To Get Me Through to Spring Training

Baseball is over for another season and I miss it terribly. I never realize how much I enjoy relaxing with the game until the season ends and there is no baseball on.

To get me through this winter, Dad got me a history of baseball DVD box set. It is over 25 hours long so it should get me though at least part of the winter. I'm sure I will learn a lot too.

Let's Go Blue Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays are having quite the season, and win or lose they are always fun to watch. They are currently involved in a pennant race, and are set to play the second place Yankees tonight for a three game series. I have a feeling that watching this match up is going to be like watching an early world series. Both these teams want it bad and the Toronto fans will be cheering like mad at the Skydome.

Toronto fans have made some viral Blue Jays videos over the past month, which I thought I would share. The first is a brilliant parody of Taylor Swift's 'Blank Space'.

The second is a home run super cut, up until the last week of August set to Johnny Cash's 'God's Gonna Cut You Down'. Super fun to watch.

Getting Outside Early...

I'm getting my outside time in early today, as I'm heading to Barrie for a late Mother's Day get together of lunch and the new Avengers movie. I'm happy to say I haven't gotten any spoilers of the new Avengers movie and Mom and I are both super excited to see it. Can't wait!

30x30 Nature Challenge 2015

It's May in Canada and for the past few years that has meant participating in the 30x30 nature challenge. Get outside for 30 minutes, for 30 days in May. I participated last year (and posted some photos) and this year I'm going to try and capture lots of sights while I'm out exploring (or just relaxing) in nature.

I feel like I'm ahead of the game, as the weather this past week has been amazing (and coat free!) and I've already been out every single day this week. Looking forward to even more outdoor time in May.

 #NatureIsCalling!!!

Girls and Routines

I have a large group of friends who are artists: actors, musicians, designers, writers, painters, and dancers. It makes for a lot of fun when we all get together. In our history together we've thrown theme parties for no reason (we got to dress up!), participated in a fashion show where we designed and modeled the clothes, and wrote and practiced choreographed routines to music that we preformed for the rest of our friends. We've had a lot of fun over the years.

So last week when the following viral video was going around, I could relate to the fun these women were having. This was another fun video to watch (and sing along with). Enjoy!

Viral Video That Made Me Laugh

I'm not really here today, so here is a viral video that made me giggle and clap my hands. I have a soft spot for Tom Hanks and Tom Hanks movies. I also really love well executed live performance skits with lots of changes. This was a lot of fun to watch.

80s Synth Pop Break

I am so excited for my brother-in-law Tab who is heading to Toronto tonight to see one of his favourite artists live in concert. Tom Bailey, previously of The Thompson Twins, is currently on tour playing Twins hits, which included tracks like "Hold Me Now", "Doctor Doctor", and "Love on Your Side". This is the first tour of Twins music is over 25 years and this will be the first time Tab will be seeing these songs live. The tour has been on for the past few weeks, and there is already some footage on YouTube and it looks like Tom Bailey puts on a pretty good show.

So for your 80s Synth Pop Break today, here are a few Thompson Twins songs to get you into an 80s groove.

"Hold Me Now" (a classic favourite)

"Love on Your Side" (Tab's favourite)

Have a great time Tab!

Zebra/Leopard/Marble Cake

I can't remember where I first saw zebra cake posted, but I do remember how fun and easy it looked to make. It had the zebra name because it was chocolate and vanilla cake baked together to look like the stripes of a zebra. I made one for fun a few months ago and I'm a sucker for any sort of surprise-inside cake, so I liked it. This time around I wanted to add some colour to it (pink!), which ended up looking like leopard print to me. I'm sure this cake could also be called marble too. Whatever you want to call it, it is a fun and tasty cake to bake.

Ingredients:
1 box white or yellow cake mix, prepared as per package directions.
            (sidenote: I always prepare cake mix with unsweetened applesauce instead of oil. It makes
             for a flavourful cake that has way less fat).
2 tbs cocoa powder
Food colour of choice (if desired)

Method:
1. Prepare cake batter and separate into two bowls. A box of cake mix will make roughly 5 cups, so I very roughly measured out 2.5 cups into a new bowl.

2. Add 2 tbs of cocoa powder to one bowl and stir to combine. Add food colouring to other bowl and stir to combine (or leave white if you want the zebra look).

3. Using a 1/4 cup measure, alternate batter into the center of greased cake pans. Just keep adding the batter to the center and gravity and the baking process will spread it all out for you. Check out this brief kitchen video I made that shows me alternating the colours:

4. Bake cake in 350°F oven. I used 8 inch round cake pans and the box suggested 26-31 minutes, but it actually took a little longer (about 38 min). I just kept checking every 3-5 minutes to see if a toothpick would come out clean. It finally did.

5. Frost and decorate to taste. I used a white frosting so that the inside would seem more surprising when cut open. The frosting I used was marshmallow buttercream (my favourite).

Once the cake was iced white I noticed I still had some buttercream leftover, so I added 1 tsp of cocoa powder to it and piped some designs along the top and bottom. Fancy eh?

Yoga with Friends

Inspired by Plowing Through Life's post about Cats Stealing Dog Beds, I thought I would post this video compilation of pets interrupting yoga. As someone who has done yoga with a cat on her mat (see: cat yoga), I can totally relate to this video.

Here is my version of this. Cats like yoga too!

Happy Monday!!

There is Just Something About Baseball

This spring/summer I've been pretty excited about baseball. I started following the Toronto Blue Jays at the start of the season and have had a fun time learning about all the players, MLB rules, and watching the team hit a tonne of home runs (see: Edwin Encarnacion in May).

I haven't been this into baseball since I was a kid and played Oro Minor Softball during the summers. My dad had two boys who weren't interested in baseball (they liked farming and computers respectively), but his baby daughter loved baseball. I can't say I was great at it, but I loved playing and there's a trophy on my shelf that says my team won First Place in 1991, so we must have been pretty good.

Thinking about my childhood baseball days always makes me think of Peter, Paul, and Mary singing "Right Field". Not only did Dad get me interested in baseball, but great music too. Adult me can't get to the end of this song without tearing up (just like I can't get to end of Field of Dreams without tears in my eyes...). There is just something about baseball.

On Repeat: "This One" by Paul McCartney

I've had Paul McCartney on repeat for pretty much my whole life. I loved the Beatles growing up and branched out into Wings/Solo territory when I was in my teens. I have loved and obsessed over other musicians/bands over the years, but ever present was Paul McCartney.

Today is McCartney's 72nd birthday and I thought I would mark the date with a song I had on repeat often in the mid '90s. "This One" is still a favourite that I don't mind hearing more than a few times in a row.

Monday Fun-day

I can't claim to have had a lot of stress free days lately, but today I am having one and it feels soooooo good. I am actually blogging too, which is something that always falls to wayside when I am dealing with the less fun aspects of life. But it feels good to be back at the computer and to catch up with blogs and bloggers I've missed over the past few weeks.

Today I'm celebrating being stress free by having a music/dance party. So far I'm focusing my attention on Paul McCartney's Unplugged album from 1991. It is a rocking good time and making me smile big this afternoon. I had a hard time picking which song to post from it (they are all equally good), but decided on Blue Moon of Kentucky. It starts slow but it is so much fun.



I also made and enjoyed some breakfast (late lunch) wraps that had bacon, scrambled egg, spinach, and grated cheese in them, all on homemade tortillas.

Probably going to spend the rest of my day with more music, more food, and maybe a little outdoor time when the sun is less harsh. There is a 'Very High' UV Index for us today and we don't have any shady spots free of mosquitos at the moment, so I'm staying inside until after 4:00pm or so. Playing it safe.

Still in Winter Wonderland

Joanne over at Rhythm of the Needles posted this video on her blog and I just had to share it too.

We had a snowstorm yesterday that cancelled the school buses. It also covered up any green that was starting to show itself and made me have to wear my boots again (which I swore I wouldn't do). It also went down to -13°C (8°F) overnight, which is just rude for mid April. However it does make this funny video from Rick Mercer (which he posted a month ago) very much on the nose.

Here We Come a-Waffling

So I've been reading all about delicious homemade waffles over at the Happy Whisk and I got a major craving on for waffles. I don't have a waffle maker and I've never actually made them at home, but I do have a strong appreciation for store bought ones and got myself a box of them.

These always remind me of living in university residence. I ate a lot of cheap and barely nutritious food while at school, and I count boxed waffles as a sure favourite. I love the way the butter and the syrup pool in the little squares. Such a joy to experience.

Waffles also make me think of A Claymation Christmas, which my bros and I watched a million times as kids. "Here we come a-waffling" is still pretty great.

Breaking Blog...

Well this is where a blog would go, if I hadn't started marathoning season one of Breaking Bad.

I'm sick with a cold, and sometimes the right cure is watching an excessive amount of a single TV show. Once, while sick with the flu, I watched a record 23 episodes of Golden Girls. In a row.

I'd only ever seen a handful of Breaking Bad eps, and John has repeatedly suggested I watch it from the beginning...and thanks to this cold, now I finally am.

I'd write more, but the couch and the tv are calling my name...

Fun in the Snow

It was a beautiful sunny day today, but unfortunately it felt like -28°C (-18°F). I couldn't stay out too long, but I needed to see the sun. A little sun on my cold face was better than none at all.

I don't have snow pants but I went ahead and made a snow angel. It was quite enjoyable, actually.

I also became a scientist for a few minutes and did the experiment to see what boiling water does when thrown into cold air. There is a great summary of people trying it out here and here. Apparently some people who try it burn themselves, so if you try it, don't burn yourself!

Here is my attempt at it this morning. It was only -20°C but it still seemed to work.

Birthday Songs

It wouldn't be a birthday without some festive music, so I'm sharing some of my b-day faves and hoping you have a fabulous day too! :)

The Classic:




The New Favourite:




Memories of My Youth:

Simcoe Pride 2013

It's Pride Week here in Simcoe County, with festivities running from August 2-9th. Simcoe Pride has organized a number of events, including Pride Flag raisings in ten communities. This will be the first time many of the municipalities have flown the Pride Flag (Penetang raised their Pride Flag for the first time last Friday).

Yesterday morning there were eight flag raisings in Simcoe County, and I went with Betony and Clara to the one in Midland, ON. It's a small town so we ran into some friends and had a really fun time watching Midland show its Pride.

The crowd gathering for the flag raising

André from Ciboulette et Cie made rainbow cookies for the event and handed them out to the gathered crowd. It was such a lovely thing to do and the cookies were great.

Clara picking out the best rainbow cookie

Members of Simcoe Pride and Mayor Gord McKay said some words before the flag was raised.

Mayor Gord McKay, MP Bruce Stanton, J. Andrew Baker, Jai Crouch

Here is the video I took while the flag was raised:

There is a Pride Flag flying in Midland, ON! Woot!

After the flag was raised, I got a nice shot of Betony and Clara looking adorable.

We all gathered on the steps of Town Hall to get into some photos.

Mayor McKay in center front, André hands out more cookies on the right

Being behind the camera I don't have any photos of me, but I make an appearance at the end of this video of the event. I'm in the front left wearing a green top.

The flag raising was a great experience and made me proud to see so many happy and smiling people showing their support. Way to go Midland, ON!

Sunny Days...Oh, Sunny, Sunny, Sunny Days...

Just a quick post before I head outside and enjoy this perfect weather.

It is 21°C, feels like 26°C, and with a light breeze it is perfect for bike riding. Can't wait to get out there. This past week it's been upwards of 30°C, feels like 37°C, and even though I went for some rides, the heat adds an extra challenge to staying out too long. The farthest I've gone this summer is 9km, so I'm planning on a longer ride today.

It is also perfect weather for going to the Drive-In. Tonight is "carload" night, which is two movies for only $8 per car. Super movie deal! Tonight's features are World War Z and This Is The End. I have little to no expectations for World War Z, other than I think Brad Pitt is the best and I hope the zombies aren't too scary. I am really looking forward to This Is The End, as it has most of the funny people I like and has a cameo by Emma Watson. Hope it's as fun as I want it to be!

World War Z Trailer:


This Is The End Trailer:


Whatever you are doing on this sunny day, I hope you are having a good one!

ARKYD Space Telescope: I Pledged Money To My First Crowd Funding Campaign!

So in recent months I have amped up my obsession with space. When I was kid we had all the awesome coffee table astronomy books that got us interested in space and science. I can't remember all the titles, but Our Universe is one that stands out in my mind. My dad always made sure we had interesting and educational books to read, something I am forever thankful for.

My renewed interest in space was triggered when the Curiosity Rover landed on Mars last August, and kicked into high gear as I followed all of Commander Hadfield's awesomeness in space. I'm following many NASA and science related Twitter feeds, and while surfing Twitter last week I learned about a Kickstarter campaign to crowd fund a space telescope that can be accessed by the people who fund it. People can also donate their telescope access to schools. How cool is that?

This is the ARKYD Kickstarter campaign video with details about the project:



Check out the Kickstarter Campaign Page here: ARKYD: A Space Telescope for Everyone by Planetary Resources. At time of this posting the campaign had already raised close to $800,000 of their $1,000,000 funding goal.

Bad Astronomer wrote a great description of the telescope and the campaign if you want a more detailed version of what it is all about.

I kicked in $25 which allows me to use the telescope to get a selfie from space. When prompted, I will upload a photo that will be displayed on a screen on the telescope, and then a camera on the telescope will take a picture of my picture with Earth in the background! I think that sounds so cool! I thought $25 sounded pretty cheap to get a photo of myself from space, so I donated! The photos aren't expected to be taken/delivered until August 2015, but I imagine it will be worth the wait. My major dilemma now is picking what photo to send to space. How will I choose?

Here are some examples of what a selfie from space could look like, as featured on the ARKYD Kickstarter page:

Illustrations by PRI

And here is a badly doctored version of what my selfie from space could look like if I submitted a photo of Gary:

Illustration by PRI (featuring Gary selfie)

This was my first time pledging money to a crowd funding campaign. It was really easy to do (Kickstarter just connects to your Amazon account) and I have already gotten three updates about the project so I actually feel involved. It has been a really neat experience so far with much more to come.