Guess Who's Coming to her 30s

So the title is slightly misleading (I like to think that it is very misleading), but today I decided to tackle part of my 30 before 30 list.  I have about two years to complete the items on my list (I know.  You are thinking that I can't possibly be that old--and I agree!)

One of the items on my list is to watch the entire AFI top 100 films list.  The problem is that the list was updated in 2007, and I could not decide which list to choose, so I have decided to include movies that have made either or both lists.  So this evening, I cooked up a gigantic plate of mashed potatoes (yes, you read that right), and I propped my pillows for an evening in with AFI.

The first item on the list was, as per my title, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner.  If you have seen Guess Who starring Ashton Kutcher and Bernie Mac, you would understand that the term loose remake really means "lets try to imitate a masterpiece that was relevant for a specific moment in time, knowing that it can only be a failure."  While the idea of interracial marriages may still be an issue for some, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner was made in the early 60s when it was considered intolerable to many.  Sidney Poitier is amazing in the film, and through the art of fiction, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner took an important issue and made it relevant to many.

So if you haven't seen the film already, I suggest you cook up your own plate of mashed goodness and press play.

Shrek and Fiona, Here I Come!

I am SWAMPED!  I have an abundance of things to do and no time to do them in.  Perhaps you are thinking that I should, therefore, not be wasting my time on my blog, but I am using this post as a tool to focus my writing, so that I can get to my task at hand.

Very recently, I have decided to graduate a year early, and this fabulous idea that I had has created absolute havoc in my normally highly-organized way of life.  I banked on the notion that I had at least a year to organize myself for the future, but I have taken a leap of faith that is kicking my ass.  Deadlines to submit applications to publishing companies are fast approaching, and I don't even have a game plan.  

So much to do, and yet I am constantly finding myself doing other things such as baking cookies and cleaning out my closet (I have bags upon bags of clothing that I am getting rid of FYI if anyone is in need of some new wardrobe items.) I am determined that this weekend will be the weekend that I sit at my table and do nothing but focus on the future.  This was my plan for the past two weekends, so I assume that third time's the charm, and I will actually get something accomplished.  Wish me luck!

Pretty sure I saw the cutest thing ever this past weekend at the Jays game.  What I assume to be a father/son combo were sitting right in front of me, and they managed to melt my heart (as most of you know, that is not that hard to do).  The guy was teaching the little guy all about baseball, right down to how to properly wear a rally cap.  As I watched the little one wrap his tiny arms around his dad's neck, I told my mom that I needed to have enough children to field an entire ball team.  My mom, being my mom, said, "Well of course you do!"  I would now like to thank my mom for being the reason that I have always had the world's most unrealistic dreams.  Come on mom.  Jon and Kate plus 8 don't even have enough for an entire team and look how they turned out.

Moral of the story is that I am still a dreamer because I still anticipate Andy Pettitte divorcing his wife and marrying me. (Although I am sure that she is a rockin' lady, and they are very happy together)

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (minus the trains)

I have gone and done it again.  Left my poor blog unattended.  I suppose this means that I should never have children... or a pet... or probably even a plant.

This summer has been an eventful one.  Almost every other week, I have had wonderful visitors from the Niagara area, played lots of softball, and worked my little rump off.  That being said, I am absolutely drained.

After a long hiatus from good ol' Niagara Falls, I decided to come home for a week of rest(I am headed back to Hali today).  As I have mentioned before, I believe that I have changed a fair deal since my last trip home, but a few old habits always creep back as soon as my plane hits ground.  Spent quite a bit of time though with some people that have only come back into my life recently, and I couldn't be more thankful. Sometimes you do not realize that you are in a rut until someone helps pull you out of one.  This one person in particular has truly inspired me to be a better version of myself.  I can only hope to live up to the idea of the person that he thinks I am--Boy is crazy!
Over the past few months, I have had quite a few setbacks in my writing.  I have been lazy, ignorant, and uninspired.  After having finally gathered myself together, I feel ready to take on the world (yes I am aware of the lameness of this statement).  So I guess the whole point of this semi-rant is to remind you not to close any doors.  Making drastic changes like moving halfway across the country can be a good thing, but accepting your past and allowing parts of it to affect your future can be just as rewarding.  I let someone walk back into my life, and my perspective on life has changed at a drop of a hat.

As most of you know, I am all about saving the chedda.  I do not extreme coupon or anything crazy, but I do know how to save where it counts.

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It pays just to use the program.  I know that these things always look sketchy, but trust me--it works!

Had some friends come to visit this past week, and I realized that I have evolved immensely over the past two years.  I have made a lot of realizations in the past few years, and I have discovered who I am and what I need to live my life.  Gone are the days where I live my life to please other people.  While I would still do almost anything to help a friend or family member, I have learned that sometimes I need to put myself first.
I thoroughly enjoyed having the girls come stay, and I still consider them great friends, but I realized that we no longer share much in common.  Some may say that it is sad to see people grow apart, but I think that growing apart is not necessarily a bad thing.  We all still care about one another, but we realized that we need to live our separate lives.

I have clearly been slacking on my blog posts.  Hopefully this does not become a pattern similar to my former blog (aka the one that has not been touched in almost a year and a half).

I have been thinking a lot lately about what constitutes a satisfying life.  I have been listening to people talk about their jobs and their futures, and I can't help but think that it is a little depressing.  Perhaps I am a little naive and ignorant, but I have no desire to plan for the future.  Obviously I do make some plans, but I prefer to live in the moment.  I watch all of these people go to their 9-5 jobs, come home exhausted, and long for the weekend.  Is financial security so crucial to these people that, for the majority of their lives, they want to be cramped up in an office or cubical?  I love my life.  I currently work a job that demands nothing of me other than to interact with other people.  I work shift work, and I can enjoy a sunny Tuesday morning when the rest of the world is stuck behind closed doors.  Not to say that these people are miserable or that they do not enjoy what they do for a living, but why are we all taught to strive for that sort of lifestyle?  I like to live in the now.  I may not be around twenty years from now, so I have no intention of wasting my life preparing for the unpredictable future.  People always are talking about what they wish they could do, but most people do not do what it is they desire.  Instead, most people strive for what is socially acceptable of a person in their circumstances.  So I want to offer a little piece of advice to you.  Take the time now to do at least one of the things that is on your bucket list.  Don't wait for tomorrow or the day after.  Try living in the moment.  It can be scary and unpredictable, but you will have made the most of your time.

Sidewalk Etiquette

I have been doing a lot of walking lately.  I walk to work, to the grocery store, and sometimes I walk just for the fun of it.  When I first moved to Halifax, I noticed the obvious fact that everyone here is ten times nicer than people in Ontario, but I also noticed that no one seems to know proper sidewalk etiquette, and it seems to be getting worse.  At first I thought that it was just students that seemed to clump in groups of five or six while walking, but it is the majority of pedestrians.  Very few people that walk in groups of two or more ever share the sidewalk with the single oncoming pedestrian.  Should one person really have to give way to a group of four?  This topic may seem ridiculous to you, but it is becoming an epidemic. The other day I saw a lady with a walker give way to a group of grown men.  The one thing that blows my mind is that this problem seems to only be a huge issue here.  Perhaps it is because people are so friendly here, and they are not wanting to part (even for a brief second) from their friends, but this issue is very much a Halifax only issue.  I have been to many large cities across North America, but I have never seen this issue on such a large scale until I came here.

Today a friend showed me this website that publishes nonfiction writers.  At first I thought it looked really cool, but then my heart sank.  No longer is it enough to produce high quality work.  Now people not only want a story, but they also want it to be accompanied by audio and video components.  Half of the videos consist of author biographies, and I couldn't help but ask myself if this is all necessary.  Writers can no longer pour their hearts and souls onto pages; they must also make sure that they are camera ready.  I am not a fan of the spoken word to begin with.  I much prefer being the listener in a conversation.    If I need to express myself, I write.  I have kept multiple journals for as long as I can remember, and I don't see the need for this new change.  Perhaps it will meet a demand for a new audience.  I guess I should probably consider the concept for a while longer before I have a definitive opinion on the matter.

Finalizing some plans for the arrival of a few friends next month, and it made me realize how much I miss them.  It is not easy to walk away from 25 years worth of friendships and starting all over again.  I cannot imagine what it was like for my grandparents when they moved from Nova Scotia and even Scotland to start fresh.  Fortunately, I live in a day and age where staying connected to the past is still relatively easy.  Technology allows us to communicate with childhood friends that we have not seen in ages, but there are limitations to technology as well.  We become reliant upon it.  If my cellphone breaks, I cannot tell my parents about my day.  Those relationships that naturally come to an end still exist thanks to Facebook creeping.  Theoretically it is nice to stay in touch with the people from your past, but is it necessary to "stay in touch" with people that you have nothing in common with anymore?  --Oops I went off on a tangent.

Back to the arrival of my friends.  I am so excited that they are coming to visit.  I have a NYC-style, small apartment, so we are bound to either drive one another absolutely insane or be like family.  Well one of the girls is already family, so I am sure it will be the latter.  I used to be about keeping my lives separate.  Not intermingling my friends, but I am really excited for the girls to get a glimpse into my little world and meet some of the really cool people that I have come to call my friends over the past two years.

Keep getting mad props for my laundry basket.  If only my lovely basket was a reflection of myself--the whole building would love me!

Was dusting my bookshelves today, and I thought wouldn't it be neat if these literary characters came to life!  Then I realized WHAT AM I THINKING! Tarzan would create absolute havoc, but Isabel from The Portrait of a Lady would be pretty badass though.  My next story is definitely going to have a character that could never function in a society with today's standards and values.

Chapter Two

Not much happening today.  Had my first non-training shift at the new job today, but the system was down, so I was not able to put my mad skills to use.  Pretty sure that working down at the harbour front is just going to make me want to eat deep-fried goodness everyday.  I walked by The Battered Fish and left a huge trail of drool.

Went out with the English/Creative Writing folks last night.  We had the obligatory discussion of "what is art" again.  That discussion is not quite as nasty when beer is involved.

Trying to decide what book to start my summer reading with.  Will probably end up reading one of the texts that I picked up for a class that I ended up dropping for another, but I am not sure that I want to read something heavy.  My brain is still mad at me for this past semester.

Chapter One

I have an immense amount of time on my hands this week, so I decided it is time to finally create one of these things they call a blog.  Some of you might say, "But Katie you already have a blog," but lets be honest here, I have not touched that blog in over a year, and it was pretty sad looking to begin with.

It is now 1pm, I am still in my pyjamas, and I am contemplating making a mound of bacon.  Yes, this is the life I lead folks. It is not sad.  It is awesome!

The weather is beyond beautiful today, and I was debating going to Point Pleasant Park (Trips P) to do some writing, but sadly the backs of my heels are all cut up and I don't feel like destroying them anymore than I already have. I suppose I could just do some writing here, but I will probably end up watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer-- Joss Whedon is after all a genius!

Maxwell's later tonight with my English peeps--us literature lovers can never turn down a Brewtender!