Top Ten: Music that moves me…

Since buying my iPod Touch several months ago, I have been more hooked than ever on music. Without it, I would typically listen to our local hip-hop/dance radio station, Hot 89.9. Now, I can pick my music based on my moods or musical cravings—at home, in the car, at the gym, or on the run.

Here’s my Top Ten list of music that moves me:

10. Salomé — U2
    
9. Poker Face — Lady GaGa
   
8. Lose Yourself — Eminem
7. Ungodly Hour — The Fray
   
6. Boom Boom Pow — The Black Eyed Peas
   
5. Closer — Kings of Leon
   
4. She Is — The Fray
3. Oxygen — Colbie Caillat
   
2. When I’m With You — Faber Drive
   
1. Never Say Never — The Fray

Top 10: Holiday Traditions

With each year that passes, I am discovering certain holiday activities that have been making repeat appearances in our December schedules. These are activities which have developed out of pure enjoyment, rather than obligation—making them the very best kind of holiday tradition ever.

Here are my Top 10 Holiday Traditions:

10. Baking a batch of Mom’s shortbread cookies early on in the season. So early on in fact, that a second batch is required by mid-December.
    
9. Having plenty of the real, classic Coca-Cola on hand. And rum.
   
8. Revealing our library of holiday movies, music and books on December 1st.
7. Arranging my Department 56 Dickens’ Village on December 2nd—by birthday.
   
6. Walking up to Main Street to watch our village’s Parade of Lights, typically the first Saturday of December.
   
5. Attending the Christmas Eve pageant with Andrew’s entire family, at St. Andrew’s Church in downtown Ottawa. In fact the same church where we were married. A very special night, where holiday hymns are sung by candle light and the Zimbelstern (the sweetest twinkling chime, created by bells on an organ) reminds me of our first matrimonial kiss.
   
4. Trimming the tree with my boys, listening to carols, while Andrew and I sip Amaretto.
3. Keeping memories alive each year by writing in my Christmas Memories Book given to me in 1998 by Andrew’s Aunt Susan. Amazing how much we forget from year to year unless it is written down. A treasure.
   
2. Late evening walks to enjoy the neighbourhood’s holiday adornments.
   
1. Reading Matt Tavares’ exquisitely illustrated account of Clement C. Moore’s ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas to the boys on Christmas Eve*.

* If you can find a copy of this book, I encourage you to do so. It is the most beautiful Christmas book we own, and as such keep it out of reach of grubby hands and doggie mouths, so we can cherish it for decades to come.

Packing List

Today is vacation day. We are headed to a hunt camp cabin resort in the Ottawa Valley. We have been staying in the same cabin, at the same resort, the same week in July every year for nine years. Andrew’s family has been going for almost sixty years. Of the eighteen or so cabins, our extended family now occupies five of them. It is the best week of my entire year. People think I am nuts when I say that. Then I tell them I don’t have to cook.

The family who owns the resort prepares farm-fresh meals three times a day. There is nothing for us to do except sweep the cabin, drain the cooler, apply sunscreen, and wait for the dining room bell.

Here are my Top 10 Luxury Items for the week:

10. A case of Smirnoff Ice
9. No more, and certainly no less, than one can of low-fat Pringles
8. An empty make-up bag. Who needs anything more than lip balm at a cabin?
7. Trashy celebrity magazines
6. My beading kit
5. Dental floss
4. Our His & Hers ultra plush white terry bathrobe, under which I am completely naked as I walk to the public showers.
3. Hawaiian Tropic Tanning Oil
   
2. Something new. This year, a cool colourful pair of madras shorts.
1. My down pillow, to be misted nightly with lavender linen water.

As you may have guessed — because you’re so clever — I won’t be blogging this week. I’ll be observing, and continually inspired, while I’m gone, and promise to make up for lost time when I return.

Enjoy your week!

Fascination with procrastination

I was supposed to be nose-deep in contract graphic design work today. Deadline work. Arrangements were made so that I would have the entire day to myself to focus. FOCUS.

And I did work. As much as I possibly could when not fighting off the warty distractions that kept coming into my office and attacking my left earlobe.

Here are the Top Ten Mundane Things I Did Today.

10. Stocked the bar fridge.
9. Ordered new cheques.
8. Danced. In the kitchen. By myself.
   
7. Danced some more.
6. Bleached the recycling bins.
5. Shuffled papers.
4. Updated my Twitter status.
3. Snipped the hideous flowers out of the Hostas.
2. Looked for the frog who had been napping on our twig chair yesterday. Not there.
1. Cleaned the hair out of my brush.
   

Greetings, 892.

Canada turned 141 today. According to tonight’s 11 o’clock CTV news, July 1st is the most popular day of the year for people to become Canadian citizens. Today’s number was 892. Impressive. Most people quoted “freedom” as the number one reason to “turn Canadian”.

Here are my Top Ten Reasons to become a Canadian, or to appreciate already being one!

10. Ketchup potato chips.
9. Fewer boundaries to memorize.
8. Even if you are in the wrong, the other person will always apologize.
7. Wide, open spaces right outside your door.
6. Anne Murray, Bryan Adams and/or The Guess Who. Your choice.
5. Metric.
4. Zed.
3. The letter ‘u’ (ie. colour, humour, neighbour)
2. Hockey.
1. It’s true... we really are the nicest people on the planet.

Happy Canada Day!