Random Channel Surfing

I'm so happy I live in a time where cameras are fairly standard; I mean, some people have a fancy camera that they use for documenting travels or family holidays, but the majority of cell phone users have another, more easy-to-use camera on their mobile phones. And the quality of the shots you take on your camera phone is improving with every new smartphone that comes out. I document my outings with friends so that we can have a small glimpse of those happy moments preserved for time. I photograph my nieces and nephew so that they can remember how happy their childhood was. The reason I document those moments when I'm most happy, is so I can re-live those happy occasions time and again. Photographs are frozen memories; how I long to live in one, re-living the happiness I felt day in and out. Thirteen years ago, I came to the realization that my parents have only a handful pictures of me as a baby. I was hurt, to be honest, because it seemed as though my parents couldn't...

Tamara and Sean had a beautiful wedding yesterday. It was teeny tiny (we counted less than 50 people in attendance), intimate, sweet, loving, and unforgettable. And what struck me most is that my two friends are incredibly well-suited for one another. Like my other coupled friends, their temperaments complement and balance each other out. I loved being a part of this intimate affair and am so incredibly excited for the two of them. I hope their lives together are as full of love and happiness as their wedding day was.

I live for weighing the pros against the cons and don't really see the point of doing things unless I'm 100% committed to seeing them through. Trips take  months  of deliberation and then months of planning. Even when I'm out shopping, I know what I want before entering the store and if  I don't find the specific item I'm looking for, I won't purchase anything. When things are out of my control, my movements are stilted and awkward and I radiate unease. I need to plan and organize and control. (Really, I'm a nightmare for the impulsive people in my life.) And don't get me wrong; I love spontaneity and am a spontaneous person, but rash decisions and flights of whimsy? That's not my style. The few times I've acted impulsively in the past have hurt me, so I shy away from acting on my impulses. 2012 was supposed to be the year I moved back to Montreal. I did plan for it and I definitely anticipated it, but I didn't realize this plan -- a fa...

Most years we quietly celebrate Jenn's birthday; it's just us seven, we have some dinner, and then we go home. For her birthday this year, she asked one of her fellow nurses, Milly, to read our handwriting and interpret our personalities. Milly's interpretation of me was not that far off-base; she inferred that I'm reserved, prideful, loyal, hard-working, stubborn, and creative --- but she also told me that I can come off as "cold". Now, it's interesting to me that what stuck with me most is the fact she called me cold. Not the fact she correctly guessed that I like to feel people out before baring my thoughts to them. Not the fact she told me I'm creative, but am wasting my talents. Nope. What affected me most about her reading is that I can come off as cold to certain people. I've been called so many things in my life (haven't we all?), but the things I've been called in the past have always had a more... well, a positive spin. I...

A few weekends ago, my friend Anna married Rodrigo. In two short days, my friend Tamara will be marrying Sean. And in July, two more of my coupled friends will be tying the knot (Pasquale with Carmella, and Jen with Mark). It's a change for me; last year, I went to only one wedding, my cousin Quena's, and attended two funerals. And before Quena, I hadn't gone to a wedding since my sister Pily's in 2011. So you could say that this is a year for new beginnings and, while totally cliche, it's a thought that makes me smile. All around me people are falling in love and wanting to share their lives with the one they love most; it's inspiring and oh so sweet. I guess 2014 is officially the year of the happy couples. And that's a thought that makes me smile.

Camping is not my first choice when I'm planning a short trip. No. I usually think about going to St. Louis to visit my sis and her family, or about going to Calgary to see a concert, or about going to see Mel in Toronto. Camping is never my go-to and it's especially not ever on my list of trips I'd like to take. Like, ever. And it's not that I don't like camping, or that I've never done it, but rather that when I think of taking trips, I envision myself touring museums, or seeing a band live. I never really think about campfire and woodsmoke. I never consider sleeping on the cold soil. I never think about spending an entire day in the sun. But this May long weekend, the three ladies, their fellas, Dustin, and I met at Pigeon Lake for one of the most loved-up weekends I've had in a long time. Our days consisted of snacking and chatting and we passed the time enjoying ourselves by the fire at night. Our last night, the coldest night, we picked each othe...

document the moments you feel most in love with yourself - what you're wearing, who you're around, what you're doing. recreate and repeat — warsan shire (@warsan_shire) May 16, 2014 I've yet to feel this kind of devotion to myself, but it's an emotion I will try to notice in the future. It's a feeling I will strive for. I want to be able to look back on my life and say, "I was happiest and most at peace with myself when..." without hesitation.

This year's SONiC Boom has quite the lineup. Jack White. Death Cab for Cutie. The Arctic Monkeys. Tegan and Sara. DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE. Foster the People. The New Pornographers. Stars. MS MR. July Talk. Oh. And DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE. There are more bands (obvi), but the amount of sheer excitement I feel over the bands I listed (one in particular... not sure you can figure which one I'm referring to...) is ridiculous! I thought going to Montreal for Osheaga would be enough, but no. Sonic had to go and book THE ARCTIC MONKEYS, FOSTER THE PEOPLE, AND DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE. I feel like I'm going to be thinking in caps for the rest of the week.