Time flies when you’re moving, doesn’t it? Apologies for the silence around these parts for the last few weeks… my life has been consumed by boxes and bags as we prepare for the big move on August 1st. (Did I mention B-rad and I are moving? Oh yes. We’re moving. More on that story very soon…)

While I’m on this little vacay from the blogosphere (which I promise will not last much longer!), I have to leave you with a few things that I am absolutely loving lately:

• EcoNation Speakers: Thanks to Sarah, my MoH, for introducing me to the wonder that is this set of eco-friendly speakers. I adore them! And for $15 (at Chapters/Indigo), they’re very hard to pass up!

• The Wedding Dance: Forget choreographed first dances… It’s all about the big entrance! I’ve now watched this vid a few times, and it never fails to make me smile.

• Super simple baked brie: We served this at the cottage on the weekend, and it was an instant hit. Ready in about 20 minutes, delish when paired with crackers and green apple slices… And most importantly, it’s brie. How could I NOT love this? Check out the link for instructions, or follow my lead: Wrap a medium-sized round of brie in crescent roll dough (ie. a tube of Pillsbury dough) and bake according to the instructions on the tube. When the dough is golden and delicious looking, remove from the oven, transfer to a plate, and dig in!

• Buzzfeed.com: What would a lunch break be without hilarious gems from all over the web? This site is now officially my go-to for the latest viral videos and wacky new finds.

• Outtrip’s Yo…Lounge: Okay, so this album certainly isn’t new, but it’s made its way back into heavy rotation on my iPod as of late and I need to share the love. Have you heard it? If not, you’re seriously missing out. “Yo… Lounge” is the ultimate summer chill album. Check it out on MySpace and then pick it up on iTunes. You’ll thank me later.

As for what’s coming up on my little corner of the web, I’ve got plenty to share! So please stay tuned, and bear with me… MoveFest 2009 will be over soon!

Happy Tuesday, all! I have a whole post swirling around in my brain about the EA Sports Active (which I put to the test this week) but it’s going to have to wait, because I’ve got a baseball game to get to! (Go Jays, Go!)

Before I head out, though, I have to show off my new business cards, because I think they look pretty darn snazzy. Big thanks to my friend, Jon Rennie, for the awesome design. As you can probably tell, he’s also the talented guy behind my web design. But what you may not have known is that he’ll also be starring as Best Man in our October 2010 wedding. (More on that soon. No, really. It’s coming!)

H’okay. So. This 101 in 1001 list? A LOT harder than I thought it would be. I’m still working away at it, but I’m afraid it’s not quite finished yet. However, one thing that is definitely on the list (and this will likely not surprise you if you’ve been here before) is losing weight/working out more regularly. And because I am a fan of all things Nintendo Wii, especially when it can help me get in shape (ie. Wii Fit, My Fitness Coach, etc) I’ve just picked up a new fitness game: EA Sports Active.

No idea what I’m talking about? You can check out the trailer here. (And while you’re at it, check out their website. This is marketing done right, friends. It goes beyond being another video game website and has an almost magazine-website-like feel with articles about nutrition, health and wellness. A “Motivation Center”? A “Community”? Brilliant, EA. Srsly.)

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Still working on my 101 in 1001 list to share with y’all later today. But first? Please do yourself a favour and check out this hilarious video from MagicHugs.com.

Happy Friday, all! I have many stories to share, but after soaking up the sun with the Terrible Two (aka my adventure-loving cats) this afternoon, I’m a bit wiped out. Before I head off for a night of Wii and wine, there are a few things I’ve stumbled upon in my travels around the Interweb this week that I simply have to share. Enjoy the link love!

• F**k You, Penguin
If you can get through the entries on this blog (that tells cute animals what’s what) without laughing, let me know, and I will send you a prize. Because seriously? Hilarious.

• Viva La Love Story
If you’re just tuning in… Hi, my name is Alicia, and I’m a bit of a music junkie. That said, is anyone really surprised that I am loving this instrumental mash-up of Taylor Swift’s Love Story and Coldplay’s Viva La Vida by John Schmidt? It’s fab. Trust.

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Remember how psyched I was to take on the 30 Day Shred? Well, I still am…but there’s been a bit of a snag. I suppose it’s more of a tear, actually. Picture this: Sunday night, I’m sitting on the floor, going through a few stacks of paper a la spring cleaning. I get up to get a drink, and hear a gross ripping sound that is most definitely not my pants. Point of the story? My right knee is in bad shape, so I’m easing back into the Shred very slowly. A minor setback, I think… I’m definitely not ready to throw in the towel. After all, if I quit, the terrorists Jillian Michaels wins. And to that I say, no dice.

On the plus side, there is a no-fail way to distract yourself from an injured knee—read a great book. And thankfully, I just happen to have one. In fact, today is a day that my inner book nerd has been eagerly anticipating for the past couple of months, because the new Jen Lancaster memoir, Pretty in Plaid, is finally available… And I’ve got a copy!

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AP Photo/Chris Pizzello

*UPDATE: The Miley Cyrus campaign has been removed from the One Million Moms website. Thankfully, the Interweb is a magical place and someone was wise enough to take a screen capture. If you’d like to see the campaign that inspired this post and made me want to hulksmash things, please click here.

Confession: I am not a mom. But for the record, I have a mom, am friends with moms, and intend to one day be a mom. Please keep this in mind, because I’m about to snark a lot of moms. One million, actually...

Some quick background on me, for context: Growing up, I was lucky enough to be raised by people who actually practiced the old “love your neighbour” line. Ultra-liberal, incredibly supportive, march-to-the-beat-of-your-own-drum kind of people. Which was wonderful, but also made going into the Big Bad World a bit of a shock. It took me a long time to wrap my head around the fact that people could actually hate each other over something like sexual orientation. I mean, seriously? You’re going to hate someone for being attracted to another person because they happen to be the same sex? You’re going to hate two people for being in love? For wanting to commit to each other? For wanting to start a family? But… why?

I don’t get homonegativity, I’ve never understood it, and to be honest, it just makes me angry and disappointed in humanity (which is no small feat for a hopeless optimist).

So when it comes to my attention that a Christian group in the US is targeting Miley Cyrus (who identifies as a Christian, fyi) for making pro-gay statements on Twitter like “I am a Christian and I love you—gay or not—because you are no different than anyone else! We are all God’s children,” I get a little riled up. Okay, a lot riled up. I get ranty. Especially because the group is made up of moms.

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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!

I find myself linking to YouTube videos on Twitter at least a couple times a day. Usually to music videos, funny commercials… You know, the light, fluffy stuff that gets you through a 4PM slump when you should be working, but all you really want to do is take a nap under your desk. But I believe that some videos need more than 140 characters.

At a recent dinner to celebrate a friend’s upcoming wedding, I was asked if I  had ever seen a video called “99 Balloons.” Immediately I thought of the pop song by Nena and German lyrics that I can never seem to remember. But I was assured that it was a video worth checking out, and having now seen it, I’d say that is possibly the understatement of the year. It is, quite honestly, the most beautiful video that I have ever seen on the Internet. It is a story that is simultaneously heartwarming and heartbreaking. It’s a story that I think everyone ought to know, because it is the ultimate example of hope, faith and love. Honestly, there is nothing that I can say that will do it justice… Just watch.