I'll Never Love You More

I hope that my fellow Ontario residents are having a lovely Family Day. My human family members are for the most part federal government employees, so I'm spending a day with my furry, four-legged kin.

This video is making me very, very happy, so I thought I'd share with you.

Review: Just Go With It

It's been a while since I've reviewed a film here on Magic Lantern, but rest assured it hasn't been for lack of movie-watching. I've certainly seen movies over the last few months that are better than Just Go With It, however it just so happens I've been blessed with time this Family Day weekend, and feel like contributing my two cents.

Anyone who has seen the trailer for this movie knows the premise. Adam Sandler plays a wealthy plastic surgeon who uses a phoney "my wife is an evil bitch" sob story to pick up chicks and have all the one night stands he wants without the consequences. He finally falls for a hot 23-year-old named Palmer (Brooklyn Decker), and ends up having to weave a tricky mess of lies involving his assistant Katherine (Jennifer Aniston), who stands in as the fake ex, and her two children. They all end up in Hawaii and things unfold in a pleasingly predictable fashion.

This movie was exactly what I needed this weekend, what with the -20 degree windchill outside and a scratchy discomfort at the back of my throat, foretelling yet another illness in the making. Images of beautiful people outside in the sunshine, their bare skin kissed by benign breezes and the refreshing waters of the South Pacific bring me great joy this time of year.

And the movie itself isn't half bad. It's genuinely funny in parts, and I and my companion laughed out loud on numerous occasions. Jennifer Aniston is intensely likeable in most everything she does - even the not-so-great films - and her chemistry with Adam Sandler is definitely what carries this movie.

Oh, and Dave Matthews and Nicole Kidman randomly show up halfway through the movie, making for an amusing twist and ensuing situational comedy.

I really have nothing bad to say about Just Go With It. It knows what it is and succeeds at achieving the desired effect. And it's just what the doctor ordered for late February in Canada.

P.S. I am aware that all my blog posts, columns and conversations over the past couple months have somehow involved my hatred of winter and how I'm dealing with it. I can't help it. I promise it will stop as soon as I can regularly go outside without wanting to immediately seek shelter.

Hello there blog!

Wow, I think this may be the longest length of time I've gone without posting. For so long my poor excuse for being a lazy blogger was my crippling unhappiness with life. Now I am glad to say that it's pretty much the exact opposite. After almost five months, I'm still thrilled to have a job I actually like - not that it isn't stressful at times, but it's a good kind of stress. And I'm actually paid now to write blog-like pieces, which is wonderful.

You can read my latest column here and the one before that here.

As usual, I'm super excited about the Oscars. I've also been obsessed with the idea of a vacation, and have developed an unhealthy fixation with all things that remind me of Paris, Rome or the Caribbean - the top vacation destinations, in my opinion. The parents are currently planning a trip to Rome, and I'm having a ball living vicariously. I'll pretend like the two weeks I spent in Italy make me an expert on all things Italian in order to have the luxury of re-living all the beautiful, life-changing experiences I had there. ("Oh my god mom, you simply CANNOT eat dinner before nine or people will think you're SO un-classy"...that sort of thing).

Valentine's was nice. I got Steve a key chain that says "I love my Russian Blue" with a picture of a cat that looks exactly like Napoleon. I'm pretty sure it's meant for old ladies but he loved it. He got me a gift certificate for a spa, even though we had promised we would not buy each other expensive things.

I wish I could say I've been baking, but I haven't been. Post-holiday winter makes me lazy.

I'm anxiously awaiting spring, and know I probably will be for at least another month. But that's alright, I suppose.

That's about it.

Once Wed

Lately I've been a little obsessed with weddings. It's weird, considering my own was 4 1/2 years ago. I love browsing the Once Wed blog (where all these photos are from) and escaping for a few minutes into someone's beautiful day. Maybe it's because all the weddings featured seem to be outside. Oh how I miss outside. Lately it's been so cold that even taking the dog for a 15 minute walk seems like a task of Herculean proportions.

Here are some of my favourites. I hope they cheer you up as much as they have me...

Surviving January 17

Today, in the unpleasant darkness of early morning, I switched on the TV to learn that Monday January 17 has been deemed the most depressing day of the year. It’s true that Mondays are generally not well liked. It’s also true that the holiday glow has officially worn off by now, and that many of us are feeling depressed about our all too early abandonment of New Year’s resolutions.

I am embarrassed to say that my own vague commitment to a healthier lifestyle appears to have ended before it began. This morning, for instance, in a fit of low blood sugar, I ate a Laura Secord chocolate present. And this was not a unique occurrence. A whole box of mini gifts has been slowly depleting on my desk at work for the last month or so. I usually need one around 10 a.m. if I want to remain at all functional for the second half of the morning. Sure, they’re only 50 calories per present, but that one little chocolate never fails to put a damper on all my good intentions to eat healthy, clean food for the rest of the day. By the time evening rolls around and Steve and I are settling in to watch Top Chef or half a dozen episodes of The Big Bang Theory on DVD, I find myself easily able to justify pouring that tall glass or red wine because, well, healthy eating already went out the window that day thanks to the morning chocolate.

The funny thing is that I am normally a certified health nut. My love affair with organic fruit and veg is steadfast and strong, and nothing makes me feel quite so good as a long stretch of genuine, uninterrupted healthy eating. The problem is that in the wintertime, feeling good in the moment is just too much to resist. I crave the soft, comforting sweetness of chocolate melting on my tongue, and the smooth, relaxing buzz of a glass of wine. Such bodily pleasures strive admirably, if ultimately in vain, to make up for the harsh reality of winter that glares back at me on the other side of the window.

I plan on ending this most depressing day of the year in the most unimaginative way possible: curling up on the couch and watching Top Chef, then reading, then going to bed early. Maybe I’ll dream of summer. Perhaps that’s not so depressing after all.

Review: Kobo Reader

I received this remarkable little contraption for Christmas, and have been wanting to write about it for quite some time now. Already it has generated much curiosity from friends and acquaintances, as well as and random strangers at Starbucks and the like. Everyone seems interested in hearing first hand what the e-reader experience is like - so here's the rundown.

The Kobo made an excellent first impression on me due to the fact that it comes with 100 classic books. Some I will admittedly never read. (I'm looking at you, History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.) Others I have not yet read am quite excited about (The Importance of Being Ernest, The Three Musketeers,) and still others (Great Expectations, Prufrock and Other Observations,) I love dearly and enjoy the idea of "carrying around" in my purse all day long.

Books are much cheaper when bought electronically - at least half the price of their physical counterparts. I'm also looking forward to being able to limit additions to my disturbingly large book collection.

Physically, the Kobo is very light and can comfortably be held in one hand, as pictured above. Its size and design also come in very handy when trying to read while eating, as you can set it on the table and still have two free hands. The best part: the Kobo is not back-lit, making it feel like you're reading a real page as opposed to a screen. This was probably the thing I was most worried about, but its easiness on the eyes was a pleasant surprise.

The Kobo does have some drawbacks, though, the major one for me being that this is one more thing to charge and re-charged - and through the computer no less. However, the battery is relatively long-lasting, and has thus far not needed to be charged more than once a week.

Then, of course, it's just not a "book." As a person with two English degrees, I suppose I SHOULD concede that it's not the physical book but the words in it that count. But truly believing in this philosophy is more difficult than you might think, and I don't plan on abandoning physical books altogether - at least not yet.

As you can tell, I'm pretty enamoured with this thing. The best part is I find myself reading more because the Kobo literally goes everywhere I do. Those extra ten minutes here and there can really go a long way...

Toward the Future!

Happy New Year, dear readers! Thank you for sticking by me through all the ups and downs of 2010. It seems like half a lifetime has passed since we entered this new decade. And I don’t mean that in an entirely bad way. It feels weird to have essentially started and ended the year the same way – in terms of job and living arrangements – but with such a rollercoaster experience in between. Sometimes I even forget that I lived in Toronto for five months.

For breakfast this morning I made some delicious pancakes with maple apple cinnamon topping - with mimosas and coffee, of course. What a perfect way to ring in 2011!

I could go on for a couple of paragraphs about all my hopes and dreams for the new year, but I would only jinx myself, and probably bore you to death in the process. Like all years, I'll generally be striving to be healthier and make better use of my time. But considering I've spent the entire morning of January 1 watching 30 Rock DVDs after a rich (though 100% vegan) breakfast which included alcohol and too much coffee...well...sigh. What can I say? Such things make me happy.

(The amazing Mad Men behind the scenes photo is from here. They are from a Rolling Stone shoot. If you can spare a few minutes, I urge you to take a look through them all...they will make your day!)