Winter List 2017
I love this season. That video above is one my mom took of our backyard last week and words can't express how happy I am that it's already started to snow in Canada. There's nothing lamer than a green Christmas. In any case, there are bunch of things I want to do this season.
Drink a white Russian.
Play board games with the family at Christmas.
Finally eat at Raclette in NYC.
Visit the new Oscar Wilde inspired bar.
Build a snowman.
Finally try whipped cream vodka in a hot chocolate.
Successfully make a souffle for the first time.
Take at least five bubble baths.
Literally just sit and watch the snow fall.
Mail out holiday cards.
There's nothing too wild or unique on that list, I realize, but I wanted some simple and easy things that I can fully enjoy since I'm fully in Christmas mode at the moment. Happy first day of winter!
Autumn List Revisited
Holy hell, it's the last day of autumn. And while it was a really great season for me this year, I really didn't get to a lot of this list. Excuses ahead!
1. "Go on our annual pumpkin patch trip to Downey's." Of course, I went! If I find myself one year not having enough time to go and do this, please know that I've silently given up on life.
2. "Wear black lipstick in public for an entire day." Did it!
3. "Make turkey poutine with Thanksgiving leftovers." Completely didn't do this only because I was really over turkey right after Thanksgiving, I just couldn't look at it anymore.
4. "Make cinnamon sugar toasted pumpkin seeds and actually eat them." Nope. And I think I have come to the conclusion that I really don't care to do this. Fuck those seeds!
5. "Read outdoors." Did it, killed it.
6. "Jog before sunrise." Damnit, this is one I really wanted to do. I will do this eventually.
7. "Eat spaghetti squash for the first time and try not to be grossed out." Was too grossed out to try. Shame on me.
8. "Scare someone. If it goes well, scare others." I did it once and I wasn't good at it. Turns out I'm better at being scared. Sweet.
9. "See at least five Halloween movies I haven't seen before." Did it! I watched An American Werewolf in London (pretty good), Young Frankenstein (sucked!), The Thing (not my kind of movie), House on Haunted Hill (actually not that bad), Halloweentown (great!), Get Out (so great!)
10. "Create a fall door wreath." Hahahah, who the hell do I think I am.
All in all, I did 5/10. I passed! Winter list coming tomorrow!
How To Have A Less Expensive Christmas
Do I have wish I had thousands of dollars to spend on Christmas? Fuck yes! Is that a plausible reality?
Technically I have three jobs at the moment, but neither of them are crazy lucrative so HERE I BE. About to blow your mind with some money saving ideas for the next two months (ie. the most expensive two months of the entire year, arguably). BEHOLD.
- If you share a certain amount of friends in common, do a Secret Santa exchange within that group. It saves so much money not to buy all those individual gifts, it's insane.
- Make a ton of holiday cookies/candies/brownies & individually sized gift boxes with Christmas tissue wrap from Dollarama to house them in. I've done this a few times over the years when money is tight, and people seem to be into it. Also, food gifts are the best gifts. I love a gift that doesn't necessarily have to sit atop my bedroom dresser for the rest of time. EAT THAT GIFT.
- Try to buy as many gifts as you can on the week of Cyber Monday (I've noticed that Cyber Monday deals last the entire week). The deals are sometimes better than Black Friday, and there's so, so much more comfort involved.
- Instead of buying new holiday dresses, BORROW from your close friends and vice versa. Is this too frugal? Oh sorry, MILLIONAIRE. I thought you were here for cheap-ass ideas. Gorgeous dresses were meant to be worn as much as possible, and a true friend ain't gonna judge you for suggesting to swap for an event.
- Take advantage of so many free things to do this time of year: putting up Christmas lights, decorating your tree, making hot chocolate and taking it on a walk through your neighborhood, watching/streaming old Christmas movies, calling someone you haven't talked to in a long time, volunteering, donating anything you don't have any use for anymore, LITERALLY SO MANY THINGS.
- See less people over the holiday season! Haha, I'm kidding...? I mean, if you see less of them, expectations on giving gifts drastically falls. So this one kind of makes sense. Something that also works? Send a Christmas card. The card acts as your way of keeping in touch, but not having to spend money on dinner/gift/drinks/etc. This one sounds harsh, but it's sort of genius, said the person who came up with it.
- Spend more time with your family. Your family never wants to go out and spend money, right? Maybe that's a Caribbean thing.
I could tell you to just stick to a budget throughout the holidays, but I never find that helpful because I'm too easy of a target when it comes to spontaneous shopping. In any case, it is completely possible to not be 1000% broke once the holidays are over.
“Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city.”
I Know What I'm Doing - and Other Lies I Tell Myself: Dispatches from a Life Under Construction by Jen Kirkman - A Review
Available on Amazon
Available on Amazon
Jumping right in here, I absolutely loved this book. I didn't know too much about Jen Kirkman before reading it, but good god do I want more from this woman. Best parts ahead.
- "Bob Odenkirk once said that people should make their art, whatever it is, "as though their parents were dead."" - Love this, will continue to remember this from here on out.
- "I would never want to go through another wedding--a wedding that involves, literally, everyone and their brother attending. What's romantic about making out with someone in front of your uncles? I think the sexiest man in the world is the guy who could approach me at a bar and say, "Hi, I'm an orphan."" - Hahah, love this woman.
- This idea: "Go visit your family on the Fourth of July. There's a lot less drama because nothing is expected of anyone. Without the pressure of having to buy gifts or feel merry and bright - it was the best holiday we ever spent together."
- I will forever enjoy any person who expresses disdain for any kind of Live, Laugh, Love paraphernalia.
- The idea that she buys a new coat in every new country she visits as that country's souvenir to herself IS JUST A GREAT IDEA.
- Love, love, love: "I saw a burrata appetizer that looked like a small bag of heavenly, oozy cheese - I guess because that's what it is. People should feel bad for people who don't have burrata - not boyfriends."
- "Trust me: traveling with a man doesn't always mean that everything in your life is perfect."
- "...and gazed at the unstoppable stars in the sky." God, I love the way she speaks. Am I, like, IN love with her?!
- "I never understood why traveling is something reserved for lovers only." YES.
- "Having someone who is more frightened than you is the greatest gift to someone who is a little bit frightened. It gives the less frightened person the chance to soothe someone else - which in turn self-soothes."
- "I don't know if I'm a true romantic or just an idiot with an ample imagination or if there's even a difference."
- "A female customer said to me, "You may not have direction but you have style. Your outfit is fantastic. And I hate people and talking to people so for me to even say this - you know you've got it going on." Those kinds of interactions always make me think that if women ran the world there could be world peace."
- "There's no reason to stress out about what you do for your fortieth or whatever-ith birthday. It's not about doing something one night to make memories for the rest of your life - it's about looking at the rest of your life and say, "Am I going where I want to go? Am I who I want to be? Am I defining my personal success based on other people's morals or goals? Can I only achieve happiness with outside validation or would I be truly happy just sitting in a pile of wood chips, being me? How can this year not be a repeat of last year's mistakes and patterns?""
- "All my romantic relationships have ended. Were those relationships not successes? Is success in a relationship only determined by it never ending? That's like saying that someone's life was a failure because... well, death."
- Mental Note: I've got to remember to read Joan Rivers' book Enter Talking because of how fondly she spoke of it.
Those were just a few of my favourite parts of the book. She also included quotes at the beginning of each chapter, and I know we all think we're above a really good quote, but the fact is that we are not. Quotes are the fucking best. If you're in denial about that, well, I don't wish to debate your sorry ass. I purposely didn't include the quotes from the book that I especially loved in this post because I intend on posting them over the coming weeks. No one wants to be bombarded with twenty phenomenal quotes all at once, your heart can only really take on one at a time, there's a science behind this, I'm telling you. So I'll dole those out in good time. I wish I could endlessly read about this woman's life, she's so funny and great. I can't believe it took me this long to discover her.