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I’m not much of a technology fan….and to be honest, after owning my ipod for two years I still don’t know how to download music.
But……my phone was near retirement and I wanted to fancy it up for once and buy some hot technology. When my old phone hit the floor hard and broke into many little sad pieces….complete with broken wires hanging out….I knew I had to move on.
So I did my reserach and splurged on an iphone 3G. We’ve been together for two days now, and I must confess I think I’ve found “the one”.
When I turned the phone on it took me less than two minutes to figure it all out. It has to be the most “user friendly” thing out there. If you’ve used a computer, and you know how to do internet searches, you’re already an iphone expert!
I was a little worried that it would be too precious, but it seems to be pretty sturdy. And for all the ladies that are wondering how the keypad works with fingernails, it’s not too bad…..To be honest, I’m not blessed with cute lady fingers, it’s more like I have sausage fingers….and even for me it’s pretty easy to use. I would be happier if the texting keys were a tad larger, but it’s not a deal breaker.
So all in all, I’m rating this product a 9.5 out of 10. The only annoying thing – when you are texting the punctuation and numbers are not offered up on the same screen….or at least I couldn’t find another option where it is a true QWERTY keyboard. It just means you need to spend a bit longer typing…… but it’s such a sexy looking phone that it’s not a problem.
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Last year I had some major changes in my life. One of the most important was getting out of debt.
I remember when I received my tax return…… and lo and behold I took all of it and put it onto my line of credit, which suddenly was down to ZERO! It had taken me one year to turn this $-9,000 animal into a ZERO, but it finally happened.
I was so thrilled with myself. I kept on checking my online balance and seeing it at ZERO. I couldn’t wait to call my friend and tell her that finally, I was down to ZERO!
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I’ve been on the lookout for a statement dress recently.
I haven’t found what I’m looking for exactly, but I did find this knockout dress online. I just love the butterfly inspired mix of colurs, the generous cut of the dress, and the detailing with sparkles and feathers.
Can’t you just imagine how much fun you’d have in this dress?
from outlier* on flickr
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I’ve decided to make an effort to buy more organic and healthy beauty products. With lots of news about parabens and phthalates and other unhealthy items that have potentially toxic side affects I realized it was time to take a bit more care.
So, I headed off to the drug store and bought organic moisturizer and natural deodorant…..
…and then I got slightly off track…….and bought some tanning lotion…….
It may not have been the best start, but at least it’s a start!
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Last week I had a one day mini vacation.
I woke up late, drank my coffee slowly and then took a long walk. As I was walking I looked carefully at how the leaves were moving gently with the breeze, the waves were rocking back and forth silently, and the sun was shining brightly casting light upon the lake.
And then I realized, this is what it’s like to have extra time on my hands – to be able to see all the great things that happen around me daily, the same ones that I’m too focused on tasks and errands and work to actually notice.
So I made a decision. This summer I’m going to live my weekends like I’m on a summer break, just like school children get every year. It’s a little time out to step back and enjoy our lives, our families, our friends and all the great things happening around us that we’re too busy to notice.
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A little while ago I went on a spontaneous day trip to Niagara on the Lake in Ontario. It was a lovely day and I smile every time I think of it.
On the Friday night my boyfriend tossed around the idea of going to Niagara for a weekend getaway, but since we have a major trip coming up soon I said I’d rather save my money.
The next day I woke up at 730 am – very, very unusual for me on a weekend morning – and I couldn’t stop thinking about going away for a mini break. I opened my computer while still in bed and searched for hotels….but oh my, they seemed so pricey! There were some beautiful hotels, bed and breakfasts and lodges, but they were so expensive I just couldn’t justify it.
So instead, I suggested we just go for a day…….and what a lovely day. It was a warm, blue sky day with no clouds in sight. A day trip definitely felt right.
We packed up a few things, and a change of nice clothes for dinner, and then we were off. On the way to Niagara on the Lake I found a place we could rent bikes and also called a spa to see if we could get last minute appointments.
When we arrived in town we discovered the bike rental place was right by the vineyards, so as soon as we paid for our rentals we were off and cycling through beautiful laneways. We took little random streets with no goals in mind, then we went along the parkway, and over to a vineyard for wine tasting. It was so relaxing and fun.
We took a trail to get back to the bike rental place so we could zip off to the spa. I had a mani – pedi and my boyfriend had a massage. I must confess it’s quite an extravagance for me as I’m really trying to watch my pennies, but this was worth every cent. When we left we both felt so relaxed and indulged……….so clearly it was time to indulge more!
We went to a vineyard for dinner and tasted exquisite local foods coupled with great wine. It was fun being able to sample all the different wines……and enjoy the extra giggles that ensued.
After dinner there was a lovely rain storm. While I took a little nap my boyfriend drove and listened to Feist, watching the lightening storm brew in the horizon…..
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I woke up this morning thinking I wanted to be productive, but at the same time I didn’t want to be overly ambitious and wear myself out. The result? I wrote a to do list of silly little things that would make me feel accomplished.
floss teeth
go for coffee with my friend
go for a run
It seemed so funny to me that I had this list of silly things……and the funniest thing is, despite my efforts, I never flossed my teeth!
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This weekend my boyfriend and I departed from our normal schedule. Instead of waking up late, watching movies, going for coffee and strolling around the city we decided to take a little road trip.
On Saturday we went to Blue Mountain, Ontario. It was a two hour drive and when we stepped out of the car we discovered that it was still freezing up North! Somehow I’d forgotten that two hours North makes a big difference, and what feels warm in Toronto, feels very different in Blue Mountain.
We were so chilly that we ran for cover in a restaurant as soon as we arrived! We only spent about two hours in Blue Mountain – having lunch, taking a quick walk, and then heating up with a coffee. We were both relieved to jump in the car again and head back to the warmer climate in the city.
On the way home we drove through Kleinberg. It’s such a lovely and charming little town…..I’ve already planned what my yard would look like if I lived there, how I’d walk my imaginary kids to school, and the lovely dinner parties that I’d host in my country manor…..
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For many of us daters we spend so much of our time obsessing over our dates, but we don’t really know what we’re looking for. It’s like we have a goal in mind, without a game plan. So, I went on a research spree to find out how to date successfully and how girls can get what they want out of dating.
1. Find the patterns in your dating past. What did you like and what did you not like?Chances are you’ll find a pattern. If you want to date out of your comfort zone and find your perfect match you need to look at all the similarities in your past and figure out why you went for those guys. When you see patterns emerge you can figure out how to avoid them in the future.
2. Make a list of what you are looking for. If you are searching for a partner make sure you know what qualities that person has. It’s best to do this when you feel comfortable, happy and relaxed. Don’t do this when you are feeling sad, lonely, used or abused. You want this list to be a list of your dream man. Not a list of the type of guy you don’t want. If your list has several “he doesn’t yell at me, he’s not cheap, etc etc” you know you are not in the right place to be writing now. Step back, take a sip of tea or a walk and start again. This is your dream “want” list, not a list of things you are trying to avoid.
3. Think of how you present yourself. This one is huge! Step out of yourself for a few minutes and think of the impressions you give other people. Do people respond well to you and keep asking more? Do guys try and talk to you about sex right away? Do people often look past you and at other girls when they are talking to you? Most of the time how people respond to you is a mirror of the impressions you are giving them. If people always want to talk to you about sex and your naughty experiences chances are very high you are giving the impression you are sexually available. If you aren’t happy with how people respond to you it is entirely up to you to make some serious changes and have people respond to you with respect and warmth.
4. Keep yourself open to opportunity. Look all around for chances to meet and connect with people. Waiting in line for a coffee? Have a quick chat with a stranger. If this is hard for you take baby steps. Maybe talk to women at first, and then start talking to men once you find it easier. Asking questions is an easy icebreaker – for example “How is that iced chocolate chip mint latte? I’ve never had one before” Everywhere you go find ways to chat with strangers, whether it’s at the coffee shop, at the park, or at the candy store. In these days of internet everything people are craving a human connection – if you just want to say hi people will usually respond well.
5. Go out often. One of the worst things you can do is pine over guys and wish you had a boyfriend and then stay in alone night after night. How is prince charming going to find you in your house? He’s out and about looking for you too, so let him find you. Make a conscious decision to go out and mix it up. This means go to different places and don’t always be surrounded by a pack of friends. If you always go to the same place chances are you keep on running into the same type of people and always remember – a group of girls is pretty intimidating. Go out alone, or with one or two friends at max.
6. Stop playing games with yourself. I know so many people that justify bad behaviour of their dates. He hasn’t called you in a week, and then he calls at midnight and wants to get together. Stop playing games with yourself! Don’t make excuses for others. Actions speak louder than words, and if a guy wants you, he’ll make sure you know it. If you don’t know where you stand you probably don’t stand anywhere. Set limits on what you will accept and what you won’t, and don’t deviate from this.
7. No sex for 2 or 3 months. If a guy likes you he’ll wait. This is a great way to weed out the guys that aren’t worthy of your time, and also to make sure you connect on a much deeper level before you get intimate. If you have sex before 2 – 3 months you’ve killed the mystery and put yourself on sale when you should have been charging full price. Dying for some sexy times? There are stores with accessories that can help you out. It may not be as good as a human connection but it’s sure better than losing someone that you really liked because you slept with him too soon.
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Few things give me more satisfaction than writing out my daily plans with a to do list.
I love writing EVERYTHING down, so that it seems impossible to achieve my tasks in one day, and then figuring out how I can fit it all in.
The rush of reviewing my to do items and then crossing off completed tasks is akin to the joy of making a perfect meal, or spending 20 extra minutes on the treadmill.
I have proof in my hands of my achievements for the day, but the best thing is…..I’m actually getting it all done!
