11 Hours Not As Long as 127 Hours But Still Long.

I just got into jolly ol' New York after an 11 hour bus ride. I am currently sitting to the Beatles telling me to sleep pretty darling. Oh sleep what a small pleasure that I have been rid of. I will never take you for granted again, not that I ever have but now I really won't. Now I must say Hello New York, Goodbye New York and soon to say Goodmorning Baltimore? One more time for a simple twist of fate ohh bobby now someone is playing a cover of Bob Dylan in starbucks. "yesss she does and she makes love just like a woman, yes she does and she aches just like a woman but she breaks just like a little girl." My feelings of the now are being told through out Starbucks songs. Fabulous. NOW FLEET FOXES. This is a good soundtrack. Just so you are all aware I am watching how I met your mother, listening to the music talking to my friend and writing this blog post. I am going to kind of let it write it self. The sun has now risen and I am about to walk to the bus stop with my my suit case and guitar in hand. Oh happy days.

Two Days.

I can only hope I will serenade Brooklyn as well as my record player has me.

Christmas Cookies.

I "heart" Jesus Christ

My brother and I decorated Christmas cookies at my grandma's two weekends ago. We got a little creative with the sprinkles and icing. There are snowmen, things written on the cookies, a nativity scene, portraits of people in our family. Happy Holidays y'all.

Dear Blank, Please Blank.

I've never been one to read texts from last night or fmls but someone posted this on my friends wall and I though it was pretty funny.

"Dear pissed off person,

It's better to be pissed off than pissed on.

Sincerely, look on the bright side."

If you are one to read those websites check out the Dear Blank, Please Blank.

http://www.dearblankpleaseblank.com/

Check It Out!

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT MY STOP MOTION VIDEOS AT THE SIDE.

Features: Orange You Glad You Aren't Precious By Marianne Hill and Myself
As well as: 3 Hours for 1 Minute By Jesse Cowan and Myself

They certainly are a blast and a half.

How To Be A Canadian.

My Dad bought his Girlfriend the book How To Be A Canadian written by Will and Ian Ferguson, because she just became a Canadian citizen. The last chapter of the book is "You may already be a Canadian, take this quiz and find out." It's a pretty witty book. I naturally did the quiz which was pretty much a joke, I found this part funny so I'm sharing it with all of you.

59. If you have never made love in a canoe: 1 point
60. If you wouldn't even know how to begin to do that: 3 points
61. In fact, you think it's kind of a stupid and dangerous idea: 6 points
62. I mean, really, the government should put up a warning label about that sort of thing, right? 1 point
63. And it's not the least bit erotic: 9 points
64. I mean, where would you put your feet? 12 points
65. And does wearing water wings constitute "safe sex"? 2 points

Oh to be Canadian.

You're Stuck In My Head

Perpetual Motion.

Oh Canada.

My Fathers lovely girlfriend is getting her Canadian citizenship this week and I was thinking of Canada it reminded me of my favourite Canadian poem. The Cremation of Sam McGee was written by Robert W. Service, it was one of my regular at my house. The book we owned also had magnificent illustrations to go along with it. I found a few on the internet. If you have never read this, please do, either way please enjoy a little Canadian treasure.


The Cremation Of Sam McGee

There are strange things done in the midnight sun
By the men who moil for gold;
The Arctic trails have their secret tales
That would make your blood run cold;
The Northern Lights have seen queer sights,
But the queerest they ever did see
Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge
I cremated Sam McGee.

Now Sam McGee was from Tennessee,
Where the cotton blooms and blows.
Why he left his home in the South to roam
‘Round the Pole, God only knows.
He was always cold, but the land of gold
Seemed to hold him like a spell;
Though he’d often say in his homely way
That “he’d sooner live in hell.”

On a Christmas Day we were mushing our way
Over the Dawson trail.
Talk of your cold! through the parka’s fold
It stabbed like a driven nail.
If our eyes we’d close, then the lashes froze
Till sometimes we couldn’t see;
It wasn’t much fun, but the only one
To whimper was Sam McGee.

And that very night, as we lay packed tight
In our robes beneath the snow,
And the dogs were fed, and the stars o’erhead
Were dancing heel and toe,
He turned to me, and “Cap,” says he,
“I’ll cash in this trip, I guess;
And if I do, I’m asking that you
Won’t refuse my last request.”

Well, he seemed so low that I couldn’t say no;
Then he says with a sort of moan:
“It’s the cursed cold, and it’s got right hold
Till I’m chilled clean through to the bone.
Yet ‘taint being dead—it’s my awful dread
Of the icy grave that pains;
So I want you to swear that, foul or fair,
You’ll cremate my last remains.”

A pal’s last need is a thing to heed,
So I swore I would not fail;
And we started on at the streak of dawn;
But God! he looked ghastly pale.
He crouched on the sleigh, and he raved all day
Of his home in Tennessee;
And before nightfall a corpse was all
That was left of Sam McGee.

There wasn’t a breath in that land of death,
And I hurried, horror-driven,
With a corpse half hid that I couldn’t get rid,
Because of a promise given;
It was lashed to the sleigh, and it seemed to say:
“You may tax your brawn and brains,
But you promised true, and it’s up to you
To cremate those last remains.”

Now a promise made is a debt unpaid,
And the trail has its own stern code.
In the days to come, though my lips were dumb,
In my heart how I cursed that load.
In the long, long night, by the lone firelight,
While the huskies, round in a ring,
Howled out their woes to the homeless snows—
O God! how I loathed the thing.

And every day that quiet clay
Seemed to heavy and heavier grow;
And on I went, though the dogs were spent
And the grub was getting low;
The trail was bad, and I felt half mad,
But I swore I would not give in;
And I’d often sing to the hateful thing,
And it hearkened with a grin.

Till I came to the marge of Lake Lebarge,
And a derelict there lay;
It was jammed in the ice, but I saw in a trice
It was called the “Alice May.”
And I looked at it, and I thought a bit,
And I looked at my frozen chum;
Then “Here,” said I, with a sudden cry,
“Is my cre-ma-tor-eum.”

Some planks I tore from the cabin floor,
And I lit the boiler fire;
Some coal I found that was lying around,
And I heaped the fuel higher;
The flames just soared and the furnace roared—
Such a blaze you seldom see;
Then I burrowed a hole in the glowing coal,
And I stuffed in Sam McGee.

Then I made a hike, for I didn’t like
To hear him sizzle so;
And the heavens scowled, and the huskies howled,
And the wind began to blow.
It was icy cold, but the hot sweat rolled
Down my cheeks, and I don’t know why;
And the greasy smoke in an inky cloak
Went streaking down the sky.

I do not know how long in the snow
I wrestled with grisly fear;
But the stars came out and they danced about
Ere again I ventured near;
I was sick with dread, but I bravely said:
“I’ll just take a peep inside.
I guess he’s cooked, and it’s time I looked;”
...Then the door I opened wide.

And there sat Sam, looking cool and calm,
In the heart of the furnace roar;
And he wore a smile you could see a mile,
And he said: “Please close that door.
It’s fine in here, but I greatly fear
You’ll let in the cold and storm—
Since I left Plumtree, down in Tennessee,
It’s the first time I’ve been warm.”

There are strange things done in the midnight sun
By the men who moil for gold;
The Arctic trails have their secret tales
That would make your blood run cold;
The Northern Lights have seen queer sights,
But the queerest they ever did see
Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge
I cremated Sam McGee

--Robert W. Service

The Beastles.

Oh Ed Scoop. How I love thee. Not only do you supply me with unlimited amount of homemade, original flavors of icecream at a reasonable cost, but you also play such good music. I discovered this little gem. The Beastles, which is a collaboration of The Beastie Boys and The Beatles by DJ BC. He currently has two cds The Beastles and Let It Beast. I couldn't stop dancing in the icecream shop. I am now trying to track down the whereabouts of these songs. Have a little taste.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJs9MOUNVwU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huwXHdzy8ec&feature=related

Old Favourite.

"All are nothing but flowers in a flowering universe."

-Nakagawa Soen-Roshi

The Body of Christ.

I've recently had a profound moment where I decided I wanted to learn as much from people who are older than me as possible. Naturally the thing I desired to learn first was the magic of making great food. Exactly a week ago I headed down to Port Colborne to do just this. This trip I learned how to make gnocchi (which is one of my all time favourites). I didn't only leave with the knowledge of making gnocchi or four pounds heavier, I also left with the knowledge of why my Nono is not a priest. He told me that if he was a priest if a real babe came up when he was to give her the body of christ, instead of saying "the body of christ," he would say "Christ what a body." I also heard a story about how my Nono (in his 70's) took a family friend's dad who happens to be 86 to the tanning bed to soak up a little artifical sun. Gotta love 'em. That would explain why I am not a quarter black.

New Saturday Comic.

"CLICK ON ME TO MAKE ME LARGER"

It's very exciting when you find a comic that actually makes you laugh. Today three in the Saturday Star made me laugh. I cut out the best one for you're viewing pleasures. Enjoy.

Bang Bang Tut Tut.

Just rediscovered this little gem.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yb2w946R16Q

What's On The Plate?

One of my faves, Guacamole, Tomatoes, feta on rye bread with lots of olive oil, salt and pepper.

My first ever cheese cake. Homemade Pumpkin (I made the pumpkin from a real pumpkin not the can stuff.) The recipe didn't tell me had to keep it in the fridge for a super long time so I cut it and it all gooed out. SO I tried recooking it which did nothing. So I put it back in the fridge over night. And it was insanely delicious.

Last minute french onion soup on hallows eve. Looks better than it tasted sadly.

Bacon, guacamole, toast, and a feta tomato mushroom omelet.

Blue cheese, caramelized pear, roasted walnuts and mixed greens dressed in a lemon garlic dressing.

Arugula, sauteed mushroom and tomato salad topped with shavings of parmigiana and a lemon dressing, scallops wrapped in prosciutto, and asparagus with parmigiana and balsamic.

Schwartz turkey sandwich which I then covered in mustard.

Obviously a pickle from Schwartz.

This my friends is a chunk of bacon. Although it didn't taste as good as regular bacon.

Here we have mock chicken, ginger tofu, arugula salad, roasted veggies, mushroom caps stuffed with spinach and cheese, swiss chard, and a scallop wrapped in prosciutto

Food. What can I say about food. With out food I don't know what I would do in life. The first thing I ask my parents in the morning is, "What are we having for dinner?" If I am not satisfied for dinner my day will automatically be mediocre. It's horrible but in reality I am a food snob. It's only because I've experienced some pretty unforgettable food. So now I am going to share with you somethings I have eaten over the past few months. I often take pictures of my food on my phone to send to lovely people. So please enjoy this session of "Hey what's that on Megan's plate?"

Brrr..

Why Otis, you sure do rattle my soul.

Poop Meet Shoe, Shoe Meet Poop.

I sit here trying to figure out what the universe is trying to tell me. Over the past few weeks I have been stepping in dog poo every few days. I tried looking it up to see if maybe it has a common meaning, like good luck. Sadly I was hastily shut down. So my made up meanings are as follows.

1. Need to look where I am going, and I don't mean this in a literally what my step because I'll step in poo.
2. I need to slow down and pay attention to things around me.
3. I need to go shopping for shoes (Maxine's thought)

None of those are interesting enough for me. All I can say is it certainly makes my day shittier. ha.

Please feel free to comment your ideas!

Rond Ton Ton. Zut Alors.

I have an obsession with speaking in a bad french accent. Especially when saying Rond Ton Ton. Zut Alors. The inspiration to do this came from the final short story of Paris, Je t'aime. It's probably my favourite of all the short stories. It's directed by Alexander Payne and it ends the movie perfectly. Take a look! And if you haven't seen Paris Je t'aime make sure to check it out, it inspired New York, I love you, which I have yet see but have heard it's not as good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uyy3RCY27E8&feature=related

I Think, Therefore I am.

Vice shared this wonderful joke with me. Some people have science jokes or math jokes, I have this one philosophy joke. It really does make me laugh every time. Hope it makes you laugh too.

"Descartes walks into a bar and the bartender says, 'Hey Descartes! Can I get you a drink?' And Descartes says, 'I think not,' and disappears."

Why Yes, I Am A Published Poet.

To read: Click and make larger then zoom. Sorry. I couldn't make it bigger for y'all.

It's true. It may just be in Urban Voices when I was in grade 10 but I am still a published poet. Pretty shnazzy if I say so myself. The actual poem is not very spectacular I'm pretty sure I made the book because of the originality of formatting. None the less, I made the book. It's in french but I'm pretty sure anyone who has passed grade 6 core french will understand it.

Six Chix

"CLICK ON ME TO MAKE ME LARGER"

I've never really been one to read the newspaper, which is no surprise because no one in my family does so I've never been surrounded by it. But I've been starting to at work because they always have a copy of the Toronto Star. I mostly like reading the comics and entertainment. This was one in the Saturday paper. I thought it was pretty funny so I cut it out and now it lives on my fridge. Enjoiiee.

Little Nugglets Learns A Lesson

Although playing volley ball with a grapefruit may cause you to die of laughter and smell like the delicious fruit, it could consequently cause your hand to lose all ability to function. This has been a segment of Little Nugglets Learns A Lesson.

He loves me..

...Not.

The Mystic Solo Dance.

Future film makers of the world? Want to make a great scene? All you need is a great song, a cute can be nerdy, dirty, or maybe even gay boy to do a solo yet oh so enticing dance. Don't believe me? Watch these three solo boy dance scenes.

First, Ducky in Pretty in Pink, not only is he dancing his ass off, he also lip syncs to Otis Reddings' Try a little tenderness. Could us ladies ask for more? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmNGIg8f-0Wc

Next is from my one of my all time favourite movies C.R.A.Z.Y. If you haven't seen it, rent it now. It has a great soundtrack, and is just a great story. Plus its French Canadian which just makes it that much better. Zak our main gay character here is dancing to David Bowie's Space Oddity. Mmm. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7i4skKRMvJQ&feature=related

Sadly the last, but very not least is Emile Hirsh in Lords of Dogtown to Fire by Jimi Hendrix. This may throw you off the edge. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGBeXDz0hbU

I don't know why its so attractive. Just opens up the soul. Can't turn a way from an open soul. Reels you right in.

Re: You Know What I Think?

How exciting. A post of me not eating popcorn alone. It's a long video and I'm too lazy to cut it. It's my dear friend Marianne and I chompin' away. I had already eaten and entire bag of popcorn to myself while using chop sticks but I couldn't give up the chance of sharin' a bag. You can watch and listen to the conversation if you'd like, it's kind of hard to hear because of the Walkmen, plus it's long. It touches on haircuts, shoes, midgets, Bilbo Baggins some pretty intriging stuff. Well this is definitely more exciting to me then all of you but enjoy.

Little Bear's

Not allowed to drink gin and juice, gin and juice, gin and juice. But all his friends do.

Charming Concert.

Last week I headed over to the Opera House to watch my favourite brother and sister from Australia. I have loved their music for a bit now and this concert only made me fall more in love with them. They were truly charming, from the way they interacted on the stage to the stories they told to the broad array of instruments they each play. When they came out for there encore they tried an experiment where they wanted to turn off all the lights (which of course they weren't allowed to do because human beings are anal) but the reason being so people could just use their ears and not their eyes. Mm. Makes me smile. On another note, I have never been to a concert where half the audience talks their heads off. We got to the concert late, so were consequently standing at the back of the venue near the bar where you could hardly hear them playing because of all the chitter-chatter. I was about ready to kill five Australian boys who were clearly hammered and just went to the concert to hit on girls. During the encore they decided to stand behind me and scream. Oi vey. Other than that, it was a great experience.

Thank you Angus and Julia Stone.

Listen to this track from their first album written by Angus: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEZ-m61dBKY (please notice the elephant at the beginning.. I'm in love.)

And this one from their second album which is has more Julia singing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUDc1frz22E&feature=related

Some New Members Of The Family.

I'd like to formally welcome two new members to my hopefully forever growing family. Today I picked up a beautiful Kala Uke and Harmonica. I have pretty much been annoying my family by chasing them around playing the five chords on my Uke and turning what they are doing into a song. You all should look forward to it when I see you. WELCOME NEW TOYS.

Problem, Solution.

You're going to a little shindig at your friends house. It's pretty far and you've already started drinking your 10 dollar of, lets just say less than satisfactory bottle of white wine. Seems simple, you're feeling light and are dancing around your apartment freely to some classics. Until you realize you may end up going and shakin' your booty at a local bar. If you're going to do this there's no way you are going to bring a huge bag to carry the half drunk bottle of wine. What was my solution you ask? Well, simply pour your wine into a preservatives jar. Small, fashionable and you're bound to have one lying around the house from the last time your Grandpa made a great batch of lupini beans.

A-Bio

My lovely friend Maxine Segalowitz needed to write a bio for a dance show she will be participating in a few months. So naturally I was by her side to spit some rhymes. This is what came out of my mouth pretty consecutively.

Maxine Segalowitz.
That’s my name, I’ll tell you my game,
dancing around in circles, that’s how I make my fame!
A plie here, A plie there, watch out! This shit just ain’t fair!
When i’m done, you’ll know i’m number one,
cuz i’m fuckin’ Maxine Segalowitz.
HOLLER OUT!

We sent in a serious bio and this, we will see what prevails.

Some Truth For All Y'all Listen'rs

Wednesdays have always been such glorious days.

Peace And Long Hair.

Today I am having a very John Lennon day. Earlier in the day I watched a John Lennon documentary which inspired me obviously to come home and listen to The Beatles. I am now about to watch Nowhere Boy. I could very well write a Artist of the Once and a While but I am not going to pretend I understand, or know anything about John Lennon. Although I learned a lot when watching the documentary, I definitely don't have the first clue about him. In all honesty, it made me more confused yet more intrigued by him. Instead I'll just acknowledge my John Lennon day. So happy Megan's John Lennon day everyone.

Autumn Is Not A Friendly Word To Spell.

These are pictures from around Toronto taken on my SLR that was given to me by my Mother's friend Don. The beginning and the end of the roll seem to have some weird line of exposure. Not sure if it's my camera, the film or just my fault. Well hope you enjoie.