Sealhunt Musings Galore

You can help end Canada's annual war on seals by boycotting a product that is vital to the country's economy: maple syrup.
Canada produces approximately 85 percent of the world's maple syrup, with the U.S. as its largest consumer, and by buying this Canadian product, you are supporting Canadian cruelty. By pledging to boycott Canadian maple syrup, you'll be speaking up for baby seals in Canada, for whom life isn't so sweet, and telling Canada that you won't support its product until you can support its practices.

Does PETA honestly think that maple syrup, something that comes from trees and is harvested by regular entrepreneurs, will affect the sealhunt, something regulated by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, a department of the federal government?

PETA seems to think that the US of A is not in an economic crisis, and that we rely only on the United States for our income. Would it not make more sense that if we lost economic gain in maple syrups sales, that we should just up the sales in furs from the seals?

I don't know... this... boycott seems mighty flawed and pointless.

One Small Blog

You know what I can't stand?

People who are against abortion but for the death penalty.

Make up your minds.

Musings on Healthy Eating

I have a diet Pepsi sitting in front of me. It’s the first bottle of pop I’ve had in over two weeks.

I’m trying to eat healthy, and I find it damn hard to do on the weekends I’m busy with friends – which seems to be almost every weekend. This past weekend I had second helpings of my mother’s chicken and potatoes. And then on Sunday we went to the Works for lunch/supper (only two meals that day) and I pigged out on a huge Sk8er Boy burger (it had peanut butter, jack cheese and bacon – and it was surprisingly good!) and sweet potato fries. On Monday we did another lunch/supper by going to Sushi Kan, an all-you-can-eat Sushi bar. Now, I don’t feel AS bad about Monday’s meal, since sushi is good for you and all… but I REALLY stuffed myself that day.

However, I have been doing better. The only junk food I have in my house right now is a small bag of Bits and Bites, and a bag of pretzels (which could be considered healthier than any other chips). I went to Farm Boys to get my groceries yesterday – and everything was healthy products except maybe the mock chicken. I bought a ready-made salad for today – it comes with a few small slices of cheese and ham and a hardboiled egg, and some ranch dressing.

It’s hard eating healthy in today’s society. For one, it seems like every other day my workplace is having some sort of party (going away, retirement, baby shower), and with a government party comes wine and food. Last week was bad as it was a baby shower – loads of cookies. Yesterday, however, was not so bad. They had chips, veggies, and various dips and things. I stuck to the veggies (mmmmCelery), but did have a few baked Lays.

But when I went to the theatre last night I ordered a small low-fat frozen yogurt (banana and strawberry) which was quite a lot of ice cream for only 110 calories AND it was healthy for me.

I find another reason it’s hard to eat healthy is socializing. When going out with friends, it’s to a theatre or for supper and it’s so easy to forget your goal to lose that 20 pounds and live a healthier lifestyle. If I become a recluse and stay at home I can stick to my meal plans.

I suppose I’m excited for the rollercoaster season. While I will be hitting up La Ronde quite a lot, it will help with my goal – I hope. I will be outside all day, possibly for a whole weekend each time. That would include walking, getting my adrenaline pumping, and quite a bit of exercise. Mind you, I will also be subjected to many a food stall selling things like poutines, nachos, and burgers. However, in an attempt to save money, I probably won’t be eating all that much. Plus I’ll be too busy standing in line for rollercoasters.

Another thing in my get-fit program. Walking. Yes. Walking. I love to walk, so it’s no hardship. But I need to walk MORE. And possibly get my bike. I tend to walk to Blockbuster and back – which is quite a long hike, even my mother said so. Last night I also did some sit-ups. OH MY! It’s not so hard on my stomach as it is on my back. I’ve got a back problem, so… yah… it’s not much of a problem, but I definitely was straining my back last night. Oh well. All in the name of being healthy, right?

I’m thankful that my new breakfast of choice is something I can enjoy. I used to eat two Eggo waffles for breakfast (strawberry flavour) each morning. Sometimes with maple syrup, sometimes without. It always depended, as strawberry waffles taste good without it. However, now I’ve started eating Special K Five Grain. It’s really good, very healthy for you, and a high source of fibre. It’s the taste I like, and the crunch. For the past week I was eating it with milk, however I’ve stopped putting milk in it as I’ve mentioned – I like the crunch.

I’m addicted to crunchy things. I love chips, the crunchier and crisper the better. And it’s hard to find a replacement for them. Pretzels are great and all, but nothing can compare to Sun Chips or Baked Lays. I also try things like rice crackers, and other low-calorie crackers and wafers. Nothing compares, but it’ll do for now.

Sigh.

I miss my junk food.

Life Musings

Life can pass you by if you aren’t looking.

In less than two months I will be getting on a plane and heading to Newark, New Jersey where I shall roam the airport and wonder which seats Jason and Grant have sat in, where they have twittered and complained about the planes constantly being late, and where they may have gotten coffee.

It’s only a short pit stop before I gather my bags and sanity, and head onto a much larger plane, and stare out over a dark, black seascape over which we shall be travelling. Even still, that small stop in Newark is incredibly exciting for me. I will only be there for two hours, but for those two hours I get to spend there, I shall reflect over these days in May where I sat at my computer and avidly watched my two favourite docu-soap stars entertain their fans in a new and personal way.

It’s been very interesting watching them twitter, and I can assure you that it’s them, and not some pretend Jay and Grant. It really is them. They take photos of each other, complain about Continental airlines, and let us know what is happening on their investigations. We get to know intimate details of the investigation months before it will ever air on tv. It’s quite exciting really.

I’ve been a fan of the show Ghost Hunters since it first debuted in the United States, on the American channel SciFi. I used to watch that channel religiously when we were able to order it (before they went digital and we lost our feed). They had all the best shows – X-Files, Sliders, Star Trek, Outer Limits, Quantum Leap, Mad Mad House. Gosh, how I loved that channel.

My whole family took an hour off of their own schedules to sit and watch the premiere of Ghost Hunters. We had all been interested in the show after watching the commercials, but I was the only one who became a fan after watching the first episode. In the end, I spent every Wednesday evening sitting in front of the tv upstairs while everyone else was in the basement watching tv on the regular dish. But not me. No, I needed to get my Grant, and later Tango fix. I loved these guys. They were real people doing something real, and catching so much unexplained evidence on tape!

I eventually had to stop watching the show when our feed got cancelled and SciFi went strictly digital. Here in Canada, we are two seasons late, so even still if I went to watch the show, I’d be watching reruns. I tried watching Ghost Hunters International but it just isn’t as good as the original show. I want to see Jay and Grant – and yes, even Tango.

So while I don’t get to watch the show anymore (although soon I shall be ordering the seasons on DVD), I am now following my two favourite plumbers/ghost hunters on Twitter. And it’s been so much fun!

So there I will be, getting off a plane in Newark, NJ and staring at everything and wondering, “Which gates have they waited at for each of their late planes?” And I will wonder, “Will my plane be late?” and I will walk the floors, and look around me, and think to myself, “They’ve done this, too.” And I will be a sort of squeeing fangirl, as I consider all the other celebrities that have probably been through this airport as well.

I don’t know what I’m going to do to pass the time while I’m on my second flight. It’s going to be a long one, I have no doubt of this. And lucky for me, I’ll be bringing my laptop in my carry-on. Perhaps I’ll be able to write some of my latest story. Or perhaps I shall read a book, take a nap, plot world domination.

And to think I have less than two months to go before I hop the pond and touch down in Glasgow. I will set foot on Scottish soil. I will, in essence, be returning to the “home land”. I am half Scottish on my mother’s side, and I embrace this heritage. I go to the Highland Games in Maxville every year, I have a kilt that I wear on special occasions, and overall, I am just so addicted to the folklore and history.

I am taking my dream vacation at the age of 23. Can you believe it? Oh sure, there are dozens of other places I wish to visit – Australia, Ireland, Germany, British Columbia, Newfoundland – but Scotland is the place I wish to go. So what are the odds that I personally know someone who lives there? Not only do I know someone who lives there, but I’ve worked with her, I know her from real life! And we have heaps in common.

To say I’m excited for this vacation is an understatement. But, you know, the thing is… time is passing by very quickly. If it weren’t for the fact that I’ve booked this year full of exciting plans, I bet the next two months would crawl by. But as it is, I’m excitedly awaiting the last weekend of May, because I will be heading off to Montreal to spend a weekend riding the rollercoasters, and getting an adrenaline buzz. And it won’t be the only weekend I do it. I have myself a season’s pass to La Ronde. So for every weekend I am free, I will be dragging my arse up to Montreal and letting the wind blow through my hair.

And that’s just one of the many things I plan on doing!

This year is so full of fun things, exciting things, once-in-a-lifetime things. It’s only May and I’ve already met George Takei, had a pick thrown to me by Bob Hallett, seen dozens butterflies fluttering around me, received well over two dozen postcards, and made loose plans to take more small and large trips for this coming year.

If you don’t make your life exciting, who will?