Photo by Linda Nguyen (@L_Nuggie)

Alright, I know I promised a post-concert review in yesterday’s post, but after getting home and relaying the awesomeness of the evening to B-rad, it was pushing midnight and I was one tired (though happy) girl. I decided to sleep on it and return bright-eyed and bed-headed to gush about the evening.

But first, let me share a little gem from my subway ride, because I do love a good TTC tale. I was on the train heading to Queen, quite engrossed in my Metro crossword, when suddenly there was a woman sitting on my lap. Literally. I’m not totally clear on the details, but it seems that a somewhat elderly lady had gotten on the train with a friend, and when the train took off, she hadn’t quite made it to her seat and lost her balance. So there she was, sitting on my knee, holding on to a centre pole and trying to pull herself back up. With some help from another rider, we got her to her feet and into a seat where she said…nothing. Not “Thanks,” not “Hey, sorry about the mall Santa routine back there,” nothing. She didn’t even respond when I asked if she was okay. At first I thought, “Well, that’s odd…” but there are plenty of reasonable explanations for it, ranging from embarrassment to the fact that I’m a notoriously quiet talker. Bygones.

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I’ve just purchased a ticket for a concert this evening at Massey Hall. The artist? Adele. If you’re thinking, “who?” then you need to hit up iTunes right now friend, because there is a reason this girl snagged the Best New Artist award at this year’s Grammys. Trust.

I’ve been an Adele fan since I heard “Hometown Glory” on So You Think You Can Dance of all places (something about that moody piano intro gives me goosebumps every time…) so I couldn’t pass up the chance to see her at a venue like Massey. And while I’m hitting the concert solo this evening, which will be a new experience for me, it’s one that I’m definitely looking forward to.

Check back later this evening for thoughts on the show! In the meantime, check out this great interview with Adele from Tuesday’s Globe and Mail.

Update: Thoughts on the show are here!

A while ago (okay, a very long while ago) I blogged about getting back in shape for my wedding. Well, then life had to go and get all complicated and crazy (which is a story for another day), the wedding was pushed back, and fitness got bumped to the bottom of my priority list. Thankfully, it’s now made its way back to the top.

Weight is something that I’ve struggled with now for over half of my life. It’s also something extremely personal that I don’t really discuss with people, aside from those I’m very close with. But in the interest of sharing and being more open, here it is…

Like many people, it stems back to the old “kids can be very cruel” scenario where I got picked on mercilessly as a 12-year-old, and was left with a pretty effed up self-image. Even as a size 7, 125 pound 16-year-old with “eating issues,” I was convinced that I was fat. And down the road, when I spent a year on Depo Provera, I quickly gained major pounds (“slight weight gain” my foot) and actually was overweight (and traumatized, since the sudden weight gain left me with stretch marks and a closet full of unwearable clothes). My weight has fluctuated pretty consistently throughout university and college, but now school is over and it’s time to put all that crap in the past and start loving myself and taking care of my body… Don’t ya think?

Whew. That’s a whole lot of honesty right there.

So I’ve decided to try Jillian Michaels’ 30 Day Shred and I’ve made it through Day One. (If you’re unfamiliar with it, you’re in luck—I wrote about it not too long ago on the Canadian Family blog, Family Jewels.) After a good 20 minute stretch thanks to some Winsor Pilates, I was ready to go. Or so I thought. Now I’m starting to wonder what I did to Jillian in a past life to make her want to kill me so badly. Everything is sore today… But I’m ready (and excited) to do it again, because I know it’s going to make a difference.

The goal? It’s not so much a specific number that I’m after, as a shape. Yes, round is a shape, but it’s one that I’m getting pretty tired of. I’m ready to tone up, trim down, and then sometime in 2010, I’ll be ready to tackle my next project: finding The Dress. (Note: more wedding updates are coming, I promise!)

Is anyone else out there getting back in shape right now? Drop me a line! I’m going to need all the support and tips that I can get… and I’m happy to have you guys along for the ride!

Now let’s go beat the heck outta Day Two…

So, you may have noticed that I’ve been a little absent around these parts. My small (but fabulous) corner of the Interweb has been taken over by tumbleweeds, as my updates have been infrequent, to say the least.

It’s not that I don’t enjoy blogging—I do. Writing is my passion, and while I’ve been a bit distracted (more on that later) the bigger issue is that it’s been a confusing process for me. I have plenty of stories that I share with friends and family in social settings, and they always say, “You should put that on your blog.” But it never occurred to me that anyone would really care about my random tales… until I found out that people were actually reading. And not only that, they liked what I was writing. Believe me, it’s not false modesty when I say that I was extremely surprised. After all, my number one hangup with blogging, which has been the source of many false starts in the past, has always been the idea that no one would really want to read about my life. Because really, it’s not that glamorous. Or maybe I’m clinging to threads of my former life when I was painfully shy. Either way, there was something stopping me from hanging around these parts more often.

But you know what? The times they are a-changin’.

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Hello friends, 

I have MANY things that I desperately want to share with you and some exciting changes planned for this blog (the first and most important being more content!). But at the moment, I am holed up in an office on Queen East, assisting in the production of a magazine (and loving every minute, I might add). We’ve had a few very late nights here, so if anyone feels like sending cupcakes or offerings of chocolate and coffee, I’m not about to stop you from fulfilling your good deed of the day. (*Cough* Please? Chocolate? Someone?) 

Back to blogging soon, though… Stay tuned for details of my new master plan!

It’s been a pretty awesome April Fool’s Day here at the office (aka in my living room). I ranted about Bratz, pitched some ideas, got a few new CDs to review AND did a happy dance when my U2 tickets came in the mail (to which I say: Best. Hubs-to-Be. Ever.).

But the awesomeness doesn’t stop there! At some point I was apparently hit with a major dose of inspiration (I’m going to say it was the Nerds Rope that did the trick) and decided to (finally) update my portfolio page. Wondering what I’ve been up to since 2008? Go have a look!

I’ll be scanning some more pages tomorrow, so stay tuned!