tell the truth in his first video, even if he's always been a happy, well-liked kid, I don't know if that really matters. There are so many kids out there who go through some (or all) of these things every day for their entire school careers, and if a video like this can give some of them a voice, or make them feel less alone, I have nothing bad to say about it. I wish we'd had YouTube when I was that age so that I could have seen other kids out there going through the same things. It's hard to be a teenager. And every kid deserves compassion.

Fill in the _____ Friday

1. The holiday season is... as time to dream about what it's supposed to be like... and then make the mistake of venturing out to buy presents and being faced with the reality of grumpy, broke people.
2. Snow makes me... so happy! I love how peaceful and clean it makes everything look. Like a fresh start for the world. Everything slows down or stops, clothes are cosy by necessity and warmth feels that much sweeter!
3. The best comfort food to eat when it's cold out is... ha! We actually had "Comfort Food Day" at work today. I like freshly baked cookies or apple crumble, or pancakes, or lentil soup -- and, of course, Peppermint Mochas!!! 
4. Winter is the best time for... holing up at home and catching up on reading and TV. 
5. I can hardly wait for... vacation! I've got two weeks off starting right before Christmas, and I just can't wait!!
6. When it comes to holiday gifts I prefer to... give than receive. 
7. If I were to rate my excitement about the holiday season on a scale from 1 to 10, I would say I'm about a... 4, maybe 5. Bittersweet.

Thanks to Lauren, as always! Head on over to her blog to join it!