The Best Things Are Canadian

So I just took a trip to our Neighbor to the North, Canada, and I must say, its a rather cool place, yet one that is very under appreciated by my fellow Americans. Here’s a list of things I have found make Canada really great:

-The world’s 4th largest Jewish population. (woot!)

-Great television (i.e. Degrassi!)

-Oh, they invented cable TV, by the way

-They have moose and polar bears…lots

-Hockey

-Maple syrup and their symbol, the maple leaf

-Higher alcohol content in beer

-Apparently they invented Smarties (candy), Superman, and the Wonderbra…?

-Great music (Alanis Morissette, Arcade Fire, many more (we’ll ignore Nickelback…))

-Peaceful 

-Greater emphasis on environmental conservation

-#1 trading partner with the U.S.

-Their national anthem is amazing. Better than ours. 

-UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE

-The next Winter Olympics will be there! (Vancouver 2010)

Pretty sweet list. Though I don’t think Canadians love us too much. Can’t say I blame them at the present moment. My Media professor asked us in class the other day if anyone knew who the Canadian Prime Minister was. Not a single person raised their hand. I admit, I’m also guilty of not knowing. I’m sure if you asked any Canadian college class who the President of the U.S. was, every hand would be up. That was the point he was trying to make. Pretty sad that we are that narcissistic.

By the way, the Prime Minister is Stephen Harper.

…One More Thing

I mentioned losing weight yesterday, but I also want to mention that I want to paint more. I used to do it a lot to relax and de-stress me and it really works. I am really trying to make me a more well-rounded person, which I think I have lost over the past year or so. I want to get back to doing some of the activities I used to do and love, but stopped because of laziness and lack of priorities. 

In other news, here is a link to another blog with pictures of the Pro-Palin rally vs. the Anti-Palin rally. It really gives me hope that more Americans are rejecting this abomination as our future VP, but I know that I have to remember that there will always be more people that voice their opinions against someone than for someone. So I’m sure there are unfortunately a lot of people that support her, yet do not feel the need to rally for it, while those that do not support her want to get the word out. It still makes me laugh that there is such a difference between the size of the two groups. 

http://mudflats.wordpress.com/2008/09/15/rally-vs-rally-do-the-math/

My Rosh Hashanah Resolution

        Today seems to have a theme of change. No, not in political terms, like we have seen recently, but more on a personal level. I have decided that I need to get down to it and lose some weight. Recently, I have not felt good or confident about the way I look. So much so that I avoid looking in a mirror as much as possible. I have always been sort of average weight-wise, even sometimes below average, during the part of high school that I played on the soccer team. I have endured weight-related comments from my dad, brother, and other relatives that think that a young girl should have that amazing figure. I have never before taken those comments to heart, always thinking that my body was alright, and I didn’t want to let my image rule the way I live my life. I was comfortable in my own skin, and actually prided myself on that fact.

         Lately, however, I have been noticing a substantial increase in my weight and how much I am eating during the day. I never have eaten all that healthily, mostly because I either did not know how to cook healthy foods, or was too lazy to attempt to. Being away from home meant being away from those nightly balanced meals my parents cook, and it was up to me to figure out what to eat. Also, a lack of exercise has added to the problem. Trying on clothes has been painful, and I went from easily fitting into mediums and size 8 jeans two years ago, to buying larges and size 10′s.

          Then I started using my brother’s Wii Fit (which is so amazing, by the way), and you have to take a Body Test before you start, so the game knows about your body weight. When it told me I was just into the overweight category, inside I freaked. I refuse to let it get out of control, because I know how hard it can be to fix, especially later in life. I love to eat, but this is getting ridiculous. 

          So I hereby vow to eat better, more balanced meals, and exercise daily (if possible). Whether it means going to the ARC (the rec center at my school), or just doing quick yoga and crunches in my room, I need to stick with it. After 2 days of doing the Wii Fit exercises, I have lost 2 lbs., which definitely encourages me to keep it up. My goal is to lose 10 lbs. and see where it goes from there. Wish me luck!

Computer Issues

       Hi, my name is Wendy, and I am addicted to the internet. This major addiction was tested today, when the internet at my house suddenly was not working on my laptop. I nearly pulled my hair out. I went from sitting in my house doing absolutely nothing online and relaxing to sitting in my house doing absolutely nothing, period. Sad as it may sound, it was the most boring 3 hours of my life that I can remember, and made me realize I actually have an addiction to the internet. Please, do not give me an intervention, I might not make it through. It was even more infuriating to find that if I had just unplugged the modem and router at my family room computer earlier, this could have all been avoided.

Newer Isn’t Always Better

 

          These are some sweet old shirts my dad gave me from when he used to work at concert venues in Buffalo, NY. They were for the workers only, so there are only like 50 of them in existence. Some of them are really cool, some of them look really old, but they are all really soft and that’s why I wanted them. They do not make shirts like this anymore, and really think they should. The other thing that is cool about them is they all have a story behind them. For example, the white one was given to my dad by a band member, and the UFO one was from a show on the same night as when the US hockey team beat the Russians in the ’80 olympics. Awesome. 

I really wanted the Who one and the Genesis one, but my dad could not bare to part with them. Though, I would probably be scared to wear them, since they are worth quite a bit.

Cool As a Cucumber

       I just took a trip to Bath and Body Works, one of my favorite stores, and realized a few things. I really really really love the scent of cucumbers and I wish they made french fry scented perfume. Yeah, I’m that strange. Cucumbers are pretty much the only vegetables I will eat without forcing myself. I love them. I wish I could just put on my new cucumber-scented lotion and lie in a hammock sipping cucumber-infused water with cucumbers over my eyes, while eating cucumber sushi. I clearly am dreading/avoiding studying right now.