Moving - Must GO

Briggs & Stratton Lawn Mower - JUST ADDED

House I'm moving to is taken care of for yard work. Thus the reason for selling. Only a couple of years old. Bought new. 

Works great! Usually needs a new spark plug or spark plug cleaning each spring. Gas powered.

$40. Will have to be picked up by Monday, Aug 5th.

To Give Away - Computer Desk

Lightweight computer desk. Easy to move, easy to clean. Good for a laptop or PC. Might be a great kids desk. 

Can pick up this weekend.  

Free to a good home!

Desk only. Does not include anything else pictured.




DVD/VHS Player - SOLD!

Samsung DVD/VHS combo

Has maybe been used 20 times. VHS never used :)

$20 and it's yours.

Can pick up this weekend.




Shop Vac  SOLD!

Shop Vac - wet and dry

Bought new last year. Works great.

$25

Can pick up this weekend.

Any questions, feel free to drop me a line below or on Facebook :)

Tia

Still Plugging Away at Paleo

I often get asked "how's the Paleo diet going?" This great adventure was my New Year's resolution to travel a path of better eating habits. For those who aren't familiar with Paleo, it's a meats, vegetables, fruits and nuts based low carb diet. Grains, dairy, refined sugars and alcohol are not included in your scope of food choices. It's basically a diet driven to remove all the processed garbage out of your fridge and cupboards.

Have I managed to stick to my resolution? I'm proud to say that yes, after 3 months, I'm still living a Paleo lifestyle. I go through Pistachios like you wouldn't believe and have mastered a Paleo banana bread/muffin recipe that's become a weekend ritual - completely sugar free and made with coconut flour. Having said that, I'm not a pure Paleo eater. I'd call myself 90% Paleo. Being committed to a diet such as this requires a lot of will-power and determination, and it's not to say that I don't have either of those. I just believe in rewarding myself with treats on the weekend for a job "well-done" for sticking to meat and salad during the work-week with broccoli and cauliflower rotated in here and there. Coffee has also remained a part of my daily ritual.

If you've ever thought about converting to a Paleo lifestyle, I would heed some warnings to consider into your decision to try it or not. First of all, this type of diet requires a lot of meal planning I've found. I prepare a supper each night that needs to be large enough that I can take left-overs for lunch the next day. If you don't have lunch, it's very difficult to just go someplace and buy a Paleo meal and it's not like you can just have a sandwich, given that you can't eat bread. Salads, as much as they are a large part of my weekly diet, don't have enough calories to contribute to the daily requirement so you shouldn't become dependant on just eating them as a meal alone. Also take into consideration who you share your household with. Not everyone is going to buy into your Paleo diet as being something that's fit for them. Thus you may find yourself also having to prepare meals that encompass everyone's needs, not just your own stripped down feast. Cost will also be a huge factor to consider as well. I'll be quite blunt about it - it's not cheap to eat as much meat, vegetables and fruits as I consume on a weekly basis. Not to mention that Paleo substitutes such as coconut flour, coconut oil and almond butter are quite costly.

There have been some definite positives to eating as well as I have for the last three months. The first thing I noticed was how much better I fall asleep at night. Prior to this, I would often take an  hour before being able to actually fall asleep. Now, it's pretty much as soon as my head hits the pillow. Another advantage has been in my physical appearance. Before turning to Paleo, I would often break out on my chin with acne that was under the skin that would linger for the longest time. Now, I experience very few break-outs. I do notice though, that if I get a little too crazy with my weekend treats, it doesn't take long for the white-heads to start appearing, so treats in "moderation" has become my theme. The other big change has been a nice weight-loss. I should mention that by no means did I start on this diet to lose weight and truthfully I don't even know how much I've lost as I didn't really set a starting point. But all my pants are getting quite loose and my shirts are much less snug, so it's been a slow, gradual loss. Was I fluffier than I would have liked prior to this diet? Yes. Now I just feel more comfortable with where my weight is for a 40-year old woman who's metabolism has slowed down quite a bit in the last few years. I'm eager for spring and summer to get here so I can start incorporating more exercise into this lifestyle to see the benefits, but also be challenged by what adjustments to my diet I may have to make.

In summary, Paleo definitely isn't for everyone. It takes a lot of commitment to hold yourself true to the path and honestly some days, I just want a grilled cheese sandwich like nobody's business! I'm not yet convinced that you should live a life without any grains in your diet, and at some point, I may start gradually working some non-Paleo foods back into my diet. The one thing I know for sure? I could NEVER go back to eating the way I was before the start of this year. It's pretty amazing to start reading food labels, learning about ingredients, and realize what exactly is in some of the stuff you may be putting on your plate for the sake of convenience. I may not always be Paleo, but I do believe I will always have a healthier diet thanks to trying it.

Tia

P!nk Du Soleil

P!nk Du Soleil
P!nk reminds me a lot of Angelina Jolie. That wild child pushing the envelope screaming for attention all the while waiting for the accolade that comes with being a rebel. Then they became mothers and that all changed. It's been almost two years since P!nk brought daughter Willow into this world, and although still pushing the envelope a tad, the singer seems at peace with herself and the world around her and dare we say, softer, mellower and sweeter. And that's not a bad thing!

The Truth About Love Tour opened up at Toronto's sold-out Air Canada Centre with the buzz of energy in the air as she came out to the anthem 'Raise Your Glass' with the petite singer strapped to bungee chords thrusting her into the air and down again throughout the opening of the song. That set the stage for what was a very physical, performance driven show that included the pride of Philly often spinning and twirling above the stage and over the audience in what had Cirque Du Soleil aspects throughout the 2 hour show. And not once during any of these 'acrobatic stunts' persay, did she ever lip sync any of it! She didn't disappoint on her recent hit 'Try' by giving the same performance she had fans raving about after the American Music Awards, even bringing that same male dancer out on tour with her. Voice-wise, there were some early instances of her vocals being a little drowned out by her rocking tunes and band, but that was quickly rectified and she made it very clear she can sing till the cows come home. In fact, some of the best moments of the show were when it was her voice simply accompanied by one other instrument that made it worth the price of the ticket alone. At one point, she came out with just her piano player and did 'Family Portrait', which she has always said is a very dear, personal song to her and the edge and hurt in her voice when she sang it sent shivers down your spine. From there she took to a stool at the front of the stage with her guitar player for a stripped down version of 'Who Knew'. Although not expecting her to throwback to her first album days, she surprised fans with a montage of 'Most Girls', 'There You Go' and 'You Make me Sick', busting out the moves to go with it. And she left fans standing on their feet by closing out the show with 'Blow Me One Last Kiss' before quickly moving into her encore of 'So What' and 'Glitter in the Air'.

P!nk has often said that Madonna and Janis Joplin are two of her biggest influences, and the showmanship of this concert definitely had both. Fans perhaps were expecting her to cover Joplin's 'Me and Bobby McGee' but the only cover, and a great one at that, came when she did an amazing take on Chris Isaac's 'Wicked Game'. Other surprises NOT on the set list were hits like 'Get the Party Started', 'Stupid Girls' and 'Funhouse'.

All-in-all, the concert was almost perfect, with the lone disappointment for myself being the opening act. The Hives, although exhibiting lots of energy and spunk that you like as an opener, just didn't seem to fit as an opening act for a pop-rock superstar. Their music sounded all the same unfortunately and there were no familiar hits to keep the audience into it. Not to mention the ratio of women to men was about 9 to 1, so having a 'rock' group open up was an oversight on someone's part. But aside from that, on a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give the show a 9.75. Moral of the story is, if you ever get a chance to see P!nk live, do it! Even if it means flying half way across the country like I did :)

- Tia Daniels

My Niagara Wine Experience

Wine With Your Cheese?
On this trip to Toronto, my friend Krista suggested we take a trip to Niagara Falls and along the way, stop into some of the wineries that the Niagara Region is infamous for. So that's exactly what we found ourselves doing on Sunday.

Krista is a wine fanatic, and if you are as well, you should follow her blog 'Upkeep' for her latest wine adventures, and there are many! She really started getting into wines about a year ago, and since then, not only visits wineries on a frequent basis and blogs about her experiences, but is also taking a course in wines at George Brown College. I'm sure there's a big fancy technical name for it, but I'm a wine dummy, so I couldn't tell you exactly what it is.

Being the wine dummy that I am, it was a really interesting visit to our first stop - Di Profio Wines in the Jordan Station area of the Niagara Region. It's owned by Carollynn and Joe (pictured above). The two were actually nicely enjoying retirement (Carollynn had been a school teacher) when Joe's son started to pester them about buying a winery. The two were reluctant at first, but finally gave in and were lucky to buy one that already had existing growing vines. My understanding is that starting a winery with new plants from the ground up could possibly take 3-4 years before the grape plants are ready to produce the type of crop needed for the winemaking process. They've put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into their new baby, which exists beside their Bed and Breakfast nicely nestled within the vineyard called 'Among the Vines'. They're one of the smaller wineries where they hand pick the grapes and sort for the highest quality and produce small batches at a time using a gravity fed process.

While there, Carollynn and Joe treated us to a wine tasting of their Cabernet Sauvignon, Gamay Noir, Gamay Rose (which looks much like Cream Soda), the Riesling and their Vidal Ice Wine. I rarely drink wine, and I should mention this was at 11 in the morning, but it was a neat experience, the wine was fabulous, and Carollynn and Joe are just the nicest people. If you're ever in the area, I'd strongly suggest stopping by their winery and experiencing Di Profio Wines.

Eat Like A Caveman

As we get closer to 2013, you may be like the millions of other people starting to think about what goals and resolutions you may plan for yourself for the New Year. I've also thought a lot about it, now it's just a matter of committing to it.

I've never been one to eat healthy. As an adult, I've never been a breakfast person, as my tummy generally doesn't like accepting visitors until about 10:30 in the morning, otherwise it gets a little cranky. For my many years working the mid-day shift in radio, I also often skipped lunch, which was difficult to enjoy while you're on air. By the time I got off air at 2, it seemed too late to eat when there was only a few hours to go until supper, so lunch most times got ditched as well. Then when I finally got to that one meal of the day that was a sure thing, it has often been less than ideal when it comes to the essential 4 food groups that it should likely be.

In the last 6 months, I have gotten much better. I often make a decent supper and ensure that I have enough left-overs for the next day so that I'm always taking a lunch to work and not going out to eat. It's often a meat of some sort, rice, a granola bar and an apple sauce or fruit of some type. Pretty boring, but it hits the spot.

My resolution however is to take the next step and make it better, but also work on better physical health. Over the summer I biked pretty much every day or would go for a walk. Biking obviously isn't a great option for a Saskatchewan winter, and by the time I get home from work, it's too dark now for a safe walk through the park, or cross-country skiing which I'd like to take up. The thought of going to a gym makes me whine a little, and I find it hard to get motivated to work out at home. There is however a lighted outdoor rink a block from my place, so I may dig out the skates and start doing laps at night. It's funny, but it's something right?

When it comes to eating, you're hearing of more and more people trying to remove all things "processed" from their diet. I was talking to a friend from Toronto the other day who I admire for her resolve to stick to what she sets out to do when it comes to her food choices. In the whole time I've known her, she's never been big on sugar or foods that are deep-friend. But now she's onto something new called the Paleo diet. The premise of it is a return to the caveman days just as the name suggests and focus your diet around the hunt and gather theory. Diets consist mainly of fish, grass-fed pasture raised meats, vegetables, roots and nuts. Foods that are no-no's are grains, legumes, dairy products, refined salts, refined sugars and processed oils. The main beverages of choice in the diet are tea or water, and alcohol or fermented drinks are also on the naughty list.

It was an interesting read to say the least, and when you think about it, when have you ever seen a picture of a fat caveman or cavewoman? It certainly might be worth a try and I can't say I'm opposed to any diet that encourages meat. The challenge will be avoiding the refined sugars, salts and restricting the amount of alcohol consumed. But again, when have you ever seen a drunk caveman? Don't answer that if you've seen the Caveman movie with Ringo Starr and Shelley Long. If you have, go ahead, say "caca" and giggle a little. It's ok.

Tia

The Story of Neena

After 5 days hanging out in Toronto, I'm writing this from Terminal 3 at Pearson reflecting on many things from this trip. It was full of fun, laughs, drinks and good friends. But it was also tinged with sadness for our fellow human beings.

I travel to the Big Smoke usually every 3 to 4 months, so I have a pretty good sense of what the city is about. But I don't think in all the times I've been there before, have I seen such an abundance of homeless people. I often see the usuals every trip - the guy who plays the bagpipes at the corner of Queen and University or the big guy with his guitar and amp on Queen Street just up from Nathan Phillips Square. There were many new faces this time. One of them was Neena.

Neena (the name I've given her) was this tiny little asian woman. She maybe stood 5'3 and was about 40 if I had to guess. I saw her the first day I was there as she approached a woman sitting down from me and asked her for a smoke. She was a little chatter bug, and the happiest and most cheerful homeless person I've ever seen. A little spitfire who walked around in her little happy go lucky world, always in sock feet with no shoes on. The second day I was there I saw her again - twice! The second time was coming back from drinks with a friend on Queen Street. We crossed by each other at a walk light, and as she went by I could hear her repeating to herself, "my karma must be underneath the ground somewhere." I saw her every day after that as well.

On my final day today, I walked over to Nathan Phillips Square which has become a home for many of the city's homeless, particularly at night. I had walked through it on Thursday night, where in the shadows of Toronto's down time, I could see every second bench covered with a body who was bundled up for some sleep before the sun came up and they had to find elsewhere to go. Today as I walked through, I looked over and saw Neena once again. For the first time she was wearing shoes! They were these stylish high heeled shoes and she also had a new fancy purse. She walked awkwardly in the shoes as she clearly was not used to wearing them, but she was proud as spit and walked around waving hi to everyone who came across her path.

I wanted to go over and sit with her and ask her what her story was and what she meant when she said "her karma must be underneath the ground somewhere" but I didn't have the courage. Instead, I watched her from a distance admiring how happy she was despite her circumstances, but felt sad for her at the same time. The one thing obvious about her and many of the homeless, is that they are battling many mental issues that likely will contribute to them never becoming a normal part of society again. They will always roam the streets, mumbling stories and rage to themselves, never seeking help and perhaps never being offered help because the resources to deal with the homeless just aren't there for the amount of people who now are among those stats.

Many times when I was unemployed, the thought crossed my mind: what if I just can't get back on my feet and wind up homeless. Would I be able to survive? Fortunately I don't have to answer that question now, but after seeing Neena on this trip, I'm grateful for the life I do have, even if I'm not rich. I have a roof over my head. I don't know if Neena ever will ever have that again, but I'll look for her the next time I go back to Toronto when the winter has arrived and see how she's doing. I hope she'll still be that chatty, happy, little spitfire I first encountered.

Tia

Summer Friend

Last night I sat on my front step with a rum and coke in hand, soaking up the cool breeze and just listening to the world around me for a bit. Within a few minutes of sitting there, I could hear the woman from about 5 houses down walking up the sidewalk with the little guy from next door who's only about 6 or 7. She said "see you tomorrow" and he replied "goodbye" and she waited for him to get safely in the house before making her way back home.

This little guy is always down at her house playing with her little boy. Almost every day when I come home from work and drive by their house, they're on the front lawn playing with toys or on their bikes and he waves as I go by. I usually see him Saturdays and Sundays beating a path down the sidewalk to go visit, or returning home at about supper time. The family he belongs to are affectionately called my "crazy neighbours" who don't do anything with the kids themselves. They just hole up in their house, come out to smoke, and that's about it. You never see them taking the kids for walks or going to the park with them, so it's nice to see this little guy finding someone to socialize with and that he's got a summer friend.

It makes me think back to when I was just a kid. We lived in Alberta and would go stay with my grandparents in Maple Creek for a bit of the summer. One summer at the swimming pool, I met a girl about my age named Cindy. We hit it off instantly and hung out quite a bit while I was there, as she also happened to live just down the alley from my grandparents. When I had to go back to Alberta, I was sad to have to say goodbye to my new friend, but excited for the year to go by so I could see her the next summer.

When the next summer rolled around and I returned to my grandparents, I was eager to go down to Cindy's house and see her. But for whatever reason, my grandparents would tell me I'd best not go and that she probably wasn't there. I'd go out into the back yard and play, hoping to see her ride down the back alley on her bike or just catch a glimpse of her just so I could wave or something just to let her know I was back. After a couple of days of not being allowed to go to her house, I asked if I could phone her. That's when the truth came to light. Sometime between then and the previous summer, she had committed suicide. It was a lot to get my head around at such a young age, and I felt lost knowing I'd never see her again.

To this day when I see kids at the park playing or just hanging out in the summer, I think of Cindy and wonder what could have been so horrible in her life at such a young age that she would take her own life. I still don't know why, and that'll always be something I'll likely never know the answer to. I'll just always remember her as that happy, smiley little girl she was that one summer when.

Tia

Aunty Tia

Earlier this week I had my nephew Clay staying with me for a couple of days. I'll confess that I'm not the most prepared Aunty host. I have a spare room, but no spare bed. I have an old house that doesn't have air conditioning. I have crazy neighbours who have a dog that barks constantly. And as a cat owner, collecting cat hair on your clothes is a given at my house. But I hope he came away from the stay with an appreciation that I'm a unique aunt.

One of the first things I did was introduce him to Extra gum. I gave him a piece to chew, and about an hour later when he went to throw it out he said, "that gum lasts a long time!" Dear sister, your son may start asking you to buy him Extra.

I strategically fed him. A kid's appetite can be hard to keep up with. So one night at about 5:30, we went for a Blizzard first, and then I cooked him a burger about 20 minutes later. The theory was he'd get full from the ice cream and not need to eat as much supper AND it would mean his sugar rush would hopefully be over by the time his 8pm bed time came around. Sure enough, he was full after just half his burger. I also told him not to tell his mom about this little adventure.

He may have a new appreciation for lint brushes. The first night I introduced him to my handy little roller that soon had him as cat hair-free as was possible. He thought it was the neatest thing and even asked me the next day about cost comparisons between lint rollers and duct tape. It was a great conversation.

I also taught him about the value of money. On the first day, I told him I was going to keep all the receipts from his stay and send him home with a bill to give to his mom. I was joking of course which I don't think he caught onto. At the end of his stay he asked, "do you have that bill for mom?"

The moral of the story is: if you want your kid to come home a little tainted, feel free to send him to stay with me. It'll be fun!

Tia

I Can't Make This Up

A true story a friend told me the other day! Her uncle went into retirement, however, must have soon gotten bored and decided to start up a new business. His business? Cleaning cat litters for people. I'm not sure (even as the crazy cat lady) what would possess a person to take that up as a profession, but he did.

Recently he was hospitalized with a bronchial infection that resulted in pneumonia. When they did some tests they discovered something a little alarming. His bronchial parts were coated with a cement like material that they determined was a result of cat litter dust, as he never wore a mask. It is treatable, and he'll be fine.

The kicker of the story, and again, I'm not making this up...his previous occupation that he retired from, that you'd think he'd know better - a respiratory therapist. Maybe he wasn't a very good one?

Moral of the story, if your respiratory therapist tells you not to worry about wearing a mask while cleaning cat litter boxes, don't believe them. Just do it!

Tia

Cry Wolf and Catch 22

Today we're dealing with the wind which has nicely decided to follow up the big storm that parts of Saskatchewan had to endure yesterday. A storm which tornado chasers and storm watchers were predicting as early as last Wednesday and Thursday could bring us severe systems.

There was much hype leading up to these last couple of days about tornados and cyclones and how we better start getting the basement ready for some possible "big ones". Then the system petered out and didn't produce what everyone thought should live up to the hype.

I too was one of those people who last week and into the weekend was a little peeved with hype machine. But as Monday and Tuesday rolled around and the real possibility of something big started shaping up on the radar, I'm not ashamed to admit I took food and water to the basement and got ready.  As someone who was watching the system tracking eastward from Moose Jaw, and as someone who lives on the outskirts of the city on the far edge of the Cathedral area, I was worried. Let's face it, you've likely seen what did tear through a field southwest of Moose Jaw.

I also watched all those people who on social media proclaimed their disappointment with the storm falling short of its hype status. True. But here's the thing: never have we been so well informed, and so quickly informed about a storm than nowadays with social media. And the technology nowadays being used by weather watchers is so bang on that last night they were predicting in units of minutes, as to the arrival of when a storm would hit a location. They were pretty much bang on with the ETA of what we got hit with in Regina.

Sure, the hype might have cried wolf, but had a tornado hit hard in a town or city, and we didn't hear anything about it's path or destination, we would all be crying and pointing fingers at whoever about being un-informed! Catch 22. Our parents and grandparents never had this technology we have to be informed like we can be in 2012. I personally would rather be over-informed than under.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go get my food from the basement and return it to the cupboards.

Tia

Do you Ever Wonder....

Why companies always come out with products that are "new and improved"? It always makes me ask myself "what was so wrong with the previous product that it had to be improved? And if it's always having to be improved, is it really that worthy of a product?"

Who decided and what prompted the decision to issue expiry dates for condoms? I thought of this while I was doing up the ziplock on my turkey breast bag.

Are the makers of Dyson aware of how phallic their TV commercials are? "That's why all our new vacuums have balls." Then the narrator is followed by text on the screen that says "No awkward moves, no loss of suction." And that doesn't sound dirty to anyone else other than me??

What goes through a dog's mind as it stands and watches its owner take out a plastic bag and clean up its doo-doo? "I really need more bran in my diet."

How could we work it so that the NHL playoffs are done in March?

If robins think we're imbeciles for coming up with the song "Rockin Robin"?

How hilarious it would be if dogs meowed and cats barked??

Why grocery stores who claim they want to help the environment don't teach their employees how to more efficiently pack plastic bags? "Ok, I'm going to put your bread in a separate bag all by itself, and your meat in a bag on its own, double wrapped."

And last but not least, do you ever wonder what banana coffee would taste like?

That is all.
Tia

Rainy Day Memories

Despite being a rainy day, I chanced being a crazy person who went for a nice, long walk through Les Sherman Park. Needless to say it was just me, the wet walking path, and the ducks. I returned home soaked through and through with wet wavy hair all over the place, but it was worth it. It reminded me of those things that I think of when it rains.

Like that time when I was just a kid that Grandpa and Grandma Gilmer had an auction at their log house out at Gooseberry Lake. How it rained all day and was so cool you could see your breath. I think we spent most of the day in the cabin drinking hot chocolate.

When I travelled to Europe in Grade 12, the experience was hampered by rain pretty much the whole time, whether we were in Germany, Belgium, Switzerland or France. I believe it was actually the last day we were there and flying out of Frankfurt that the sun finally made an appearance.

Rain reminds me of that time when I lived in Lethbridge and decided to drive out to BC to see my mom. As I was going through the Crowsnest Past, the rain was coming down so hard that my windshield wipers were having a hard time keeping up, and I was having a hard time being able to see my way through the twists and curves you encounter when you take that route. When it got to higher elevations, it started snowing (in June) and this poor guy coming towards me on his motorbike was having a tough time having to keep wiping the snow off his visor.

It makes me think of the year that my friends Barb and Patti and I decided to take in the Cathedral Arts Festival. It was pouring, so instead of chancing the rain, we made up our own little pub crawl through the afternoon. It was pretty much the last time that all three of us hung out together as everyone's lives went separate ways.

The rain takes me back to that July 1st Sandfly Festival in Medicine Hat when a then unknown Gord Bamford was on stage when the sky let loose and poured cats and dogs. With nowhere to really retreat, we just decided to make the most of it and danced like fools in the rain while he continued to play on. Within 20 minutes, the clouds parted again, the rain subsided and the sun returned for what turned out to be a beautiful rest of the day.

It takes me back to summers at the Craven Country Jamboree where a storm rolls in out of nowhere and suddenly it's coming straight down while everyone is trying to run for cover to the bathrooms or beer gardens. Mud becomes your best friend and the grandstand area becomes the Flip Flop Graveyard. Good luck trying to find a store that has rubber boots in stock still the week leading up to Craven.

The curse of rain follows me every time I go to Toronto. My first visit, it rained every day I was there. All I had for shoes was flip flops and let's just say my feet got a lot of exposure to the rain. My friend Krista brought me her husband's Maple Leafs umbrella. I had never used an umbrella before and ended up wrecking it when I was trying to close it. I felt pretty bad. A couple of months later I went back, this time in November. And again, it poured. I remember being with my friend Brianne in Kensington Market. We had been in this little coffee shop for a bit. When we came out, it was coming straight down so she ran across the street to this little Chinese place and got a cheap $5 umbrella. I think every time we've gotten together when I'm there, it's rained.

Overall, I don't mind the rain. Days on end of it back to back can get a little old real fast, but for the most part, a little time in the rain never hurt anyone did it? At least it's not snow :)

Tia

Are you Ready to Strike While the Iron is Hot?

I don't often use my personal blog to give insight into the music industry, but I'm going to this time.

Last night on the season finale of Criminal Minds, the final scene of the show was a touching, poignant moment where the character of Emily Prentiss was basically saying goodbye to her team-mates after 6 years on the show. As the scenes are rolling there's an amazing voice singing the perfectly picked song that had words that made that farewell even more emotional.

Pretty much as soon as the show was done, myself and seemingly a lot of other people got onto a computer and starting searching for this song called "As it Seems". It turns out it's by an unknown singer named Lily Kershaw. Upon searching her name last night, very little came up for results aside from a MySpace page from how many years ago. Further to that, under the "music" tab of her MySpace page, she has no songs posted whatsoever, including this one.

My point is, here is an artist who clearly is missing an incredible opportunity. Today everyone wants to know everything about her, but there is nothing current out there "marketing" this singer/songwriter. All those years that she's spent crafting her art and to be given this song showcase on such a hit show, and she may not be able to strike while the iron is hot. In the music business, 15 min of fame is just that, and if she wants to capitalize on it, she's going to have to hurry to get an updated website, pics, etc.

I suspect Lily Kershaw's life today, is not the same as it was yesterday. The moral of the story moreso directed at my music friends still trying to catch their break is: you never know when someone will want to find you, or more about you. Ensure that you've got an updated website, that all content is current, that your latest songs are posted, your contact information is current and that it looks good. The other thing is, ensure there's a consistency in the look and sound between all social media you're utilizing. I've seen some artists maintain a MySpace page that they never update, it's different from their ReverbNation look, and what they're doing on Facebook doesn't seem to be in line with what they're doing everywhere else. You may not have the big record deal, but you have all these tools out there with technology these days to market yourself like a rock star. So just do it!

Tia

The Produce Department

The other day I was at the grocery store and started my adventure in the produce department to get some bananas. There was an older woman in her 60's or 70's getting a bunch of bananas which is what I was hoping to do as well. However, the selection was pretty lack lustre so I moved on banana-less. But I noticed she seemed to be fumbling with the plastic bags, although I thought she would be fine.

I moved over to the bakery section and eyed up some bread while still keeping an eye on her, and watching her still seem to be having some problems in getting the produce bag open. Again, I thought she'd surely be good to go pretty soon.

I mozied over to the deli section and looked back again to see if she had mastered her problem yet, but sadly she hadn't. Part of me thought it would make her feel uncomfortable if I went over to ask if she needed help, but by now 5 min had passed at least and she was still having issues.

I could have moved on, but decided to circle back and pretend I was eyeing up the bananas again. As I glanced over I could see her hands were that of someone who was hampered by arthritis, and she just couldn't get her fingers planted firmly enough to get that plastic bag open. Just as I turned to her to offer to help, she turned to me and said "I'm having troubles here" indicating she wanted help. I smiled, took the bag from her, rubbed the edges between my fingers and opened it up for her no problem and said "these darn bags are always so sticky and tricky," and handed it back to her. She quietly laughed this little laugh and thanked me.

Here was something that was so simple to me, yet so difficult to her. It was really a moment of revelation about perspective. All the things we take for granted about our abilities or potential that someone else physically can't do. I just hope someday when I'm 65 and struggling to get one of those stupid plastic produce bags open, that someone's kind enough to take the time and stop and help me too.

Tia

Routine Poutine

There is no poutine in this blog, just so you know. There just aren't many things that rhyme with routine that get your attention nearly as much as poutine does. Where was I going with this...(who has A.D.D?)

I'm into my second week of being back to work, and the "getting back into a routine" has been great on many fronts. The biggest difference is the ability to sleep once again. Although not going to bed as early as I should yet, I do actually fall asleep shortly after going to bed, instead of the insomnia that kept me awake until 1 or 2am stuff that plagued me the last 4 months. I'm also using a clock in my room again. You might find this funny, but since November I haven't had my alarm clock plugged in. Every time I couldn't sleep, I'd look up and see those bright green numbers, and it was this constant reminder of my brain not being able to shut down. So I unplugged the stupid thing. Not that it really helped, but I'd like to think it cut down on my power bills a bit? I don't know. Work with me here.

I think the routine has also been good for my eating and drinking habits. I'm pretty sure I gained at least 10 lbs since being off work. I suppose that'll happen when you're not able to sleep at night, sleeping till 10 or 11am everyday, and at home all the time to snack and cook. Now I eat my granola bar late morning at work, eat a nice little lunch, come home by 5pm to eat a normal supper, and eat my sleepy banana before bed. It feels like the fluffiness is wearing off my waistline a bit. And you might not believe this, but I've managed to limit myself to one diet coke a day. Anyone who knows me really well will find that quite impressive!

One of the biggest differences is just being stress-free. Up until last Monday, it took every ounce of energy to get out of bed in the morning, and my brain and soul were consumed by the task of job-hunting and the stress of finances. Now, although I have to put a lot of energy into the learning curve at my new job, I feel I can spread it out beyond that again. I've had an immense burst of creative flow the last couple of weeks, I look forward to going for my daily walk, and I feel like I have the capacity to focus on relationships again.

The one thing in my routine that hasn't changed is that I still get up and feed my cats everyday and job or no job, they were still spoiled babies. Despite the penny pinching, they never once had to resort to being fed Purina or Friskies. Now that's love!

Tia

Travel Tips from a Hippie

I was talking to a friend this past weekend about packing for trips. We were polar opposites. I was telling her I can pack a backpack and be on my merry way. She however, travels like most of her family does. Packing way too many bags for the simplest of trips.

When I was 30 I started my travel adventures, vowing to take a trip someplace new every year that I'd never been to before. My travels have taken me to San Francisco, Jacksonville, Jekyll Island/Savannah, Corpus Christie, South Padre Island, New Orleans, Biloxi/Gulfport and Toronto. There have been a few skipped years due to money being tight, but overall, it's been a blast exploring these new places.

One of the most annoying things when travelling is the whole feat of having to lug your bags around, thus the reason I pack uber light. One small backpack or suitcase usually includes jeans and shirts that all match with each other so you can mix and match everything. If it's a summer trip, I might take one pair of jeans and opt for 3 or 4 pairs of very matchable shorts instead. The less I have to wear pants, the better! Of course you can't skimp on clean undies and socks. I always take a plastic bag along as well to keep dirty laundry separate. I'll also save all my change during the trip, and try to find a laundromat nearby to do a load in the event of a longer trip or just wanting fresh clothes to go home in. The change jar might also come in handy should you be needing to pay for any transportation like busses or subways.

Shoe-wise, I keep it pretty light too. Generally I'll have a pair of "travel" shoes to start things off. These are comfy, clean shoes that aren't too restricting for those days you might start swelling up a bit during flights, yet comfy enough that they're something you feel safe wearing all day for bursts of walking as well. If it's summer, I'm all about my travel shoes being a pair of flip flops, providing they're not a ratty old pair that smell like dog. Summer trips usually include 2 pairs of shoes - flip flops and a pair of runners for lots of walking days. But if you have any dressier events on your agenda, a pair of flexible ballet shoes that easily can be folded or stuffed into your suitcase work well as well. My rule of thumb for trips: don't buy new shoes for a trip! If you attempt to break in shoes on a trip, you're just setting yourself up for blister hell!

I don't seem to pack very light when it comes to personal hygiene products, but you can never be too safe in this area can you? I ensure the usual hairspray, toothpaste, brush, makeup bag, facial cleanser and toothbrush. One thing I always forget that I strongly encourage, take your own soap and hand lotion! The hotel soaps and products are a nice touch, but they tend to be full of perfumes and dyes and whatever else. I came home with a nice rash from Toronto recently from using the hotel stuff. It's easy enough to go to a store to buy products, but you may have a hard time finding a place that just sells single bars of soap anymore, and some places charge a fortune for smaller sample products, nor is the selection very good. In regards to the blister hell quoted above with the shoe section, taking along a few band-aids isn't a bad idea either. Gravol and Motrin are also on my must-pack list.

The rest is pretty standard and based on the individual. Obviously if you're travelling with kids, it's a lot tougher to pack light, but that doesn't mean you can't be efficient about it. Just keep it simple stupid as they say.  And my last rule of thumb - never leave home without a good tube of chap-stick on you! It will be a life saver I promise. Happy travels!

Tia

Retiring from Radio

Well it appears my 4-month vacation is coming to an end. Today I accepted the position of Member Services & Communications with the Sask Trucking Association here in Regina. No relocating – yayyyyy!

I’m extremely excited to be moving into a Communications role as my eventual goal was to transition into a PR or Communications job as I turned the corner into my fourties. As I said to someone the other day, it’s time to stop being all cool on the radio and start being an adult planning for a solid financial future some day. After all, not having kids, I don’t have anyone to pay for my seniors home do I?

I am sad in many ways to officially be retiring from my radio career. I worked my butt off for 20 years to get to where I was and wasn’t finished with where I wanted to go before someone decided I was no longer required. It’s like the carpet got pulled out from underneath me and there are many things I don’t have closure on. I’m also sad that I’ll miss talking to and hearing from listeners who’ve been so kind to me all these years in Regina and Moose Jaw. You are incredibly loyal and I’ve been blessed to have many of you as friends, even if it is just on Facebook. Keep being the wonderful people you are! To my fellow radio colleagues from all these years, it’s been a pleasure to work along side you and I wish you continued success. If I could offer any advice, it would be to have your back up plan ready to launch at any given time and a decent rainy day fund banked away. The industry is about to get very interesting over the next year or so. To my music friends who I’ve worked with all these years, some who’ve become great personal friends, it’s been a blast working this thing we call the music business together.  We all got into this crazy life because of music and we’ll always be music people no matter what.

I want to thank everyone for their support through this ride the last few months. Barb, Paul, Krista, Rob, Kim, Chari, my sister, Edward, Debra, and to everyone else for their on-going ears and advice. I’ve learned a lot about myself and my character this last little while. But I’ve also learned who my real friends were, and I’m lucky to have had such a strong support system surrounding me and propping me up.

So I have until April 2nd to continue to enjoy my time off. I think an official retirement party may be in order so we can all get schmammered together. This weekend I’m going to enjoy my rescheduled holiday to Toronto that got cancelled in November when my world came to a crashing halt. Upon my return it’ll be a little spring cleaning and then back to work I go!

Goodbye radio. Onwards and upwards ☺
Tia

Do you Swear?

Yesterday I was picking up the kiddios at their school. Each day the parents/care-givers arrive and wait outside the classroom door until the teachers release the beasts.

As I'm leaning against the wall, a woman was just down the hall within earshot talking to one of the dads. I'm pretty sure every 4th word that came out of her mouth was "shit". I should point out that this was just outside of a class for 4 yr olds and in a Catholic school to boot!

I'm not a saint when it comes to swearing, but I was a little appalled. There's a time and a place and I'm not sure that was the best choice of words given the location. God probably didn't think so either!

So when is it not appropriate to use that kind of language? Well a Catholic school would be one place. In front of kids certainly is the wrong place. But at what age of kids do you worry less about loose lips and give into the fact they'll learn it eventually? I also avoid swearing around seniors as I find it disrespectful. Swearing around people you've just met is touchy until you get a sense of what they're like  first. And despite both my parents being the type to swear up and down like sailors, I actually don't like to swear around them. It's odd I know.

Do you have any "swear rules"?

Tia

Black Eyed Tia

A friend woke up with a little bit of a black eye this week. She's not sure why or what happened, but suspects a blood vessel may have broken on it's own.

I'll admit I was giving her some grief over it and even texted her yesterday asking if she wanted me to go buy her an eyepatch. Saying that out loud makes me giggle like a little school girl. I don't think she found it nearly as funny.

I shouldn't poke fun I guess. I've had a couple of black eyes in my time. My first one was in grade 6. I got bitch slapped by my friend Stacy as we were having a dispute over a hammer we were using to build forts. She slapped me and it's true, you do see stars and tweety birds for a brief couple of seconds. The next day I went to school with a big ol' shiner.

A few days later, I was playing out in our yard at night. I was standing under the big yard light by the corrals tossing a softball up in the air and catching it. My throws got higher and higher to the point that one went up, I lost sight of it in the glare of the light, and the next thing I knew it came down and popped me in the eye. Yup, it sure did leave me with another black eye on the other eye.

The next day I went to school again with another big ol' shiner to match the other one. I remember standing by the shelves when the teacher came over with a very concerned look on her face and asked me if there was something going on at home I wanted to talk about. Two black eyes on a grade 6 kid tends to spark a little panic that a call to social services might be in order apparently. I assured her however that everything was fine, I just had a little bad luck.

What can I say, I had an interesting childhood ;)

Tia

The Mystery Jakki Cup

Yesterday I posted this picture and asked "what is the significance of this cup?". Although some interesting guesses, no one quite hit it on the head. Unless you remember my radio days from Lethbridge, it was almost an impossible question. 

In about 2000 I believe it was, I had accepted a morning show co-host position at Country 95 in Lethbridge. I was excited for new opportunities and to be heading back to Alberta. Once I got there to start the job however, the PD threw a little surprise at me after I had signed the paperwork. His words were something to the effect of "by the way, your name on air is going to be Jacqui Daniels". 

I'm sure my jaw was sitting on the floor. Jacqui Daniels? Really?? It sounded like something that you'd read in the credits of an adult film. They thought it sounded more country though. Not to mention it's very difficult to suddenly start calling yourself by another name after how many years of being a Tia. 

I hated it, there was no denying it. But I thought that if they weren't going to give me the choice of what name I went by, then at least I'd damn well spell it the way I wanted to. So it became Jakki instead. The cup is from a staff event held for us by Champs Lounge, which specifically asked for correct spelling of everyone's name. I got the last laugh after all. 

And now you know the rest of the story. 

Tia